Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Bulgaria

Name: Bulgaria
Address: BG

For one person, living is cheaper in Bulgaria: $1,168 a month against $1,519 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $4,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

73

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index
56

Cost of Living Index in Bulgaria
Learn more

Bulgaria Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,519

/mo nomad

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,168

/mo nomad

😐 Solo nomad: Istanbul is 19.7% more expensive than Bulgaria without rent, and 30.1% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Istanbul is 17.6% more expensive than Bulgaria without rent, and 34.3% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.81 ₺592

$11.51 BGN 20.03

2.61%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.9 ₺2,754

$46.07 BGN 80.2

19.19%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.26 ₺465

$10.27 BGN 17.87

-9.83%

Cappuccino

$4.30 ₺216

$2.48 BGN 4.32

73.39%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.77 ₺89.0

$1.59 BGN 2.76

11.32%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺28.32

$1.23 BGN 2.15

-54.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.69 ₺235

$2.27 BGN 3.96

106.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.12 ₺357

$3.28 BGN 5.70

117.07%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 ₺62.7

$1.78 BGN 3.10

-29.78%

White Bread (500g)

$0.88 ₺44.17

$1.10 BGN 1.92

-20.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 ₺111

$2.22 BGN 3.86

-0.90%

Eggs

$2.43 ₺122

$3.53 BGN 6.15

-31.16%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.48 ₺526

$10.30 BGN 17.92

1.75%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.31 ₺267

$7.98 BGN 13.88

-33.46%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.10 ₺1,058

$13.28 BGN 23.12

58.89%

Apples (1kg)

$1.86 ₺93.1

$1.74 BGN 3.03

6.90%

Banana (1kg)

$2.30 ₺115

$1.98 BGN 3.45

16.16%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.22 ₺61.0

$1.82 BGN 3.17

-32.97%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺90.2

$2.72 BGN 4.74

-33.82%

Potato (1kg)

$0.69 ₺34.83

$1.07 BGN 1.86

-35.51%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺32.16

$1.06 BGN 1.85

-39.62%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.36 ₺68.0

$1.04 BGN 1.81

30.77%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 ₺28.94

$0.70 BGN 1.21

-17.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.34 ₺117

$3.84 BGN 6.68

-39.06%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.03 ₺653

$6.88 BGN 11.98

89.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.36 ₺118

$1.09 BGN 1.90

116.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.32 ₺166

$1.71 BGN 2.97

94.15%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.88 ₺44.07

$0.89 BGN 1.55

-1.12%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.1 ₺3,316

$28.14 BGN 48.97

134.97%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 ₺64.4

$1.71 BGN 2.97

-25.15%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 ₺42.80

$0.90 BGN 1.57

-5.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.09 ₺556

$13.17 BGN 22.92

-15.79%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 ₺74.0

$1.63 BGN 2.84

-9.20%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$48.6K ₺2.4M

$30.6K BGN 53.3K

58.87%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$42.0K ₺2.1M

$24.3K BGN 42.3K

72.77%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$92.7 ₺4,650

$128 BGN 223

-27.64%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$11.20 ₺562

$18.77 BGN 32.66

-40.33%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.89 ₺797

$13.49 BGN 23.47

17.79%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.7 ₺3,745

$35.81 BGN 62.3

108.55%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.95 ₺1,151

$18.28 BGN 31.80

25.55%

Cinema Ticket

$8.05 ₺404

$8.45 BGN 14.71

-4.73%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$948 ₺47.6K

$573 BGN 998

65.41%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.9K ₺1.9M

$11.7K BGN 20.4K

214.57%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₺2,702

$58.7 BGN 102

-8.21%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.49 ₺2,081

$33.16 BGN 57.7

25.12%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 ₺5,060

$89.3 BGN 155

12.99%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.3 ₺4,580

$87.1 BGN 152

4.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,014 ₺50.8K

$476 BGN 828

112.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$625 ₺31.3K

$370 BGN 643

68.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,005 ₺100.6K

$819 BGN 1,425

144.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,126 ₺56.5K

$568 BGN 988

98.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,988 ₺149.8K

$2,283 BGN 3,972

30.89%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,730 ₺86.8K

$1,641 BGN 2,856

5.41%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,136 ₺57.0K

$1,120 BGN 1,948

1.49%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.42

3.16

1179.11%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Istanbul: November 2, 2026

Last update for Bulgaria: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$625 41.1%

Bulgaria

$370 31.7% 40.8% $255

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$258 17%

Bulgaria

$244 20.9% 5.4% $14

Eating Out

Istanbul

$221 14.6%

Bulgaria

$182 15.6% 17.7% $39

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$129 8.5%

Bulgaria

$121 10.3% 6.7% $8.7

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$120 7.9%

Bulgaria

$160 13.7% 33.9% $41

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$91 6%

Bulgaria

$53 4.5% 41.9% $38

Getting Around

Istanbul

$75 5%

Bulgaria

$38 3.3% 49.6% $37

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

🕒 Local time

13:59 1:59 PM

12:59 12:59 PM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

6,795,803

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 1.99 USD

100 TRY = 1.78 EUR

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.512 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BGN, USD, EUR to TRY – Turkish Lira Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇷 Turkish Lira (₺)

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 50.15 TRY (100 TRY = 1.99 USD). 1 EUR = 56.33 TRY (100 TRY = 1.78 EUR).

Bulgarian Lev exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 1.74 BGN (1 BGN = 0.575 USD). 1 EUR = 1.95 BGN (1 BGN = 0.512 EUR).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Istanbul Bulgaria 500 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Bulgaria

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Istanbul vs other spots: cost of living compared

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