Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Dobrich

For one person, living is cheaper in Dobrich: $608 a month against $1,519 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $10,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

73

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index
29

Cost of Living Index in Dobrich
Learn more

Dobrich Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,519

/mo nomad

Dobrich

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$608

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Dobrich

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Istanbul and in Dobrich actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,519 in Istanbul versus $608 in Dobrich.

Istanbul $1,519
Dobrich $608

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,365 in Istanbul versus $1,002 in Dobrich.

Istanbul $2,365
Dobrich $1,002

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,212 in Istanbul versus $1,396 in Dobrich.

Istanbul $3,212
Dobrich $1,396

Living in Istanbul is roughly 150% more expensive than in Dobrich, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Istanbul is 12% above, Dobrich is 55% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.81 ₺592

$6.73 BGN 11.72

75.48%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.9 ₺2,754

$28.29 BGN 49.22

94.10%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.26 ₺465

$9.88 BGN 17.20

-6.28%

Cappuccino

$4.30 ₺216

$1.69 BGN 2.94

154.44%

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

$1.77 ₺89.0

$0.94 BGN 1.64

88.30%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺28.32

$0.49 BGN 0.86

14.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.69 ₺235

$1.94 BGN 3.38

141.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.12 ₺357

$2.93 BGN 5.10

143.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 ₺62.7

$1.91 BGN 3.33

-34.55%

White Bread (500g)

$0.88 ₺44.17

$0.83 BGN 1.44

6.02%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 ₺111

$2.49 BGN 4.33

-11.65%

Eggs

$2.43 ₺122

$3.11 BGN 5.42

-21.86%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.48 ₺526

$6.20 BGN 10.79

69.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.31 ₺267

$7.77 BGN 13.53

-31.66%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.10 ₺1,058

$12.48 BGN 21.71

69.07%

Apples (1kg)

$1.86 ₺93.1

$1.61 BGN 2.81

15.53%

Banana (1kg)

$2.30 ₺115

$2.04 BGN 3.55

12.75%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.22 ₺61.0

$2.04 BGN 3.54

-40.20%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺90.2

$2.55 BGN 4.43

-29.41%

Potato (1kg)

$0.69 ₺34.83

$1.14 BGN 1.98

-39.47%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺32.16

$1.14 BGN 1.98

-43.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.36 ₺68.0

$0.97 BGN 1.69

40.21%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 ₺28.94

$0.52 BGN 0.90

11.54%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.34 ₺117

$3.35 BGN 5.82

-30.15%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.03 ₺653

$6.60 BGN 11.49

97.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.36 ₺118

$0.99 BGN 1.72

138.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.32 ₺166

$1.58 BGN 2.74

110.13%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.88 ₺44.07

$0.95 BGN 1.65

-7.37%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.1 ₺3,316

$22.69 BGN 39.48

191.41%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 ₺64.4

$1.73 BGN 3.00

-26.01%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 ₺42.80

$0.66 BGN 1.15

28.79%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.09 ₺556

$13.53 BGN 23.55

-18.03%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 ₺74.0

$1.54 BGN 2.67

-3.90%

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

$48.6K ₺2.4M

$29.5K BGN 51.3K

64.91%

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

$42.0K ₺2.1M

$22.4K BGN 39.0K

87.05%

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

$92.7 ₺4,650

$52.0 BGN 90.4

78.39%

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

$11.20 ₺562

$18.90 BGN 32.89

-40.74%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.89 ₺797

$14.23 BGN 24.77

11.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.7 ₺3,745

$24.70 BGN 42.97

202.35%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.95 ₺1,151

Cinema Ticket

$8.05 ₺404

$4.48 BGN 7.79

79.69%

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

$948 ₺47.6K

$316 BGN 550

200.29%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.9K ₺1.9M

$7,935 BGN 13.8K

365.24%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₺2,702

$47.86 BGN 83.3

12.58%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.49 ₺2,081

$30.59 BGN 53.2

35.63%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 ₺5,060

$113 BGN 197

-11.09%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.3 ₺4,580

$51.3 BGN 89.2

78.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,014 ₺50.8K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$625 ₺31.3K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,005 ₺100.6K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,126 ₺56.5K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,988 ₺149.8K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,730 ₺86.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,136 ₺57.0K

$1,017 BGN 1,770

11.74%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.42

2.74

1375.18%

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

Last update for Istanbul: November 2, 2026

Last update for Dobrich: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$625 41.1%

Dobrich

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$258 17%

Dobrich

$223 36.7% 13.7% $35

Eating Out

Istanbul

$221 14.6%

Dobrich

$125 20.6% 43.4% $96

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$129 8.5%

Dobrich

$109 18% 15.4% $20

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$120 7.9%

Dobrich

$85 14% 29% $35

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$91 6%

Dobrich

$34 5.5% 62.9% $57

Getting Around

Istanbul

$75 5%

Dobrich

$32 5.2% 58.1% $44

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Istanbul pays 12% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $55 in Istanbul vs $28 in Dobrich for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $258 vs $223 per month, with Dobrich cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇧🇬 Dobrich

🕒 Local time

13:26 1:26 PM

12:26 12:26 PM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

89,627

💱 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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Istanbul Dobrich 300 km

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Istanbul
Dobrich

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 Dobrich: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,519 in Istanbul and $608 in Dobrich, so Dobrich is about 60% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 12% higher in Istanbul, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

All in, you’ll spend $1,519 per month in Istanbul versus $608 in Dobrich – Dobrich is about 60% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Dobrich runs roughly 66% less than in Istanbul. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

At $608 in Dobrich versus $1,519 in Istanbul, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Dobrich but tight or insufficient in Istanbul. The gap between the two cities makes Dobrich the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Istanbul and Dobrich are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Dobrich wins on affordability, Istanbul on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.