Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Gorna Oryahovitsa

For one person, living is cheaper in Gorna Oryahovitsa: $965 a month against $1,519 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $6,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

73

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index
46

Cost of Living Index in Gorna Oryahovitsa
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Gorna Oryahovitsa Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,519

/mo nomad

Gorna Oryahovitsa

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$965

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Gorna Oryahovitsa

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 Gorna Oryahovitsa actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,519 in Istanbul versus $965 in Gorna Oryahovitsa.

Istanbul $1,519
Gorna Oryahovitsa $965

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,365 in Istanbul versus $1,463 in Gorna Oryahovitsa.

Istanbul $2,365
Gorna Oryahovitsa $1,463

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,212 in Istanbul versus $1,960 in Gorna Oryahovitsa.

Istanbul $3,212
Gorna Oryahovitsa $1,960

Living in Istanbul is roughly 57% more expensive than in Gorna Oryahovitsa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Istanbul is 12% above, Gorna Oryahovitsa is 29% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.81 ₺592

$8.88 BGN 15.46

33.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.9 ₺2,754

$25.75 BGN 44.81

113.24%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.26 ₺465

$9.54 BGN 16.61

-2.94%

Cappuccino

$4.30 ₺216

$1.05 BGN 1.83

309.52%

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

$1.77 ₺89.0

$0.75 BGN 1.31

136.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺28.32

$0.48 BGN 0.84

16.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.69 ₺235

$1.51 BGN 2.63

210.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.12 ₺357

$1.75 BGN 3.04

306.86%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 ₺62.7

$1.73 BGN 3.01

-27.75%

White Bread (500g)

$0.88 ₺44.17

$1.16 BGN 2.02

-24.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 ₺111

$2.25 BGN 3.92

-2.22%

Eggs

$2.43 ₺122

$2.81 BGN 4.89

-13.52%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.48 ₺526

$7.25 BGN 12.61

44.55%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.31 ₺267

$8.29 BGN 14.43

-35.95%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.10 ₺1,058

$14.15 BGN 24.61

49.12%

Apples (1kg)

$1.86 ₺93.1

$1.01 BGN 1.75

84.16%

Banana (1kg)

$2.30 ₺115

$1.33 BGN 2.32

72.93%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.22 ₺61.0

$2.00 BGN 3.48

-39.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺90.2

$2.04 BGN 3.54

-11.76%

Potato (1kg)

$0.69 ₺34.83

$1.05 BGN 1.83

-34.29%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺32.16

$0.71 BGN 1.23

-9.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.36 ₺68.0

$0.72 BGN 1.25

88.89%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 ₺28.94

$0.58 BGN 1.01

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.34 ₺117

$4.06 BGN 7.06

-42.36%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.03 ₺653

$6.09 BGN 10.60

113.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.36 ₺118

$1.12 BGN 1.95

110.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.32 ₺166

$2.07 BGN 3.60

60.39%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.88 ₺44.07

$0.85 BGN 1.47

3.53%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.1 ₺3,316

$25.77 BGN 44.85

156.58%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 ₺64.4

$1.25 BGN 2.17

2.40%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 ₺42.80

$0.61 BGN 1.07

39.34%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.09 ₺556

$10.43 BGN 18.15

6.33%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 ₺74.0

$1.47 BGN 2.55

0.68%

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

$48.6K ₺2.4M

$29.7K BGN 51.6K

63.88%

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

$42.0K ₺2.1M

$24.9K BGN 43.3K

68.69%

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

$92.7 ₺4,650

$103 BGN 180

-10.18%

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

$11.20 ₺562

$18.93 BGN 32.94

-40.83%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.89 ₺797

$10.47 BGN 18.23

51.77%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.7 ₺3,745

$32.50 BGN 56.6

129.78%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.95 ₺1,151

$16.90 BGN 29.41

35.80%

Cinema Ticket

$8.05 ₺404

$9.05 BGN 15.75

-11.05%

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

$948 ₺47.6K

$512 BGN 891

85.12%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.9K ₺1.9M

$5,507 BGN 9,582

570.41%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₺2,702

$69.0 BGN 120

-21.96%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.49 ₺2,081

$42.27 BGN 73.6

-1.85%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 ₺5,060

$94.5 BGN 164

6.72%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.3 ₺4,580

$106 BGN 184

-13.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,014 ₺50.8K

$330 BGN 574

207.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$625 ₺31.3K

$258 BGN 448

142.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,005 ₺100.6K

$547 BGN 953

266.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,126 ₺56.5K

$398 BGN 693

182.67%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,988 ₺149.8K

$1,335 BGN 2,323

123.83%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,730 ₺86.8K

$1,075 BGN 1,871

60.91%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,136 ₺57.0K

$863 BGN 1,502

31.61%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.42

3.1

1203.87%

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

Last update for Istanbul: November 2, 2026

Last update for Gorna Oryahovitsa: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$625 41.1%

Gorna Oryahovitsa

$258 26.7% 58.8% $367

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$258 17%

Gorna Oryahovitsa

$222 23% 13.9% $36

Eating Out

Istanbul

$221 14.6%

Gorna Oryahovitsa

$128 13.3% 41.9% $93

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$129 8.5%

Gorna Oryahovitsa

$140 14.5% 8.3% $11

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$120 7.9%

Gorna Oryahovitsa

$133 13.7% 10.7% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$91 6%

Gorna Oryahovitsa

$51 5.2% 44.3% $40

Getting Around

Istanbul

$75 5%

Gorna Oryahovitsa

$33 3.5% 55.5% $42

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,014 in Istanbul and $330 in Gorna Oryahovitsa. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Istanbul pays 32% 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 $26 in Gorna Oryahovitsa for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $258 vs $222 per month, with Gorna Oryahovitsa cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇧🇬 Gorna Oryahovitsa

🕒 Local time

01:51 1:51 AM

00:51 12:51 AM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

40,000

💱 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 = 0.514 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 = 56.05 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 = 1.94 BGN (1 BGN = 0.514 EUR).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Istanbul Gorna Oryahovitsa 360 km

From you

Istanbul
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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 Gorna Oryahovitsa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Gorna Oryahovitsa is about 36% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, transport, and leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 32% higher in Istanbul, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,014 in Istanbul versus $330 in Gorna Oryahovitsa. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $1,519 per month in Istanbul versus $965 in Gorna Oryahovitsa – Gorna Oryahovitsa is about 36% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Gorna Oryahovitsa runs roughly 61% less than in Istanbul. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

For families, Gorna Oryahovitsa is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Istanbul, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

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

Expats usually find Gorna Oryahovitsa gentler on the wallet – expenses run 36% less than in Istanbul. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.