Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Haskovo

For one person, living is cheaper in Haskovo: $832 a month against $1,519 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $8,200 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
40

Cost of Living Index in Haskovo
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Haskovo Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,519

/mo nomad

Haskovo

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$832

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Haskovo

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,519 in Istanbul versus $832 in Haskovo.

Istanbul $1,519
Haskovo $832

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,365 in Istanbul versus $1,360 in Haskovo.

Istanbul $2,365
Haskovo $1,360

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,212 in Istanbul versus $1,889 in Haskovo.

Istanbul $3,212
Haskovo $1,889

Living in Istanbul is roughly 83% more expensive than in Haskovo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Istanbul is 12% above, Haskovo is 38% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.81 ₺592

$9.93 BGN 17.27

18.93%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.9 ₺2,753

$44.23 BGN 77.0

24.15%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.26 ₺464

$9.90 BGN 17.23

-6.46%

Cappuccino

$4.30 ₺216

$2.02 BGN 3.52

112.87%

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

$1.77 ₺89.0

$1.06 BGN 1.85

66.98%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺28.31

$0.77 BGN 1.34

-27.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.69 ₺235

$1.31 BGN 2.28

258.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.12 ₺357

$2.78 BGN 4.84

156.12%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 ₺62.7

$1.57 BGN 2.74

-20.38%

White Bread (500g)

$0.88 ₺44.15

$0.72 BGN 1.26

22.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 ₺111

$1.59 BGN 2.76

38.36%

Eggs

$2.43 ₺122

$3.24 BGN 5.63

-25.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.48 ₺525

$10.19 BGN 17.73

2.85%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.31 ₺266

$7.56 BGN 13.16

-29.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.10 ₺1,058

$8.31 BGN 14.46

153.91%

Apples (1kg)

$1.86 ₺93.0

$1.53 BGN 2.66

21.57%

Banana (1kg)

$2.30 ₺115

$1.97 BGN 3.43

16.75%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.22 ₺60.9

$1.44 BGN 2.50

-15.28%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺90.1

$1.83 BGN 3.18

-1.64%

Potato (1kg)

$0.69 ₺34.81

$0.76 BGN 1.33

-9.21%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺32.15

$1.18 BGN 2.05

-45.76%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.36 ₺67.9

$0.79 BGN 1.38

72.15%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 ₺28.93

$0.69 BGN 1.19

-15.94%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.34 ₺117

$3.46 BGN 6.01

-32.37%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.03 ₺653

$6.78 BGN 11.80

92.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.36 ₺118

$0.78 BGN 1.36

202.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.32 ₺166

$1.62 BGN 2.82

104.94%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.88 ₺44.05

$0.68 BGN 1.18

29.41%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.1 ₺3,315

$22.66 BGN 39.43

191.79%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 ₺64.4

$1.13 BGN 1.97

13.27%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 ₺42.78

$0.67 BGN 1.16

26.87%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.09 ₺556

$13.51 BGN 23.51

-17.91%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 ₺74.0

$1.57 BGN 2.73

-5.73%

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

$48.6K ₺2.4M

$30.1K BGN 52.4K

61.53%

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

$42.0K ₺2.1M

$23.7K BGN 41.2K

77.48%

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

$92.7 ₺4,648

$91.4 BGN 159

1.47%

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

$11.20 ₺561

$13.06 BGN 22.73

-14.24%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.89 ₺797

$9.33 BGN 16.24

70.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.7 ₺3,744

$53.9 BGN 93.7

38.68%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.95 ₺1,151

$29.07 BGN 50.6

-21.05%

Cinema Ticket

$8.05 ₺404

$7.90 BGN 13.75

1.90%

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

$948 ₺47.5K

$233 BGN 405

307.14%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.9K ₺1.9M

$2,289 BGN 3,982

1513.05%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₺2,701

$46.18 BGN 80.4

16.67%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.49 ₺2,080

$29.54 BGN 51.4

40.45%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 ₺5,058

$70.3 BGN 122

43.62%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.3 ₺4,578

$73.7 BGN 128

23.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,014 ₺50.8K

$229 BGN 399

342.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$625 ₺31.3K

$160 BGN 278

290.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,005 ₺100.5K

$374 BGN 652

435.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,126 ₺56.4K

$296 BGN 514

280.86%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,988 ₺149.8K

$1,236 BGN 2,151

141.69%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,730 ₺86.7K

$977 BGN 1,699

77.17%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,136 ₺57.0K

$1,074 BGN 1,869

5.80%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.42

3.25

1143.69%

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

Last update for Istanbul: November 2, 2026

Last update for Haskovo: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$625 41.1%

Haskovo

$160 19.2% 74.4% $465

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$258 17%

Haskovo

$207 24.8% 20% $52

Eating Out

Istanbul

$221 14.6%

Haskovo

$153 18.4% 30.8% $68

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$129 8.5%

Haskovo

$99 11.9% 23.6% $31

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$120 7.9%

Haskovo

$114 13.7% 5% $6

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$91 6%

Haskovo

$70 8.4% 23.3% $21

Getting Around

Istanbul

$75 5%

Haskovo

$30 3.6% 60.3% $45

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,014 in Istanbul and $229 in Haskovo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Istanbul pays 6% 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 $44 in Haskovo for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $258 vs $207 per month, with Haskovo cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇧🇬 Haskovo

🕒 Local time

04:56 4:56 AM

03:56 3:56 AM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

76,587

💱 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 7, 2026: 1 USD = 50.13 TRY (100 TRY = 1.99 USD). 1 EUR = 56.03 TRY (100 TRY = 1.78 EUR).

Bulgarian Lev exchange rates as of November 7, 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 →

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Istanbul Haskovo 300 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 Haskovo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Haskovo wins on cost – living expenses run 45% lower than in Istanbul. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Haskovo the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 6% 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 $229 in Haskovo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 25% higher in Istanbul. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Haskovo – a meal for two runs $44 versus $55 in Istanbul. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $800. Haskovo is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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 Haskovo are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Haskovo gentler on the wallet – expenses run 45% less than in Istanbul. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.