Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Kyustendil

For one person, living is cheaper in Kyustendil: $803 a month against $1,519 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $8,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

73

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index
39

Cost of Living Index in Kyustendil
Learn more

Kyustendil Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,519

/mo nomad

Kyustendil

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$803

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Kyustendil

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

A single person spends $1,519 per month in Istanbul vs $803 in Kyustendil, rent included.

Istanbul $1,519
Kyustendil $803

A couple spends around $2,365 per month in Istanbul vs $1,233 in Kyustendil, rent included.

Istanbul $2,365
Kyustendil $1,233

A family of three spends $3,212 per month in Istanbul vs $1,662 in Kyustendil, rent included.

Istanbul $3,212
Kyustendil $1,662

Istanbul costs about 89% more than Kyustendil, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Istanbul sits 12% above the global median, while Kyustendil is 41% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.81 ₺592

$10.33 BGN 17.97

14.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.9 ₺2,754

$34.35 BGN 59.8

59.85%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.26 ₺465

$5.03 BGN 8.76

84.10%

Cappuccino

$4.30 ₺216

$1.46 BGN 2.54

194.52%

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

$1.77 ₺89.0

$1.07 BGN 1.87

65.42%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺28.32

$0.66 BGN 1.14

-15.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.69 ₺235

$1.12 BGN 1.95

318.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.12 ₺357

$1.46 BGN 2.53

387.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 ₺62.7

$1.63 BGN 2.84

-23.31%

White Bread (500g)

$0.88 ₺44.17

$0.66 BGN 1.15

33.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 ₺111

$1.50 BGN 2.61

46.67%

Eggs

$2.43 ₺122

$2.35 BGN 4.10

3.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.48 ₺526

$6.84 BGN 11.90

53.22%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.31 ₺267

$4.09 BGN 7.11

29.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.10 ₺1,058

$7.22 BGN 12.56

192.24%

Apples (1kg)

$1.86 ₺93.1

$0.76 BGN 1.32

144.74%

Banana (1kg)

$2.30 ₺115

$1.63 BGN 2.84

41.10%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.22 ₺61.0

$1.17 BGN 2.04

4.27%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺90.2

$1.62 BGN 2.83

11.11%

Potato (1kg)

$0.69 ₺34.83

$0.60 BGN 1.05

15.00%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺32.16

$0.55 BGN 0.95

16.36%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.36 ₺68.0

$0.54 BGN 0.95

151.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 ₺28.94

$0.58 BGN 1.01

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.34 ₺117

$3.49 BGN 6.07

-32.95%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.03 ₺653

$4.02 BGN 6.99

224.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.36 ₺118

$0.87 BGN 1.51

171.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.32 ₺166

$0.70 BGN 1.22

374.29%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.88 ₺44.07

$0.83 BGN 1.45

6.02%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.1 ₺3,316

$25.19 BGN 43.83

162.49%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 ₺64.4

$1.29 BGN 2.24

-0.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 ₺42.80

$0.61 BGN 1.07

39.34%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.09 ₺556

$11.57 BGN 20.12

-4.15%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 ₺74.0

$1.61 BGN 2.81

-8.07%

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

$48.6K ₺2.4M

$14.6K BGN 25.3K

234.26%

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

$42.0K ₺2.1M

$13.4K BGN 23.3K

213.89%

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

$92.7 ₺4,650

$94.3 BGN 164

-1.71%

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

$11.20 ₺562

$14.81 BGN 25.78

-24.38%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.89 ₺797

$12.40 BGN 21.58

28.15%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.7 ₺3,745

$32.38 BGN 56.3

130.64%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.95 ₺1,151

$16.83 BGN 29.29

36.36%

Cinema Ticket

$8.05 ₺404

$4.09 BGN 7.12

96.82%

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

$948 ₺47.6K

$115 BGN 200

725.16%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.9K ₺1.9M

$2,260 BGN 3,933

1533.40%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₺2,702

$30.87 BGN 53.7

74.54%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.49 ₺2,081

$18.93 BGN 32.94

119.18%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 ₺5,060

$58.8 BGN 102

71.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.3 ₺4,580

$44.98 BGN 78.3

103.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,014 ₺50.8K

$326 BGN 567

210.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$625 ₺31.3K

$255 BGN 444

144.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,005 ₺100.6K

$546 BGN 950

267.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,126 ₺56.5K

$404 BGN 702

179.01%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,988 ₺149.8K

$1,323 BGN 2,302

125.80%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,730 ₺86.8K

$1,112 BGN 1,935

55.56%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,136 ₺57.0K

$655 BGN 1,139

73.62%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.42

2.99

1251.84%

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

Last update for Istanbul: November 2, 2026

Last update for Kyustendil: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$625 41.1%

Kyustendil

$255 31.8% 59.1% $369

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$258 17%

Kyustendil

$153 19.1% 40.7% $105

Eating Out

Istanbul

$221 14.6%

Kyustendil

$131 16.3% 40.9% $90

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$129 8.5%

Kyustendil

$69 8.6% 46.6% $60

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$120 7.9%

Kyustendil

$122 15.1% 1.5% $1.8

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$91 6%

Kyustendil

$41 5.1% 55.3% $50

Getting Around

Istanbul

$75 5%

Kyustendil

$33 4.1% 56.3% $42

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,014 in Istanbul versus $326 in Kyustendil. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 74% higher in Istanbul, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55 in Istanbul versus $34 in Kyustendil. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $153 – making Kyustendil the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇧🇬 Kyustendil

🕒 Local time

12:09 12:09 PM

11:09 11:09 AM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

47,640

💱 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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Highest

Between locations

Istanbul Kyustendil 540 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Kyustendil

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 Kyustendil: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 89%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,278 per month in Istanbul and $1,205 in Kyustendil. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Kyustendil, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $326 there versus $1,014 in Istanbul.

Kindergarten costs $948 per month in Istanbul and $115 in Kyustendil. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 69% more in Istanbul, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,519 in Istanbul and $803 in Kyustendil. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Kyustendil – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

If budget matters most, go with Kyustendil. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Istanbul makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.