Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Pleven

For one person, living is cheaper in Pleven: $886 a month against $1,519 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $7,600 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
43

Cost of Living Index in Pleven
Learn more

Pleven Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,519

/mo nomad

Pleven

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$886

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Pleven

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

A single person spends $1,519 per month in Istanbul vs $886 in Pleven, rent included.

Istanbul $1,519
Pleven $886

A couple spends around $2,365 per month in Istanbul vs $1,413 in Pleven, rent included.

Istanbul $2,365
Pleven $1,413

A family of three spends $3,212 per month in Istanbul vs $1,939 in Pleven, rent included.

Istanbul $3,212
Pleven $1,939

Istanbul costs about 71% more than Pleven, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Istanbul sits 12% above the global median, while Pleven is 34% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.81 ₺592

$8.64 BGN 15.03

36.69%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.9 ₺2,754

$29.25 BGN 50.9

87.73%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.26 ₺465

$6.39 BGN 11.11

44.91%

Cappuccino

$4.30 ₺216

$2.13 BGN 3.70

101.88%

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

$1.77 ₺89.0

$1.27 BGN 2.21

39.37%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺28.32

$1.16 BGN 2.02

-51.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.69 ₺235

$2.10 BGN 3.65

123.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.12 ₺357

$2.27 BGN 3.95

213.66%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 ₺62.7

$1.58 BGN 2.75

-20.89%

White Bread (500g)

$0.88 ₺44.17

$1.16 BGN 2.02

-24.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 ₺111

$1.74 BGN 3.02

26.44%

Eggs

$2.43 ₺122

$3.70 BGN 6.45

-34.32%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.48 ₺526

$8.92 BGN 15.52

17.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.31 ₺267

$7.98 BGN 13.89

-33.46%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.10 ₺1,058

$14.15 BGN 24.62

49.12%

Apples (1kg)

$1.86 ₺93.1

$1.24 BGN 2.16

50.00%

Banana (1kg)

$2.30 ₺115

$1.78 BGN 3.11

29.21%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.22 ₺61.0

$2.01 BGN 3.50

-39.30%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺90.2

$2.35 BGN 4.08

-23.40%

Potato (1kg)

$0.69 ₺34.83

$1.10 BGN 1.91

-37.27%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺32.16

$1.02 BGN 1.77

-37.25%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.36 ₺68.0

$1.21 BGN 2.10

12.40%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 ₺28.94

$0.69 BGN 1.19

-15.94%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.34 ₺117

$3.57 BGN 6.21

-34.45%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.03 ₺653

$6.35 BGN 11.04

105.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.36 ₺118

$0.76 BGN 1.33

210.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.32 ₺166

$1.19 BGN 2.07

178.99%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.88 ₺44.07

$0.91 BGN 1.58

-3.30%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.1 ₺3,316

$39.35 BGN 68.5

68.03%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 ₺64.4

$1.59 BGN 2.77

-19.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 ₺42.80

$0.76 BGN 1.33

11.84%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.09 ₺556

$10.91 BGN 18.98

1.65%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 ₺74.0

$1.57 BGN 2.74

-5.73%

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

$48.6K ₺2.4M

$30.6K BGN 53.2K

59.17%

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

$42.0K ₺2.1M

$24.7K BGN 42.9K

70.07%

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

$92.7 ₺4,650

$96.1 BGN 167

-3.53%

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

$11.20 ₺562

$15.71 BGN 27.34

-28.71%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.89 ₺797

$10.77 BGN 18.74

47.54%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.7 ₺3,745

$36.29 BGN 63.1

105.79%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.95 ₺1,151

$23.79 BGN 41.40

-3.53%

Cinema Ticket

$8.05 ₺404

$8.54 BGN 14.85

-5.74%

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

$948 ₺47.6K

$592 BGN 1,031

60.13%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.9K ₺1.9M

$10.8K BGN 18.8K

240.87%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₺2,702

$41.40 BGN 72.0

30.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.49 ₺2,081

$28.96 BGN 50.4

43.27%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 ₺5,060

$94.2 BGN 164

7.11%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.3 ₺4,580

$105 BGN 182

-12.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,014 ₺50.8K

$336 BGN 584

201.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$625 ₺31.3K

$169 BGN 295

268.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,005 ₺100.6K

$565 BGN 983

255.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,126 ₺56.5K

$324 BGN 565

246.98%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,988 ₺149.8K

$1,436 BGN 2,498

108.12%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,730 ₺86.8K

$1,126 BGN 1,960

53.63%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,136 ₺57.0K

$913 BGN 1,588

24.51%

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 Pleven: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$625 41.1%

Pleven

$169 19.1% 72.9% $455

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$258 17%

Pleven

$232 26.2% 10% $26

Eating Out

Istanbul

$221 14.6%

Pleven

$139 15.6% 37.3% $82

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$129 8.5%

Pleven

$121 13.7% 6.3% $8.2

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$120 7.9%

Pleven

$123 13.8% 2.3% $2.8

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$91 6%

Pleven

$53 6% 41.2% $37

Getting Around

Istanbul

$75 5%

Pleven

$48 5.5% 35.6% $27

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,014 in Istanbul versus $336 in Pleven. 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 25% 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 $29 in Pleven. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $232 – making Pleven the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇧🇬 Pleven

🕒 Local time

14:16 2:16 PM

13:16 1:16 PM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

111,567

💱 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 →

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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 Pleven: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 71%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,278 per month in Istanbul and $1,329 in Pleven. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Pleven, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $336 there versus $1,014 in Istanbul.

Kindergarten costs $948 per month in Istanbul and $592 in Pleven. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 11% more in Istanbul, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Pleven, where all-in costs run around $886, than in Istanbul at $1,519. In Pleven it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Pleven – 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 Pleven. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Istanbul makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.