Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Plovdiv

For one person, living is cheaper in Plovdiv: $1,234 a month against $1,519 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $3,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

73

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Plovdiv
Learn more

Plovdiv Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,519

/mo nomad

Plovdiv

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,234

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Plovdiv

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

A single person spends $1,519 per month in Istanbul vs $1,234 in Plovdiv, rent included.

Istanbul $1,519
Plovdiv $1,234

A couple spends around $2,365 per month in Istanbul vs $1,888 in Plovdiv, rent included.

Istanbul $2,365
Plovdiv $1,888

A family of three spends $3,212 per month in Istanbul vs $2,542 in Plovdiv, rent included.

Istanbul $3,212
Plovdiv $2,542

Istanbul costs about 23% more than Plovdiv, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Istanbul sits 12% above the global median, while Plovdiv is 9% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.81 ₺591

$9.92 BGN 17.26

19.05%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.9 ₺2,748

$46.76 BGN 81.4

17.43%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.26 ₺463

$9.53 BGN 16.58

-2.83%

Cappuccino

$4.30 ₺215

$2.88 BGN 5.02

49.31%

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

$1.77 ₺88.8

$1.91 BGN 3.32

-7.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺28.26

$1.55 BGN 2.70

-63.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.69 ₺234

$2.64 BGN 4.59

77.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.12 ₺356

$4.58 BGN 7.98

55.46%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 ₺62.6

$1.84 BGN 3.20

-32.07%

White Bread (500g)

$0.88 ₺44.07

$1.17 BGN 2.04

-24.79%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 ₺110

$2.26 BGN 3.93

-2.65%

Eggs

$2.43 ₺122

$3.57 BGN 6.21

-31.93%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.48 ₺524

$11.62 BGN 20.22

-9.81%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.31 ₺266

$8.73 BGN 15.18

-39.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.10 ₺1,056

$14.34 BGN 24.95

47.14%

Apples (1kg)

$1.86 ₺92.9

$1.65 BGN 2.88

12.73%

Banana (1kg)

$2.30 ₺115

$1.81 BGN 3.14

27.07%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.22 ₺60.8

$1.92 BGN 3.34

-36.46%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺90.0

$2.70 BGN 4.69

-33.33%

Potato (1kg)

$0.69 ₺34.75

$1.09 BGN 1.89

-36.70%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺32.09

$1.02 BGN 1.77

-37.25%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.36 ₺67.8

$1.24 BGN 2.17

9.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 ₺28.88

$0.78 BGN 1.36

-25.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.34 ₺117

$4.08 BGN 7.10

-42.65%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.03 ₺652

$6.17 BGN 10.74

111.18%

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

$1.94 BGN 3.37

71.13%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.88 ₺43.97

$0.55 BGN 0.95

60.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.1 ₺3,309

$29.00 BGN 50.5

128.00%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 ₺64.3

$1.59 BGN 2.76

-19.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 ₺42.70

$0.82 BGN 1.43

3.66%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.09 ₺555

$10.87 BGN 18.91

2.02%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 ₺73.9

$1.75 BGN 3.05

-15.43%

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

$48.6K ₺2.4M

$30.5K BGN 53.1K

59.35%

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

$42.0K ₺2.1M

$24.8K BGN 43.2K

69.18%

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

$92.7 ₺4,639

$111 BGN 194

-16.70%

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

$11.20 ₺560

$18.88 BGN 32.85

-40.68%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.89 ₺795

$15.50 BGN 26.96

2.52%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.7 ₺3,737

$42.89 BGN 74.6

74.12%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.95 ₺1,149

$20.20 BGN 35.15

13.61%

Cinema Ticket

$8.05 ₺403

$8.91 BGN 15.50

-9.65%

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

$948 ₺47.5K

$590 BGN 1,026

60.86%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.9K ₺1.8M

$11.0K BGN 19.2K

234.32%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₺2,696

$67.4 BGN 117

-20.00%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.49 ₺2,076

$41.32 BGN 71.9

0.41%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 ₺5,049

$97.2 BGN 169

3.77%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.3 ₺4,570

$105 BGN 184

-13.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,014 ₺50.7K

$550 BGN 957

84.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$625 ₺31.3K

$415 BGN 722

50.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,005 ₺100.4K

$862 BGN 1,501

132.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,126 ₺56.3K

$653 BGN 1,137

72.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,988 ₺149.5K

$2,270 BGN 3,950

31.60%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,730 ₺86.6K

$1,562 BGN 2,718

10.76%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,136 ₺56.9K

$1,119 BGN 1,947

1.58%

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 Plovdiv: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$625 41.1%

Plovdiv

$415 33.6% 33.5% $209

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$258 17%

Plovdiv

$257 20.8% 0.6% $1.5

Eating Out

Istanbul

$221 14.6%

Plovdiv

$179 14.5% 19.1% $42

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$129 8.5%

Plovdiv

$140 11.4% 8.3% $11

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$120 7.9%

Plovdiv

$146 11.8% 21.6% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$91 6%

Plovdiv

$61 4.9% 33.1% $30

Getting Around

Istanbul

$75 5%

Plovdiv

$37 3% 50.9% $38

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,014 in Istanbul versus $550 in Plovdiv. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55 in Istanbul versus $47 in Plovdiv. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $257 – making Plovdiv the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇧🇬 Plovdiv

🕒 Local time

23:15 11:15 PM

22:15 10:15 PM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

368,983

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 2 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 5, 2026: 1 USD = 50.04 TRY (100 TRY = 2 USD). 1 EUR = 56.18 TRY (100 TRY = 1.78 EUR).

Bulgarian Lev exchange rates as of November 5, 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 Plovdiv 370 km

From you

Istanbul
Plovdiv

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 Plovdiv: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 23%, 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 $1,851 in Plovdiv. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Plovdiv, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $550 there versus $1,014 in Istanbul.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55 in Istanbul and $47 in Plovdiv. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Public transport costs about 56% less in Plovdiv. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$2,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,519 in Istanbul and $1,234 in Plovdiv, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Plovdiv – 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.