Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Popovo

For one person, living is cheaper in Popovo: $916 a month against $1,519 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $7,200 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
44

Cost of Living Index in Popovo
Learn more

Popovo Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,519

/mo nomad

Popovo

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$916

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Popovo

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

A single person spends $1,519 per month in Istanbul vs $916 in Popovo, rent included.

Istanbul $1,519
Popovo $916

A couple spends around $2,365 per month in Istanbul vs $1,382 in Popovo, rent included.

Istanbul $2,365
Popovo $1,382

A family of three spends $3,212 per month in Istanbul vs $1,848 in Popovo, rent included.

Istanbul $3,212
Popovo $1,848

Istanbul costs about 66% more than Popovo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Istanbul sits 12% above the global median, while Popovo is 32% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.81 ₺592

$8.60 BGN 14.96

37.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.9 ₺2,754

$28.66 BGN 49.86

91.59%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.26 ₺465

$6.72 BGN 11.69

37.80%

Cappuccino

$4.30 ₺216

$1.12 BGN 1.95

283.93%

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

$1.77 ₺89.0

$0.77 BGN 1.35

129.87%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺28.32

$1.52 BGN 2.65

-63.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.69 ₺235

$2.52 BGN 4.39

86.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.12 ₺357

$4.20 BGN 7.30

69.52%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 ₺62.7

$1.52 BGN 2.64

-17.76%

White Bread (500g)

$0.88 ₺44.17

$1.03 BGN 1.80

-14.56%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 ₺111

$2.22 BGN 3.87

-0.90%

Eggs

$2.43 ₺122

$2.56 BGN 4.46

-5.08%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.48 ₺526

$6.97 BGN 12.13

50.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.31 ₺267

$8.01 BGN 13.94

-33.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.10 ₺1,058

$14.19 BGN 24.69

48.70%

Apples (1kg)

$1.86 ₺93.1

$1.47 BGN 2.55

26.53%

Banana (1kg)

$2.30 ₺115

$1.45 BGN 2.53

58.62%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.22 ₺61.0

$1.41 BGN 2.45

-13.48%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺90.2

$2.21 BGN 3.85

-18.55%

Potato (1kg)

$0.69 ₺34.83

$1.06 BGN 1.84

-34.91%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺32.16

$1.05 BGN 1.83

-39.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.36 ₺68.0

$1.22 BGN 2.13

11.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 ₺28.94

$0.70 BGN 1.22

-17.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.34 ₺117

$4.05 BGN 7.04

-42.22%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.03 ₺653

$6.31 BGN 10.99

106.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.36 ₺118

$0.88 BGN 1.54

168.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.32 ₺166

$2.03 BGN 3.54

63.55%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.88 ₺44.07

$0.90 BGN 1.56

-2.22%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.1 ₺3,316

$25.79 BGN 44.87

156.38%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 ₺64.4

$0.55 BGN 0.95

132.73%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 ₺42.80

$0.54 BGN 0.95

57.41%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.09 ₺556

$7.90 BGN 13.74

40.38%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 ₺74.0

$1.56 BGN 2.71

-5.13%

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

$48.6K ₺2.4M

$28.0K BGN 48.7K

73.77%

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

$42.0K ₺2.1M

$21.6K BGN 37.6K

94.06%

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

$92.7 ₺4,650

$113 BGN 196

-17.74%

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

$11.20 ₺562

$18.10 BGN 31.49

-38.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.89 ₺797

$15.58 BGN 27.11

1.99%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.7 ₺3,745

$19.80 BGN 34.45

277.17%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.95 ₺1,151

$17.16 BGN 29.86

33.74%

Cinema Ticket

$8.05 ₺404

$6.12 BGN 10.65

31.54%

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

$948 ₺47.6K

$509 BGN 886

86.17%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.9K ₺1.9M

$5,443 BGN 9,471

578.23%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₺2,702

$50.6 BGN 88.1

6.40%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.49 ₺2,081

$39.95 BGN 69.5

3.85%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 ₺5,060

$67.5 BGN 117

49.42%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.3 ₺4,580

$45.19 BGN 78.6

102.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,014 ₺50.8K

$338 BGN 588

200.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$625 ₺31.3K

$260 BGN 452

140.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,005 ₺100.6K

$554 BGN 964

261.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,126 ₺56.5K

$403 BGN 701

179.48%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,988 ₺149.8K

$1,323 BGN 2,301

125.92%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,730 ₺86.8K

$1,083 BGN 1,885

59.73%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,136 ₺57.0K

$1,266 BGN 2,202

-10.21%

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 Popovo: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$625 41.1%

Popovo

$260 28.4% 58.4% $365

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$258 17%

Popovo

$221 24.1% 14.6% $38

Eating Out

Istanbul

$221 14.6%

Popovo

$133 14.5% 40% $88

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$129 8.5%

Popovo

$91 10% 29.3% $38

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$120 7.9%

Popovo

$146 16% 22.2% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$91 6%

Popovo

$32 3.5% 64.7% $59

Getting Around

Istanbul

$75 5%

Popovo

$33 3.6% 56.6% $43

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,014 in Istanbul versus $338 in Popovo. 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 11% higher in Popovo, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55 in Istanbul versus $29 in Popovo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $221 – making Popovo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇧🇬 Popovo

🕒 Local time

23:35 11:35 PM

22:35 10:35 PM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

15,878

💱 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 Popovo 350 km

From you

Istanbul
Popovo

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 Popovo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 66%, 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 $1,373 in Popovo. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Popovo, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $338 there versus $1,014 in Istanbul.

Kindergarten costs $948 per month in Istanbul and $509 in Popovo. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 17% more in Istanbul, though the gap depends on what you buy.

Families tend to lean toward Popovo – 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.

For expats, Popovo is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 40% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.