Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Ruse

For one person, living is cheaper in Ruse: $1,009 a month against $1,519 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $6,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

73

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index
48

Cost of Living Index in Ruse
Learn more

Ruse Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,519

/mo nomad

Ruse

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,009

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Ruse

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

A single person spends $1,519 per month in Istanbul vs $1,009 in Ruse, rent included.

Istanbul $1,519
Ruse $1,009

A couple spends around $2,365 per month in Istanbul vs $1,506 in Ruse, rent included.

Istanbul $2,365
Ruse $1,506

A family of three spends $3,212 per month in Istanbul vs $2,004 in Ruse, rent included.

Istanbul $3,212
Ruse $2,004

Istanbul costs about 51% more than Ruse, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Istanbul sits 12% above the global median, while Ruse is 25% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.81 ₺592

$10.47 BGN 18.23

12.80%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.9 ₺2,754

$33.82 BGN 58.9

62.36%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.26 ₺465

$11.52 BGN 20.04

-19.62%

Cappuccino

$4.30 ₺216

$1.70 BGN 2.96

152.94%

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

$1.77 ₺89.0

$1.43 BGN 2.49

23.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺28.32

$0.79 BGN 1.37

-29.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.69 ₺235

$1.73 BGN 3.01

171.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.12 ₺357

$2.90 BGN 5.04

145.52%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 ₺62.7

$1.83 BGN 3.18

-31.69%

White Bread (500g)

$0.88 ₺44.17

$0.95 BGN 1.66

-7.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 ₺111

$2.37 BGN 4.13

-7.17%

Eggs

$2.43 ₺122

$2.52 BGN 4.39

-3.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.48 ₺526

$9.20 BGN 16.01

13.91%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.31 ₺267

$7.49 BGN 13.04

-29.11%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.10 ₺1,058

$17.39 BGN 30.25

21.33%

Apples (1kg)

$1.86 ₺93.1

$1.36 BGN 2.37

36.76%

Banana (1kg)

$2.30 ₺115

$1.98 BGN 3.45

16.16%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.22 ₺61.0

$1.93 BGN 3.36

-36.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺90.2

$1.95 BGN 3.40

-7.69%

Potato (1kg)

$0.69 ₺34.83

$1.03 BGN 1.79

-33.01%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺32.16

$0.88 BGN 1.53

-27.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.36 ₺68.0

$1.15 BGN 2.00

18.26%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 ₺28.94

$0.66 BGN 1.15

-12.12%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.34 ₺117

$3.41 BGN 5.94

-31.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.03 ₺653

$6.23 BGN 10.84

109.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.36 ₺118

$1.17 BGN 2.03

101.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.32 ₺166

$1.11 BGN 1.93

199.10%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.88 ₺44.07

$0.89 BGN 1.55

-1.12%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.1 ₺3,316

$16.01 BGN 27.86

312.99%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 ₺64.4

$1.62 BGN 2.81

-20.99%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 ₺42.80

$0.72 BGN 1.25

18.06%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.09 ₺556

$10.04 BGN 17.48

10.46%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 ₺74.0

$1.52 BGN 2.65

-2.63%

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

$48.6K ₺2.4M

$30.0K BGN 52.1K

62.33%

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

$42.0K ₺2.1M

$22.1K BGN 38.5K

89.65%

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

$92.7 ₺4,650

$102 BGN 177

-8.71%

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

$11.20 ₺562

$17.79 BGN 30.95

-37.04%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.89 ₺797

$12.92 BGN 22.49

22.99%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.7 ₺3,745

$32.07 BGN 55.8

132.87%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.95 ₺1,151

$8.42 BGN 14.64

172.57%

Cinema Ticket

$8.05 ₺404

$5.60 BGN 9.74

43.75%

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

$948 ₺47.6K

$809 BGN 1,407

17.26%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.9K ₺1.9M

$14.3K BGN 24.9K

158.47%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₺2,702

$52.3 BGN 91.1

2.98%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.49 ₺2,081

$28.66 BGN 49.86

44.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 ₺5,060

$71.2 BGN 124

41.74%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.3 ₺4,580

$84.6 BGN 147

7.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,014 ₺50.8K

$359 BGN 625

182.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$625 ₺31.3K

$301 BGN 524

107.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,005 ₺100.6K

$517 BGN 900

287.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,126 ₺56.5K

$410 BGN 714

174.37%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,988 ₺149.8K

$1,653 BGN 2,877

80.71%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,730 ₺86.8K

$1,192 BGN 2,074

45.16%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,136 ₺57.0K

$971 BGN 1,689

17.04%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.42

2.89

1298.62%

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

Last update for Istanbul: November 2, 2026

Last update for Ruse: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$625 41.1%

Ruse

$301 29.8% 51.8% $324

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$258 17%

Ruse

$239 23.7% 7.6% $20

Eating Out

Istanbul

$221 14.6%

Ruse

$162 16.1% 26.7% $59

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$129 8.5%

Ruse

$107 10.6% 17.7% $23

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$120 7.9%

Ruse

$132 13.1% 10.4% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$91 6%

Ruse

$43 4.3% 52.3% $48

Getting Around

Istanbul

$75 5%

Ruse

$25 2.5% 67% $50

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,014 in Istanbul versus $359 in Ruse. 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 17% 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 Ruse. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $239 – making Ruse the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇧🇬 Ruse

🕒 Local time

08:05 8:05 AM

07:05 7:05 AM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

159,798

💱 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 = 56.3 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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Istanbul Ruse 400 km

From you

Istanbul
Ruse

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 Ruse: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 51%, 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 $1,513 in Ruse. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Ruse, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $359 there versus $1,014 in Istanbul.

Kindergarten costs $948 per month in Istanbul and $809 in Ruse. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 8% more in Istanbul, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,519 in Istanbul and $1,009 in Ruse. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

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