Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Silistra

For one person, living is cheaper in Silistra: $873 a month against $1,519 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $7,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

73

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index
42

Cost of Living Index in Silistra
Learn more

Silistra Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,519

/mo nomad

Silistra

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$873

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Silistra

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

A single person spends $1,519 per month in Istanbul vs $873 in Silistra, rent included.

Istanbul $1,519
Silistra $873

A couple spends around $2,365 per month in Istanbul vs $1,237 in Silistra, rent included.

Istanbul $2,365
Silistra $1,237

A family of three spends $3,212 per month in Istanbul vs $1,602 in Silistra, rent included.

Istanbul $3,212
Silistra $1,602

Istanbul costs about 74% more than Silistra, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Istanbul sits 12% above the global median, while Silistra is 35% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.81 ₺592

$10.16 BGN 17.68

16.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.9 ₺2,754

$24.40 BGN 42.45

125.04%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.26 ₺465

$9.19 BGN 15.98

0.76%

Cappuccino

$4.30 ₺216

$1.68 BGN 2.92

155.95%

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

$1.77 ₺89.0

$1.15 BGN 2.01

53.91%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺28.32

$0.79 BGN 1.38

-29.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.69 ₺235

$1.87 BGN 3.25

150.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.12 ₺357

$2.03 BGN 3.52

250.74%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 ₺62.7

$1.72 BGN 2.99

-27.33%

White Bread (500g)

$0.88 ₺44.17

$0.81 BGN 1.41

8.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 ₺111

$1.50 BGN 2.60

46.67%

Eggs

$2.43 ₺122

$2.36 BGN 4.11

2.97%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.48 ₺526

$9.23 BGN 16.07

13.54%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.31 ₺267

$6.55 BGN 11.39

-18.93%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.10 ₺1,058

$8.26 BGN 14.38

155.45%

Apples (1kg)

$1.86 ₺93.1

$1.25 BGN 2.17

48.80%

Banana (1kg)

$2.30 ₺115

$1.70 BGN 2.95

35.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.22 ₺61.0

$1.75 BGN 3.04

-30.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺90.2

$1.96 BGN 3.41

-8.16%

Potato (1kg)

$0.69 ₺34.83

$0.93 BGN 1.62

-25.81%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺32.16

$0.76 BGN 1.32

-15.79%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.36 ₺68.0

$0.56 BGN 0.97

142.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 ₺28.94

$0.68 BGN 1.18

-14.71%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.34 ₺117

$3.62 BGN 6.30

-35.36%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.03 ₺653

$5.11 BGN 8.90

154.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.36 ₺118

$1.13 BGN 1.97

108.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.32 ₺166

$1.68 BGN 2.93

97.62%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.88 ₺44.07

$0.85 BGN 1.48

3.53%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.1 ₺3,316

$25.99 BGN 45.23

154.41%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 ₺64.4

$1.12 BGN 1.96

14.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 ₺42.80

$0.60 BGN 1.05

41.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.09 ₺556

$5.79 BGN 10.08

91.54%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 ₺74.0

$1.50 BGN 2.61

-1.33%

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

$48.6K ₺2.4M

$30.4K BGN 52.9K

60.13%

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

$42.0K ₺2.1M

$23.3K BGN 40.6K

79.98%

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

$92.7 ₺4,650

$93.9 BGN 163

-1.28%

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

$11.20 ₺562

$14.66 BGN 25.52

-23.60%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.89 ₺797

$11.99 BGN 20.87

32.53%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.7 ₺3,745

$30.83 BGN 53.7

142.23%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.95 ₺1,151

$17.17 BGN 29.87

33.66%

Cinema Ticket

$8.05 ₺404

$7.04 BGN 12.25

14.35%

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

$948 ₺47.6K

$223 BGN 388

325.42%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.9K ₺1.9M

$2,279 BGN 3,966

1519.66%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₺2,702

$30.88 BGN 53.7

74.48%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.49 ₺2,081

$18.92 BGN 32.92

119.29%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 ₺5,060

$63.5 BGN 110

58.88%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.3 ₺4,580

$50.9 BGN 88.5

79.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,014 ₺50.8K

$333 BGN 580

204.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$625 ₺31.3K

$257 BGN 446

143.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,005 ₺100.6K

$329 BGN 573

509.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,126 ₺56.5K

$248 BGN 432

353.73%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,988 ₺149.8K

$1,339 BGN 2,330

123.11%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,730 ₺86.8K

$1,077 BGN 1,874

60.66%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,136 ₺57.0K

$700 BGN 1,218

62.30%

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 Silistra: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$625 41.1%

Silistra

$257 29.4% 58.9% $368

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$258 17%

Silistra

$193 22.1% 25.2% $65

Eating Out

Istanbul

$221 14.6%

Silistra

$150 17.2% 32% $71

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$129 8.5%

Silistra

$74 8.5% 42.9% $56

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$120 7.9%

Silistra

$121 13.8% 0.6% $0.8

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$91 6%

Silistra

$45 5.2% 50.5% $46

Getting Around

Istanbul

$75 5%

Silistra

$34 3.8% 55.4% $42

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,014 in Istanbul versus $333 in Silistra. 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 62% 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 $24 in Silistra. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $193 – making Silistra the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇧🇬 Silistra

🕒 Local time

16:18 4:18 PM

15:18 3:18 PM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

37,923

💱 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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Istanbul Silistra 370 km

From you

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 Silistra: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 74%, 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 $1,309 in Silistra. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Silistra, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $333 there versus $1,014 in Istanbul.

Kindergarten costs $948 per month in Istanbul and $223 in Silistra. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 34% more in Istanbul, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Silistra, where all-in costs run around $873, than in Istanbul at $1,519. In Silistra it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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