Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Sliven

For one person, living is cheaper in Sliven: $757 a month against $1,519 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $9,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

73

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index
36

Cost of Living Index in Sliven
Learn more

Sliven Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,519

/mo nomad

Sliven

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$757

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Sliven

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

A single person spends $1,519 per month in Istanbul vs $757 in Sliven, rent included.

Istanbul $1,519
Sliven $757

A couple spends around $2,365 per month in Istanbul vs $1,205 in Sliven, rent included.

Istanbul $2,365
Sliven $1,205

A family of three spends $3,212 per month in Istanbul vs $1,653 in Sliven, rent included.

Istanbul $3,212
Sliven $1,653

Istanbul costs about 101% more than Sliven, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Istanbul sits 12% above the global median, while Sliven is 44% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.81 ₺592

$9.74 BGN 16.95

21.25%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.9 ₺2,754

$34.95 BGN 60.8

57.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.26 ₺465

$9.67 BGN 16.82

-4.24%

Cappuccino

$4.30 ₺216

$1.84 BGN 3.20

133.70%

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

$1.77 ₺89.0

$1.23 BGN 2.14

43.90%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺28.32

$0.86 BGN 1.49

-34.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.69 ₺235

$1.67 BGN 2.90

180.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.12 ₺357

$2.33 BGN 4.05

205.58%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 ₺62.7

$1.52 BGN 2.64

-17.76%

White Bread (500g)

$0.88 ₺44.17

$0.77 BGN 1.34

14.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 ₺111

$2.27 BGN 3.94

-3.08%

Eggs

$2.43 ₺122

$2.17 BGN 3.78

11.98%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.48 ₺526

$8.25 BGN 14.35

27.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.31 ₺267

$5.29 BGN 9.21

0.38%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.10 ₺1,058

$6.57 BGN 11.43

221.16%

Apples (1kg)

$1.86 ₺93.1

$1.47 BGN 2.56

26.53%

Banana (1kg)

$2.30 ₺115

$1.67 BGN 2.91

37.72%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.22 ₺61.0

$1.45 BGN 2.53

-15.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺90.2

$2.12 BGN 3.69

-15.09%

Potato (1kg)

$0.69 ₺34.83

$0.47 BGN 0.82

46.81%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺32.16

$0.89 BGN 1.55

-28.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.36 ₺68.0

$1.13 BGN 1.96

20.35%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 ₺28.94

$0.51 BGN 0.89

13.73%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.34 ₺117

$3.60 BGN 6.26

-35.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.03 ₺653

$5.92 BGN 10.31

120.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.36 ₺118

$1.05 BGN 1.82

124.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.32 ₺166

$1.29 BGN 2.24

157.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.88 ₺44.07

$0.70 BGN 1.22

25.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.1 ₺3,316

$34.79 BGN 60.5

90.05%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 ₺64.4

$1.11 BGN 1.94

15.32%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 ₺42.80

$0.58 BGN 1.01

46.55%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.09 ₺556

$8.57 BGN 14.90

29.40%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 ₺74.0

$1.46 BGN 2.55

1.37%

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

$48.6K ₺2.4M

$30.3K BGN 52.8K

60.38%

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

$42.0K ₺2.1M

$22.3K BGN 38.7K

88.51%

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

$92.7 ₺4,650

$84.9 BGN 148

9.15%

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

$11.20 ₺562

$18.87 BGN 32.84

-40.65%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.89 ₺797

$9.16 BGN 15.94

73.47%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.7 ₺3,745

$22.53 BGN 39.20

231.47%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.95 ₺1,151

$13.31 BGN 23.15

72.43%

Cinema Ticket

$8.05 ₺404

$5.55 BGN 9.67

45.05%

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

$948 ₺47.6K

$582 BGN 1,012

63.00%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.9K ₺1.9M

$11.2K BGN 19.5K

229.62%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₺2,702

$56.9 BGN 99.0

-5.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.49 ₺2,081

$22.51 BGN 39.16

84.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 ₺5,060

$69.5 BGN 121

45.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.3 ₺4,580

$60.3 BGN 105

51.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,014 ₺50.8K

$233 BGN 406

334.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$625 ₺31.3K

$145 BGN 252

330.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,005 ₺100.6K

$329 BGN 573

509.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,126 ₺56.5K

$255 BGN 443

342.29%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,988 ₺149.8K

$1,104 BGN 1,921

170.61%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,730 ₺86.8K

$925 BGN 1,609

87.11%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,136 ₺57.0K

$1,305 BGN 2,271

-12.94%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.42

2.87

1308.36%

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

Last update for Istanbul: November 2, 2026

Last update for Sliven: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$625 41.1%

Sliven

$145 19.2% 76.8% $480

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$258 17%

Sliven

$179 23.7% 30.7% $79

Eating Out

Istanbul

$221 14.6%

Sliven

$150 19.9% 31.9% $71

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$129 8.5%

Sliven

$94 12.4% 27.2% $35

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$120 7.9%

Sliven

$113 14.9% 5.7% $6.8

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$91 6%

Sliven

$34 4.5% 62.9% $57

Getting Around

Istanbul

$75 5%

Sliven

$42 5.5% 44.6% $34

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,014 in Istanbul versus $233 in Sliven. 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 15% higher in Sliven, 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 $35 in Sliven. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $179 – making Sliven the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇧🇬 Sliven

🕒 Local time

14:16 2:16 PM

13:16 1:16 PM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

95,806

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Istanbul Sliven 290 km

From you

Istanbul
Sliven

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 Sliven: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 101%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,278 per month in Istanbul and $1,135 in Sliven. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Sliven, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $233 there versus $1,014 in Istanbul.

Kindergarten costs $948 per month in Istanbul and $582 in Sliven. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 44% more in Istanbul, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Sliven, where all-in costs run around $757, than in Istanbul at $1,519. In Sliven it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Sliven – 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, Sliven is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 50% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.