Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Svishtov

For one person, living is cheaper in Svishtov: $928 a month against $1,519 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $7,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

73

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index
44

Cost of Living Index in Svishtov
Learn more

Svishtov Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,519

/mo nomad

Svishtov

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$928

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Svishtov

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

A single person spends $1,519 per month in Istanbul vs $928 in Svishtov, rent included.

Istanbul $1,519
Svishtov $928

A couple spends around $2,365 per month in Istanbul vs $1,445 in Svishtov, rent included.

Istanbul $2,365
Svishtov $1,445

A family of three spends $3,212 per month in Istanbul vs $1,961 in Svishtov, rent included.

Istanbul $3,212
Svishtov $1,961

Istanbul costs about 64% more than Svishtov, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Istanbul sits 12% above the global median, while Svishtov is 31% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.81 ₺592

$13.26 BGN 23.07

-10.94%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.9 ₺2,754

$43.92 BGN 76.4

25.02%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.26 ₺465

$8.35 BGN 14.53

10.90%

Cappuccino

$4.30 ₺216

$2.32 BGN 4.04

85.34%

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

$1.77 ₺89.0

$1.06 BGN 1.84

66.98%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺28.32

$0.56 BGN 0.97

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.69 ₺235

$1.74 BGN 3.03

169.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.12 ₺357

$2.79 BGN 4.85

155.20%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 ₺62.7

$1.45 BGN 2.52

-13.79%

White Bread (500g)

$0.88 ₺44.17

$0.88 BGN 1.53

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 ₺111

$1.67 BGN 2.91

31.74%

Eggs

$2.43 ₺122

$2.67 BGN 4.65

-8.99%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.48 ₺526

$9.66 BGN 16.81

8.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.31 ₺267

$5.23 BGN 9.09

1.53%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.10 ₺1,058

$8.81 BGN 15.33

139.50%

Apples (1kg)

$1.86 ₺93.1

$1.46 BGN 2.54

27.40%

Banana (1kg)

$2.30 ₺115

$1.12 BGN 1.94

105.36%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.22 ₺61.0

$1.11 BGN 1.94

9.91%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺90.2

$2.26 BGN 3.93

-20.35%

Potato (1kg)

$0.69 ₺34.83

$0.71 BGN 1.24

-2.82%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺32.16

$0.48 BGN 0.84

33.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.36 ₺68.0

$0.55 BGN 0.95

147.27%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 ₺28.94

$0.60 BGN 1.04

-3.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.34 ₺117

$3.52 BGN 6.12

-33.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.03 ₺653

$6.82 BGN 11.87

91.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.36 ₺118

$1.04 BGN 1.80

126.92%

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

$0.87 BGN 1.52

1.15%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.1 ₺3,316

$25.60 BGN 44.54

158.28%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 ₺64.4

$1.41 BGN 2.45

-9.22%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 ₺42.80

$0.66 BGN 1.15

28.79%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.09 ₺556

$11.89 BGN 20.70

-6.73%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 ₺74.0

$1.43 BGN 2.49

3.50%

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

$48.6K ₺2.4M

$29.6K BGN 51.6K

64.16%

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

$42.0K ₺2.1M

$23.3K BGN 40.5K

80.17%

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

$92.7 ₺4,650

$103 BGN 179

-9.89%

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

$11.20 ₺562

$14.16 BGN 24.64

-20.90%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.89 ₺797

$8.59 BGN 14.95

84.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.7 ₺3,745

$31.36 BGN 54.6

138.14%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.95 ₺1,151

$16.61 BGN 28.91

38.17%

Cinema Ticket

$8.05 ₺404

$8.37 BGN 14.56

-3.82%

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

$948 ₺47.6K

$228 BGN 397

315.27%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.9K ₺1.9M

$5,922 BGN 10.3K

523.40%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₺2,702

$50.9 BGN 88.6

5.77%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.49 ₺2,081

$25.39 BGN 44.18

63.41%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 ₺5,060

$70.2 BGN 122

43.72%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.3 ₺4,580

$69.2 BGN 120

31.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,014 ₺50.8K

$333 BGN 580

204.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$625 ₺31.3K

$258 BGN 449

142.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,005 ₺100.6K

$541 BGN 941

270.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,126 ₺56.5K

$401 BGN 698

180.54%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,988 ₺149.8K

$1,308 BGN 2,276

128.42%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,730 ₺86.8K

$1,079 BGN 1,877

60.41%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,136 ₺57.0K

$1,261 BGN 2,195

-9.90%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.42

3.25

1143.69%

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

Last update for Istanbul: November 2, 2026

Last update for Svishtov: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$625 41.1%

Svishtov

$258 27.8% 58.7% $367

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$258 17%

Svishtov

$186 20% 28.2% $73

Eating Out

Istanbul

$221 14.6%

Svishtov

$180 19.4% 18.6% $41

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$129 8.5%

Svishtov

$97 10.5% 25% $32

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$120 7.9%

Svishtov

$126 13.5% 4.9% $5.8

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$91 6%

Svishtov

$48 5.2% 47% $43

Getting Around

Istanbul

$75 5%

Svishtov

$34 3.6% 55% $41

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,014 in Istanbul versus $333 in Svishtov. 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 Svishtov, 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 $44 in Svishtov. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $186 – making Svishtov the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇧🇬 Svishtov

🕒 Local time

00:18 12:18 AM

23:18 11:18 PM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

33,000

💱 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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Istanbul Svishtov 420 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 Svishtov: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 64%, 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 $1,391 in Svishtov. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Svishtov, 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 $228 in Svishtov. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 39% more in Istanbul, though the gap depends on what you buy.

Families tend to lean toward Svishtov – 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, Svishtov is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 39% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.