Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Troyan

For one person, living is cheaper in Troyan: $1,115 a month against $1,519 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $4,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

73

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index
54

Cost of Living Index in Troyan
Learn more

Troyan Living Index

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Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,519

/mo nomad

Troyan

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,115

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Troyan

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

A single person spends $1,519 per month in Istanbul vs $1,115 in Troyan, rent included.

Istanbul $1,519
Troyan $1,115

A couple spends around $2,365 per month in Istanbul vs $1,744 in Troyan, rent included.

Istanbul $2,365
Troyan $1,744

A family of three spends $3,212 per month in Istanbul vs $2,372 in Troyan, rent included.

Istanbul $3,212
Troyan $2,372

Istanbul costs about 36% more than Troyan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Istanbul sits 12% above the global median, while Troyan is 18% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.81 ₺591

$16.70 BGN 29.05

-29.28%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.9 ₺2,748

$50.6 BGN 88.0

8.54%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.26 ₺463

$8.71 BGN 15.15

6.31%

Cappuccino

$4.30 ₺215

$1.46 BGN 2.55

194.52%

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

$1.77 ₺88.8

$1.41 BGN 2.46

25.53%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺28.26

$1.04 BGN 1.81

-46.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.69 ₺234

$1.46 BGN 2.54

221.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.12 ₺356

$1.75 BGN 3.05

306.86%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 ₺62.6

$1.79 BGN 3.12

-30.17%

White Bread (500g)

$0.88 ₺44.07

$0.53 BGN 0.92

66.04%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 ₺110

$2.21 BGN 3.85

-0.45%

Eggs

$2.43 ₺122

$2.70 BGN 4.70

-10.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.48 ₺524

$8.67 BGN 15.09

20.88%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.31 ₺266

$8.67 BGN 15.09

-38.75%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.10 ₺1,056

$17.29 BGN 30.08

22.04%

Apples (1kg)

$1.86 ₺92.9

$1.13 BGN 1.96

64.60%

Banana (1kg)

$2.30 ₺115

$1.64 BGN 2.85

40.24%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.22 ₺60.8

$1.90 BGN 3.31

-35.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺90.0

$4.22 BGN 7.34

-57.35%

Potato (1kg)

$0.69 ₺34.75

$0.83 BGN 1.45

-16.87%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺32.09

$0.87 BGN 1.52

-26.44%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.36 ₺67.8

$1.20 BGN 2.08

13.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 ₺28.88

$0.67 BGN 1.17

-13.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.34 ₺117

$3.55 BGN 6.17

-34.08%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.03 ₺652

$7.55 BGN 13.13

72.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.36 ₺118

$0.87 BGN 1.52

171.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.32 ₺166

$1.85 BGN 3.22

79.46%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.88 ₺43.97

$0.87 BGN 1.51

1.15%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.1 ₺3,309

$25.85 BGN 44.99

155.78%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 ₺64.3

$0.99 BGN 1.72

29.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 ₺42.70

$0.71 BGN 1.24

19.72%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.09 ₺555

$15.79 BGN 27.47

-29.77%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 ₺73.9

$1.58 BGN 2.75

-6.33%

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

$48.6K ₺2.4M

$30.2K BGN 52.6K

60.94%

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

$42.0K ₺2.1M

$25.7K BGN 44.7K

63.29%

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

$92.7 ₺4,639

$157 BGN 272

-40.79%

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

$11.20 ₺560

$19.66 BGN 34.20

-43.03%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.89 ₺795

$12.10 BGN 21.06

31.32%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.7 ₺3,737

$31.66 BGN 55.1

135.88%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.95 ₺1,149

$16.96 BGN 29.50

35.32%

Cinema Ticket

$8.05 ₺403

$6.22 BGN 10.83

29.42%

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

$948 ₺47.5K

$503 BGN 875

88.64%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.9K ₺1.8M

$5,887 BGN 10.2K

527.09%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₺2,696

$89.6 BGN 156

-39.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.49 ₺2,076

$28.17 BGN 49.02

47.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 ₺5,049

$108 BGN 188

-6.82%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.3 ₺4,570

$106 BGN 185

-13.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,014 ₺50.7K

$336 BGN 584

201.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$625 ₺31.3K

$253 BGN 440

147.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,005 ₺100.4K

$541 BGN 941

270.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,126 ₺56.3K

$404 BGN 703

178.79%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,988 ₺149.5K

$1,307 BGN 2,274

128.66%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,730 ₺86.6K

$1,088 BGN 1,894

58.95%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,136 ₺56.9K

$858 BGN 1,493

32.48%

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 Troyan: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$625 41.1%

Troyan

$253 22.7% 59.5% $372

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$258 17%

Troyan

$249 22.3% 3.8% $9.8

Eating Out

Istanbul

$221 14.6%

Troyan

$198 17.8% 10.4% $23

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$129 8.5%

Troyan

$149 13.4% 15.5% $20

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$120 7.9%

Troyan

$188 16.9% 57.2% $69

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$91 6%

Troyan

$44 4% 51.4% $47

Getting Around

Istanbul

$75 5%

Troyan

$34 3% 54.9% $41

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,014 in Istanbul versus $336 in Troyan. 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 32% 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 $51 in Troyan. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $249 – making Troyan the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇧🇬 Troyan

🕒 Local time

14:23 2:23 PM

13:23 1:23 PM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

23,422

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 2 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 = 50.04 TRY (100 TRY = 2 USD). 1 EUR = 56.2 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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Between locations

Istanbul Troyan 410 km

From you

Istanbul
Troyan

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 Troyan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 36%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in leisure.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,278 per month in Istanbul and $1,672 in Troyan. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Troyan, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $336 there versus $1,014 in Istanbul.

Kindergarten costs $948 per month in Istanbul and $503 in Troyan. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 4% more in Istanbul, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Troyan, where all-in costs run around $1,115, than in Istanbul at $1,519. In Troyan it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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