Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Veliko Tarnovo

For one person, living is cheaper in Veliko Tarnovo: $1,071 a month against $1,519 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $5,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

73

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index
51

Cost of Living Index in Veliko Tarnovo
Learn more

Veliko Tarnovo Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,519

/mo nomad

Veliko Tarnovo

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,071

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Veliko Tarnovo

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

A single person spends $1,519 per month in Istanbul vs $1,071 in Veliko Tarnovo, rent included.

Istanbul $1,519
Veliko Tarnovo $1,071

A couple spends around $2,365 per month in Istanbul vs $1,613 in Veliko Tarnovo, rent included.

Istanbul $2,365
Veliko Tarnovo $1,613

A family of three spends $3,212 per month in Istanbul vs $2,155 in Veliko Tarnovo, rent included.

Istanbul $3,212
Veliko Tarnovo $2,155

Istanbul costs about 42% more than Veliko Tarnovo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Istanbul sits 12% above the global median, while Veliko Tarnovo is 21% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.81 ₺592

$11.11 BGN 19.34

6.30%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.9 ₺2,754

$39.67 BGN 69.0

38.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.26 ₺465

$9.99 BGN 17.38

-7.31%

Cappuccino

$4.30 ₺216

$1.85 BGN 3.22

132.43%

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

$1.77 ₺89.0

$1.29 BGN 2.24

37.21%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺28.32

$0.93 BGN 1.61

-39.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.69 ₺235

$1.97 BGN 3.43

138.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.12 ₺357

$2.80 BGN 4.87

154.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 ₺62.7

$1.86 BGN 3.24

-32.80%

White Bread (500g)

$0.88 ₺44.17

$1.08 BGN 1.87

-18.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 ₺111

$2.39 BGN 4.16

-7.95%

Eggs

$2.43 ₺122

$3.64 BGN 6.34

-33.24%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.48 ₺526

$10.19 BGN 17.74

2.85%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.31 ₺267

$7.77 BGN 13.51

-31.66%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.10 ₺1,058

$12.50 BGN 21.74

68.80%

Apples (1kg)

$1.86 ₺93.1

$1.62 BGN 2.82

14.81%

Banana (1kg)

$2.30 ₺115

$2.06 BGN 3.58

11.65%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.22 ₺61.0

$1.94 BGN 3.37

-37.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺90.2

$2.56 BGN 4.46

-29.69%

Potato (1kg)

$0.69 ₺34.83

$1.15 BGN 1.99

-40.00%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺32.16

$1.18 BGN 2.05

-45.76%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.36 ₺68.0

$0.98 BGN 1.70

38.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 ₺28.94

$0.72 BGN 1.26

-19.44%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.34 ₺117

$3.92 BGN 6.81

-40.31%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.03 ₺653

$6.71 BGN 11.68

94.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.36 ₺118

$1.21 BGN 2.11

95.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.32 ₺166

$1.64 BGN 2.85

102.44%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.88 ₺44.07

$0.84 BGN 1.47

4.76%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.1 ₺3,316

$25.96 BGN 45.16

154.70%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 ₺64.4

$1.72 BGN 3.00

-25.58%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 ₺42.80

$0.88 BGN 1.53

-3.41%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.09 ₺556

$13.27 BGN 23.09

-16.43%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 ₺74.0

$1.57 BGN 2.72

-5.73%

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

$48.6K ₺2.4M

$30.4K BGN 52.8K

60.26%

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

$42.0K ₺2.1M

$25.3K BGN 44.1K

65.76%

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

$92.7 ₺4,650

$95.8 BGN 167

-3.25%

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

$11.20 ₺562

$19.15 BGN 33.33

-41.51%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.89 ₺797

$15.96 BGN 27.77

-0.44%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.7 ₺3,745

$33.54 BGN 58.4

122.66%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.95 ₺1,151

$19.79 BGN 34.44

15.97%

Cinema Ticket

$8.05 ₺404

$6.83 BGN 11.88

17.86%

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

$948 ₺47.6K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.9K ₺1.9M

$7,909 BGN 13.8K

366.77%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₺2,702

$47.16 BGN 82.1

14.25%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.49 ₺2,081

$29.94 BGN 52.1

38.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 ₺5,060

$121 BGN 210

-16.58%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.3 ₺4,580

$94.7 BGN 165

-3.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,014 ₺50.8K

$391 BGN 680

159.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$625 ₺31.3K

$318 BGN 553

96.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,005 ₺100.6K

$577 BGN 1,004

247.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,126 ₺56.5K

$421 BGN 732

167.71%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,988 ₺149.8K

$2,089 BGN 3,635

43.04%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,730 ₺86.8K

$1,449 BGN 2,521

19.44%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,136 ₺57.0K

$918 BGN 1,598

23.77%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.42

2.74

1375.18%

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

Last update for Istanbul: November 2, 2026

Last update for Veliko Tarnovo: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$625 41.1%

Veliko Tarnovo

$318 29.7% 49.1% $307

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$258 17%

Veliko Tarnovo

$243 22.7% 6.1% $16

Eating Out

Istanbul

$221 14.6%

Veliko Tarnovo

$165 15.5% 25.1% $56

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$129 8.5%

Veliko Tarnovo

$132 12.3% 1.8% $2.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$120 7.9%

Veliko Tarnovo

$131 12.2% 9.3% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$91 6%

Veliko Tarnovo

$47 4.4% 48% $44

Getting Around

Istanbul

$75 5%

Veliko Tarnovo

$35 3.3% 52.9% $40

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,014 in Istanbul versus $391 in Veliko Tarnovo. 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 24% 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 $40 in Veliko Tarnovo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $243 – making Veliko Tarnovo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇧🇬 Veliko Tarnovo

🕒 Local time

03:25 3:25 AM

02:25 2:25 AM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

71,150

💱 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 7, 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 7, 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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Highest

Between locations

Istanbul Veliko Tarnovo 360 km

From you

Istanbul
Veliko Tarnovo

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 Veliko Tarnovo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 42%, 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 $1,606 in Veliko Tarnovo. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Veliko Tarnovo, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $391 there versus $1,014 in Istanbul.

Public transport costs about 61% less in Veliko Tarnovo. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Groceries cost about 6% more in Istanbul, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Veliko Tarnovo, where all-in costs run around $1,071, than in Istanbul at $1,519. In Veliko Tarnovo it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Veliko Tarnovo costs $1,071 versus $1,519 in Istanbul. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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 Veliko Tarnovo. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Istanbul makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.