Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Izmir and Varna

For one person, living is cheaper in Izmir: $1,212 a month against $1,408 in Varna, rent and utilities included – about $2,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Izmir
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Izmir Living Index
67

Cost of Living Index in Varna
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Varna Living Index

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Izmir

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,212

/mo nomad

Varna

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,408

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Izmir and in Varna

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Izmir and in Varna actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,212 in Izmir versus $1,408 in Varna.

Izmir $1,212
Varna $1,408

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,898 in Izmir versus $2,217 in Varna.

Izmir $1,898
Varna $2,217

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,584 in Izmir versus $3,026 in Varna.

Izmir $2,584
Varna $3,026

Living in Izmir costs roughly 14% less than in Varna, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Izmir is 11% below, Varna is 3% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.89 ₺493

$12.46 BGN 21.81

-20.63%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.55 ₺1,771

$59.9 BGN 105

-40.69%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.41 ₺419

$10.16 BGN 17.77

-17.22%

Cappuccino

$3.64 ₺181

$2.87 BGN 5.02

26.83%

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

$1.46 ₺72.7

$1.89 BGN 3.31

-22.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.58 ₺28.85

$1.62 BGN 2.83

-64.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.44 ₺172

$2.81 BGN 4.91

22.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.00 ₺249

$3.50 BGN 6.12

42.86%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.08 ₺53.9

$1.92 BGN 3.36

-43.75%

White Bread (500g)

$1.05 ₺52.5

$1.24 BGN 2.17

-15.32%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.38 ₺118

$2.58 BGN 4.52

-7.75%

Eggs

$2.46 ₺123

$3.53 BGN 6.17

-30.31%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.31 ₺464

$11.53 BGN 20.18

-19.25%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.10 ₺254

$9.28 BGN 16.25

-45.04%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.03 ₺1,048

$13.97 BGN 24.46

50.54%

Apples (1kg)

$1.95 ₺97.4

$1.90 BGN 3.33

2.63%

Banana (1kg)

$2.18 ₺108

$2.16 BGN 3.79

0.93%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.06 ₺52.7

$2.12 BGN 3.72

-50.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.36 ₺67.9

$3.00 BGN 5.25

-54.67%

Potato (1kg)

$0.59 ₺29.54

$1.30 BGN 2.28

-54.62%

Onion (1kg)

$0.40 ₺20.07

$1.04 BGN 1.82

-61.54%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.09 ₺54.6

$1.05 BGN 1.84

3.81%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.73 ₺36.50

$0.78 BGN 1.36

-6.41%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.22 ₺111

$4.03 BGN 7.04

-44.91%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.15 ₺556

$8.90 BGN 15.57

25.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.06 ₺103

$1.17 BGN 2.05

76.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.99 ₺149

$1.80 BGN 3.15

66.11%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.68 ₺34.05

$1.13 BGN 1.98

-39.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$43.12 ₺2,148

$28.11 BGN 49.19

53.40%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.52 ₺175

$1.56 BGN 2.74

125.64%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ₺50.9

$0.88 BGN 1.55

15.91%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.52 ₺275

$12.19 BGN 21.34

-54.72%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 ₺67.2

$1.74 BGN 3.05

-22.41%

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

$46.6K ₺2.3M

$29.6K BGN 51.7K

57.66%

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

$43.7K ₺2.2M

$24.7K BGN 43.3K

76.59%

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

$82.4 ₺4,103

$176 BGN 308

-53.22%

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

$10.53 ₺525

$20.41 BGN 35.71

-48.41%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.87 ₺791

$15.68 BGN 27.43

1.21%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.2 ₺3,196

$51.4 BGN 90.0

24.78%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.55 ₺1,721

$19.47 BGN 34.07

77.45%

Cinema Ticket

$8.25 ₺411

$9.06 BGN 15.86

-8.94%

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

$683 ₺34.0K

$498 BGN 872

37.14%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.5K ₺720.0K

$6,292 BGN 11.0K

129.67%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$45.34 ₺2,259

$65.3 BGN 114

-30.61%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.24 ₺1,855

$33.01 BGN 57.8

12.81%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.0 ₺4,582

$102 BGN 179

-10.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.8 ₺3,977

$99.7 BGN 174

-19.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$587 ₺29.2K

$640 BGN 1,120

-8.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$424 ₺21.1K

$482 BGN 843

-11.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,122 ₺55.9K

$1,362 BGN 2,383

-17.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$793 ₺39.5K

$916 BGN 1,602

-13.43%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,444 ₺71.9K

$2,998 BGN 5,246

-51.84%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$999 ₺49.8K

$2,090 BGN 3,657

-52.17%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,134 ₺56.5K

$1,286 BGN 2,250

-11.79%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

42.33

2.82

1401.06%

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

Last update for Izmir: October 25, 2026

Last update for Varna: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Izmir

$424 35%

Varna

$482 34.2% 13.5% $57

Groceries & Markets

Izmir

$245 20.3%

Varna

$272 19.3% 10.7% $26

Eating Out

Izmir

$183 15.1%

Varna

$200 14.2% 8.8% $16

Clothing & Footwear

Izmir

$114 9.5%

Varna

$135 9.6% 18.1% $21

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Izmir

$109 9%

Varna

$212 15.1% 95.1% $103

Sport & Entertainment

Izmir

$81 6.7%

Varna

$70 4.9% 13.8% $11

Getting Around

Izmir

$54 4.5%

Varna

$39 2.7% 29.1% $16

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $587 in Izmir and $640 in Varna. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Varna pays 13% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $36 in Izmir vs $60 in Varna for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $245 vs $272 per month, with Izmir cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Izmir

🇧🇬 Varna

🕒 Local time

15:10 3:10 PM

14:10 2:10 PM

1 h behind Izmir

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,493,242

348,058

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 2.01 USD

100 TRY = 1.8 EUR

1 BGN = 0.571 USD

1 BGN = 0.513 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 October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 49.82 TRY (100 TRY = 2.01 USD). 1 EUR = 55.45 TRY (100 TRY = 1.8 EUR).

Bulgarian Lev exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 1.75 BGN (1 BGN = 0.571 USD). 1 EUR = 1.95 BGN (1 BGN = 0.513 EUR).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Izmir Varna 540 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Izmir
Varna

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

Izmir vs Varna: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Izmir wins on cost – living expenses run 14% lower than in Varna. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Izmir the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 12% lower in Izmir. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $587 in Izmir versus $640 in Varna. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $1,212 per month in Izmir versus $1,408 in Varna – a 16% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Varna runs roughly 35% less than in Izmir. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you’re watching your budget.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Izmir is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Izmir and Varna are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

It comes down to priorities – Izmir wins on affordability, Varna on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.