Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shumen and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in Shumen: $907 a month against $1,519 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $7,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

44

Cost of Living Index in Shumen
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Shumen Living Index
73

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index

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Shumen

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$907

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,519

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Shumen and in Istanbul

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

A single person spends $907 per month in Shumen vs $1,519 in Istanbul, rent included.

Shumen $907
Istanbul $1,519

A couple spends around $1,415 per month in Shumen vs $2,365 in Istanbul, rent included.

Shumen $1,415
Istanbul $2,365

A family of three spends $1,922 per month in Shumen vs $3,212 in Istanbul, rent included.

Shumen $1,922
Istanbul $3,212

Shumen is about 40% cheaper than Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Shumen sits 33% below the global median, while Istanbul is 12% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.40 BGN 16.36

$11.81 ₺592

-20.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$33.87 BGN 58.9

$54.9 ₺2,754

-38.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.80 BGN 15.32

$9.26 ₺465

-4.97%

Cappuccino

$1.76 BGN 3.07

$4.30 ₺216

-59.07%

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

$1.44 BGN 2.51

$1.77 ₺89.0

-18.64%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.05 BGN 1.83

$0.56 ₺28.32

87.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.81 BGN 4.89

$4.69 ₺235

-40.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.79 BGN 4.85

$7.12 ₺357

-60.81%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.85 BGN 3.21

$1.25 ₺62.7

48.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.07 BGN 1.86

$0.88 ₺44.17

21.59%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.55 BGN 4.44

$2.20 ₺111

15.91%

Eggs

$2.75 BGN 4.79

$2.43 ₺122

13.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.05 BGN 15.74

$10.48 ₺526

-13.65%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.95 BGN 8.61

$5.31 ₺267

-6.78%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.04 BGN 15.74

$21.10 ₺1,058

-57.16%

Apples (1kg)

$1.58 BGN 2.74

$1.86 ₺93.1

-15.05%

Banana (1kg)

$2.01 BGN 3.49

$2.30 ₺115

-12.61%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.17 BGN 3.77

$1.22 ₺61.0

77.87%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.22 BGN 3.86

$1.80 ₺90.2

23.33%

Potato (1kg)

$2.09 BGN 3.64

$0.69 ₺34.83

202.90%

Onion (1kg)

$1.25 BGN 2.18

$0.64 ₺32.16

95.31%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.86 BGN 1.49

$1.36 ₺68.0

-36.76%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.76 BGN 1.32

$0.58 ₺28.94

31.03%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.63 BGN 6.32

$2.34 ₺117

55.13%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.26 BGN 12.63

$13.03 ₺653

-44.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.99 BGN 1.73

$2.36 ₺118

-58.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.47 BGN 2.57

$3.32 ₺166

-55.72%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.94 BGN 1.63

$0.88 ₺44.07

6.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.72 BGN 44.75

$66.1 ₺3,316

-61.10%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.75 BGN 3.04

$1.28 ₺64.4

36.72%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.54 BGN 0.94

$0.85 ₺42.80

-36.47%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.09 ₺556

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.58 BGN 2.74

$1.48 ₺74.0

6.76%

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

$30.2K BGN 52.5K

$48.6K ₺2.4M

-37.95%

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

$22.0K BGN 38.3K

$42.0K ₺2.1M

-47.53%

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

$130 BGN 227

$92.7 ₺4,650

40.60%

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

$17.30 BGN 30.10

$11.20 ₺562

54.46%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.04 BGN 29.66

$15.89 ₺797

7.24%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.35 BGN 66.7

$74.7 ₺3,745

-48.65%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.49 BGN 19.99

$22.95 ₺1,151

-49.93%

Cinema Ticket

$6.69 BGN 11.64

$8.05 ₺404

-16.89%

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

$567 BGN 986

$948 ₺47.6K

-40.23%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.1K BGN 17.6K

$36.9K ₺1.9M

-72.65%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$47.88 BGN 83.3

$53.9 ₺2,702

-11.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.5 BGN 89.5

$41.49 ₺2,081

24.01%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.8 BGN 163

$101 ₺5,060

-7.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$60.9 BGN 106

$91.3 ₺4,580

-33.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$269 BGN 468

$1,014 ₺50.8K

-73.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$177 BGN 308

$625 ₺31.3K

-71.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$437 BGN 761

$2,005 ₺100.6K

-78.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$332 BGN 577

$1,126 ₺56.5K

-70.54%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,261 BGN 2,195

$2,988 ₺149.8K

-57.79%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,001 BGN 1,741

$1,730 ₺86.8K

-42.17%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,022 BGN 1,779

$1,136 ₺57.0K

-10.04%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.25

40.42

-91.96%

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

Last update for Shumen: November 2, 2026

Last update for Istanbul: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Shumen

$213 23.5%

Istanbul

$258 17% 21.3% $45

Accommodation & Living

Shumen

$177 19.5%

Istanbul

$625 41.1% 252% $447

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shumen

$165 18.2%

Istanbul

$120 7.9% 27.3% $45

Eating Out

Shumen

$152 16.8%

Istanbul

$221 14.6% 45% $69

Clothing & Footwear

Shumen

$114 12.6%

Istanbul

$129 8.5% 13.2% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Shumen

$52 5.7%

Istanbul

$91 6% 75.5% $39

Getting Around

Shumen

$34 3.7%

Istanbul

$75 5% 122% $41

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $269 in Shumen versus $1,014 in Istanbul. 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 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 $34 in Shumen versus $55 in Istanbul. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $213 vs $258 – making Shumen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Shumen

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

05:36 5:36 AM

06:36 6:36 AM

1 h ahead of Shumen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

85,504

15,701,602

💱 Currency

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

📈 Exchange rate

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.512 EUR

100 TRY = 1.99 USD

100 TRY = 1.78 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TRY, USD, EUR to BGN – Bulgarian Lev Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇬 Bulgarian Lev (лв.)

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).

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 50.15 TRY (100 TRY = 1.99 USD). 1 EUR = 56.3 TRY (100 TRY = 1.78 EUR).

USD to BGN in detail →

On the map

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From you

Shumen
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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

Shumen vs Istanbul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 67%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,361 per month in Shumen and $2,278 in Istanbul. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Shumen, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $269 there versus $1,014 in Istanbul.

Kindergarten costs $567 per month in Shumen and $948 in Istanbul. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 21% more in Istanbul, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Shumen, where all-in costs run around $907, than in Istanbul at $1,519. In Shumen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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