Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Silistra and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in Silistra: $873 a month against $1,519 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $7,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

42

Cost of Living Index in Silistra
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Silistra Living Index
73

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index

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Silistra

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$873

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,519

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Silistra 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 Silistra and in Istanbul actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $873 per month in Silistra vs $1,519 in Istanbul, rent included.

Silistra $873
Istanbul $1,519

A couple spends around $1,237 per month in Silistra vs $2,365 in Istanbul, rent included.

Silistra $1,237
Istanbul $2,365

A family of three spends $1,602 per month in Silistra vs $3,212 in Istanbul, rent included.

Silistra $1,602
Istanbul $3,212

Silistra is about 43% cheaper than Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Silistra sits 35% below the global median, while Istanbul is 12% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.16 BGN 17.68

$11.81 ₺592

-13.97%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.40 BGN 42.45

$54.9 ₺2,754

-55.56%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.19 BGN 15.98

$9.26 ₺465

-0.76%

Cappuccino

$1.68 BGN 2.92

$4.30 ₺216

-60.93%

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

$1.15 BGN 2.01

$1.77 ₺89.0

-35.03%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.79 BGN 1.38

$0.56 ₺28.32

41.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.87 BGN 3.25

$4.69 ₺235

-60.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 BGN 3.52

$7.12 ₺357

-71.49%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 BGN 2.99

$1.25 ₺62.7

37.60%

White Bread (500g)

$0.81 BGN 1.41

$0.88 ₺44.17

-7.95%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 BGN 2.60

$2.20 ₺111

-31.82%

Eggs

$2.36 BGN 4.11

$2.43 ₺122

-2.88%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.23 BGN 16.07

$10.48 ₺526

-11.93%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.55 BGN 11.39

$5.31 ₺267

23.35%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.26 BGN 14.38

$21.10 ₺1,058

-60.85%

Apples (1kg)

$1.25 BGN 2.17

$1.86 ₺93.1

-32.80%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 BGN 2.95

$2.30 ₺115

-26.09%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.75 BGN 3.04

$1.22 ₺61.0

43.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.96 BGN 3.41

$1.80 ₺90.2

8.89%

Potato (1kg)

$0.93 BGN 1.62

$0.69 ₺34.83

34.78%

Onion (1kg)

$0.76 BGN 1.32

$0.64 ₺32.16

18.75%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.56 BGN 0.97

$1.36 ₺68.0

-58.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.68 BGN 1.18

$0.58 ₺28.94

17.24%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.62 BGN 6.30

$2.34 ₺117

54.70%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.11 BGN 8.90

$13.03 ₺653

-60.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.13 BGN 1.97

$2.36 ₺118

-52.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.68 BGN 2.93

$3.32 ₺166

-49.40%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.85 BGN 1.48

$0.88 ₺44.07

-3.41%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.99 BGN 45.23

$66.1 ₺3,316

-60.69%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.12 BGN 1.96

$1.28 ₺64.4

-12.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.60 BGN 1.05

$0.85 ₺42.80

-29.41%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.79 BGN 10.08

$11.09 ₺556

-47.79%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.50 BGN 2.61

$1.48 ₺74.0

1.35%

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

$30.4K BGN 52.9K

$48.6K ₺2.4M

-37.55%

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

$23.3K BGN 40.6K

$42.0K ₺2.1M

-44.44%

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

$93.9 BGN 163

$92.7 ₺4,650

1.29%

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

$14.66 BGN 25.52

$11.20 ₺562

30.89%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.99 BGN 20.87

$15.89 ₺797

-24.54%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.83 BGN 53.7

$74.7 ₺3,745

-58.72%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.17 BGN 29.87

$22.95 ₺1,151

-25.19%

Cinema Ticket

$7.04 BGN 12.25

$8.05 ₺404

-12.55%

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

$223 BGN 388

$948 ₺47.6K

-76.49%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,279 BGN 3,966

$36.9K ₺1.9M

-93.83%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$30.88 BGN 53.7

$53.9 ₺2,702

-42.69%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$18.92 BGN 32.92

$41.49 ₺2,081

-54.40%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$63.5 BGN 110

$101 ₺5,060

-37.06%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$50.9 BGN 88.5

$91.3 ₺4,580

-44.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$333 BGN 580

$1,014 ₺50.8K

-67.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$257 BGN 446

$625 ₺31.3K

-58.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$329 BGN 573

$2,005 ₺100.6K

-83.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$248 BGN 432

$1,126 ₺56.5K

-77.96%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,339 BGN 2,330

$2,988 ₺149.8K

-55.18%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,077 BGN 1,874

$1,730 ₺86.8K

-37.76%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$700 BGN 1,218

$1,136 ₺57.0K

-38.39%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.99

40.42

-92.60%

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

Last update for Silistra: November 1, 2026

Last update for Istanbul: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Silistra

$257 29.4%

Istanbul

$625 41.1% 143% $368

Groceries & Markets

Silistra

$193 22.1%

Istanbul

$258 17% 33.7% $65

Eating Out

Silistra

$150 17.2%

Istanbul

$221 14.6% 47.1% $71

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Silistra

$121 13.8%

Istanbul

$120 7.9% 0.6% $0.8

Clothing & Footwear

Silistra

$74 8.5%

Istanbul

$129 8.5% 75.2% $56

Sport & Entertainment

Silistra

$45 5.2%

Istanbul

$91 6% 102% $46

Getting Around

Silistra

$34 3.8%

Istanbul

$75 5% 124% $42

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $333 in Silistra 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 62% 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 $24 in Silistra versus $55 in Istanbul. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $193 vs $258 – making Silistra the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Silistra

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

15:39 3:39 PM

16:39 4:39 PM

1 h ahead of Silistra

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

37,923

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 = 56.33 TRY (100 TRY = 1.78 EUR).

USD to BGN in detail →

On the map

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Silistra Istanbul 370 km

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Silistra
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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

Silistra vs Istanbul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 74%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,309 per month in Silistra 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 Silistra, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $333 there versus $1,014 in Istanbul.

Kindergarten costs $223 per month in Silistra 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 34% more in Istanbul, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Silistra, where all-in costs run around $873, than in Istanbul at $1,519. In Silistra it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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