Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and Iskenderun

For one person, living is cheaper in Iskenderun: $965 a month against $1,585 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $7,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

76

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
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Sofia Living Index
47

Cost of Living Index in Iskenderun
Learn more

Iskenderun Living Index

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Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,585

/mo nomad

Iskenderun

🇹🇷 Turkey

$965

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sofia and in Iskenderun

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

A single person spends $1,585 per month in Sofia vs $965 in Iskenderun, rent included.

Sofia $1,585
Iskenderun $965

A couple spends around $2,486 per month in Sofia vs $1,450 in Iskenderun, rent included.

Sofia $2,486
Iskenderun $1,450

A family of three spends $3,387 per month in Sofia vs $1,935 in Iskenderun, rent included.

Sofia $3,387
Iskenderun $1,935

Sofia costs about 64% more than Iskenderun, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Sofia sits 17% above the global median, while Iskenderun is 29% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.57 BGN 28.84

$6.01 ₺301

175.71%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.7 BGN 118

$29.58 ₺1,480

128.80%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.68 BGN 20.33

$6.11 ₺306

91.16%

Cappuccino

$3.41 BGN 5.93

$3.08 ₺154

10.71%

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

$2.36 BGN 4.11

$1.11 ₺55.7

112.61%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.67 BGN 2.91

$0.27 ₺13.52

518.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.99 BGN 6.94

$2.39 ₺119

66.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 BGN 7.88

$2.63 ₺132

72.24%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.94 BGN 3.38

$1.03 ₺51.5

88.35%

White Bread (500g)

$1.55 BGN 2.70

$0.78 ₺39.27

98.72%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.35 BGN 4.09

$1.67 ₺83.5

40.72%

Eggs

$4.60 BGN 8.00

$1.85 ₺92.8

148.65%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.47 BGN 19.96

$7.36 ₺368

55.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.65 BGN 15.04

$3.92 ₺196

120.66%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.34 BGN 30.17

$17.71 ₺886

-2.09%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 BGN 3.73

$1.62 ₺80.8

32.72%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 BGN 3.45

$1.84 ₺92.2

7.61%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.83 BGN 3.18

$0.85 ₺42.57

115.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.27 BGN 7.43

$1.07 ₺53.6

299.07%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 BGN 1.82

$0.49 ₺24.54

112.24%

Onion (1kg)

$0.89 BGN 1.54

$0.37 ₺18.65

140.54%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 BGN 2.06

$0.84 ₺42.08

41.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 BGN 1.45

$0.61 ₺30.43

36.07%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.40 BGN 7.66

$2.11 ₺106

108.53%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.42 BGN 12.91

$9.93 ₺497

-25.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 BGN 2.01

$2.32 ₺116

-50.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.90 BGN 3.30

$3.20 ₺160

-40.63%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.92 BGN 1.60

$0.66 ₺32.78

39.39%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.11 BGN 48.91

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.67 BGN 2.90

$0.98 ₺49.29

70.41%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 BGN 1.49

$0.92 ₺46.11

-7.61%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.59 BGN 28.87

$10.06 ₺504

64.91%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.74 BGN 3.03

$1.25 ₺62.4

39.20%

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

$29.9K BGN 52.1K

$40.5K ₺2.0M

-26.06%

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

$25.0K BGN 43.5K

$41.4K ₺2.1M

-39.62%

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

$158 BGN 275

$88.3 ₺4,419

78.76%

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

$21.27 BGN 37.01

$9.59 ₺480

121.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.12 BGN 26.30

$10.35 ₺518

46.09%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.85 BGN 81.5

$47.34 ₺2,369

-1.04%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.82 BGN 48.41

Cinema Ticket

$10.00 BGN 17.39

$6.10 ₺305

63.93%

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

$815 BGN 1,419

$443 ₺22.2K

83.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.6K BGN 25.5K

$7,098 ₺355.2K

106.32%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.1 BGN 152

$53.4 ₺2,673

63.06%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.28 BGN 66.6

$28.94 ₺1,448

32.27%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 BGN 184

$113 ₺5,644

-6.37%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 BGN 187

$108 ₺5,413

-0.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$769 BGN 1,338

$428 ₺21.4K

79.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$593 BGN 1,032

$321 ₺16.1K

84.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,530 BGN 2,662

$704 ₺35.2K

117.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,061 BGN 1,846

$508 ₺25.4K

108.92%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,526 BGN 7,875

$1,128 ₺56.5K

301.04%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,109 BGN 5,410

$950 ₺47.5K

227.39%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,780 BGN 3,098

$1,122 ₺56.1K

58.70%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.89

-91.74%

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

Last update for Sofia: November 1, 2026

Last update for Iskenderun: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sofia

$593 37.4%

Iskenderun

$321 33.3% 45.8% $272

Groceries & Markets

Sofia

$288 18.2%

Iskenderun

$206 21.3% 28.5% $82

Eating Out

Sofia

$254 16%

Iskenderun

$126 13.1% 50.3% $128

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sofia

$194 12.3%

Iskenderun

$108 11.2% 44.3% $86

Clothing & Footwear

Sofia

$152 9.6%

Iskenderun

$136 14.1% 10.3% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Sofia

$67 4.2%

Iskenderun

$60 6.2% 10.9% $7.3

Getting Around

Sofia

$38 2.4%

Iskenderun

$8.2 * 0.9% 78.2% $30

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $769 in Sofia versus $428 in Iskenderun. 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 59% higher in Sofia, 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 $68 in Sofia versus $30 in Iskenderun. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $288 vs $206 – making Iskenderun the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Sofia

🇹🇷 Iskenderun

🕒 Local time

01:41 1:41 AM

02:41 2:41 AM

1 h ahead of Sofia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,286,383 Capital

246,639

💱 Currency

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

📈 Exchange rate

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.512 EUR

100 TRY = 2 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 5, 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 5, 2026: 1 USD = 50.04 TRY (100 TRY = 2 USD). 1 EUR = 56.18 TRY (100 TRY = 1.78 EUR).

USD to BGN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Sofia Iskenderun 1,290 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Sofia
Iskenderun

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

Sofia vs Iskenderun: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Sofia is pricier by about 64%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,378 per month in Sofia and $1,448 in Iskenderun. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Iskenderun, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $428 there versus $769 in Sofia.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,585 in Sofia and $965 in Iskenderun. That makes Iskenderun about 39% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $815 per month in Sofia and $443 in Iskenderun. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

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