Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Targovishte and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in Targovishte: $559 a month against $1,519 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $11,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

27

Cost of Living Index in Targovishte
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Targovishte Living Index
73

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index

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Targovishte

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$559

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,519

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $559 per month in Targovishte vs $1,519 in Istanbul, rent included.

Targovishte $559
Istanbul $1,519

A couple spends around $1,135 per month in Targovishte vs $2,365 in Istanbul, rent included.

Targovishte $1,135
Istanbul $2,365

A family of three spends $1,711 per month in Targovishte vs $3,212 in Istanbul, rent included.

Targovishte $1,711
Istanbul $3,212

Targovishte is about 63% cheaper than Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Targovishte sits 59% below the global median, while Istanbul is 12% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.96 BGN 12.11

$11.81 ₺592

-41.07%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$39.99 BGN 69.6

$54.9 ₺2,754

-27.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.48 BGN 11.28

$9.26 ₺465

-30.02%

Cappuccino

$1.52 BGN 2.65

$4.30 ₺216

-64.65%

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

$1.05 BGN 1.82

$1.77 ₺89.0

-40.68%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.62 BGN 1.07

$0.56 ₺28.32

10.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.95 BGN 1.66

$4.69 ₺235

-79.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.52 BGN 7.86

$7.12 ₺357

-36.52%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.55 BGN 2.69

$1.25 ₺62.7

24.00%

White Bread (500g)

$0.71 BGN 1.24

$0.88 ₺44.17

-19.32%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.15 BGN 3.74

$2.20 ₺111

-2.27%

Eggs

$2.68 BGN 4.66

$2.43 ₺122

10.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.38 BGN 14.58

$10.48 ₺526

-20.04%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.75 BGN 10.01

$5.31 ₺267

8.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.48 BGN 14.75

$21.10 ₺1,058

-59.81%

Apples (1kg)

$1.70 BGN 2.96

$1.86 ₺93.1

-8.60%

Banana (1kg)

$1.86 BGN 3.24

$2.30 ₺115

-19.13%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.73 BGN 3.01

$1.22 ₺61.0

41.80%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 BGN 4.51

$1.80 ₺90.2

43.89%

Potato (1kg)

$1.10 BGN 1.91

$0.69 ₺34.83

59.42%

Onion (1kg)

$1.07 BGN 1.86

$0.64 ₺32.16

67.19%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.93 BGN 1.62

$1.36 ₺68.0

-31.62%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 BGN 0.95

$0.58 ₺28.94

-5.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.43 BGN 5.97

$2.34 ₺117

46.58%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.99 BGN 10.42

$13.03 ₺653

-54.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.71 BGN 1.24

$2.36 ₺118

-69.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.01 BGN 1.75

$3.32 ₺166

-69.58%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.48 BGN 0.83

$0.88 ₺44.07

-45.45%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.1 ₺3,316

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 BGN 2.01

$1.28 ₺64.4

-9.38%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.56 BGN 0.97

$0.85 ₺42.80

-34.12%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.62 BGN 18.48

$11.09 ₺556

-4.24%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.72 BGN 2.99

$1.48 ₺74.0

16.22%

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

$30.2K BGN 52.5K

$48.6K ₺2.4M

-37.91%

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

$20.3K BGN 35.4K

$42.0K ₺2.1M

-51.55%

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

$56.7 BGN 98.7

$92.7 ₺4,650

-38.82%

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

$8.51 BGN 14.81

$11.20 ₺562

-24.02%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$12.69 BGN 22.08

$15.89 ₺797

-20.14%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$16.84 BGN 29.30

$74.7 ₺3,745

-77.45%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.88 BGN 39.81

$22.95 ₺1,151

-0.31%

Cinema Ticket

$5.86 BGN 10.20

$8.05 ₺404

-27.20%

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

$597 BGN 1,039

$948 ₺47.6K

-37.06%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.8K BGN 18.8K

$36.9K ₺1.9M

-70.68%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$69.0 BGN 120

$53.9 ₺2,702

28.03%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.63 BGN 72.4

$41.49 ₺2,081

0.34%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.1 BGN 159

$101 ₺5,060

-9.71%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 BGN 184

$91.3 ₺4,580

15.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$145 BGN 251

$1,014 ₺50.8K

-85.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$625 ₺31.3K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$374 BGN 650

$2,005 ₺100.6K

-81.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$337 BGN 587

$1,126 ₺56.5K

-70.04%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,364 BGN 2,374

$2,988 ₺149.8K

-54.33%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,146 BGN 1,994

$1,730 ₺86.8K

-33.75%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,275 BGN 2,219

$1,136 ₺57.0K

12.20%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.1

40.42

-92.33%

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

Last update for Targovishte: November 1, 2026

Last update for Istanbul: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Targovishte

$194 34.7%

Istanbul

$258 17% 33.1% $64

Clothing & Footwear

Targovishte

$138 24.8%

Istanbul

$129 8.5% 6.5% $8.9

Eating Out

Targovishte

$114 20.4%

Istanbul

$221 14.6% 94% $107

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Targovishte

$78 14%

Istanbul

$120 7.9% 53.7% $42

Sport & Entertainment

Targovishte

$29 5.1%

Istanbul

$91 6% 218% $62

Getting Around

Targovishte

$5.9 * 1.1%

Istanbul

$75 5% 1185% $69

Accommodation & Living

Targovishte

- * 0%

Istanbul

$625 41.1%

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $145 in Targovishte 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 12% higher in Targovishte, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $40 in Targovishte versus $55 in Istanbul. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $194 vs $258 – making Targovishte the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Targovishte

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

13:14 1:14 PM

14:14 2:14 PM

1 h ahead of Targovishte

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

39,578

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 →

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Targovishte Istanbul 320 km

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Targovishte
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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

Targovishte vs Istanbul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 172%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $838 per month in Targovishte 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 Targovishte, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $145 there versus $1,014 in Istanbul.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $40 in Targovishte and $55 in Istanbul. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 33% more in Istanbul, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Targovishte, where all-in costs run around $559, than in Istanbul at $1,519. In Targovishte it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Targovishte – 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.