Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Veliko Tarnovo and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in Veliko Tarnovo: $1,071 a month against $1,519 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $5,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

51

Cost of Living Index in Veliko Tarnovo
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Veliko Tarnovo Living Index
73

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index

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Veliko Tarnovo

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,071

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,519

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,071 per month in Veliko Tarnovo vs $1,519 in Istanbul, rent included.

Veliko Tarnovo $1,071
Istanbul $1,519

A couple spends around $1,613 per month in Veliko Tarnovo vs $2,365 in Istanbul, rent included.

Veliko Tarnovo $1,613
Istanbul $2,365

A family of three spends $2,155 per month in Veliko Tarnovo vs $3,212 in Istanbul, rent included.

Veliko Tarnovo $2,155
Istanbul $3,212

Veliko Tarnovo is about 29% cheaper than Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Veliko Tarnovo sits 21% below the global median, while Istanbul is 12% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.11 BGN 19.34

$11.81 ₺592

-5.93%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$39.67 BGN 69.0

$54.9 ₺2,754

-27.75%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.99 BGN 17.38

$9.26 ₺465

7.88%

Cappuccino

$1.85 BGN 3.22

$4.30 ₺216

-56.98%

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

$1.29 BGN 2.24

$1.77 ₺89.0

-27.12%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.93 BGN 1.61

$0.56 ₺28.32

66.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.97 BGN 3.43

$4.69 ₺235

-58.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.80 BGN 4.87

$7.12 ₺357

-60.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.86 BGN 3.24

$1.25 ₺62.7

48.80%

White Bread (500g)

$1.08 BGN 1.87

$0.88 ₺44.17

22.73%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.39 BGN 4.16

$2.20 ₺111

8.64%

Eggs

$3.64 BGN 6.34

$2.43 ₺122

49.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 BGN 17.74

$10.48 ₺526

-2.77%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 BGN 13.51

$5.31 ₺267

46.33%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.50 BGN 21.74

$21.10 ₺1,058

-40.76%

Apples (1kg)

$1.62 BGN 2.82

$1.86 ₺93.1

-12.90%

Banana (1kg)

$2.06 BGN 3.58

$2.30 ₺115

-10.43%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.94 BGN 3.37

$1.22 ₺61.0

59.02%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.56 BGN 4.46

$1.80 ₺90.2

42.22%

Potato (1kg)

$1.15 BGN 1.99

$0.69 ₺34.83

66.67%

Onion (1kg)

$1.18 BGN 2.05

$0.64 ₺32.16

84.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.98 BGN 1.70

$1.36 ₺68.0

-27.94%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 BGN 1.26

$0.58 ₺28.94

24.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.92 BGN 6.81

$2.34 ₺117

67.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.71 BGN 11.68

$13.03 ₺653

-48.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 BGN 2.11

$2.36 ₺118

-48.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.64 BGN 2.85

$3.32 ₺166

-50.60%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.84 BGN 1.47

$0.88 ₺44.07

-4.55%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.96 BGN 45.16

$66.1 ₺3,316

-60.74%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.72 BGN 3.00

$1.28 ₺64.4

34.37%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.88 BGN 1.53

$0.85 ₺42.80

3.53%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.27 BGN 23.09

$11.09 ₺556

19.66%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.57 BGN 2.72

$1.48 ₺74.0

6.08%

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

$30.4K BGN 52.8K

$48.6K ₺2.4M

-37.60%

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

$25.3K BGN 44.1K

$42.0K ₺2.1M

-39.67%

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

$95.8 BGN 167

$92.7 ₺4,650

3.35%

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

$19.15 BGN 33.33

$11.20 ₺562

70.98%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.96 BGN 27.77

$15.89 ₺797

0.44%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.54 BGN 58.4

$74.7 ₺3,745

-55.09%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.79 BGN 34.44

$22.95 ₺1,151

-13.77%

Cinema Ticket

$6.83 BGN 11.88

$8.05 ₺404

-15.16%

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

$948 ₺47.6K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,909 BGN 13.8K

$36.9K ₺1.9M

-78.58%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$47.16 BGN 82.1

$53.9 ₺2,702

-12.47%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.94 BGN 52.1

$41.49 ₺2,081

-27.84%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 BGN 210

$101 ₺5,060

19.87%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$94.7 BGN 165

$91.3 ₺4,580

3.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$391 BGN 680

$1,014 ₺50.8K

-61.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$318 BGN 553

$625 ₺31.3K

-49.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$577 BGN 1,004

$2,005 ₺100.6K

-71.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$421 BGN 732

$1,126 ₺56.5K

-62.65%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,089 BGN 3,635

$2,988 ₺149.8K

-30.09%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,449 BGN 2,521

$1,730 ₺86.8K

-16.28%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$918 BGN 1,598

$1,136 ₺57.0K

-19.21%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.74

40.42

-93.22%

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

Last update for Veliko Tarnovo: November 3, 2026

Last update for Istanbul: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Veliko Tarnovo

$318 29.7%

Istanbul

$625 41.1% 96.6% $307

Groceries & Markets

Veliko Tarnovo

$243 22.7%

Istanbul

$258 17% 6.5% $16

Eating Out

Veliko Tarnovo

$165 15.5%

Istanbul

$221 14.6% 33.6% $56

Clothing & Footwear

Veliko Tarnovo

$132 12.3%

Istanbul

$129 8.5% 1.7% $2.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Veliko Tarnovo

$131 12.2%

Istanbul

$120 7.9% 8.5% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Veliko Tarnovo

$47 4.4%

Istanbul

$91 6% 92.4% $44

Getting Around

Veliko Tarnovo

$35 3.3%

Istanbul

$75 5% 112% $40

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $391 in Veliko Tarnovo 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 24% 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 $40 in Veliko Tarnovo versus $55 in Istanbul. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $243 vs $258 – making Veliko Tarnovo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Veliko Tarnovo

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

02:15 2:15 AM

03:15 3:15 AM

1 h ahead of Veliko Tarnovo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

71,150

15,701,602

💱 Currency

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

📈 Exchange rate

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.514 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 7, 2026: 1 USD = 1.74 BGN (1 BGN = 0.575 USD). 1 EUR = 1.94 BGN (1 BGN = 0.514 EUR).

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of November 7, 2026: 1 USD = 50.15 TRY (100 TRY = 1.99 USD). 1 EUR = 56.05 TRY (100 TRY = 1.78 EUR).

USD to BGN in detail →

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Veliko Tarnovo Istanbul 360 km

From you

Veliko Tarnovo
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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

Veliko Tarnovo vs Istanbul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 42%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,606 per month in Veliko Tarnovo 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 Veliko Tarnovo, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $391 there versus $1,014 in Istanbul.

Public transport costs about 61% less in Veliko Tarnovo. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Groceries cost about 6% more in Istanbul, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Veliko Tarnovo, where all-in costs run around $1,071, than in Istanbul at $1,519. In Veliko Tarnovo it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Veliko Tarnovo costs $1,071 versus $1,519 in Istanbul. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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 Veliko Tarnovo. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Istanbul makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.