Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ajaccio and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in Istanbul: $1,550 a month against $1,869 in Ajaccio, rent and utilities included – about $3,800 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

Ajaccio
🇫🇷 France
$1,869
/mo nomad
Istanbul
🇹🇷 Turkey
$1,550
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,869 per month in Ajaccio vs $1,550 in Istanbul, rent included.

  • Ajaccio $1,869
  • Istanbul $1,550

A couple spends around $2,880 per month in Ajaccio vs $2,415 in Istanbul, rent included.

  • Ajaccio $2,880
  • Istanbul $2,415

A family of three spends $3,890 per month in Ajaccio vs $3,281 in Istanbul, rent included.

  • Ajaccio $3,890
  • Istanbul $3,281

Ajaccio costs about 21% more than Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Ajaccio and Istanbul sit above the global median – Ajaccio by 38%, Istanbul by 15%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Ajaccio
Istanbul
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$16.89 €15.03
$12.30 ₺609
37.32%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$67.1 €59.7
$54.7 ₺2,708
22.72%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$14.20 €12.63
$9.22 ₺456
54.01%
Cappuccino
$3.62 €3.22
$4.40 ₺218
-17.73%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.09 €2.75
$1.68 ₺83.1
83.93%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.88 €1.67
$0.59 ₺29.40
218.64%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$7.28 €6.48
$4.70 ₺233
54.89%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.66 €5.04
$5.91 ₺292
-4.23%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Ajaccio
Istanbul
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.92 €1.70
$1.21 ₺60.0
58.68%
White Bread (500g)
$1.83 €1.62
$0.89 ₺44.10
105.62%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.49 €2.21
$2.19 ₺108
13.70%
Eggs
$4.15 €3.69
$2.35 ₺116
76.60%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$19.03 €16.93
$10.42 ₺516
82.63%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$12.56 €11.17
$5.65 ₺280
122.30%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$21.78 €19.37
$20.94 ₺1,037
4.01%
Apples (1kg)
$3.00 €2.67
$1.90 ₺94.1
57.89%
Banana (1kg)
$2.84 €2.52
$2.31 ₺114
22.94%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.87 €2.56
$1.28 ₺63.1
124.22%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.15 €2.80
$1.80 ₺89.0
75.00%
Potato (1kg)
$1.86 €1.66
$0.65 ₺32.16
186.15%
Onion (1kg)
$2.28 €2.03
$0.64 ₺31.91
256.25%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.40 €1.24
$1.25 ₺62.1
12.00%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.74 €0.65
$0.56 ₺27.58
32.14%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$12.93 €11.50
$2.37 ₺118
445.57%
Wine (Bottle)
$7.79 €6.93
$13.42 ₺664
-41.95%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.99 €2.66
$2.40 ₺119
24.58%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.45 €3.07
$3.48 ₺172
-0.86%
🚌 Getting Around
Ajaccio
Istanbul
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.08 €1.85
$0.89 ₺43.84
133.71%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$48.49 €43.13
$67.4 ₺3,338
-28.09%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$5.49 €4.88
$1.29 ₺64.1
325.58%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.04 €1.82
$0.92 ₺45.70
121.74%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$37.61 €33.45
$10.96 ₺542
243.16%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.07 €1.84
$1.47 ₺72.9
40.82%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$31.9K €28.4K
$50.8K ₺2.5M
-37.19%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$30.1K €26.8K
$44.5K ₺2.2M
-32.44%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Ajaccio
Istanbul
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$205 €182
$88.6 ₺4,387
131.36%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$15.82 €14.07
$11.59 ₺574
36.50%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$31.77 €28.26
$15.81 ₺783
100.95%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Ajaccio
Istanbul
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$36.16 €32.16
$77.2 ₺3,820
-53.14%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$22.74 ₺1,126
-
Cinema Ticket
$13.51 €12.02
$8.14 ₺403
65.97%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Ajaccio
Istanbul
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$834 €742
$1,008 ₺49.9K
-17.23%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$9,243 €8,221
$25.6K ₺1.3M
-63.84%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Ajaccio
Istanbul
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$138 €123
$54.0 ₺2,671
155.55%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$41.55 €36.95
$40.83 ₺2,021
1.76%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$143 €128
$98.9 ₺4,895
44.98%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$115 €102
$96.6 ₺4,783
19.04%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Ajaccio
Istanbul
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$711 €633
$985 ₺48.7K
-27.74%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$624 €555
$650 ₺32.2K
-3.94%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,152 €1,024
$1,983 ₺98.2K
-41.93%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,126 €1,002
$1,180 ₺58.4K
-4.58%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,978 €3,538
$3,138 ₺155.4K
26.76%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,957 €2,630
$1,780 ₺88.1K
66.12%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Ajaccio
Istanbul
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$3,155 €2,806
$1,205 ₺59.7K
161.74%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.79
40.92
-90.74%

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

Last update for Ajaccio: October 11, 2026

Last update for Istanbul: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Ajaccio
$624
Istanbul
$650 4.1% $26
Groceries & Markets
Ajaccio
$370
Istanbul
$260 29.9% $111
Eating Out
Ajaccio
$289
Istanbul
$223 22.7% $65
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Ajaccio
$253
Istanbul
$116 54.1% $137
Clothing & Footwear
Ajaccio
$197
Istanbul
$131 33.7% $66
Getting Around
Ajaccio
$73
Istanbul
$77 6% $4.4
Sport & Entertainment
Ajaccio
$63
Istanbul
$93 47.9% $30

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $711 in Ajaccio versus $985 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 162% higher in Ajaccio, 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 $67.0 in Ajaccio versus $55.0 in Istanbul. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $370 vs $260 – making Istanbul the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇫🇷 Ajaccio
🇹🇷 Istanbul
🕒 Local time
19:36 7:36 PM
20:36 8:36 PM
1 h ahead of Ajaccio
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
73,822
15,701,602
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

TRY, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

Euro exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 49.51 TRY (100 TRY = 2.02 USD). 1 EUR = 55.67 TRY (100 TRY = 1.8 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Ajaccio Istanbul 1,690 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Ajaccio
  • Istanbul

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
Ajaccio vs Istanbul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Ajaccio or Istanbul?
Ajaccio costs about 21% more than Istanbul, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Ajaccio and in Istanbul?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,803 per month in Ajaccio and $2,325 in Istanbul. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, Ajaccio or Istanbul?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Istanbul, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
How expensive is transport in Ajaccio compared to Istanbul?
Public transport costs about 39% less in Istanbul. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.
How do childcare costs compare in Ajaccio and in Istanbul?
Kindergarten costs $834 per month in Ajaccio and $1,008 in Istanbul. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Can you live on $1,500/month in Ajaccio or in Istanbul?
A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Istanbul, where all-in costs run around $1,550, than in Ajaccio at $1,869. In Istanbul it covers expenses comfortably, while in Ajaccio it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Which city is better for digital nomads, Ajaccio or Istanbul?
For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Istanbul costs $1,550 versus $1,869 in Ajaccio. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.
How safe is Ajaccio compared to Istanbul?
Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.
Should I move to Ajaccio or to Istanbul?
If budget matters most, go with Istanbul. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Ajaccio makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

Ajaccio vs other spots: cost of living compared

Similar cities

Show times on the 12-hour clock, temperatures in °F and distances in miles?