Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Arklow and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in Istanbul: $1,550 a month against $2,624 in Arklow, rent and utilities included – about $12,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

128

Cost of Living Index in Arklow
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Arklow Living Index
75

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index

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Arklow

🇮🇪 Ireland

$2,624

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,624 per month in Arklow vs $1,550 in Istanbul, rent included.

Arklow $2,624
Istanbul $1,550

A couple spends around $3,680 per month in Arklow vs $2,415 in Istanbul, rent included.

Arklow $3,680
Istanbul $2,415

A family of three spends $4,737 per month in Arklow vs $3,281 in Istanbul, rent included.

Arklow $4,737
Istanbul $3,281

Arklow costs about 69% more than Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Arklow and Istanbul sit above the global median – Arklow by 94%, Istanbul by 15%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.34 €19.87

$12.30 ₺609

81.63%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$89.5 €79.6

$54.7 ₺2,708

63.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.25 €10.01

$9.22 ₺456

22.02%

Cappuccino

$4.12 €3.67

$4.40 ₺218

-6.36%

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

$2.93 €2.60

$1.68 ₺83.1

74.40%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 €2.00

$0.59 ₺29.40

281.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.47 €4.86

$4.70 ₺233

16.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.16 €4.58

$5.91 ₺292

-12.69%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.69 €1.50

$1.21 ₺60.0

39.67%

White Bread (500g)

$2.23 €1.99

$0.89 ₺44.10

150.56%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.90 €1.69

$2.19 ₺108

-13.24%

Eggs

$4.64 €4.12

$2.35 ₺116

97.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.19 €12.62

$10.42 ₺516

36.18%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.17 €11.71

$5.65 ₺280

133.10%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.67 €14.83

$20.94 ₺1,037

-20.39%

Apples (1kg)

$3.26 €2.90

$1.90 ₺94.1

71.58%

Banana (1kg)

$2.90 €2.58

$2.31 ₺114

25.54%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.42 €3.04

$1.28 ₺63.1

167.19%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.70 €4.18

$1.80 ₺89.0

161.11%

Potato (1kg)

$2.36 €2.10

$0.65 ₺32.16

263.08%

Onion (1kg)

$1.83 €1.62

$0.64 ₺31.91

185.94%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 €1.29

$1.25 ₺62.1

16.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.15 €1.91

$0.56 ₺27.58

283.93%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$20.31 €18.07

$2.37 ₺118

756.96%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.59 €12.09

$13.42 ₺664

1.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.08 €3.63

$2.40 ₺119

70.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.61 €3.21

$3.48 ₺172

3.74%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.40 €2.14

$0.89 ₺43.84

169.66%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.4 ₺3,338

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.18 €4.61

$1.29 ₺64.1

301.55%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.54 €1.37

$0.92 ₺45.70

67.39%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.30 €29.62

$10.96 ₺542

203.83%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.12 €1.89

$1.47 ₺72.9

44.22%

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

$38.8K €34.5K

$50.8K ₺2.5M

-23.63%

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

$37.3K €33.2K

$44.5K ₺2.2M

-16.23%

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

$240 €213

$88.6 ₺4,387

170.74%

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

$22.10 €19.65

$11.59 ₺574

90.68%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.2 €49.08

$15.81 ₺783

249.02%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.5 €51.2

$77.2 ₺3,820

-25.47%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.74 ₺1,126

Cinema Ticket

$13.58 €12.08

$8.14 ₺403

66.83%

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

$1,066 €948

$1,008 ₺49.9K

5.76%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,404 €4,807

$25.6K ₺1.3M

-78.86%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$93.9 €83.5

$54.0 ₺2,671

74.09%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.32 €38.53

$40.83 ₺2,021

6.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €94.6

$98.9 ₺4,895

7.56%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$118 €105

$96.6 ₺4,783

22.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,566 €1,393

$985 ₺48.7K

59.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,325 €1,178

$650 ₺32.2K

103.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,857 €2,541

$1,983 ₺98.2K

44.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,819 €1,618

$1,180 ₺58.4K

54.17%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,138 ₺155.4K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,780 ₺88.1K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,863 €4,325

$1,205 ₺59.7K

303.43%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.14

40.92

-89.88%

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

Last update for Arklow: 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

Arklow

$1.3K 50.5%

Istanbul

$650 41.9% 51% $675

Groceries & Markets

Arklow

$392 14.9%

Istanbul

$260 16.8% 33.7% $132

Eating Out

Arklow

$320 12.2%

Istanbul

$223 14.4% 30.3% $97

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Arklow

$317 12.1%

Istanbul

$116 7.5% 63.4% $201

Clothing & Footwear

Arklow

$163 6.2%

Istanbul

$131 8.4% 19.7% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Arklow

$85 3.2%

Istanbul

$93 6% 10.4% $8.8

Getting Around

Arklow

$23 * 0.9%

Istanbul

$77 5% 241% $54

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,566 in Arklow 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 303% higher in Arklow, 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 $89.0 in Arklow versus $55.0 in Istanbul. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $392 vs $260 – making Istanbul the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇪 Arklow

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

07:44 7:44 AM

09:44 9:44 AM

2 h ahead of Arklow

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

13,399

15,701,602

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 TRY = 2.02 USD

100 TRY = 1.79 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TRY, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

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 = 55.75 TRY (100 TRY = 1.79 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Arklow Istanbul 2,930 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Arklow
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

Arklow vs Istanbul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,624 in Arklow, $1,550 in Istanbul – roughly 69% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,936 per month in Arklow and $2,325 in Istanbul. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $89.0 in Arklow and $55.0 in Istanbul. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 51% more in Arklow, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Istanbul, where all-in costs run around $1,550, than in Arklow at $2,624. In Istanbul it covers expenses comfortably, while in Arklow it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Istanbul has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,550 in Istanbul to $2,624 in Arklow. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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.

If budget matters most, go with Istanbul. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Arklow makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.