Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Arona and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in Istanbul: $1,550 a month against $1,638 in Arona, rent and utilities included – about $1,100 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Arona
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Arona Living Index
75

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index

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Arona

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,638

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,638 in Arona versus $1,550 in Istanbul.

Arona $1,638
Istanbul $1,550

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,516 in Arona versus $2,415 in Istanbul.

Arona $2,516
Istanbul $2,415

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,394 in Arona versus $3,281 in Istanbul.

Arona $3,394
Istanbul $3,281

Living in Arona is roughly 6% more expensive than in Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Arona 21% above, Istanbul 15% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.44 €14.62

$12.30 ₺609

33.66%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$78.6 €69.9

$54.7 ₺2,708

43.75%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.70 €7.74

$9.22 ₺456

-5.64%

Cappuccino

$1.63 €1.45

$4.40 ₺218

-62.95%

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

$2.96 €2.63

$1.68 ₺83.1

76.19%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.14 €1.02

$0.59 ₺29.40

93.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.83 €3.41

$4.70 ₺233

-18.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.73 €5.10

$5.91 ₺292

-3.05%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.38 €1.23

$1.21 ₺60.0

14.05%

White Bread (500g)

$2.17 €1.93

$0.89 ₺44.10

143.82%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.17 €3.71

$2.19 ₺108

90.41%

Eggs

$2.98 €2.65

$2.35 ₺116

26.81%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.34 €13.65

$10.42 ₺516

47.22%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.32 €12.74

$5.65 ₺280

153.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.89 €13.24

$20.94 ₺1,037

-28.89%

Apples (1kg)

$2.73 €2.43

$1.90 ₺94.1

43.68%

Banana (1kg)

$1.66 €1.48

$2.31 ₺114

-28.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.13 €2.78

$1.28 ₺63.1

144.53%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.32 €2.07

$1.80 ₺89.0

28.89%

Potato (1kg)

$1.85 €1.64

$0.65 ₺32.16

184.62%

Onion (1kg)

$1.74 €1.55

$0.64 ₺31.91

171.88%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.63 €1.45

$1.25 ₺62.1

30.40%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.65 €0.57

$0.56 ₺27.58

16.07%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.66 €5.92

$2.37 ₺118

181.01%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.49 €3.99

$13.42 ₺664

-66.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.93 €0.83

$2.40 ₺119

-61.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.69 €1.50

$3.48 ₺172

-51.44%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.77 €1.58

$0.89 ₺43.84

98.88%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$36.08 €32.09

$67.4 ₺3,338

-46.49%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.49 €4.88

$1.29 ₺64.1

325.58%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.61 €1.43

$0.92 ₺45.70

75.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.45 €27.09

$10.96 ₺542

177.83%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.02 €1.79

$1.47 ₺72.9

37.41%

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

$36.2K €32.2K

$50.8K ₺2.5M

-28.74%

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

$35.8K €31.8K

$44.5K ₺2.2M

-19.70%

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

$197 €175

$88.6 ₺4,387

122.11%

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

$11.48 €10.22

$11.59 ₺574

-0.95%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.12 €24.13

$15.81 ₺783

71.54%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$47.80 €42.52

$77.2 ₺3,820

-38.05%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.72 €20.21

$22.74 ₺1,126

-0.09%

Cinema Ticket

$13.18 €11.72

$8.14 ₺403

61.92%

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

$872 €776

$1,008 ₺49.9K

-13.51%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.9K €16.8K

$25.6K ₺1.3M

-25.94%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.0 €78.3

$54.0 ₺2,671

63.17%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.51 €33.37

$40.83 ₺2,021

-8.13%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$107 €95.3

$98.9 ₺4,895

8.31%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$129 €115

$96.6 ₺4,783

33.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$644 €573

$985 ₺48.7K

-34.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$570 €507

$650 ₺32.2K

-12.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$999 €889

$1,983 ₺98.2K

-49.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$904 €805

$1,180 ₺58.4K

-23.35%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,772 €2,466

$3,138 ₺155.4K

-11.66%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,968 €1,751

$1,780 ₺88.1K

10.58%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,205 ₺59.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.65

40.92

-91.08%

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

Last update for Arona: October 12, 2026

Last update for Istanbul: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Arona

$570 34.8%

Istanbul

$650 41.9% 14% $80

Groceries & Markets

Arona

$314 19.2%

Istanbul

$260 16.8% 17.4% $55

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Arona

$235 14.4%

Istanbul

$116 7.5% 50.7% $119

Eating Out

Arona

$224 13.7%

Istanbul

$223 14.4% 0.4% $1

Clothing & Footwear

Arona

$163 9.9%

Istanbul

$131 8.4% 19.8% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Arona

$74 4.5%

Istanbul

$93 6% 26% $19

Getting Around

Arona

$57 3.5%

Istanbul

$77 5% 35.6% $20

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $644 in Arona and $985 in Istanbul. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $79.0 in Arona vs $55.0 in Istanbul for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $314 vs $260 per month, with Istanbul cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇹 Arona

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

16:33 4:33 PM

17:33 5:33 PM

1 h ahead of Arona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

14,310

15,701,602

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 TRY = 2.02 USD

100 TRY = 1.8 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Arona Istanbul 1,730 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Arona
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

Arona vs Istanbul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Istanbul is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 6% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $2,457 in Arona and $2,325 in Istanbul to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $644 in Arona versus $985 in Istanbul. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $872 in Arona versus $1,008 in Istanbul. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 21% higher in Arona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,550 in Istanbul versus $1,638 in Arona, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Istanbul but tight or insufficient in Arona. The gap between the two cities makes Istanbul the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Istanbul is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Arona, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Arona and Istanbul are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Istanbul gentler on the wallet – expenses run 6% less than in Arona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.