Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Arrest and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in Istanbul: $1,550 a month against $1,692 in Arrest, rent and utilities included – about $1,700 less a year. The total is higher in Arrest despite lower rent and utilities.

86

Cost of Living Index in Arrest
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Arrest Living Index
75

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index

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Arrest

🇫🇷 France

$1,692

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,692 in Arrest versus $1,550 in Istanbul.

Arrest $1,692
Istanbul $1,550

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,690 in Arrest versus $2,415 in Istanbul.

Arrest $2,690
Istanbul $2,415

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,687 in Arrest versus $3,281 in Istanbul.

Arrest $3,687
Istanbul $3,281

Living in Arrest is roughly 9% more expensive than in Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Arrest 25% above, Istanbul 15% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.07 €15.18

$12.30 ₺609

38.78%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.5 €49.39

$54.7 ₺2,708

1.52%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.59 €12.09

$9.22 ₺456

47.40%

Cappuccino

$2.92 €2.60

$4.40 ₺218

-33.64%

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

$3.06 €2.72

$1.68 ₺83.1

82.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.07 €1.84

$0.59 ₺29.40

250.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.32 €7.40

$4.70 ₺233

77.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.43 €4.83

$5.91 ₺292

-8.12%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.29 €1.14

$1.21 ₺60.0

6.61%

White Bread (500g)

$1.69 €1.51

$0.89 ₺44.10

89.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.56 €2.28

$2.19 ₺108

16.89%

Eggs

$3.97 €3.53

$2.35 ₺116

68.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.14 €9.02

$10.42 ₺516

-2.69%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.97 €10.65

$5.65 ₺280

111.86%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.82 €14.07

$20.94 ₺1,037

-24.45%

Apples (1kg)

$3.02 €2.68

$1.90 ₺94.1

58.95%

Banana (1kg)

$3.00 €2.67

$2.31 ₺114

29.87%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.43 €1.27

$1.28 ₺63.1

11.72%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.16 €3.70

$1.80 ₺89.0

131.11%

Potato (1kg)

$1.78 €1.58

$0.65 ₺32.16

173.85%

Onion (1kg)

$2.01 €1.79

$0.64 ₺31.91

214.06%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.60 €1.42

$1.25 ₺62.1

28.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.16 €0.14

$0.56 ₺27.58

-71.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.68 €11.28

$2.37 ₺118

435.02%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.46 €4.86

$13.42 ₺664

-59.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.46 €1.30

$2.40 ₺119

-39.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.63 €1.45

$3.48 ₺172

-53.16%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.88 €1.68

$0.89 ₺43.84

111.24%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.07 €36.53

$67.4 ₺3,338

-39.09%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.29 €2.04

$1.29 ₺64.1

77.52%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.14 €1.02

$0.92 ₺45.70

23.91%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.87 €29.24

$10.96 ₺542

199.91%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.18 €1.94

$1.47 ₺72.9

48.30%

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

$34.3K €30.5K

$50.8K ₺2.5M

-32.40%

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

$36.3K €32.3K

$44.5K ₺2.2M

-18.57%

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

$207 €184

$88.6 ₺4,387

133.59%

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

$32.86 €29.23

$11.59 ₺574

183.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.63 €28.13

$15.81 ₺783

100.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.48 €33.34

$77.2 ₺3,820

-51.43%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.74 ₺1,126

Cinema Ticket

$15.53 €13.82

$8.14 ₺403

90.79%

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

$899 €799

$1,008 ₺49.9K

-10.86%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,786 €8,705

$25.6K ₺1.3M

-61.71%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$129 €114

$54.0 ₺2,671

138.28%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.89 €41.71

$40.83 ₺2,021

14.84%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 €91.1

$98.9 ₺4,895

3.53%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$158 €141

$96.6 ₺4,783

63.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$806 €717

$985 ₺48.7K

-18.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$522 €464

$650 ₺32.2K

-19.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,433 €1,275

$1,983 ₺98.2K

-27.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,150 €1,023

$1,180 ₺58.4K

-2.51%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,381 €3,897

$3,138 ₺155.4K

39.62%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,174 €2,823

$1,780 ₺88.1K

78.35%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,205 ₺59.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.9

40.92

-90.47%

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

Last update for Arrest: 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

Arrest

$522 30.8%

Istanbul

$650 41.9% 24.5% $128

Groceries & Markets

Arrest

$292 17.3%

Istanbul

$260 16.8% 11.2% $33

Eating Out

Arrest

$285 16.9%

Istanbul

$223 14.4% 21.8% $62

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Arrest

$271 16%

Istanbul

$116 7.5% 57.3% $155

Clothing & Footwear

Arrest

$196 11.6%

Istanbul

$131 8.4% 33.4% $66

Sport & Entertainment

Arrest

$69 4.1%

Istanbul

$93 6% 36.3% $25

Getting Around

Arrest

$57 3.4%

Istanbul

$77 5% 35.8% $20

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $806 in Arrest and $985 in Istanbul. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $56.0 in Arrest vs $55.0 in Istanbul for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $292 vs $260 per month, with Istanbul cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇫🇷 Arrest

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

17:38 5:38 PM

18:38 6:38 PM

1 h ahead of Arrest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

900

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

Arrest Istanbul 2,340 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Arrest
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

Arrest vs Istanbul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Istanbul is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 9% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $2,539 in Arrest 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: $806 in Arrest versus $985 in Istanbul. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $899 in Arrest 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 13% higher in Arrest. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,550 in Istanbul versus $1,692 in Arrest, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Istanbul but tight or insufficient in Arrest. 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 Arrest, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Arrest 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 9% less than in Arrest. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.