Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ashdod and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in Istanbul: $1,519 a month against $2,337 in Ashdod, rent and utilities included – about $9,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

112

Cost of Living Index in Ashdod
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Ashdod Living Index
73

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index

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Ashdod

🇮🇱 Israel

$2,337

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,519

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,337 in Ashdod versus $1,519 in Istanbul.

Ashdod $2,337
Istanbul $1,519

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,541 in Ashdod versus $2,365 in Istanbul.

Ashdod $3,541
Istanbul $2,365

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,744 in Ashdod versus $3,212 in Istanbul.

Ashdod $4,744
Istanbul $3,212

Living in Ashdod is roughly 54% more expensive than in Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Ashdod 73% above, Istanbul 12% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.75 ₪72.9

$11.81 ₺592

92.63%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$96.8 ₪310

$54.9 ₺2,754

76.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$19.28 ₪61.8

$9.26 ₺465

108.21%

Cappuccino

$4.83 ₪15.49

$4.30 ₺216

12.33%

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

$3.26 ₪10.44

$1.77 ₺89.0

84.18%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 ₪8.09

$0.56 ₺28.32

350.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.09 ₪25.94

$4.69 ₺235

72.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.91 ₪31.75

$7.12 ₺357

39.19%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.46 ₪7.90

$1.25 ₺62.7

96.80%

White Bread (500g)

$3.32 ₪10.63

$0.88 ₺44.17

277.27%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.80 ₪8.99

$2.20 ₺111

27.27%

Eggs

$4.82 ₪15.44

$2.43 ₺122

98.35%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.18 ₪55.1

$10.48 ₺526

63.93%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.26 ₪42.51

$5.31 ₺267

149.72%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$30.13 ₪96.6

$21.10 ₺1,058

42.80%

Apples (1kg)

$3.47 ₪11.12

$1.86 ₺93.1

86.56%

Banana (1kg)

$3.32 ₪10.65

$2.30 ₺115

44.35%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 ₪8.19

$1.22 ₺61.0

109.02%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.38 ₪7.62

$1.80 ₺90.2

32.22%

Potato (1kg)

$1.90 ₪6.09

$0.69 ₺34.83

175.36%

Onion (1kg)

$1.60 ₪5.14

$0.64 ₺32.16

150.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.00 ₪6.42

$1.36 ₺68.0

47.06%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 ₪3.97

$0.58 ₺28.94

113.79%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.54 ₪40.18

$2.34 ₺117

435.90%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.73 ₪37.60

$13.03 ₺653

-9.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.86 ₪9.16

$2.36 ₺118

21.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.74 ₪11.97

$3.32 ₺166

12.65%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.60 ₪8.34

$0.88 ₺44.07

195.45%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.1 ₺3,316

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.04 ₪12.95

$1.28 ₺64.4

215.63%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.26 ₪4.05

$0.85 ₺42.80

48.24%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$37.33 ₪120

$11.09 ₺556

236.61%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.58 ₪8.27

$1.48 ₺74.0

74.32%

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

$55.7K ₪178.6K

$48.6K ₺2.4M

14.54%

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

$55.3K ₪177.3K

$42.0K ₺2.1M

31.81%

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

$125 ₪400

$92.7 ₺4,650

34.70%

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

$11.81 ₪37.86

$11.20 ₺562

5.45%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.55 ₪130

$15.89 ₺797

155.19%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$78.6 ₪252

$74.7 ₺3,745

5.24%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.95 ₺1,151

Cinema Ticket

$11.99 ₪38.41

$8.05 ₺404

48.94%

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

$1,127 ₪3,613

$948 ₺47.6K

18.85%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.5K ₪78.5K

$36.9K ₺1.9M

-33.64%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.9 ₪288

$53.9 ₺2,702

66.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$74.4 ₪238

$41.49 ₺2,081

79.27%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$127 ₪407

$101 ₺5,060

25.89%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$160 ₪513

$91.3 ₺4,580

75.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,714 ₪5,493

$1,014 ₺50.8K

69.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,019 ₪3,267

$625 ₺31.3K

63.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,039 ₪6,535

$2,005 ₺100.6K

1.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,589 ₪5,092

$1,126 ₺56.5K

41.10%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,336 ₪23.5K

$2,988 ₺149.8K

145.53%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,476 ₪17.6K

$1,730 ₺86.8K

216.49%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,049 ₪13.0K

$1,136 ₺57.0K

256.27%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.99

40.42

-87.65%

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

Last update for Ashdod: 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

Ashdod

$1K 43.6%

Istanbul

$625 41.1% 38.7% $395

Groceries & Markets

Ashdod

$433 18.5%

Istanbul

$258 17% 40.3% $175

Eating Out

Ashdod

$381 16.3%

Istanbul

$221 14.6% 42.1% $160

Clothing & Footwear

Ashdod

$203 8.7%

Istanbul

$129 8.5% 36.3% $74

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ashdod

$177 7.6%

Istanbul

$120 7.9% 32.4% $57

Sport & Entertainment

Ashdod

$103 4.4%

Istanbul

$91 6% 11.5% $12

Getting Around

Ashdod

$21 * 0.9%

Istanbul

$75 5% 262% $54

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,714 in Ashdod and $1,014 in Istanbul. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ashdod pays about 3.6 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $97 in Ashdod vs $55 in Istanbul for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $433 vs $258 per month, with Istanbul cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇱 Ashdod

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

03:15 3:15 AM

04:15 4:15 AM

1 h ahead of Ashdod

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

251,837

15,701,602

💱 Currency

Israeli New Shekel ILS ₪

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

📈 Exchange rate

1 ILS = 0.312 USD

1 ILS = 0.278 EUR

100 TRY = 1.99 USD

100 TRY = 1.78 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TRY, USD, EUR to ILS – Israeli New Shekel Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇱 Israeli New Shekel (₪)

Israeli New Shekel exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 3.21 ILS (1 ILS = 0.312 USD). 1 EUR = 3.6 ILS (1 ILS = 0.278 EUR).

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 50.15 TRY (100 TRY = 1.99 USD). 1 EUR = 56.3 TRY (100 TRY = 1.78 EUR).

USD to ILS in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Ashdod Istanbul 1,140 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Ashdod
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

Ashdod vs Istanbul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Istanbul is about 35% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Ashdod is about 3.6 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,714 in Ashdod versus $1,014 in Istanbul. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 68% higher in Ashdod. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $2,337 per month in Ashdod versus $1,519 in Istanbul – Istanbul is about 35% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,500. Istanbul is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Ashdod and Istanbul are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Istanbul wins on affordability, Ashdod on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.