Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athlone and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in Istanbul: $1,550 a month against $2,542 in Athlone, rent and utilities included – about $11,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

124

Cost of Living Index in Athlone
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Athlone Living Index
75

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index

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Athlone

🇮🇪 Ireland

$2,542

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,542 in Athlone versus $1,550 in Istanbul.

Athlone $2,542
Istanbul $1,550

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,749 in Athlone versus $2,415 in Istanbul.

Athlone $3,749
Istanbul $2,415

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,956 in Athlone versus $3,281 in Istanbul.

Athlone $4,956
Istanbul $3,281

Living in Athlone is roughly 64% more expensive than in Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Athlone 88% above, Istanbul 15% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.37 €19.90

$12.30 ₺609

81.87%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$91.0 €80.9

$54.7 ₺2,708

66.38%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.63 €11.23

$9.22 ₺456

36.98%

Cappuccino

$4.32 €3.84

$4.40 ₺218

-1.82%

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

$2.92 €2.60

$1.68 ₺83.1

73.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.84 €1.64

$0.59 ₺29.40

211.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.41 €6.59

$4.70 ₺233

57.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.55 €5.82

$5.91 ₺292

10.83%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.46 €1.30

$1.21 ₺60.0

20.66%

White Bread (500g)

$1.26 €1.12

$0.89 ₺44.10

41.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.66 €1.48

$2.19 ₺108

-24.20%

Eggs

$3.91 €3.48

$2.35 ₺116

66.38%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.73 €9.55

$10.42 ₺516

2.98%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.27 €10.02

$5.65 ₺280

99.47%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.85 €10.53

$20.94 ₺1,037

-43.41%

Apples (1kg)

$2.55 €2.27

$1.90 ₺94.1

34.21%

Banana (1kg)

$1.56 €1.39

$2.31 ₺114

-32.47%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.41 €2.14

$1.28 ₺63.1

88.28%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.85 €2.53

$1.80 ₺89.0

58.33%

Potato (1kg)

$2.29 €2.03

$0.65 ₺32.16

252.31%

Onion (1kg)

$1.81 €1.61

$0.64 ₺31.91

182.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 €1.28

$1.25 ₺62.1

15.20%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.90 €1.69

$0.56 ₺27.58

239.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$17.88 €15.90

$2.37 ₺118

654.43%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.10 €9.87

$13.42 ₺664

-17.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.44 €3.06

$2.40 ₺119

43.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.58 €3.18

$3.48 ₺172

2.87%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.06 €1.83

$0.89 ₺43.84

131.46%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.4 ₺3,338

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.08 €4.52

$1.29 ₺64.1

293.80%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.32

$0.92 ₺45.70

61.96%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.77 €24.70

$10.96 ₺542

153.38%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.03 €1.80

$1.47 ₺72.9

38.10%

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

$39.6K €35.2K

$50.8K ₺2.5M

-22.05%

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

$36.8K €32.7K

$44.5K ₺2.2M

-17.35%

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

$241 €214

$88.6 ₺4,387

171.80%

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

$21.86 €19.45

$11.59 ₺574

88.61%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$49.22 €43.78

$15.81 ₺783

211.32%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.5 €52.1

$77.2 ₺3,820

-24.14%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.69 €30.85

$22.74 ₺1,126

52.55%

Cinema Ticket

$10.95 €9.74

$8.14 ₺403

34.52%

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

$1,001 €891

$1,008 ₺49.9K

-0.66%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,365 €4,772

$25.6K ₺1.3M

-79.01%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$92.9 €82.6

$54.0 ₺2,671

72.10%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.88 €36.36

$40.83 ₺2,021

0.12%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$83.6 €74.4

$98.9 ₺4,895

-15.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$77.7 €69.1

$96.6 ₺4,783

-19.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,468 €1,306

$985 ₺48.7K

49.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,353 €1,203

$650 ₺32.2K

108.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,529 €2,249

$1,983 ₺98.2K

27.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,254 €2,005

$1,180 ₺58.4K

90.99%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,294 €2,930

$3,138 ₺155.4K

4.96%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,340 €2,971

$1,780 ₺88.1K

87.66%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,153 €2,804

$1,205 ₺59.7K

161.57%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.73

40.92

-90.88%

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

Last update for Athlone: 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

Athlone

$1.4K 53.2%

Istanbul

$650 41.9% 52% $703

Eating Out

Athlone

$338 13.3%

Istanbul

$223 14.4% 33.9% $115

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athlone

$312 12.3%

Istanbul

$116 7.5% 62.8% $196

Groceries & Markets

Athlone

$305 12%

Istanbul

$260 16.8% 14.9% $45

Clothing & Footwear

Athlone

$133 5.2%

Istanbul

$131 8.4% 1.6% $2.2

Sport & Entertainment

Athlone

$80 3.2%

Istanbul

$93 6% 16.2% $13

Getting Around

Athlone

$21 * 0.8%

Istanbul

$77 5% 271% $56

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 $1,468 in Athlone and $985 in Istanbul. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Athlone pays 162% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $91.0 in Athlone vs $55.0 in Istanbul for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $305 vs $260 per month, with Istanbul cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇪 Athlone

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

12:29 12:29 PM

14:29 2:29 PM

2 h ahead of Athlone

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

21,000

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

Athlone Istanbul 3,070 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Athlone
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

Athlone vs Istanbul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Istanbul wins on cost – living expenses run 64% lower than in Athlone. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Istanbul the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 162% higher in Athlone, 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: $1,468 in Athlone versus $985 in Istanbul. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 17% higher in Athlone. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $2,542 per month in Athlone versus $1,550 in Istanbul – a 64% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,550 in Istanbul versus $2,542 in Athlone, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Istanbul but tight or insufficient in Athlone. The gap between the two cities makes Istanbul the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Istanbul delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,550 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Istanbul hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Athlone 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 64% less than in Athlone. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.