Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bacau and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in Bacau: $924 a month against $1,519 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $7,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

44

Cost of Living Index in Bacau
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Bacau Living Index
73

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index

Jump to prices

Bacau

🇷🇴 Romania

$924

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,519

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $924 per month in Bacau vs $1,519 in Istanbul, rent included.

Bacau $924
Istanbul $1,519

A couple spends around $1,556 per month in Bacau vs $2,365 in Istanbul, rent included.

Bacau $1,556
Istanbul $2,365

A family of three spends $2,189 per month in Bacau vs $3,212 in Istanbul, rent included.

Bacau $2,189
Istanbul $3,212

Bacau is about 39% cheaper than Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Bacau sits 32% below the global median, while Istanbul is 12% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.27 RON 67.9

$11.81 ₺591

20.83%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$83.5 RON 397

$54.9 ₺2,748

52.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.46 RON 35.50

$9.26 ₺463

-19.44%

Cappuccino

$2.00 RON 9.52

$4.30 ₺215

-53.49%

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

$1.94 RON 9.22

$1.77 ₺88.8

9.60%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.90 RON 9.05

$0.56 ₺28.26

239.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.49 RON 11.85

$4.69 ₺234

-46.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.22 RON 15.30

$7.12 ₺356

-54.78%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.19 RON 5.68

$1.25 ₺62.6

-4.80%

White Bread (500g)

$0.71 RON 3.39

$0.88 ₺44.07

-19.32%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.66 RON 7.91

$2.20 ₺110

-24.55%

Eggs

$3.53 RON 16.77

$2.43 ₺122

45.27%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.65 RON 36.40

$10.48 ₺524

-27.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.50 RON 26.15

$5.31 ₺266

3.58%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.23 RON 39.13

$21.10 ₺1,056

-61.00%

Apples (1kg)

$1.15 RON 5.48

$1.86 ₺92.9

-38.17%

Banana (1kg)

$1.49 RON 7.08

$2.30 ₺115

-35.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.51 RON 7.19

$1.22 ₺60.8

23.77%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.76 RON 8.39

$1.80 ₺90.0

-2.22%

Potato (1kg)

$0.73 RON 3.45

$0.69 ₺34.75

5.80%

Onion (1kg)

$0.63 RON 2.99

$0.64 ₺32.09

-1.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.74 RON 3.53

$1.36 ₺67.8

-45.59%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 RON 3.41

$0.58 ₺28.88

24.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.39 RON 25.65

$2.34 ₺117

130.34%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.21 RON 24.79

$13.03 ₺652

-60.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.93 RON 4.43

$2.36 ₺118

-60.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.23 RON 5.86

$3.32 ₺166

-62.95%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.69 RON 3.31

$0.88 ₺43.97

-21.59%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.69 RON 141

$66.1 ₺3,309

-55.10%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.74 RON 3.53

$1.28 ₺64.3

-42.19%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.71 RON 3.38

$0.85 ₺42.70

-16.47%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.38 RON 35.08

$11.09 ₺555

-33.45%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.89 RON 8.98

$1.48 ₺73.9

27.70%

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

$28.8K RON 137.2K

$48.6K ₺2.4M

-40.72%

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

$25.2K RON 119.9K

$42.0K ₺2.1M

-39.95%

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

$104 RON 495

$92.7 ₺4,639

12.23%

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

$7.69 RON 36.57

$11.20 ₺560

-31.34%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$4.76 RON 22.66

$15.89 ₺795

-70.04%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$26.06 RON 124

$74.7 ₺3,737

-65.10%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.65 RON 74.5

$22.95 ₺1,149

-31.81%

Cinema Ticket

$6.26 RON 29.77

$8.05 ₺403

-22.24%

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

$591 RON 2,814

$948 ₺47.5K

-37.64%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,342 RON 30.2K

$36.9K ₺1.8M

-82.82%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.6 RON 403

$53.9 ₺2,696

57.09%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.92 RON 152

$41.49 ₺2,076

-23.07%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$60.4 RON 287

$101 ₺5,049

-40.17%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$84.3 RON 401

$91.3 ₺4,570

-7.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$409 RON 1,945

$1,014 ₺50.7K

-59.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$242 RON 1,153

$625 ₺31.3K

-61.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$541 RON 2,572

$2,005 ₺100.4K

-73.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$404 RON 1,921

$1,126 ₺56.3K

-64.14%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,809 RON 8,603

$2,988 ₺149.5K

-39.47%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,198 RON 5,700

$1,730 ₺86.6K

-30.75%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$926 RON 4,404

$1,136 ₺56.9K

-18.53%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.97

40.42

-82.76%

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

Last update for Bacau: November 2, 2026

Last update for Istanbul: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bacau

$242 26.2%

Istanbul

$625 41.1% 158% $382

Eating Out

Bacau

$195 21.1%

Istanbul

$221 14.6% 13.4% $26

Groceries & Markets

Bacau

$177 19.2%

Istanbul

$258 17% 45.9% $81

Clothing & Footwear

Bacau

$118 12.7%

Istanbul

$129 8.5% 10.1% $12

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bacau

$117 12.6%

Istanbul

$120 7.9% 2.8% $3.3

Sport & Entertainment

Bacau

$39 4.2%

Istanbul

$91 6% 135% $52

Getting Around

Bacau

$37 4%

Istanbul

$75 5% 105% $38

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $409 in Bacau versus $1,014 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 23% higher in Istanbul, 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 $83 in Bacau versus $55 in Istanbul. Groceries tell a different story – $177 in Bacau vs $258 in Istanbul – so Bacau wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Bacau

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

04:42 4:42 AM

05:42 5:42 AM

1 h ahead of Bacau

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

144,307

15,701,602

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.21 USD

1 RON = 0.187 EUR

100 TRY = 2 USD

100 TRY = 1.78 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TRY, USD, EUR to RON – Romanian Leu Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇷🇴 Romanian Leu (lei)

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 4.76 RON (1 RON = 0.21 USD). 1 EUR = 5.34 RON (1 RON = 0.187 EUR).

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 50.04 TRY (100 TRY = 2 USD). 1 EUR = 56.18 TRY (100 TRY = 1.78 EUR).

USD to RON in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Bacau Istanbul 640 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Bacau
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

Bacau vs Istanbul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 64%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,385 per month in Bacau and $2,278 in Istanbul. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Bacau, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $409 there versus $1,014 in Istanbul.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $83 in Bacau and $55 in Istanbul. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $924 in Bacau and $1,519 in Istanbul. That makes Bacau about 39% cheaper.

Families tend to lean toward Bacau – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

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