Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barakaldo and Istanbul

For one person, living costs are similar in Barakaldo and in Istanbul: $1,618 and $1,550 a month, rent and utilities included.

79

Cost of Living Index in Barakaldo
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Barakaldo Living Index
75

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index

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Barakaldo

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,618

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,618 in Barakaldo versus $1,550 in Istanbul.

Barakaldo $1,618
Istanbul $1,550

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,418 in Barakaldo versus $2,415 in Istanbul.

Barakaldo $2,418
Istanbul $2,415

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,219 in Barakaldo versus $3,281 in Istanbul.

Barakaldo $3,219
Istanbul $3,281

Living in Barakaldo is roughly 4% more expensive than in Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barakaldo 20% above, Istanbul 15% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.91 €15.04

$12.30 ₺609

37.48%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.0 €60.5

$54.7 ₺2,708

24.30%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.19 €10.85

$9.22 ₺456

32.21%

Cappuccino

$2.45 €2.18

$4.40 ₺218

-44.32%

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

$2.99 €2.66

$1.68 ₺83.1

77.98%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.97 €1.75

$0.59 ₺29.40

233.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.44 €3.06

$4.70 ₺233

-26.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.27 €2.91

$5.91 ₺292

-44.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.14 €1.01

$1.21 ₺60.0

-5.79%

White Bread (500g)

$1.61 €1.43

$0.89 ₺44.10

80.90%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.38 €1.23

$2.19 ₺108

-36.99%

Eggs

$3.23 €2.88

$2.35 ₺116

37.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.22 €10.87

$10.42 ₺516

17.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.98 €7.10

$5.65 ₺280

41.24%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.98 €11.55

$20.94 ₺1,037

-38.01%

Apples (1kg)

$2.77 €2.47

$1.90 ₺94.1

45.79%

Banana (1kg)

$1.56 €1.39

$2.31 ₺114

-32.47%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.91 €1.70

$1.28 ₺63.1

49.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.29 €2.04

$1.80 ₺89.0

27.22%

Potato (1kg)

$1.54 €1.37

$0.65 ₺32.16

136.92%

Onion (1kg)

$2.31 €2.05

$0.64 ₺31.91

260.94%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.26 €1.12

$1.25 ₺62.1

0.80%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.85 €0.75

$0.56 ₺27.58

51.79%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.51 €5.79

$2.37 ₺118

174.68%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.74 €6.88

$13.42 ₺664

-42.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.50 €1.33

$2.40 ₺119

-37.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.98 €1.76

$3.48 ₺172

-43.10%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.65 €1.47

$0.89 ₺43.84

85.39%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$32.27 €28.71

$67.4 ₺3,338

-52.14%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.54 €4.93

$1.29 ₺64.1

329.46%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.04 €0.92

$0.92 ₺45.70

13.04%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.55 €26.28

$10.96 ₺542

169.62%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.83 €1.62

$1.47 ₺72.9

24.49%

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

$34.8K €30.9K

$50.8K ₺2.5M

-31.56%

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

$29.1K €25.9K

$44.5K ₺2.2M

-34.56%

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

$141 €125

$88.6 ₺4,387

58.95%

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

$18.30 €16.28

$11.59 ₺574

57.89%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$25.36 €22.56

$15.81 ₺783

60.40%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.61 €40.57

$77.2 ₺3,820

-40.89%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.02 €14.25

$22.74 ₺1,126

-29.55%

Cinema Ticket

$9.95 €8.85

$8.14 ₺403

22.24%

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

$491 €436

$1,008 ₺49.9K

-51.34%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.2K €9,111

$25.6K ₺1.3M

-59.93%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.3 €80.4

$54.0 ₺2,671

67.43%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.23 €27.78

$40.83 ₺2,021

-23.51%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$69.3 €61.6

$98.9 ₺4,895

-29.95%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 €106

$96.6 ₺4,783

23.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$914 €813

$985 ₺48.7K

-7.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$679 €604

$650 ₺32.2K

4.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,364 €1,213

$1,983 ₺98.2K

-31.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,022 €909

$1,180 ₺58.4K

-13.39%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,321 €2,954

$3,138 ₺155.4K

5.82%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,166 €1,927

$1,780 ₺88.1K

21.72%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,796 €1,598

$1,205 ₺59.7K

49.02%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.98

40.92

-92.72%

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

Last update for Barakaldo: October 10, 2026

Last update for Istanbul: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barakaldo

$679 42%

Istanbul

$650 41.9% 4.3% $29

Groceries & Markets

Barakaldo

$255 15.8%

Istanbul

$260 16.8% 1.8% $4.6

Eating Out

Barakaldo

$245 15.1%

Istanbul

$223 14.4% 8.8% $22

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barakaldo

$185 11.4%

Istanbul

$116 7.5% 37.1% $68

Clothing & Footwear

Barakaldo

$140 8.6%

Istanbul

$131 8.4% 6.4% $8.9

Sport & Entertainment

Barakaldo

$66 4.1%

Istanbul

$93 6% 42.7% $28

Getting Around

Barakaldo

$50 3.1%

Istanbul

$77 5% 55% $27

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $914 in Barakaldo and $985 in Istanbul. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barakaldo pays 49% 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: $68.0 in Barakaldo vs $55.0 in Istanbul. Groceries flip the comparison at $255 vs $260, with Barakaldo cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barakaldo

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

20:36 8:36 PM

21:36 9:36 PM

1 h ahead of Barakaldo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

101,229

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

Barakaldo Istanbul 2,630 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Barakaldo
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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

Barakaldo vs Istanbul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barakaldo and Istanbul differ by about 4% in total monthly costs ($1,618 vs $1,550 including rent). Istanbul is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 49% higher in Barakaldo, 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: $914 in Barakaldo versus $985 in Istanbul. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Istanbul – a meal for two runs $55.0 versus $68.0 in Barakaldo. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,618 per month in Barakaldo versus $1,550 in Istanbul – a 4% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,550 in Istanbul versus $1,618 in Barakaldo, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Istanbul but tight or insufficient in Barakaldo. The gap between the two cities makes Istanbul the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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, Barakaldo 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 4% less than in Barakaldo. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.