Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Benidorm and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in Istanbul: $1,550 a month against $1,689 in Benidorm, rent and utilities included – about $1,700 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Benidorm outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

Benidorm
🇪🇸 Spain
$1,689
/mo nomad
Istanbul
🇹🇷 Turkey
$1,550
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,689 per month in Benidorm vs $1,550 in Istanbul, rent included.

  • Benidorm $1,689
  • Istanbul $1,550

A couple spends around $2,487 per month in Benidorm vs $2,415 in Istanbul, rent included.

  • Benidorm $2,487
  • Istanbul $2,415

A family of three spends $3,284 per month in Benidorm vs $3,281 in Istanbul, rent included.

  • Benidorm $3,284
  • Istanbul $3,281

Benidorm costs about 9% more than Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both Benidorm and Istanbul sit above the global median – Benidorm by 25%, Istanbul by 15%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Benidorm
Istanbul
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$17.29 €15.38
$12.30 ₺609
40.57%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$52.8 €46.96
$54.7 ₺2,708
-3.49%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$12.46 €11.08
$9.22 ₺456
35.14%
Cappuccino
$2.38 €2.12
$4.40 ₺218
-45.91%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.34 €2.08
$1.68 ₺83.1
39.29%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.17 €1.04
$0.59 ₺29.40
98.31%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.38 €3.00
$4.70 ₺233
-28.09%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.65 €3.25
$5.91 ₺292
-38.24%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Benidorm
Istanbul
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.14 €1.01
$1.21 ₺60.0
-5.79%
White Bread (500g)
$1.34 €1.19
$0.89 ₺44.10
50.56%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.41 €1.25
$2.19 ₺108
-35.62%
Eggs
$3.38 €3.00
$2.35 ₺116
43.83%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.95 €9.74
$10.42 ₺516
5.09%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.78 €6.92
$5.65 ₺280
37.70%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$15.79 €14.05
$20.94 ₺1,037
-24.59%
Apples (1kg)
$2.09 €1.86
$1.90 ₺94.1
10.00%
Banana (1kg)
$1.86 €1.66
$2.31 ₺114
-19.48%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.89 €1.68
$1.28 ₺63.1
47.66%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.64 €2.35
$1.80 ₺89.0
46.67%
Potato (1kg)
$1.72 €1.53
$0.65 ₺32.16
164.62%
Onion (1kg)
$1.75 €1.56
$0.64 ₺31.91
173.44%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.11 €0.99
$1.25 ₺62.1
-11.20%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.40 €0.36
$0.56 ₺27.58
-28.57%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$6.07 €5.40
$2.37 ₺118
156.12%
Wine (Bottle)
$5.61 €4.99
$13.42 ₺664
-58.20%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$0.90 €0.80
$2.40 ₺119
-62.50%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.89 €0.79
$3.48 ₺172
-74.43%
🚌 Getting Around
Benidorm
Istanbul
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
-
$0.89 ₺43.84
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$67.4 ₺3,338
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.40 €3.92
$1.29 ₺64.1
241.09%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.36 €1.21
$0.92 ₺45.70
47.83%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$23.59 €20.98
$10.96 ₺542
115.24%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.74 €1.54
$1.47 ₺72.9
18.37%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$35.5K €31.6K
$50.8K ₺2.5M
-30.10%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$28.6K €25.4K
$44.5K ₺2.2M
-35.84%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Benidorm
Istanbul
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$158 €140
$88.6 ₺4,387
78.16%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$16.12 €14.34
$11.59 ₺574
39.09%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$22.34 €19.88
$15.81 ₺783
41.30%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Benidorm
Istanbul
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
-
$77.2 ₺3,820
-
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$22.74 ₺1,126
-
Cinema Ticket
$10.84 €9.64
$8.14 ₺403
33.17%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Benidorm
Istanbul
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$579 €515
$1,008 ₺49.9K
-42.54%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$9,540 €8,486
$25.6K ₺1.3M
-62.68%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Benidorm
Istanbul
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$90.7 €80.7
$54.0 ₺2,671
68.19%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$42.19 €37.53
$40.83 ₺2,021
3.33%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$96.9 €86.2
$98.9 ₺4,895
-1.96%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$117 €104
$96.6 ₺4,783
20.80%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Benidorm
Istanbul
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,012 €900
$985 ₺48.7K
2.80%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$821 €730
$650 ₺32.2K
26.35%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,743 €1,550
$1,983 ₺98.2K
-12.14%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,323 €1,177
$1,180 ₺58.4K
12.15%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$5,089 €4,527
$3,138 ₺155.4K
62.18%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,476 €2,202
$1,780 ₺88.1K
39.10%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Benidorm
Istanbul
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,763 €1,568
$1,205 ₺59.7K
46.26%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.3
40.92
-91.94%

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

Last update for Benidorm: October 13, 2026

Last update for Istanbul: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Benidorm
$821
Istanbul
$650 20.9% $171
Eating Out
Benidorm
$242
Istanbul
$223 7.9% $19
Groceries & Markets
Benidorm
$241
Istanbul
$260 7.8% $19
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Benidorm
$196
Istanbul
$116 40.9% $80
Clothing & Footwear
Benidorm
$156
Istanbul
$131 16.3% $25
Sport & Entertainment
Benidorm
$22 *
Istanbul
$93 331% $72
Getting Around
Benidorm
$11 *
Istanbul
$77 586% $66

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,012 in Benidorm versus $985 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 46% higher in Benidorm, 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 $53.0 in Benidorm versus $55.0 in Istanbul. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $241 vs $260 – making Benidorm the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇪🇸 Benidorm
🇹🇷 Istanbul
🕒 Local time
02:50 2:50 AM
03:50 3:50 AM
1 h ahead of Benidorm
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
72,342
15,701,602
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

TRY, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

Euro exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 49.51 TRY (100 TRY = 2.02 USD). 1 EUR = 55.66 TRY (100 TRY = 1.8 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Benidorm Istanbul 2,490 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Benidorm
  • 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
Benidorm vs Istanbul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Istanbul cheaper than Benidorm?
Yes – Benidorm is pricier by about 9%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in leisure.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,534 per month in Benidorm and $2,325 in Istanbul. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Istanbul, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
What are total monthly expenses in Benidorm and in Istanbul?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,689 in Benidorm and $1,550 in Istanbul. That's a gap of about 9%.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Kindergarten costs $579 per month in Benidorm and $1,008 in Istanbul. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in Benidorm or in Istanbul?
A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Istanbul, where all-in costs run around $1,550, than in Benidorm at $1,689. In Istanbul it covers expenses comfortably, while in Benidorm it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Benidorm or Istanbul more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Istanbul – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Which city is safer, Benidorm or Istanbul?
Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Istanbul. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Benidorm makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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