Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Berat and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in Berat: $1,147 a month against $1,526 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $4,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

55

Cost of Living Index in Berat
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Berat Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index

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Berat

🇦🇱 Albania

$1,147

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,526

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,147 per month in Berat vs $1,526 in Istanbul, rent included.

Berat $1,147
Istanbul $1,526

A couple spends around $1,701 per month in Berat vs $2,399 in Istanbul, rent included.

Berat $1,701
Istanbul $2,399

A family of three spends $2,256 per month in Berat vs $3,272 in Istanbul, rent included.

Berat $2,256
Istanbul $3,272

Berat is about 25% cheaper than Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Berat sits 14% below the global median, while Istanbul is 14% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.69 ALL 788

$11.88 ₺585

-18.43%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$34.12 ALL 2,775

$55.1 ₺2,715

-38.06%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.37 ALL 681

$9.14 ₺450

-8.42%

Cappuccino

$1.85 ALL 151

$4.24 ₺209

-56.37%

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

$1.79 ALL 145

$1.75 ₺86.0

2.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.98 ALL 80.0

$0.54 ₺26.84

81.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.71 ALL 221

$4.69 ₺231

-42.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.60 ALL 293

$5.97 ₺294

-39.70%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.03 ALL 165

$1.26 ₺62.1

61.11%

White Bread (500g)

$1.16 ALL 94.2

$0.95 ₺46.82

22.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.31 ALL 188

$2.31 ₺114

Eggs

$3.03 ALL 246

$2.47 ₺122

22.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.01 ALL 895

$10.55 ₺520

4.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.31 ALL 676

$5.60 ₺276

48.39%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.67 ALL 1,356

$21.21 ₺1,045

-21.40%

Apples (1kg)

$1.92 ALL 156

$1.93 ₺95.1

-0.52%

Banana (1kg)

$2.48 ALL 202

$2.29 ₺113

8.30%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.62 ALL 132

$1.28 ₺63.1

26.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.43 ALL 116

$1.84 ₺90.8

-22.28%

Potato (1kg)

$0.98 ALL 79.9

$0.67 ₺32.87

46.27%

Onion (1kg)

$1.25 ALL 101

$0.59 ₺29.31

111.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.82 ALL 66.8

$1.33 ₺65.4

-38.35%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.70 ALL 56.8

$0.59 ₺29.11

18.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.66 ALL 379

$2.36 ₺116

97.46%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.19 ALL 829

$13.47 ₺664

-24.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.25 ALL 102

$2.42 ₺119

-48.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.49 ALL 121

$3.54 ₺174

-57.91%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.36 ALL 29.06

$0.83 ₺40.65

-56.63%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.80 ALL 1,611

$66.5 ₺3,274

-70.20%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.70 ALL 301

$1.35 ₺66.6

174.07%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.74 ALL 304

$0.85 ₺42.06

340.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$18.46 ALL 1,502

$10.86 ₺535

69.98%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.15 ALL 175

$1.47 ₺72.3

46.26%

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

$33.6K ALL 2.7M

$51.6K ₺2.5M

-34.97%

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

$35.1K ALL 2.9M

$44.4K ₺2.2M

-21.02%

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

$84.7 ALL 6,888

$89.2 ₺4,396

-5.09%

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

$18.04 ALL 1,467

$11.60 ₺572

55.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.88 ALL 1,617

$16.10 ₺793

23.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.8 ALL 4,456

$77.3 ₺3,806

-29.09%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.37 ALL 1,494

$22.66 ₺1,116

-18.93%

Cinema Ticket

$9.65 ALL 785

$8.34 ₺411

15.71%

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

$185 ALL 15.1K

$974 ₺48.0K

-81.00%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,810 ALL 147.2K

$25.8K ₺1.3M

-92.98%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$48.80 ALL 3,970

$52.7 ₺2,597

-7.42%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.56 ALL 3,869

$39.16 ₺1,930

21.45%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$120 ALL 9,768

$103 ₺5,084

16.37%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$116 ALL 9,396

$96.6 ₺4,760

19.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$468 ALL 38.1K

$994 ₺49.0K

-52.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$332 ALL 27.0K

$629 ₺31.0K

-47.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$690 ALL 56.1K

$2,024 ₺99.7K

-65.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$465 ALL 37.8K

$1,155 ₺56.9K

-59.75%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,837 ALL 149.5K

$3,160 ₺155.7K

-41.86%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,225 ALL 99.6K

$1,838 ₺90.5K

-33.35%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$794 ALL 64.6K

$1,203 ₺59.3K

-34.00%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.75

41.09

-88.44%

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

Last update for Berat: October 5, 2026

Last update for Istanbul: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Berat

$332 29.1%

Istanbul

$629 41.2% 89.5% $297

Groceries & Markets

Berat

$263 23%

Istanbul

$264 17.3% 0.5% $1.3

Eating Out

Berat

$157 13.7%

Istanbul

$218 14.3% 39.1% $61

Clothing & Footwear

Berat

$149 13.1%

Istanbul

$131 8.6% 12.1% $18

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Berat

$123 10.7%

Istanbul

$117 7.7% 4.6% $5.7

Sport & Entertainment

Berat

$74 6.5%

Istanbul

$94 6.1% 26.8% $20

Getting Around

Berat

$44 3.8%

Istanbul

$75 4.9% 72.8% $32

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $468 in Berat versus $994 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 52% 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 $34.00 in Berat versus $55.0 in Istanbul. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $263 vs $264 – making Berat the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇱 Berat

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

06:01 6:01 AM

07:01 7:01 AM

1 h ahead of Berat

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

32,606

15,701,602

💱 Currency

Albanian Lek ALL L

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

📈 Exchange rate

100 ALL = 1.23 USD

100 ALL = 1.1 EUR

100 TRY = 2.03 USD

100 TRY = 1.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TRY, USD, EUR to ALL – Albanian Lek Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇱 Albanian Lek (L)

Albanian Lek exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 81.35 ALL (100 ALL = 1.23 USD). 1 EUR = 91.24 ALL (100 ALL = 1.1 EUR).

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 49.27 TRY (100 TRY = 2.03 USD). 1 EUR = 55.26 TRY (100 TRY = 1.81 EUR).

USD to ALL in detail →

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Between locations

Berat Istanbul 760 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Berat
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

Berat vs Istanbul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 33%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,720 per month in Berat and $2,289 in Istanbul. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Berat, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Groceries cost about 0% more in Istanbul, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $34.00 in Berat and $55.0 in Istanbul. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Berat, where all-in costs run around $1,147, than in Istanbul at $1,526. In Berat it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

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.

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