Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bergamo and Istanbul

For one person, living costs are similar in Bergamo and in Istanbul: $1,592 and $1,526 a month, rent and utilities included.

78

Cost of Living Index in Bergamo
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Bergamo Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index

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Bergamo

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,592

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,526

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,592 in Bergamo versus $1,526 in Istanbul.

Bergamo $1,592
Istanbul $1,526

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,451 in Bergamo versus $2,399 in Istanbul.

Bergamo $2,451
Istanbul $2,399

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,311 in Bergamo versus $3,272 in Istanbul.

Bergamo $3,311
Istanbul $3,272

Living in Bergamo 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: Bergamo 19% above, Istanbul 14% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.68 €13.99

$11.88 ₺585

31.99%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$82.6 €73.8

$55.1 ₺2,714

50.01%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.08 €9.89

$9.14 ₺450

21.23%

Cappuccino

$1.87 €1.67

$4.24 ₺209

-55.90%

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

$3.31 €2.95

$1.75 ₺86.0

89.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.29 €1.15

$0.54 ₺26.83

138.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.57 €4.97

$4.69 ₺231

18.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.57 €4.97

$5.97 ₺294

-6.70%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.42 €1.27

$1.26 ₺62.1

12.70%

White Bread (500g)

$2.02 €1.81

$0.95 ₺46.81

112.63%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.02 €2.70

$2.31 ₺114

30.74%

Eggs

$3.71 €3.31

$2.47 ₺122

50.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.27 €13.63

$10.55 ₺520

44.74%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.39 €10.16

$5.60 ₺276

103.39%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.13 €14.39

$21.21 ₺1,045

-23.95%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.05

$1.93 ₺95.1

19.17%

Banana (1kg)

$1.71 €1.52

$2.29 ₺113

-25.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 €2.01

$1.28 ₺63.1

75.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.66 €2.38

$1.84 ₺90.8

44.57%

Potato (1kg)

$1.81 €1.62

$0.67 ₺32.86

170.15%

Onion (1kg)

$2.19 €1.95

$0.59 ₺29.31

271.19%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.86 €1.66

$1.33 ₺65.4

39.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.48 €0.43

$0.59 ₺29.10

-18.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.11 €6.35

$2.36 ₺116

201.27%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.17 €3.72

$13.47 ₺664

-69.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.25 €1.12

$2.42 ₺119

-48.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.77 €1.58

$3.54 ₺174

-50.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.88 €1.67

$0.83 ₺40.64

126.51%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$45.25 €40.38

$66.5 ₺3,273

-31.90%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$10.21 €9.11

$1.35 ₺66.6

656.30%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.22 €1.98

$0.85 ₺42.05

161.18%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$38.74 €34.57

$10.86 ₺535

256.72%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.09 €1.86

$1.47 ₺72.3

42.18%

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

$36.8K €32.8K

$51.6K ₺2.5M

-28.75%

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

$35.0K €31.3K

$44.4K ₺2.2M

-21.18%

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

$195 €174

$89.2 ₺4,395

118.92%

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

$8.87 €7.92

$11.60 ₺572

-23.53%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.82 €24.82

$16.10 ₺793

72.80%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.67 €29.15

$77.3 ₺3,805

-57.71%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.37 €20.86

$22.66 ₺1,116

3.13%

Cinema Ticket

$11.26 €10.05

$8.34 ₺411

35.01%

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

$569 €507

$974 ₺48.0K

-41.62%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.0K €12.5K

$25.8K ₺1.3M

-45.71%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$74.1 €66.1

$52.7 ₺2,597

40.49%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.57 €29.06

$39.16 ₺1,929

-16.83%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$88.0 €78.5

$103 ₺5,083

-14.76%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 €92.0

$96.6 ₺4,759

6.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$751 €670

$994 ₺49.0K

-24.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$573 €511

$629 ₺31.0K

-8.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,370 €1,222

$2,024 ₺99.7K

-32.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$904 €807

$1,155 ₺56.9K

-21.70%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,471 €3,097

$3,160 ₺155.7K

9.83%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,509 €2,239

$1,838 ₺90.5K

36.55%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,426 €2,165

$1,203 ₺59.3K

101.61%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.05

41.09

-92.58%

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

Last update for Bergamo: October 6, 2026

Last update for Istanbul: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bergamo

$573 35.7%

Istanbul

$629 41.2% 9.9% $56

Groceries & Markets

Bergamo

$298 18.6%

Istanbul

$264 17.3% 11.3% $34

Eating Out

Bergamo

$239 14.9%

Istanbul

$218 14.3% 8.6% $21

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bergamo

$232 14.5%

Istanbul

$117 7.7% 49.6% $115

Clothing & Footwear

Bergamo

$134 8.4%

Istanbul

$131 8.6% 2% $2.7

Getting Around

Bergamo

$74 4.6%

Istanbul

$75 4.9% 1.7% $1.3

Sport & Entertainment

Bergamo

$55 3.4%

Istanbul

$94 6.1% 70.2% $39

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $751 in Bergamo and $994 in Istanbul. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bergamo pays 102% 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: $83.0 in Bergamo vs $55.0 in Istanbul for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $298 vs $264 per month, with Istanbul cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇹 Bergamo

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

14:16 2:16 PM

15:16 3:16 PM

1 h ahead of Bergamo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

120,569

15,701,602

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 TRY = 2.03 USD

100 TRY = 1.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Bergamo Istanbul 1,640 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Bergamo
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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

Bergamo vs Istanbul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bergamo and Istanbul differ by about 4% in total monthly costs ($1,592 vs $1,526 including rent). Istanbul is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 102% higher in Bergamo, 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: $751 in Bergamo versus $994 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 $83.0 in Bergamo. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,592 per month in Bergamo versus $1,526 in Istanbul – a 4% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,526 in Istanbul versus $1,592 in Bergamo, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Istanbul but tight or insufficient in Bergamo. 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, Bergamo 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 Bergamo. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.