Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Besancon and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in Istanbul: $1,550 a month against $1,755 in Besancon, rent and utilities included – about $2,500 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

86

Cost of Living Index in Besancon
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Besancon Living Index
75

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index

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Besancon

🇫🇷 France

$1,755

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,755 in Besancon versus $1,550 in Istanbul.

Besancon $1,755
Istanbul $1,550

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,536 in Besancon versus $2,415 in Istanbul.

Besancon $2,536
Istanbul $2,415

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,318 in Besancon versus $3,281 in Istanbul.

Besancon $3,318
Istanbul $3,281

Living in Besancon is roughly 13% more expensive than in Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Besancon 30% above, Istanbul 15% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.69 €14.89

$12.30 ₺608

35.69%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.2 €49.19

$54.7 ₺2,703

0.82%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.94 €9.76

$9.22 ₺455

18.66%

Cappuccino

$3.03 €2.71

$4.40 ₺218

-31.14%

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

$2.36 €2.10

$1.68 ₺82.9

40.48%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.55 €1.38

$0.59 ₺29.34

162.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.58 €5.87

$4.70 ₺232

40.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.56 €4.96

$5.91 ₺292

-5.92%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.28 €1.14

$1.21 ₺59.9

5.79%

White Bread (500g)

$1.71 €1.52

$0.89 ₺44.01

92.13%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.14 €1.91

$2.19 ₺108

-2.28%

Eggs

$4.41 €3.94

$2.35 ₺116

87.66%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.97 €17.81

$10.42 ₺515

91.65%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.95 €9.77

$5.65 ₺279

93.81%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.89 €15.96

$20.94 ₺1,035

-14.57%

Apples (1kg)

$2.65 €2.36

$1.90 ₺93.9

39.47%

Banana (1kg)

$2.26 €2.01

$2.31 ₺114

-2.16%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.72 €2.43

$1.28 ₺63.0

112.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.46 €2.19

$1.80 ₺88.8

36.67%

Potato (1kg)

$2.54 €2.27

$0.65 ₺32.10

290.77%

Onion (1kg)

$2.42 €2.16

$0.64 ₺31.85

278.12%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.43 €1.28

$1.25 ₺62.0

14.40%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.17 €1.04

$0.56 ₺27.53

108.93%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.78 €12.29

$2.37 ₺117

481.43%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.39 €8.37

$13.42 ₺663

-30.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.85 €4.32

$2.40 ₺119

102.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.25 €2.90

$3.48 ₺172

-6.61%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.68 €1.50

$0.89 ₺43.75

88.76%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.17 €39.40

$67.4 ₺3,332

-34.50%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.04 €2.71

$1.29 ₺64.0

135.66%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.12 €1.89

$0.92 ₺45.61

130.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.05 €26.80

$10.96 ₺541

174.18%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.13 €1.90

$1.47 ₺72.8

44.90%

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

$34.4K €30.7K

$50.8K ₺2.5M

-32.25%

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

$34.3K €30.6K

$44.5K ₺2.2M

-23.02%

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

$225 €200

$88.6 ₺4,379

153.43%

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

$14.65 €13.07

$11.59 ₺573

26.40%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.19 €30.50

$15.81 ₺781

116.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$26.44 €23.58

$77.2 ₺3,813

-65.73%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.68 €17.55

$22.74 ₺1,124

-13.46%

Cinema Ticket

$11.32 €10.10

$8.14 ₺402

39.07%

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

$339 €302

$1,008 ₺49.8K

-66.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,309 €6,520

$25.6K ₺1.3M

-71.41%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.0 €88.3

$54.0 ₺2,666

83.54%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.58 €34.41

$40.83 ₺2,017

-5.51%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.0 €83.0

$98.9 ₺4,886

-5.94%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €110

$96.6 ₺4,773

27.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$635 €566

$985 ₺48.6K

-35.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$590 €527

$650 ₺32.1K

-9.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$991 €884

$1,983 ₺98.0K

-50.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$803 €717

$1,180 ₺58.3K

-31.93%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,822 €2,517

$3,138 ₺155.1K

-10.07%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,245 €2,002

$1,780 ₺87.9K

26.12%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,181 €1,945

$1,205 ₺59.6K

80.93%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.62

40.92

-91.15%

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

Last update for Besancon: 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

Besancon

$590 33.6%

Istanbul

$650 41.9% 10.1% $59

Groceries & Markets

Besancon

$356 20.3%

Istanbul

$260 16.8% 27.1% $96

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Besancon

$273 15.6%

Istanbul

$116 7.5% 57.6% $157

Eating Out

Besancon

$262 15%

Istanbul

$223 14.4% 14.9% $39

Clothing & Footwear

Besancon

$159 9.1%

Istanbul

$131 8.4% 18.1% $29

Getting Around

Besancon

$65 3.7%

Istanbul

$77 5% 19.1% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Besancon

$49 2.8%

Istanbul

$93 6% 90.4% $44

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $635 in Besancon and $985 in Istanbul. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Besancon pays 81% 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: $55.0 in Besancon vs $55.0 in Istanbul. Groceries flip the comparison at $356 vs $260, with Istanbul cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇫🇷 Besancon

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

01:35 1:35 AM

02:35 2:35 AM

1 h ahead of Besancon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

119,198

15,701,602

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 TRY = 2.02 USD

100 TRY = 1.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Besancon Istanbul 1,950 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Besancon
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

Besancon vs Istanbul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Istanbul wins on cost – living expenses run 13% lower than in Besancon. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Istanbul the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 81% higher in Besancon, 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: $635 in Besancon versus $985 in Istanbul. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Istanbul runs roughly 53% less than in Besancon. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $339 in Besancon versus $1,008 in Istanbul. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,550 in Istanbul versus $1,755 in Besancon, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Istanbul but tight or insufficient in Besancon. The gap between the two cities makes Istanbul the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Istanbul delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,550 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Istanbul hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Besancon 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 13% less than in Besancon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.