Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bodrum and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in Bodrum: $1,179 a month against $1,516 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $4,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

57

Cost of Living Index in Bodrum
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Bodrum Living Index
73

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index

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Bodrum

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,179

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,516

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,179 in Bodrum versus $1,516 in Istanbul.

Bodrum $1,179
Istanbul $1,516

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,287 in Bodrum versus $2,356 in Istanbul.

Bodrum $2,287
Istanbul $2,356

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,396 in Bodrum versus $3,197 in Istanbul.

Bodrum $3,396
Istanbul $3,197

Living in Bodrum costs roughly 22% less than in Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

The two cities straddle the global median: Bodrum is 13% below, Istanbul is 11% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.63 ₺480

$11.59 ₺577

-16.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$59.5 ₺2,967

$54.7 ₺2,725

8.89%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.60 ₺428

$9.39 ₺468

-8.41%

Cappuccino

$3.56 ₺177

$4.23 ₺211

-15.84%

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

$1.45 ₺72.2

$1.72 ₺85.6

-15.70%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 ₺41.11

$0.57 ₺28.26

45.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.13 ₺206

$4.65 ₺232

-11.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.79 ₺239

$6.84 ₺341

-29.97%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.00 ₺49.83

$1.20 ₺60.0

-16.67%

White Bread (500g)

$1.01 ₺50.4

$0.94 ₺46.97

7.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 ₺124

$2.24 ₺112

11.16%

Eggs

$2.02 ₺101

$2.42 ₺121

-16.53%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.95 ₺596

$10.24 ₺510

16.70%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.35 ₺167

$5.38 ₺268

-37.73%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.04 ₺1,049

$21.19 ₺1,056

-0.71%

Apples (1kg)

$1.62 ₺80.8

$1.89 ₺94.3

-14.29%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 ₺94.9

$2.22 ₺111

-14.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.89 ₺44.39

$1.26 ₺62.7

-29.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.16 ₺57.8

$1.81 ₺90.0

-35.91%

Potato (1kg)

$0.55 ₺27.40

$0.70 ₺34.84

-21.43%

Onion (1kg)

$0.44 ₺21.81

$0.64 ₺32.13

-31.25%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.75 ₺37.53

$1.22 ₺60.9

-38.52%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 ₺35.73

$0.55 ₺27.35

30.91%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.18 ₺109

$2.32 ₺116

-6.03%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.31 ₺763

$13.31 ₺663

15.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.83 ₺91.3

$2.33 ₺116

-21.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 ₺92.2

$3.46 ₺172

-46.53%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.08 ₺54.0

$0.91 ₺45.18

18.68%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.3 ₺3,306

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.97 ₺148

$1.29 ₺64.2

130.23%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.98 ₺48.71

$0.86 ₺42.66

13.95%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.09 ₺553

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 ₺65.3

$1.42 ₺70.8

-7.75%

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

$42.2K ₺2.1M

$49.2K ₺2.5M

-14.26%

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

$38.5K ₺1.9M

$42.8K ₺2.1M

-10.01%

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

$41.16 ₺2,051

$87.7 ₺4,373

-53.09%

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

$10.09 ₺503

$11.28 ₺562

-10.55%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.82 ₺539

$15.89 ₺792

-31.91%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.9 ₺3,733

$75.9 ₺3,783

-1.30%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.04 ₺1,148

Cinema Ticket

$7.08 ₺353

$8.20 ₺409

-13.66%

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

$407 ₺20.3K

$1,028 ₺51.2K

-60.37%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,729 ₺435.0K

$26.0K ₺1.3M

-66.38%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.0 ₺4,933

$53.3 ₺2,658

85.60%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.8 ₺2,880

$39.69 ₺1,978

45.63%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$153 ₺7,627

$99.8 ₺4,972

53.39%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$116 ₺5,764

$93.5 ₺4,661

23.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$597 ₺29.7K

$1,003 ₺50.0K

-40.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$399 ₺19.9K

$628 ₺31.3K

-36.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,318 ₺65.7K

$1,963 ₺97.8K

-32.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,480 ₺73.8K

$1,122 ₺55.9K

31.98%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,860 ₺142.5K

$3,075 ₺153.2K

-6.99%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,386 ₺118.9K

$1,753 ₺87.3K

36.11%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,057 ₺52.7K

$1,180 ₺58.8K

-10.38%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

38.25

40.69

-6.00%

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

Last update for Bodrum: October 25, 2026

Last update for Istanbul: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bodrum

$399 33.8%

Istanbul

$628 41.5% 57.6% $230

Groceries & Markets

Bodrum

$240 20.4%

Istanbul

$258 17% 7.4% $18

Clothing & Footwear

Bodrum

$191 16.2%

Istanbul

$129 8.5% 32.7% $63

Eating Out

Bodrum

$185 15.7%

Istanbul

$218 14.4% 17.8% $33

Sport & Entertainment

Bodrum

$89 7.6%

Istanbul

$92 6.1% 3.6% $3.2

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bodrum

$62 5.3%

Istanbul

$115 7.6% 85.1% $53

Getting Around

Bodrum

$12 * 1%

Istanbul

$76 5% 520% $63

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $597 in Bodrum and $1,003 in Istanbul. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Istanbul pays 12% 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: $60 in Bodrum vs $55 in Istanbul. Groceries flip the comparison at $240 vs $258, with Bodrum cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Bodrum

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

23:28 11:28 PM

Same time as Bodrum

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

187,284

15,701,602

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 2.01 USD

100 TRY = 1.8 EUR

100 TRY = 2.01 USD

100 TRY = 1.8 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Bodrum Istanbul 460 km

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Bodrum
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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

Bodrum vs Istanbul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bodrum wins on cost – living expenses run 22% lower than in Istanbul. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Bodrum the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 10% lower in Bodrum. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $597 in Bodrum versus $1,003 in Istanbul. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 7% higher in Istanbul. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $1,179 per month in Bodrum versus $1,516 in Istanbul – Bodrum is about 22% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Bodrum is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

Both work as nomad bases, but Bodrum delivers better value at $1,179 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Bodrum hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Bodrum and Istanbul are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Bodrum wins on affordability, Istanbul on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.