Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bologna and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in Istanbul: $1,526 a month against $2,203 in Bologna, rent and utilities included – about $8,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

106

Cost of Living Index in Bologna
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Bologna Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index

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Bologna

🇮🇹 Italy

$2,203

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,526

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,203 per month in Bologna vs $1,526 in Istanbul, rent included.

Bologna $2,203
Istanbul $1,526

A couple spends around $3,399 per month in Bologna vs $2,399 in Istanbul, rent included.

Bologna $3,399
Istanbul $2,399

A family of three spends $4,595 per month in Bologna vs $3,272 in Istanbul, rent included.

Bologna $4,595
Istanbul $3,272

Bologna costs about 44% more than Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Bologna and Istanbul sit above the global median – Bologna by 64%, Istanbul by 14%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.43 €20.02

$11.88 ₺585

88.80%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$90.7 €81.0

$55.1 ₺2,714

64.69%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.73 €12.25

$9.14 ₺450

50.22%

Cappuccino

$2.20 €1.96

$4.24 ₺209

-48.11%

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

$3.54 €3.16

$1.75 ₺86.0

102.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 €1.56

$0.54 ₺26.83

224.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.70 €5.97

$4.69 ₺231

42.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.56 €4.96

$5.97 ₺294

-6.87%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.33 €1.19

$1.26 ₺62.1

5.56%

White Bread (500g)

$3.11 €2.78

$0.95 ₺46.81

227.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.98 €2.66

$2.31 ₺114

29.00%

Eggs

$3.90 €3.48

$2.47 ₺122

57.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$20.73 €18.50

$10.55 ₺520

96.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.22 €10.90

$5.60 ₺276

118.21%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.84 €18.60

$21.21 ₺1,045

-1.74%

Apples (1kg)

$2.38 €2.13

$1.93 ₺95.1

23.32%

Banana (1kg)

$2.40 €2.14

$2.29 ₺113

4.80%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.63 €2.35

$1.28 ₺63.1

105.47%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.36 €3.00

$1.84 ₺90.8

82.61%

Potato (1kg)

$1.92 €1.72

$0.67 ₺32.86

186.57%

Onion (1kg)

$1.81 €1.61

$0.59 ₺29.31

206.78%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.41 €1.26

$1.33 ₺65.4

6.02%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 €0.46

$0.59 ₺29.10

-13.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.87 €6.13

$2.36 ₺116

191.10%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.78 €6.94

$13.47 ₺664

-42.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.92 €1.71

$2.42 ₺119

-20.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 €2.54

$3.54 ₺174

-19.77%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.55 €2.28

$0.83 ₺40.64

207.23%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$43.29 €38.63

$66.5 ₺3,273

-34.85%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.58 €4.08

$1.35 ₺66.6

239.26%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.72 €1.53

$0.85 ₺42.05

102.35%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.11 €28.66

$10.86 ₺535

195.67%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.18 €1.94

$1.47 ₺72.3

48.30%

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

$37.0K €33.0K

$51.6K ₺2.5M

-28.27%

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

$36.6K €32.7K

$44.4K ₺2.2M

-17.65%

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

$245 €219

$89.2 ₺4,395

174.64%

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

$11.42 €10.19

$11.60 ₺572

-1.55%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.85 €27.53

$16.10 ₺793

91.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$63.4 €56.6

$77.3 ₺3,805

-17.95%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.03 €24.12

$22.66 ₺1,116

19.29%

Cinema Ticket

$9.94 €8.87

$8.34 ₺411

19.18%

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

$772 €689

$974 ₺48.0K

-20.73%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.0K €14.3K

$25.8K ₺1.3M

-37.76%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$91.4 €81.5

$52.7 ₺2,597

73.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.96 €41.90

$39.16 ₺1,929

19.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$122 €109

$103 ₺5,083

18.66%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$146 €130

$96.6 ₺4,759

50.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,154 €1,030

$994 ₺49.0K

16.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$871 €777

$629 ₺31.0K

38.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,072 €1,849

$2,024 ₺99.7K

2.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,566 €1,398

$1,155 ₺56.9K

35.63%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,020 €4,480

$3,160 ₺155.7K

58.86%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,647 €3,254

$1,838 ₺90.5K

98.44%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,174 €1,940

$1,203 ₺59.3K

80.64%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.19

41.09

-92.24%

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

Last update for Bologna: 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

Bologna

$871 40.2%

Istanbul

$629 41.2% 27.8% $242

Groceries & Markets

Bologna

$363 16.8%

Istanbul

$264 17.3% 27.4% $99

Eating Out

Bologna

$313 14.4%

Istanbul

$218 14.3% 30.3% $95

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bologna

$287 13.3%

Istanbul

$117 7.7% 59.3% $170

Clothing & Footwear

Bologna

$183 8.4%

Istanbul

$131 8.6% 28.3% $52

Sport & Entertainment

Bologna

$83 3.8%

Istanbul

$94 6.1% 12.8% $11

Getting Around

Bologna

$67 3.1%

Istanbul

$75 4.9% 13.1% $8.7

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,154 in Bologna 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 81% higher in Bologna, 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 $91.0 in Bologna versus $55.0 in Istanbul. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $363 vs $264 – making Istanbul the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇹 Bologna

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

09:44 9:44 AM

10:44 10:44 AM

1 h ahead of Bologna

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

386,663

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

TRY, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 49.26 TRY (100 TRY = 2.03 USD). 1 EUR = 55.25 TRY (100 TRY = 1.81 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

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Between locations

Bologna Istanbul 1,490 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Bologna
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

Bologna vs Istanbul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bologna costs about 44% more than Istanbul, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,304 per month in Bologna 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 Istanbul, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 53% less in Istanbul. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $772 per month in Bologna and $974 in Istanbul. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Istanbul, where all-in costs run around $1,526, than in Bologna at $2,203. In Istanbul it covers expenses comfortably, while in Bologna it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Istanbul costs $1,526 versus $2,203 in Bologna. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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