Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bourges and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in Istanbul: $1,550 a month against $1,937 in Bourges, rent and utilities included – about $4,600 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

94

Cost of Living Index in Bourges
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Bourges Living Index
75

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index

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Bourges

🇫🇷 France

$1,937

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,937 in Bourges versus $1,550 in Istanbul.

Bourges $1,937
Istanbul $1,550

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,009 in Bourges versus $2,415 in Istanbul.

Bourges $3,009
Istanbul $2,415

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,081 in Bourges versus $3,281 in Istanbul.

Bourges $4,081
Istanbul $3,281

Living in Bourges is roughly 25% more expensive than in Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Bourges 43% above, Istanbul 15% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.67 €14.83

$12.30 ₺609

35.53%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$80.1 €71.2

$54.7 ₺2,708

46.40%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.27 €11.81

$9.22 ₺456

43.93%

Cappuccino

$5.09 €4.52

$4.40 ₺218

15.68%

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

$4.60 €4.09

$1.68 ₺83.1

173.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 €2.51

$0.59 ₺29.40

377.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.88 €7.01

$4.70 ₺233

67.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.90 €6.13

$5.91 ₺292

16.75%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.14 €1.01

$1.21 ₺60.0

-5.79%

White Bread (500g)

$2.47 €2.20

$0.89 ₺44.10

177.53%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 €1.95

$2.19 ₺108

0.46%

Eggs

$4.39 €3.91

$2.35 ₺116

86.81%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$22.00 €19.57

$10.42 ₺516

111.13%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.69 €12.17

$5.65 ₺280

142.30%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.35 €19.88

$20.94 ₺1,037

6.73%

Apples (1kg)

$3.32 €2.95

$1.90 ₺94.1

74.74%

Banana (1kg)

$2.22 €1.98

$2.31 ₺114

-3.90%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.89 €2.57

$1.28 ₺63.1

125.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.31 €3.83

$1.80 ₺89.0

139.44%

Potato (1kg)

$1.99 €1.77

$0.65 ₺32.16

206.15%

Onion (1kg)

$2.48 €2.21

$0.64 ₺31.91

287.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.91 €1.69

$1.25 ₺62.1

52.80%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 €0.79

$0.56 ₺27.58

57.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.52 €12.92

$2.37 ₺118

512.66%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.83 €7.85

$13.42 ₺664

-34.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.67 €2.38

$2.40 ₺119

11.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.50 €3.11

$3.48 ₺172

0.57%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.87 €1.66

$0.89 ₺43.84

110.11%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$48.81 €43.41

$67.4 ₺3,338

-27.61%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$9.23 €8.21

$1.29 ₺64.1

615.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.50 €1.33

$0.92 ₺45.70

63.04%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$45.30 €40.30

$10.96 ₺542

313.32%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.25 €2.01

$1.47 ₺72.9

53.06%

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

$34.1K €30.4K

$50.8K ₺2.5M

-32.78%

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

$34.5K €30.7K

$44.5K ₺2.2M

-22.44%

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

$243 €216

$88.6 ₺4,387

173.89%

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

$7.81 €6.95

$11.59 ₺574

-32.61%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.20 €26.86

$15.81 ₺783

91.02%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.97 €32.00

$77.2 ₺3,820

-53.38%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.74 ₺1,126

Cinema Ticket

$14.57 €12.96

$8.14 ₺403

78.99%

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

$1,795 €1,597

$1,008 ₺49.9K

78.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.1K €9,018

$25.6K ₺1.3M

-60.34%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$108 €96.4

$54.0 ₺2,671

100.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.7 €46.03

$40.83 ₺2,021

26.72%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$119 €106

$98.9 ₺4,895

20.73%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$160 €142

$96.6 ₺4,783

65.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$627 €558

$985 ₺48.7K

-36.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$609 €542

$650 ₺32.2K

-6.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,186 €1,055

$1,983 ₺98.2K

-40.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,121 €997

$1,180 ₺58.4K

-4.98%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,900 €3,469

$3,138 ₺155.4K

24.27%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,026 €2,691

$1,780 ₺88.1K

70.01%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,821 €2,510

$1,205 ₺59.7K

134.05%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.4

40.92

-91.69%

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

Last update for Bourges: October 10, 2026

Last update for Istanbul: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bourges

$609 31.5%

Istanbul

$650 41.9% 6.6% $40

Groceries & Markets

Bourges

$394 20.4%

Istanbul

$260 16.8% 34.1% $134

Eating Out

Bourges

$317 16.4%

Istanbul

$223 14.4% 29.6% $94

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bourges

$281 14.5%

Istanbul

$116 7.5% 58.7% $165

Clothing & Footwear

Bourges

$198 10.2%

Istanbul

$131 8.4% 33.9% $67

Getting Around

Bourges

$73 3.8%

Istanbul

$77 5% 5.3% $3.9

Sport & Entertainment

Bourges

$65 3.4%

Istanbul

$93 6% 43.5% $28

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $627 in Bourges and $985 in Istanbul. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bourges pays 134% 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: $80.0 in Bourges vs $55.0 in Istanbul for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $394 vs $260 per month, with Istanbul cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇫🇷 Bourges

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

11:28 11:28 AM

12:28 12:28 PM

1 h ahead of Bourges

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

63,702

15,701,602

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 TRY = 2.02 USD

100 TRY = 1.8 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Bourges Istanbul 2,220 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Bourges
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

Bourges vs Istanbul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Istanbul wins on cost – living expenses run 25% lower than in Bourges. 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 134% higher in Bourges, 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: $627 in Bourges versus $985 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 $80.0 in Bourges. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,937 per month in Bourges versus $1,550 in Istanbul – a 25% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,550 in Istanbul versus $1,937 in Bourges, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Istanbul but tight or insufficient in Bourges. 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, Bourges 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 25% less than in Bourges. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.