Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Brest and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in Brest: $1,381 a month against $1,550 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $2,000 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Istanbul outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

68

Cost of Living Index in Brest
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Brest Living Index
75

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index

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Brest

🇫🇷 France

$1,381

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,381 in Brest versus $1,550 in Istanbul.

Brest $1,381
Istanbul $1,550

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,157 in Brest versus $2,415 in Istanbul.

Brest $2,157
Istanbul $2,415

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,933 in Brest versus $3,281 in Istanbul.

Brest $2,933
Istanbul $3,281

Living in Brest costs roughly 11% less than in Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Brest 2% above, Istanbul 15% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.39 €13.69

$12.30 ₺609

25.12%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.10 €40.11

$54.7 ₺2,708

-17.55%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.33 €10.07

$9.22 ₺456

22.89%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.64

$4.40 ₺218

-32.50%

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

$3.02 €2.69

$1.68 ₺83.1

79.76%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.04 €1.82

$0.59 ₺29.40

245.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.48 €5.76

$4.70 ₺233

37.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.41 €4.81

$5.91 ₺292

-8.46%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.11 €0.99

$1.21 ₺60.0

-8.26%

White Bread (500g)

$1.52 €1.35

$0.89 ₺44.10

70.79%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.57 €2.29

$2.19 ₺108

17.35%

Eggs

$3.50 €3.11

$2.35 ₺116

48.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.71 €16.64

$10.42 ₺516

79.56%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.12 €9.00

$5.65 ₺280

79.12%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.34 €12.75

$20.94 ₺1,037

-31.52%

Apples (1kg)

$2.94 €2.61

$1.90 ₺94.1

54.74%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 €1.69

$2.31 ₺114

-17.75%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.62 €2.33

$1.28 ₺63.1

104.69%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.89 €2.57

$1.80 ₺89.0

60.56%

Potato (1kg)

$1.70 €1.51

$0.65 ₺32.16

161.54%

Onion (1kg)

$2.02 €1.80

$0.64 ₺31.91

215.63%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.39 €1.24

$1.25 ₺62.1

11.20%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.34 €0.30

$0.56 ₺27.58

-39.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.40 €11.92

$2.37 ₺118

465.40%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.89 €6.13

$13.42 ₺664

-48.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.62 €2.33

$2.40 ₺119

9.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.81 €2.50

$3.48 ₺172

-19.25%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.88 €1.67

$0.89 ₺43.84

111.24%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$39.58 €35.21

$67.4 ₺3,338

-41.30%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$8.32 €7.40

$1.29 ₺64.1

544.96%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.95 €2.63

$0.92 ₺45.70

220.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.97 €27.54

$10.96 ₺542

182.57%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.02 €1.79

$1.47 ₺72.9

37.41%

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

$36.8K €32.7K

$50.8K ₺2.5M

-27.58%

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

$34.3K €30.6K

$44.5K ₺2.2M

-22.87%

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

$141 €126

$88.6 ₺4,387

59.46%

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

$27.20 €24.20

$11.59 ₺574

134.69%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.11 €27.67

$15.81 ₺783

96.77%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.05 €31.18

$77.2 ₺3,820

-54.57%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.12 €13.45

$22.74 ₺1,126

-33.51%

Cinema Ticket

$13.74 €12.22

$8.14 ₺403

68.80%

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

$223 €198

$1,008 ₺49.9K

-77.89%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K €10.1K

$25.6K ₺1.3M

-55.55%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$69.1 €61.4

$54.0 ₺2,671

28.01%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.43 €27.07

$40.83 ₺2,021

-25.47%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.7 €68.2

$98.9 ₺4,895

-22.41%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$69.5 €61.8

$96.6 ₺4,783

-28.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$512 €456

$985 ₺48.7K

-47.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$380 €338

$650 ₺32.2K

-41.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$882 €784

$1,983 ₺98.2K

-55.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$733 €652

$1,180 ₺58.4K

-37.86%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,804 €2,494

$3,138 ₺155.4K

-10.66%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,503 €2,226

$1,780 ₺88.1K

40.62%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,642 €2,350

$1,205 ₺59.7K

119.19%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.82

40.92

-90.66%

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

Last update for Brest: October 11, 2026

Last update for Istanbul: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Brest

$380 27.5%

Istanbul

$650 41.9% 71.2% $270

Groceries & Markets

Brest

$303 21.9%

Istanbul

$260 16.8% 14.2% $43

Eating Out

Brest

$256 18.5%

Istanbul

$223 14.4% 12.8% $33

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Brest

$200 14.5%

Istanbul

$116 7.5% 41.9% $84

Clothing & Footwear

Brest

$111 8%

Istanbul

$131 8.4% 18.1% $20

Getting Around

Brest

$70 5.1%

Istanbul

$77 5% 9.6% $6.7

Sport & Entertainment

Brest

$63 4.5%

Istanbul

$93 6% 49.4% $31

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $512 in Brest and $985 in Istanbul. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Brest pays 119% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $45.00 in Brest vs $55.0 in Istanbul. Groceries flip the comparison at $303 vs $260, with Istanbul cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇫🇷 Brest

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

16:43 4:43 PM

17:43 5:43 PM

1 h ahead of Brest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

139,619

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

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Between locations

Brest Istanbul 2,740 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Brest
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

Brest vs Istanbul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Brest wins on cost – living expenses run 12% lower than in Istanbul. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Brest the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 119% higher in Brest, 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: $512 in Brest versus $985 in Istanbul. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Brest – a meal for two runs $45.00 versus $55.0 in Istanbul. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,381 per month in Brest versus $1,550 in Istanbul – a 12% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,381 in Brest versus $1,550 in Istanbul, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Brest but tight or insufficient in Istanbul. The gap between the two cities makes Brest the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Brest delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,381 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Brest hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Brest 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 Brest gentler on the wallet – expenses run 12% less than in Istanbul. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.