Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budva and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in Istanbul: $1,526 a month against $1,604 in Budva, rent and utilities included – about $940 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

78

Cost of Living Index in Budva
Learn more

Budva Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index

Jump to prices

Budva

🇲🇪 Montenegro

$1,604

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,526

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,604 per month in Budva vs $1,526 in Istanbul, rent included.

Budva $1,604
Istanbul $1,526

A couple spends around $2,553 per month in Budva vs $2,399 in Istanbul, rent included.

Budva $2,553
Istanbul $2,399

A family of three spends $3,501 per month in Budva vs $3,272 in Istanbul, rent included.

Budva $3,501
Istanbul $3,272

Budva costs about 5% more than Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Budva and Istanbul sit above the global median – Budva by 20%, Istanbul by 14%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.84 €13.24

$11.88 ₺585

24.92%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.4 €61.0

$55.1 ₺2,714

24.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.49 €12.04

$9.14 ₺450

47.59%

Cappuccino

$3.42 €3.05

$4.24 ₺209

-19.34%

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

$2.25 €2.01

$1.75 ₺86.0

28.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.54 €1.37

$0.54 ₺26.83

185.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.80 €4.28

$4.69 ₺231

2.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.30 €3.84

$5.97 ₺294

-27.97%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 €1.08

$1.26 ₺62.1

-3.97%

White Bread (500g)

$1.09 €0.98

$0.95 ₺46.81

14.74%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.21 €1.97

$2.31 ₺114

-4.33%

Eggs

$2.99 €2.67

$2.47 ₺122

21.05%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.74 €7.80

$10.55 ₺520

-17.16%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.23 €8.24

$5.60 ₺276

64.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.51 €11.16

$21.21 ₺1,045

-41.02%

Apples (1kg)

$1.28 €1.14

$1.93 ₺95.1

-33.68%

Banana (1kg)

$1.67 €1.49

$2.29 ₺113

-27.07%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.48 €1.32

$1.28 ₺63.1

15.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.83 €2.53

$1.84 ₺90.8

53.80%

Potato (1kg)

$0.94 €0.84

$0.67 ₺32.86

40.30%

Onion (1kg)

$1.06 €0.95

$0.59 ₺29.31

79.66%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.64 €1.47

$1.33 ₺65.4

23.31%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.91 €0.81

$0.59 ₺29.10

54.24%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.36 €3.89

$2.36 ₺116

84.75%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.68 €6.85

$13.47 ₺664

-42.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.12 €1.00

$2.42 ₺119

-53.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.69 €1.50

$3.54 ₺174

-52.26%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.84 €2.54

$0.83 ₺40.64

242.17%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.03 €35.73

$66.5 ₺3,273

-39.76%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.13 €1.01

$1.35 ₺66.6

-16.30%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.15 €1.02

$0.85 ₺42.05

35.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.90 €15.08

$10.86 ₺535

55.62%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.72 €1.53

$1.47 ₺72.3

17.01%

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

$29.6K €26.4K

$51.6K ₺2.5M

-42.75%

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

$26.2K €23.3K

$44.4K ₺2.2M

-41.14%

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

$163 €145

$89.2 ₺4,395

82.39%

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

$14.79 €13.20

$11.60 ₺572

27.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.37 €29.78

$16.10 ₺793

107.27%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.8 €52.5

$77.3 ₺3,805

-23.91%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.72 €19.39

$22.66 ₺1,116

-4.15%

Cinema Ticket

$6.19 €5.52

$8.34 ₺411

-25.78%

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

$395 €352

$974 ₺48.0K

-59.48%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,585 €8,553

$25.8K ₺1.3M

-62.81%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 €92.7

$52.7 ₺2,597

97.15%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.73 €39.91

$39.16 ₺1,929

14.22%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$97.7 €87.2

$103 ₺5,083

-5.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$177 €158

$96.6 ₺4,759

82.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$823 €735

$994 ₺49.0K

-17.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$592 €528

$629 ₺31.0K

-5.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,484 €1,324

$2,024 ₺99.7K

-26.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,168 €1,042

$1,155 ₺56.9K

1.13%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 €3,726

$3,160 ₺155.7K

32.12%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,981 €2,660

$1,838 ₺90.5K

62.23%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,031 €920

$1,203 ₺59.3K

-14.31%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.95

41.09

-85.52%

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

Last update for Budva: October 5, 2026

Last update for Istanbul: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budva

$592 36.8%

Istanbul

$629 41.2% 6.3% $37

Eating Out

Budva

$248 15.4%

Istanbul

$218 14.3% 12.1% $30

Groceries & Markets

Budva

$237 14.7%

Istanbul

$264 17.3% 11.4% $27

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budva

$211 13.1%

Istanbul

$117 7.7% 44.6% $94

Clothing & Footwear

Budva

$190 11.8%

Istanbul

$131 8.6% 31% $59

Sport & Entertainment

Budva

$71 4.4%

Istanbul

$94 6.1% 32% $23

Getting Around

Budva

$58 3.6%

Istanbul

$75 4.9% 29.3% $17

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $823 in Budva 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 17% higher in Istanbul, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $68.0 in Budva versus $55.0 in Istanbul. Groceries tell a different story – $237 in Budva vs $264 in Istanbul – so Budva wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇪 Budva

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

05:19 5:19 AM

06:19 6:19 AM

1 h ahead of Budva

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

13,338

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 →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Budva Istanbul 850 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Budva
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

Budva vs Istanbul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,604 in Budva, $1,526 in Istanbul – roughly 5% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,406 per month in Budva 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.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,604 in Budva and $1,526 in Istanbul. That's a gap of about 5%.

Public transport costs about 66% less in Istanbul. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Istanbul, where all-in costs run around $1,526, than in Budva at $1,604. In Istanbul it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budva it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Budva has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,526 in Istanbul to $1,604 in Budva. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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, Budva makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.