Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Busto Arsizio and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in Istanbul: $1,550 a month against $1,822 in Busto Arsizio, rent and utilities included – about $3,300 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

89

Cost of Living Index in Busto Arsizio
Learn more

Busto Arsizio Living Index
75

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index

Jump to prices

Busto Arsizio

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,822

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,822 in Busto Arsizio versus $1,550 in Istanbul.

Busto Arsizio $1,822
Istanbul $1,550

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,823 in Busto Arsizio versus $2,415 in Istanbul.

Busto Arsizio $2,823
Istanbul $2,415

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,824 in Busto Arsizio versus $3,281 in Istanbul.

Busto Arsizio $3,824
Istanbul $3,281

Living in Busto Arsizio is roughly 18% more expensive than in Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Busto Arsizio 35% above, Istanbul 15% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.97 €19.54

$12.30 ₺609

78.62%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$90.0 €80.0

$54.7 ₺2,708

64.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.35 €10.10

$9.22 ₺456

23.10%

Cappuccino

$2.17 €1.93

$4.40 ₺218

-50.68%

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

$3.39 €3.01

$1.68 ₺83.1

101.79%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.40 €1.25

$0.59 ₺29.40

137.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.73 €5.99

$4.70 ₺233

43.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.15 €5.47

$5.91 ₺292

4.06%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 €1.39

$1.21 ₺60.0

28.93%

White Bread (500g)

$2.45 €2.17

$0.89 ₺44.10

175.28%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.43 €3.05

$2.19 ₺108

56.62%

Eggs

$4.88 €4.34

$2.35 ₺116

107.66%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.02 €15.14

$10.42 ₺516

63.34%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.61 €12.11

$5.65 ₺280

140.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.98 €19.55

$20.94 ₺1,037

4.97%

Apples (1kg)

$2.69 €2.40

$1.90 ₺94.1

41.58%

Banana (1kg)

$1.82 €1.62

$2.31 ₺114

-21.21%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 €2.27

$1.28 ₺63.1

99.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.44 €3.06

$1.80 ₺89.0

91.11%

Potato (1kg)

$1.69 €1.50

$0.65 ₺32.16

160.00%

Onion (1kg)

$2.11 €1.87

$0.64 ₺31.91

229.69%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 €0.99

$1.25 ₺62.1

-10.40%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.61 €0.55

$0.56 ₺27.58

8.93%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.73 €6.87

$2.37 ₺118

226.16%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.11 €4.54

$13.42 ₺664

-61.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.49 €1.32

$2.40 ₺119

-37.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.61 €1.43

$3.48 ₺172

-53.74%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.65 €1.47

$0.89 ₺43.84

85.39%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$42.67 €37.95

$67.4 ₺3,338

-36.72%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.82 €3.40

$1.29 ₺64.1

196.12%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.28 €2.03

$0.92 ₺45.70

147.83%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$39.60 €35.22

$10.96 ₺542

261.31%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.10 €1.87

$1.47 ₺72.9

42.86%

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

$36.7K €32.6K

$50.8K ₺2.5M

-27.79%

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

$34.7K €30.9K

$44.5K ₺2.2M

-21.98%

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

$198 €176

$88.6 ₺4,387

123.80%

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

$11.55 €10.27

$11.59 ₺574

-0.35%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.99 €24.01

$15.81 ₺783

70.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.11 €27.67

$77.2 ₺3,820

-59.68%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.74 ₺1,126

Cinema Ticket

$11.29 €10.04

$8.14 ₺403

38.70%

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

$873 €777

$1,008 ₺49.9K

-13.35%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,047 €6,267

$25.6K ₺1.3M

-72.43%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.8 €78.1

$54.0 ₺2,671

62.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$27.58 €24.53

$40.83 ₺2,021

-32.45%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$107 €94.8

$98.9 ₺4,895

7.83%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$135 €120

$96.6 ₺4,783

39.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,258 €1,119

$985 ₺48.7K

27.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$654 €581

$650 ₺32.2K

0.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,924 €1,711

$1,983 ₺98.2K

-2.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 €956

$1,180 ₺58.4K

-8.94%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,554 €2,272

$3,138 ₺155.4K

-18.61%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,591 €1,415

$1,780 ₺88.1K

-10.60%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,176 €1,935

$1,205 ₺59.7K

80.50%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.65

40.92

-91.08%

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

Last update for Busto Arsizio: October 12, 2026

Last update for Istanbul: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Busto Arsizio

$654 35.9%

Istanbul

$650 41.9% 0.6% $3.8

Groceries & Markets

Busto Arsizio

$352 19.3%

Istanbul

$260 16.8% 26.3% $92

Eating Out

Busto Arsizio

$301 16.5%

Istanbul

$223 14.4% 25.8% $78

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Busto Arsizio

$237 13%

Istanbul

$116 7.5% 51% $121

Clothing & Footwear

Busto Arsizio

$160 8.8%

Istanbul

$131 8.4% 18.6% $30

Getting Around

Busto Arsizio

$65 3.5%

Istanbul

$77 5% 19.2% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Busto Arsizio

$54 3%

Istanbul

$93 6% 74% $40

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,258 in Busto Arsizio and $985 in Istanbul. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Busto Arsizio pays 81% 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: $90.0 in Busto Arsizio vs $55.0 in Istanbul for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $352 vs $260 per month, with Istanbul cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇹 Busto Arsizio

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

19:41 7:41 PM

20:41 8:41 PM

1 h ahead of Busto Arsizio

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

83,094

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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Busto Arsizio Istanbul 1,700 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Busto Arsizio
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

Busto Arsizio vs Istanbul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Busto Arsizio and Istanbul differ by about 18% in total monthly costs ($1,822 vs $1,550 including rent). Istanbul is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 81% higher in Busto Arsizio, 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: $1,258 in Busto Arsizio 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 $90.0 in Busto Arsizio. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,822 per month in Busto Arsizio versus $1,550 in Istanbul – a 18% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,550 in Istanbul versus $1,822 in Busto Arsizio, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Istanbul but tight or insufficient in Busto Arsizio. The gap between the two cities makes Istanbul the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Busto Arsizio 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 18% less than in Busto Arsizio. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.