Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cagliari and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in Istanbul: $1,526 a month against $1,739 in Cagliari, rent and utilities included – about $2,600 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

86

Cost of Living Index in Cagliari
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Cagliari Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index

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Cagliari

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,739

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,526

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,739 per month in Cagliari vs $1,526 in Istanbul, rent included.

Cagliari $1,739
Istanbul $1,526

A couple spends around $2,723 per month in Cagliari vs $2,399 in Istanbul, rent included.

Cagliari $2,723
Istanbul $2,399

A family of three spends $3,708 per month in Cagliari vs $3,272 in Istanbul, rent included.

Cagliari $3,708
Istanbul $3,272

Cagliari costs about 14% more than Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Cagliari and Istanbul sit above the global median – Cagliari by 30%, Istanbul by 14%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.38 €19.97

$11.88 ₺585

88.38%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.5 €76.3

$55.1 ₺2,714

55.13%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.43 €10.20

$9.14 ₺450

25.05%

Cappuccino

$2.09 €1.87

$4.24 ₺209

-50.71%

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

$3.24 €2.89

$1.75 ₺86.0

85.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.48 €1.32

$0.54 ₺26.83

174.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.59 €4.99

$4.69 ₺231

19.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.57 €4.08

$5.97 ₺294

-23.45%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.61 €1.44

$1.26 ₺62.1

27.78%

White Bread (500g)

$2.71 €2.41

$0.95 ₺46.81

185.26%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.85 €2.55

$2.31 ₺114

23.38%

Eggs

$3.63 €3.24

$2.47 ₺122

46.96%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$21.24 €18.96

$10.55 ₺520

101.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.23 €10.92

$5.60 ₺276

118.39%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.89 €20.43

$21.21 ₺1,045

7.92%

Apples (1kg)

$2.59 €2.31

$1.93 ₺95.1

34.20%

Banana (1kg)

$1.78 €1.59

$2.29 ₺113

-22.27%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.31 €2.07

$1.28 ₺63.1

80.47%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.47 €3.10

$1.84 ₺90.8

88.59%

Potato (1kg)

$1.86 €1.66

$0.67 ₺32.86

177.61%

Onion (1kg)

$2.25 €2.01

$0.59 ₺29.31

281.36%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.50 €1.34

$1.33 ₺65.4

12.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.57 €0.51

$0.59 ₺29.10

-3.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.40 €6.60

$2.36 ₺116

213.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.05 €7.18

$13.47 ₺664

-40.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 €1.48

$2.42 ₺119

-31.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.76 €1.58

$3.54 ₺174

-50.28%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 €1.29

$0.83 ₺40.64

74.70%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$38.66 €34.50

$66.5 ₺3,273

-41.82%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$9.72 €8.67

$1.35 ₺66.6

620.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.50 €1.33

$0.85 ₺42.05

76.47%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$31.00 €27.67

$10.86 ₺535

185.45%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.08 €1.85

$1.47 ₺72.3

41.50%

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

$36.2K €32.3K

$51.6K ₺2.5M

-29.93%

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

$36.0K €32.1K

$44.4K ₺2.2M

-19.12%

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

$159 €142

$89.2 ₺4,395

77.99%

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

$8.86 €7.91

$11.60 ₺572

-23.62%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.95 €26.73

$16.10 ₺793

86.02%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.1 €45.56

$77.3 ₺3,805

-33.92%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.08 €21.49

$22.66 ₺1,116

6.27%

Cinema Ticket

$11.04 €9.85

$8.34 ₺411

32.37%

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

$522 €466

$974 ₺48.0K

-46.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,938 €7,083

$25.8K ₺1.3M

-69.20%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$95.6 €85.3

$52.7 ₺2,597

81.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.63 €38.04

$39.16 ₺1,929

8.86%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.7 €81.8

$103 ₺5,083

-11.14%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 €104

$96.6 ₺4,759

21.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$861 €768

$994 ₺49.0K

-13.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$621 €554

$629 ₺31.0K

-1.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,389 €1,240

$2,024 ₺99.7K

-31.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,013 €904

$1,155 ₺56.9K

-12.29%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,234 €2,886

$3,160 ₺155.7K

2.34%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,373 €2,117

$1,838 ₺90.5K

29.11%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,815 €1,620

$1,203 ₺59.3K

50.84%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.27

41.09

-92.04%

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

Last update for Cagliari: 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

Cagliari

$621 35.1%

Istanbul

$629 41.2% 1.4% $8.7

Groceries & Markets

Cagliari

$364 20.6%

Istanbul

$264 17.3% 27.4% $100

Eating Out

Cagliari

$294 16.7%

Istanbul

$218 14.3% 26% $77

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cagliari

$198 11.2%

Istanbul

$117 7.7% 40.8% $81

Clothing & Footwear

Cagliari

$156 8.8%

Istanbul

$131 8.6% 15.9% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Cagliari

$73 4.1%

Istanbul

$94 6.1% 28.4% $21

Getting Around

Cagliari

$62 3.5%

Istanbul

$75 4.9% 22.3% $14

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $861 in Cagliari 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 51% higher in Cagliari, 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 $85.0 in Cagliari versus $55.0 in Istanbul. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $364 vs $264 – making Istanbul the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇹 Cagliari

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

14:14 2:14 PM

15:14 3:14 PM

1 h ahead of Cagliari

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

154,478

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

On the map

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Between locations

Cagliari Istanbul 1,700 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Cagliari
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

Cagliari vs Istanbul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Cagliari is pricier by about 14%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,608 per month in Cagliari 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 72% less in Istanbul. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $522 per month in Cagliari 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 Cagliari at $1,739. In Istanbul it covers expenses comfortably, while in Cagliari it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Istanbul – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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