Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cahul and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in Cahul: $627 a month against $1,519 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $10,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

30

Cost of Living Index in Cahul
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Cahul Living Index
73

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index

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Cahul

🇲🇩 Moldova

$627

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,519

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $627 in Cahul versus $1,519 in Istanbul.

Cahul $627
Istanbul $1,519

Estimated couple costs with rent: $914 in Cahul versus $2,365 in Istanbul.

Cahul $914
Istanbul $2,365

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,200 in Cahul versus $3,212 in Istanbul.

Cahul $1,200
Istanbul $3,212

Living in Cahul costs roughly 59% less than in Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Cahul is 54% below, Istanbul is 12% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.15 MDL 144

$11.81 ₺592

-30.99%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.76 MDL 402

$54.9 ₺2,754

-58.55%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.23 MDL 181

$9.26 ₺465

10.48%

Cappuccino

$1.69 MDL 29.89

$4.30 ₺216

-60.70%

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

$1.10 MDL 19.42

$1.77 ₺89.0

-37.85%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.58 MDL 10.28

$0.56 ₺28.32

3.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.98 MDL 34.95

$4.69 ₺235

-57.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.81 MDL 31.93

$7.12 ₺357

-74.58%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 MDL 22.09

$1.25 ₺62.7

White Bread (500g)

$0.49 MDL 8.68

$0.88 ₺44.17

-44.32%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.57 MDL 27.79

$2.20 ₺111

-28.64%

Eggs

$2.16 MDL 38.20

$2.43 ₺122

-11.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.65 MDL 118

$10.48 ₺526

-36.55%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.59 MDL 81.1

$5.31 ₺267

-13.56%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$5.93 MDL 105

$21.10 ₺1,058

-71.90%

Apples (1kg)

$1.02 MDL 18.02

$1.86 ₺93.1

-45.16%

Banana (1kg)

$2.16 MDL 38.28

$2.30 ₺115

-6.09%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 MDL 32.83

$1.22 ₺61.0

52.46%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.25 MDL 39.77

$1.80 ₺90.2

25.00%

Potato (1kg)

$0.71 MDL 12.59

$0.69 ₺34.83

2.90%

Onion (1kg)

$0.48 MDL 8.45

$0.64 ₺32.16

-25.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.42 MDL 7.46

$1.36 ₺68.0

-69.12%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.54 MDL 9.56

$0.58 ₺28.94

-6.90%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.30 MDL 58.3

$2.34 ₺117

41.03%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.49 MDL 79.3

$13.03 ₺653

-65.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.43 MDL 25.31

$2.36 ₺118

-39.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.92 MDL 33.94

$3.32 ₺166

-42.17%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.29 MDL 5.16

$0.88 ₺44.07

-67.05%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.1 ₺3,316

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.80 MDL 49.52

$1.28 ₺64.4

118.75%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.26 MDL 4.63

$0.85 ₺42.80

-69.41%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.69 MDL 101

$11.09 ₺556

-48.69%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.54 MDL 27.32

$1.48 ₺74.0

4.05%

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

$33.2K MDL 587.3K

$48.6K ₺2.4M

-31.71%

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

$24.5K MDL 433.0K

$42.0K ₺2.1M

-41.66%

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

$223 MDL 3,936

$92.7 ₺4,650

140.08%

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

$7.56 MDL 134

$11.20 ₺562

-32.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.15 MDL 197

$15.89 ₺797

-29.83%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.7 ₺3,745

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.95 ₺1,151

Cinema Ticket

$7.55 MDL 134

$8.05 ₺404

-6.21%

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

$113 MDL 1,990

$948 ₺47.6K

-88.13%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,131 MDL 90.7K

$36.9K ₺1.9M

-86.10%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.76 MDL 774

$53.9 ₺2,702

-18.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.49 ₺2,081

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$56.0 MDL 990

$101 ₺5,060

-44.48%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$50.7 MDL 896

$91.3 ₺4,580

-44.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,014 ₺50.8K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$625 ₺31.3K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,005 ₺100.6K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,126 ₺56.5K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,988 ₺149.8K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,730 ₺86.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$491 MDL 8,679

$1,136 ₺57.0K

-56.81%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.42

-80.21%

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

Last update for Cahul: November 1, 2026

Last update for Istanbul: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cahul

$241 38.5%

Istanbul

$120 7.9% 50.4% $121

Groceries & Markets

Cahul

$161 25.7%

Istanbul

$258 17% 60.4% $97

Eating Out

Cahul

$136 21.8%

Istanbul

$221 14.6% 61.9% $85

Clothing & Footwear

Cahul

$68 * 10.8%

Istanbul

$129 8.5% 91.1% $62

Sport & Entertainment

Cahul

$15 * 2.4%

Istanbul

$91 6% 501% $76

Getting Around

Cahul

$5.3 * 0.8%

Istanbul

$75 5% 1324% $70

Accommodation & Living

Cahul

- * 0%

Istanbul

$625 41.1%

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Istanbul pays about 2.3 times 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: $23 in Cahul vs $55 in Istanbul for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $161 vs $258 per month, with Cahul cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇩 Cahul

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

15:18 3:18 PM

16:18 4:18 PM

1 h ahead of Cahul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

39,500

15,701,602

💱 Currency

Moldovan Leu MDL L

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

📈 Exchange rate

100 MDL = 5.66 USD

100 MDL = 5.04 EUR

100 TRY = 1.99 USD

100 TRY = 1.78 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TRY, USD, EUR to MDL – Moldovan Leu Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇩 Moldovan Leu (L)

Moldovan Leu exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 17.68 MDL (100 MDL = 5.66 USD). 1 EUR = 19.86 MDL (100 MDL = 5.04 EUR).

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 50.15 TRY (100 TRY = 1.99 USD). 1 EUR = 56.33 TRY (100 TRY = 1.78 EUR).

USD to MDL in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cahul Istanbul 550 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Cahul
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

Cahul vs Istanbul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cahul wins on cost – living expenses run 59% lower than in Istanbul. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Cahul the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 57% lower in Cahul. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Supermarket bills run roughly 60% higher in Istanbul. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $627 per month in Cahul versus $1,519 in Istanbul – Cahul is about 59% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $627 in Cahul versus $1,519 in Istanbul, a $800 budget is realistic in Cahul but tight or insufficient in Istanbul. The gap between the two cities makes Cahul 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, Cahul and Istanbul are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Cahul wins on affordability, Istanbul on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.