Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Calarasi, Romania and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in Calarasi: $886 a month against $1,519 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $7,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

42

Cost of Living Index in Calarasi
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Calarasi Living Index
73

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index

Jump to prices

Calarasi

🇷🇴 Romania

$886

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,519

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $886 per month in Calarasi vs $1,519 in Istanbul, rent included.

Calarasi $886
Istanbul $1,519

A couple spends around $1,369 per month in Calarasi vs $2,365 in Istanbul, rent included.

Calarasi $1,369
Istanbul $2,365

A family of three spends $1,851 per month in Calarasi vs $3,212 in Istanbul, rent included.

Calarasi $1,851
Istanbul $3,212

Calarasi is about 42% cheaper than Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Calarasi sits 34% below the global median, while Istanbul is 12% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.00 RON 43.00

$11.81 ₺592

-23.79%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.89 RON 157

$54.9 ₺2,754

-40.10%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.60 RON 36.33

$9.26 ₺465

-17.93%

Cappuccino

$2.08 RON 9.97

$4.30 ₺216

-51.63%

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

$1.79 RON 8.54

$1.77 ₺89.0

1.13%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.64 RON 7.86

$0.56 ₺28.32

192.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.53 RON 7.32

$4.69 ₺235

-67.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.43 RON 6.85

$7.12 ₺357

-79.92%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.48 RON 7.10

$1.25 ₺62.7

18.40%

White Bread (500g)

$0.93 RON 4.43

$0.88 ₺44.17

5.68%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 RON 7.03

$2.20 ₺111

-33.18%

Eggs

$2.71 RON 12.98

$2.43 ₺122

11.52%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.65 RON 36.54

$10.48 ₺526

-27.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.15 RON 19.86

$5.31 ₺267

-21.85%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.58 RON 41.02

$21.10 ₺1,058

-59.34%

Apples (1kg)

$1.09 RON 5.20

$1.86 ₺93.1

-41.40%

Banana (1kg)

$1.34 RON 6.42

$2.30 ₺115

-41.74%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.25 RON 5.97

$1.22 ₺61.0

2.46%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 RON 7.15

$1.80 ₺90.2

-16.67%

Potato (1kg)

$0.40 RON 1.93

$0.69 ₺34.83

-42.03%

Onion (1kg)

$0.60 RON 2.88

$0.64 ₺32.16

-6.25%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.41 RON 1.95

$1.36 ₺68.0

-69.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 RON 3.91

$0.58 ₺28.94

41.38%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.14 RON 29.33

$2.34 ₺117

162.39%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.15 RON 19.83

$13.03 ₺653

-68.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.91 RON 4.36

$2.36 ₺118

-61.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.39 RON 6.65

$3.32 ₺166

-58.13%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.40 RON 1.94

$0.88 ₺44.07

-54.55%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.67 RON 60.6

$66.1 ₺3,316

-80.84%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.86 RON 4.12

$1.28 ₺64.4

-32.81%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 RON 4.08

$0.85 ₺42.80

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.07 RON 43.34

$11.09 ₺556

-18.21%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.71 RON 8.16

$1.48 ₺74.0

15.54%

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

$28.5K RON 136.3K

$48.6K ₺2.4M

-41.37%

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

$25.4K RON 121.4K

$42.0K ₺2.1M

-39.48%

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

$164 RON 783

$92.7 ₺4,650

76.68%

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

$6.20 RON 29.66

$11.20 ₺562

-44.64%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$6.83 RON 32.63

$15.89 ₺797

-57.02%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$47.46 RON 227

$74.7 ₺3,745

-36.45%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$53.1 RON 254

$22.95 ₺1,151

131.20%

Cinema Ticket

$8.54 RON 40.84

$8.05 ₺404

6.09%

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

$367 RON 1,752

$948 ₺47.6K

-61.35%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,712 RON 27.3K

$36.9K ₺1.9M

-84.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.3 RON 345

$53.9 ₺2,702

34.09%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$20.99 RON 100

$41.49 ₺2,081

-49.41%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.2 RON 441

$101 ₺5,060

-8.65%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.1 RON 464

$91.3 ₺4,580

6.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$309 RON 1,476

$1,014 ₺50.8K

-69.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$189 RON 901

$625 ₺31.3K

-69.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$412 RON 1,967

$2,005 ₺100.6K

-79.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$321 RON 1,533

$1,126 ₺56.5K

-71.52%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,188 RON 5,679

$2,988 ₺149.8K

-60.23%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$957 RON 4,575

$1,730 ₺86.8K

-44.68%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$726 RON 3,470

$1,136 ₺57.0K

-36.13%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.85

40.42

-80.58%

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

Last update for Calarasi: November 1, 2026

Last update for Istanbul: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Calarasi

$189 21.3%

Istanbul

$625 41.1% 231% $436

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Calarasi

$177 20%

Istanbul

$120 7.9% 32.3% $57

Groceries & Markets

Calarasi

$166 18.7%

Istanbul

$258 17% 55.8% $92

Eating Out

Calarasi

$144 16.3%

Istanbul

$221 14.6% 53.4% $77

Clothing & Footwear

Calarasi

$127 14.3%

Istanbul

$129 8.5% 1.8% $2.3

Sport & Entertainment

Calarasi

$65 7.3%

Istanbul

$91 6% 40.6% $26

Getting Around

Calarasi

$19 2.2%

Istanbul

$75 5% 287% $56

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $309 in Calarasi versus $1,014 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 57% higher in Istanbul, 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 $33 in Calarasi versus $55 in Istanbul. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $166 vs $258 – making Calarasi the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Calarasi

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

20:16 8:16 PM

21:16 9:16 PM

1 h ahead of Calarasi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

65,181

15,701,602

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.209 USD

1 RON = 0.186 EUR

100 TRY = 1.99 USD

100 TRY = 1.78 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TRY, USD, EUR to RON – Romanian Leu Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇷🇴 Romanian Leu (lei)

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 4.78 RON (1 RON = 0.209 USD). 1 EUR = 5.37 RON (1 RON = 0.186 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 RON in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Calarasi Istanbul 380 km

From you

Calarasi
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

Calarasi vs Istanbul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $886 in Calarasi, $1,519 in Istanbul – Calarasi comes out roughly 42% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,329 per month in Calarasi and $2,278 in Istanbul. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Calarasi, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $309 there versus $1,014 in Istanbul.

Kindergarten costs $367 per month in Calarasi and $948 in Istanbul. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 56% more in Istanbul, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Calarasi, where all-in costs run around $886, than in Istanbul at $1,519. In Calarasi it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

If budget matters most, go with Calarasi. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Istanbul makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.