Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cartagena and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in Cartagena: $1,427 a month against $1,550 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $1,500 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

69

Cost of Living Index in Cartagena
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Cartagena Living Index
75

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index

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Cartagena

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,427

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,427 in Cartagena versus $1,550 in Istanbul.

Cartagena $1,427
Istanbul $1,550

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,095 in Cartagena versus $2,415 in Istanbul.

Cartagena $2,095
Istanbul $2,415

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,762 in Cartagena versus $3,281 in Istanbul.

Cartagena $2,762
Istanbul $3,281

Living in Cartagena costs roughly 8% less than in Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Cartagena 6% above, Istanbul 15% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.84 €12.31

$12.30 ₺609

12.52%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.0 €48.90

$54.7 ₺2,708

0.49%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.60 €6.76

$9.22 ₺456

-17.57%

Cappuccino

$2.56 €2.27

$4.40 ₺218

-41.82%

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

$2.45 €2.18

$1.68 ₺83.1

45.83%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.84 €1.64

$0.59 ₺29.40

211.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.43 €3.05

$4.70 ₺233

-27.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.98 €3.54

$5.91 ₺292

-32.66%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 €1.07

$1.21 ₺60.0

White Bread (500g)

$1.18 €1.05

$0.89 ₺44.10

32.58%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.55 €2.26

$2.19 ₺108

16.44%

Eggs

$3.96 €3.52

$2.35 ₺116

68.51%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.91 €11.48

$10.42 ₺516

23.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.94 €6.18

$5.65 ₺280

22.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.67 €16.60

$20.94 ₺1,037

-10.84%

Apples (1kg)

$2.39 €2.13

$1.90 ₺94.1

25.79%

Banana (1kg)

$2.52 €2.24

$2.31 ₺114

9.09%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.61 €1.43

$1.28 ₺63.1

25.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.09 €2.75

$1.80 ₺89.0

71.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.25 €1.11

$0.65 ₺32.16

92.31%

Onion (1kg)

$1.24 €1.10

$0.64 ₺31.91

93.75%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.57 €1.40

$1.25 ₺62.1

25.60%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.69 €0.62

$0.56 ₺27.58

23.21%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.64 €5.02

$2.37 ₺118

137.97%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.24 €5.55

$13.42 ₺664

-53.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.25 €1.11

$2.40 ₺119

-47.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.13 €1.00

$3.48 ₺172

-67.53%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.43 €1.27

$0.89 ₺43.84

60.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.14 €9.91

$67.4 ₺3,338

-83.48%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.50 €4.90

$1.29 ₺64.1

326.36%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.25 €2.00

$0.92 ₺45.70

144.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.49 €24.45

$10.96 ₺542

150.82%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.77 €1.58

$1.47 ₺72.9

20.41%

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

$35.1K €31.2K

$50.8K ₺2.5M

-30.87%

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

$30.2K €26.8K

$44.5K ₺2.2M

-32.28%

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

$210 €187

$88.6 ₺4,387

137.03%

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

$19.74 €17.56

$11.59 ₺574

70.32%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.70 €25.53

$15.81 ₺783

81.53%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.14 €36.59

$77.2 ₺3,820

-46.68%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.80 €11.39

$22.74 ₺1,126

-43.71%

Cinema Ticket

$7.70 €6.85

$8.14 ₺403

-5.41%

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

$416 €370

$1,008 ₺49.9K

-58.70%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,726 €2,425

$25.6K ₺1.3M

-89.33%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$47.17 €41.96

$54.0 ₺2,671

-12.57%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.38 €31.47

$40.83 ₺2,021

-13.35%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$61.1 €54.3

$98.9 ₺4,895

-38.24%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$101 €89.7

$96.6 ₺4,783

4.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$591 €525

$985 ₺48.7K

-40.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$492 €438

$650 ₺32.2K

-24.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$836 €743

$1,983 ₺98.2K

-57.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$708 €630

$1,180 ₺58.4K

-40.01%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,770 €1,574

$3,138 ₺155.4K

-43.59%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,433 €1,275

$1,780 ₺88.1K

-19.49%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,720 €1,530

$1,205 ₺59.7K

42.66%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.06

40.92

-90.08%

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

Last update for Cartagena: October 10, 2026

Last update for Istanbul: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cartagena

$492 34.5%

Istanbul

$650 41.9% 32.1% $158

Groceries & Markets

Cartagena

$270 18.9%

Istanbul

$260 16.8% 3.9% $10

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cartagena

$258 18.1%

Istanbul

$116 7.5% 55.1% $142

Eating Out

Cartagena

$206 14.5%

Istanbul

$223 14.4% 8.1% $17

Clothing & Footwear

Cartagena

$110 7.7%

Istanbul

$131 8.4% 18.7% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Cartagena

$57 4%

Istanbul

$93 6% 65.3% $37

Getting Around

Cartagena

$34 2.4%

Istanbul

$77 5% 129% $43

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $591 in Cartagena and $985 in Istanbul. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cartagena pays 43% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $55.0 in Cartagena vs $55.0 in Istanbul. Groceries flip the comparison at $270 vs $260, with Istanbul cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Cartagena

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

01:14 1:14 AM

02:14 2:14 AM

1 h ahead of Cartagena

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

218,050

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

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Between locations

Cartagena Istanbul 2,590 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Cartagena
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

Cartagena vs Istanbul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cartagena wins on cost – living expenses run 9% lower than in Istanbul. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Cartagena the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 43% higher in Cartagena, 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: $591 in Cartagena versus $985 in Istanbul. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Cartagena – a meal for two runs $55.0 versus $55.0 in Istanbul. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,427 per month in Cartagena versus $1,550 in Istanbul – a 9% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,427 in Cartagena versus $1,550 in Istanbul, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Cartagena but tight or insufficient in Istanbul. The gap between the two cities makes Cartagena the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Cartagena delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,427 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Cartagena hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Cartagena 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 Cartagena gentler on the wallet – expenses run 9% less than in Istanbul. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.