Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cesis and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in Cesis: $1,101 a month against $1,519 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $5,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

53

Cost of Living Index in Cesis
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Cesis Living Index
73

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index

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Cesis

🇱🇻 Latvia

$1,101

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,519

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,101 in Cesis versus $1,519 in Istanbul.

Cesis $1,101
Istanbul $1,519

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,825 in Cesis versus $2,365 in Istanbul.

Cesis $1,825
Istanbul $2,365

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,548 in Cesis versus $3,212 in Istanbul.

Cesis $2,548
Istanbul $3,212

Living in Cesis costs roughly 27% less than in Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

The two cities straddle the global median: Cesis is 19% below, Istanbul is 12% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.66 €14.84

$11.81 ₺592

41.07%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.0 €58.8

$54.9 ₺2,754

20.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.08 €8.08

$9.26 ₺465

-1.94%

Cappuccino

$3.68 €3.28

$4.30 ₺216

-14.42%

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

$1.65 €1.47

$1.77 ₺89.0

-6.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.16 €1.04

$0.56 ₺28.32

107.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.50 €4.90

$4.69 ₺235

17.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.90 €4.36

$7.12 ₺357

-31.18%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 €1.08

$1.25 ₺62.7

-3.20%

White Bread (500g)

$1.49 €1.32

$0.88 ₺44.17

69.32%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.53 €2.25

$2.20 ₺111

15.00%

Eggs

$2.63 €2.34

$2.43 ₺122

8.23%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.26 €9.14

$10.48 ₺526

-2.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.55 €7.61

$5.31 ₺267

61.02%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.78 €12.27

$21.10 ₺1,058

-34.69%

Apples (1kg)

$2.08 €1.85

$1.86 ₺93.1

11.83%

Banana (1kg)

$1.76 €1.57

$2.30 ₺115

-23.48%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.48 €2.21

$1.22 ₺61.0

103.28%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.85 €2.54

$1.80 ₺90.2

58.33%

Potato (1kg)

$0.87 €0.78

$0.69 ₺34.83

26.09%

Onion (1kg)

$0.89 €0.79

$0.64 ₺32.16

39.06%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.73 €1.54

$1.36 ₺68.0

27.21%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.92 €0.82

$0.58 ₺28.94

58.62%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.63 €5.91

$2.34 ₺117

183.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.74 €6.89

$13.03 ₺653

-40.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 €1.52

$2.36 ₺118

-27.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.11 €1.88

$3.32 ₺166

-36.45%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.88 ₺44.07

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.1 ₺3,316

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.34 €2.97

$1.28 ₺64.4

160.94%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 €0.91

$0.85 ₺42.80

20.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.94 €15.97

$11.09 ₺556

61.77%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.03 €1.81

$1.48 ₺74.0

37.16%

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

$27.4K €24.4K

$48.6K ₺2.4M

-43.68%

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

$29.9K €26.7K

$42.0K ₺2.1M

-28.65%

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

$366 €326

$92.7 ₺4,650

294.46%

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

$19.72 €17.55

$11.20 ₺562

76.07%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.09 €17.89

$15.89 ₺797

26.43%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.7 ₺3,745

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.95 ₺1,151

Cinema Ticket

$10.60 €9.44

$8.05 ₺404

31.68%

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

$720 €641

$948 ₺47.6K

-24.08%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.1K €16.2K

$36.9K ₺1.9M

-50.84%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.0 €62.3

$53.9 ₺2,702

29.86%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.58 €44.15

$41.49 ₺2,081

19.50%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.1 €77.6

$101 ₺5,060

-13.64%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$136 €122

$91.3 ₺4,580

49.45%

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)

$278 €248

$1,126 ₺56.5K

-75.31%

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)

$1,126 €1,003

$1,136 ₺57.0K

-0.90%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.77

40.42

-88.20%

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

Last update for Cesis: 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

Cesis

$406 36.8%

Istanbul

$120 7.9% 70.5% $286

Groceries & Markets

Cesis

$258 23.5%

Istanbul

$258 17% 0% $0

Eating Out

Cesis

$253 23%

Istanbul

$221 14.6% 12.8% $32

Clothing & Footwear

Cesis

$154 14%

Istanbul

$129 8.5% 16.2% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Cesis

$21 * 1.9%

Istanbul

$91 6% 328% $70

Getting Around

Cesis

$8.5 * 0.8%

Istanbul

$75 5% 790% $67

Accommodation & Living

Cesis

- * 0%

Istanbul

$625 41.1%

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $66 in Cesis vs $55 in Istanbul. Groceries flip the comparison at $258 vs $258, with Cesis cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇱🇻 Cesis

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

04:41 4:41 AM

05:41 5:41 AM

1 h ahead of Cesis

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

17,673

15,701,602

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 TRY = 1.99 USD

100 TRY = 1.78 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Cesis Istanbul 1,830 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Cesis
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

Cesis vs Istanbul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cesis is about 27% cheaper overall, especially in leisure and transport. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $1,652 in Cesis and $2,278 in Istanbul to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Dining out is cheaper in Istanbul – a meal for two runs $55 versus $66 in Cesis. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Childcare runs $720 in Cesis versus $948 in Istanbul. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,101 in Cesis versus $1,519 in Istanbul, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cesis but tight or insufficient in Istanbul. The gap between the two cities makes Cesis 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, Cesis and Istanbul are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.