Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chios and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in Chios: $1,453 a month against $1,519 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $790 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Istanbul outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

70

Cost of Living Index in Chios
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Chios Living Index
73

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index

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Chios

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,453

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,519

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,453 per month in Chios vs $1,519 in Istanbul, rent included.

Chios $1,453
Istanbul $1,519

A couple spends around $2,179 per month in Chios vs $2,365 in Istanbul, rent included.

Chios $2,179
Istanbul $2,365

A family of three spends $2,905 per month in Chios vs $3,212 in Istanbul, rent included.

Chios $2,905
Istanbul $3,212

Chios is about 4% cheaper than Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both Chios and Istanbul sit above the global median – Chios by 7%, Istanbul by 12%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.73 €12.22

$11.81 ₺592

16.26%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.37 €39.51

$54.9 ₺2,754

-19.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.11 €12.57

$9.26 ₺465

52.38%

Cappuccino

$3.72 €3.31

$4.30 ₺216

-13.49%

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

$2.36 €2.10

$1.77 ₺89.0

33.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.97 €0.87

$0.56 ₺28.32

73.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.54 €4.04

$4.69 ₺235

-3.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.42 €3.93

$7.12 ₺357

-37.92%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.61 €1.43

$1.25 ₺62.7

28.80%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 €1.30

$0.88 ₺44.17

65.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.71 €2.41

$2.20 ₺111

23.18%

Eggs

$4.52 €4.03

$2.43 ₺122

86.01%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.44 €11.97

$10.48 ₺526

28.24%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.02 €8.92

$5.31 ₺267

88.70%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.98 €13.34

$21.10 ₺1,058

-29.00%

Apples (1kg)

$2.22 €1.98

$1.86 ₺93.1

19.35%

Banana (1kg)

$2.06 €1.84

$2.30 ₺115

-10.43%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.36 €1.21

$1.22 ₺61.0

11.48%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 €1.89

$1.80 ₺90.2

17.78%

Potato (1kg)

$1.18 €1.05

$0.69 ₺34.83

71.01%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 €0.97

$0.64 ₺32.16

70.31%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 €0.96

$1.36 ₺68.0

-20.59%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.80 €0.71

$0.58 ₺28.94

37.93%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.21 €4.64

$2.34 ₺117

122.65%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.28 €6.48

$13.03 ₺653

-44.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.08 €1.85

$2.36 ₺118

-11.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 €2.23

$3.32 ₺166

-24.70%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.40 €1.24

$0.88 ₺44.07

59.09%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$49.56 €44.13

$66.1 ₺3,316

-25.05%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.24 €3.78

$1.28 ₺64.4

231.25%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.09 €0.97

$0.85 ₺42.80

28.24%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.99 €15.13

$11.09 ₺556

53.20%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.07 €1.84

$1.48 ₺74.0

39.86%

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

$27.9K €24.8K

$48.6K ₺2.4M

-42.63%

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

$25.8K €22.9K

$42.0K ₺2.1M

-38.65%

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

$201 €179

$92.7 ₺4,650

116.83%

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

$22.65 €20.16

$11.20 ₺562

102.23%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.64 €27.28

$15.89 ₺797

92.83%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.1 €45.52

$74.7 ₺3,745

-31.53%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.74 €22.03

$22.95 ₺1,151

7.80%

Cinema Ticket

$8.81 €7.85

$8.05 ₺404

9.44%

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

$413 €368

$948 ₺47.6K

-56.45%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,939 €7,959

$36.9K ₺1.9M

-75.79%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.1 €80.2

$53.9 ₺2,702

67.22%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.75 €35.39

$41.49 ₺2,081

-4.19%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.2 €83.9

$101 ₺5,060

-6.62%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$91.3 ₺4,580

36.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$487 €433

$1,014 ₺50.8K

-52.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$382 €341

$625 ₺31.3K

-38.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$745 €663

$2,005 ₺100.6K

-62.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$617 €549

$1,126 ₺56.5K

-45.24%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,496 €2,223

$2,988 ₺149.8K

-16.45%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,940 €1,727

$1,730 ₺86.8K

12.12%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,136 ₺57.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

40.42

-88.92%

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

Last update for Chios: November 2, 2026

Last update for Istanbul: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chios

$382 26.3%

Istanbul

$625 41.1% 63.3% $242

Groceries & Markets

Chios

$284 19.6%

Istanbul

$258 17% 9% $26

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chios

$254 17.5%

Istanbul

$120 7.9% 52.9% $135

Eating Out

Chios

$242 16.6%

Istanbul

$221 14.6% 8.5% $21

Clothing & Footwear

Chios

$157 10.8%

Istanbul

$129 8.5% 17.5% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Chios

$69 4.7%

Istanbul

$91 6% 32% $22

Getting Around

Chios

$65 4.5%

Istanbul

$75 5% 15.9% $10

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $487 in Chios 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44 in Chios versus $55 in Istanbul. Groceries tell a different story – $284 in Chios vs $258 in Istanbul – so Istanbul wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Chios

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

05:06 5:06 AM

06:06 6:06 AM

1 h ahead of Chios

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

53,408

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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Between locations

Chios Istanbul 380 km

From you

Chios
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

Chios vs Istanbul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Istanbul costs about 5% more than Chios, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from leisure. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,179 per month in Chios 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 Chios, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $487 there versus $1,014 in Istanbul.

Kindergarten costs $413 per month in Chios and $948 in Istanbul. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 9% cheaper in Istanbul – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,453 in Chios and $1,519 in Istanbul. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Chios – 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.