Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cimislia and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in Cimislia: $786 a month against $1,519 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $8,800 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

38

Cost of Living Index in Cimislia
Learn more

Cimislia Living Index
73

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index

Jump to prices

Cimislia

🇲🇩 Moldova

$786

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,519

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $786 in Cimislia versus $1,519 in Istanbul.

Cimislia $786
Istanbul $1,519

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,121 in Cimislia versus $2,365 in Istanbul.

Cimislia $1,121
Istanbul $2,365

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,457 in Cimislia versus $3,212 in Istanbul.

Cimislia $1,457
Istanbul $3,212

Living in Cimislia costs roughly 48% less than in Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Cimislia is 42% below, Istanbul is 12% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.57 MDL 116

$11.81 ₺591

-44.37%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.27 MDL 393

$54.9 ₺2,748

-59.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.35 MDL 183

$9.26 ₺463

11.77%

Cappuccino

$1.64 MDL 28.92

$4.30 ₺215

-61.86%

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

$1.06 MDL 18.75

$1.77 ₺88.8

-40.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.70 MDL 12.41

$0.56 ₺28.26

25.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.12 MDL 19.83

$4.69 ₺234

-76.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 MDL 40.06

$7.12 ₺356

-68.12%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.98 MDL 17.36

$1.25 ₺62.6

-21.60%

White Bread (500g)

$0.40 MDL 7.13

$0.88 ₺44.07

-54.55%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.59 MDL 28.13

$2.20 ₺110

-27.73%

Eggs

$1.95 MDL 34.52

$2.43 ₺122

-19.75%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.78 MDL 120

$10.48 ₺524

-35.31%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.99 MDL 70.5

$5.31 ₺266

-24.86%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.28 MDL 111

$21.10 ₺1,056

-70.24%

Apples (1kg)

$0.57 MDL 10.11

$1.86 ₺92.9

-69.35%

Banana (1kg)

$2.28 MDL 40.25

$2.30 ₺115

-0.87%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.42 MDL 25.10

$1.22 ₺60.8

16.39%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.00 MDL 35.40

$1.80 ₺90.0

11.11%

Potato (1kg)

$0.58 MDL 10.16

$0.69 ₺34.75

-15.94%

Onion (1kg)

$0.49 MDL 8.59

$0.64 ₺32.09

-23.44%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.43 MDL 7.58

$1.36 ₺67.8

-68.38%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 MDL 10.36

$0.58 ₺28.88

1.72%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.42 MDL 60.3

$2.34 ₺117

46.15%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.38 MDL 77.4

$13.03 ₺652

-66.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.13 MDL 20.03

$2.36 ₺118

-52.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.00 MDL 35.31

$3.32 ₺166

-39.76%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.29 MDL 5.13

$0.88 ₺43.97

-67.05%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.1 ₺3,309

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.83 MDL 50.0

$1.28 ₺64.3

121.09%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.24 MDL 4.22

$0.85 ₺42.70

-71.76%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.55 MDL 97.9

$11.09 ₺555

-49.95%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.41 MDL 24.86

$1.48 ₺73.9

-4.73%

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

$33.7K MDL 595.7K

$48.6K ₺2.4M

-30.65%

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

$23.8K MDL 420.7K

$42.0K ₺2.1M

-43.24%

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

$225 MDL 3,970

$92.7 ₺4,639

142.45%

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

$7.99 MDL 141

$11.20 ₺560

-28.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.31 MDL 200

$15.89 ₺795

-28.82%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$16.79 MDL 297

$74.7 ₺3,737

-77.52%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.95 ₺1,149

Cinema Ticket

$7.68 MDL 136

$8.05 ₺403

-4.60%

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

$113 MDL 1,988

$948 ₺47.5K

-88.13%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,228 MDL 92.3K

$36.9K ₺1.8M

-85.84%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$45.30 MDL 800

$53.9 ₺2,696

-15.92%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.49 ₺2,076

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$56.5 MDL 997

$101 ₺5,049

-44.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$49.88 MDL 881

$91.3 ₺4,570

-45.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$224 MDL 3,947

$1,014 ₺50.7K

-77.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$166 MDL 2,934

$625 ₺31.3K

-73.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$336 MDL 5,938

$2,005 ₺100.4K

-83.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$282 MDL 4,976

$1,126 ₺56.3K

-74.97%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$732 MDL 12.9K

$2,988 ₺149.5K

-75.49%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$669 MDL 11.8K

$1,730 ₺86.6K

-61.36%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$429 MDL 7,582

$1,136 ₺56.9K

-62.22%

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 Cimislia: November 2, 2026

Last update for Istanbul: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cimislia

$244 31.1%

Istanbul

$120 7.9% 50.9% $124

Accommodation & Living

Cimislia

$166 21.2%

Istanbul

$625 41.1% 276% $458

Groceries & Markets

Cimislia

$149 19%

Istanbul

$258 17% 73% $109

Eating Out

Cimislia

$120 15.3%

Istanbul

$221 14.6% 83.4% $100

Clothing & Footwear

Cimislia

$68 * 8.7%

Istanbul

$129 8.5% 89.6% $61

Sport & Entertainment

Cimislia

$32 4.1%

Istanbul

$91 6% 182% $59

Getting Around

Cimislia

$5.2 * 0.7%

Istanbul

$75 5% 1349% $70

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $224 in Cimislia and $1,014 in Istanbul. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Istanbul pays about 2.6 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $22 in Cimislia vs $55 in Istanbul for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $149 vs $258 per month, with Cimislia cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇩 Cimislia

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

06:31 6:31 AM

07:31 7:31 AM

1 h ahead of Cimislia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

16,100

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 = 2 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 = 17.66 MDL (100 MDL = 5.66 USD). 1 EUR = 19.82 MDL (100 MDL = 5.04 EUR).

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 50.04 TRY (100 TRY = 2 USD). 1 EUR = 56.18 TRY (100 TRY = 1.78 EUR).

USD to MDL in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cimislia Istanbul 610 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Cimislia
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

Cimislia vs Istanbul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cimislia wins on cost – living expenses run 48% lower than in Istanbul. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Cimislia the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 62% lower in Cimislia. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $224 in Cimislia versus $1,014 in Istanbul. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 73% higher in Istanbul. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $786 per month in Cimislia versus $1,519 in Istanbul – Cimislia is about 48% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

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, Cimislia and Istanbul are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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