Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Drama and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in Drama: $1,224 a month against $1,519 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $3,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Drama
Learn more

Drama Living Index
73

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index

Jump to prices

Drama

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,224

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,519

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,224 in Drama versus $1,519 in Istanbul.

Drama $1,224
Istanbul $1,519

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,831 in Drama versus $2,365 in Istanbul.

Drama $1,831
Istanbul $2,365

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,438 in Drama versus $3,212 in Istanbul.

Drama $2,438
Istanbul $3,212

Living in Drama costs roughly 19% less than in Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

The two cities straddle the global median: Drama is 9% below, Istanbul is 12% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.88 €15.03

$11.81 ₺592

42.93%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.01 €40.08

$54.9 ₺2,754

-18.03%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.41 €10.16

$9.26 ₺465

23.22%

Cappuccino

$2.55 €2.27

$4.30 ₺216

-40.70%

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

$2.22 €1.97

$1.77 ₺89.0

25.42%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.73 €0.65

$0.56 ₺28.32

30.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.42 €3.04

$4.69 ₺235

-27.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.44 €3.95

$7.12 ₺357

-37.64%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.77 €1.57

$1.25 ₺62.7

41.60%

White Bread (500g)

$1.79 €1.59

$0.88 ₺44.17

103.41%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.10 €0.98

$2.20 ₺111

-50.00%

Eggs

$5.53 €4.92

$2.43 ₺122

127.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.08 €12.54

$10.48 ₺526

34.35%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.08 €8.08

$5.31 ₺267

71.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.22 €12.66

$21.10 ₺1,058

-32.61%

Apples (1kg)

$1.37 €1.22

$1.86 ₺93.1

-26.34%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 €1.23

$2.30 ₺115

-40.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.18 €1.05

$1.22 ₺61.0

-3.28%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.22 €1.98

$1.80 ₺90.2

23.33%

Potato (1kg)

$0.93 €0.83

$0.69 ₺34.83

34.78%

Onion (1kg)

$1.17 €1.04

$0.64 ₺32.16

82.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.59 €1.42

$1.36 ₺68.0

16.91%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 €0.74

$0.58 ₺28.94

43.10%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.01 €4.46

$2.34 ₺117

114.10%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.45 €4.85

$13.03 ₺653

-58.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.02 €0.91

$2.36 ₺118

-56.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 €1.68

$3.32 ₺166

-43.07%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.88 ₺44.07

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.1 ₺3,316

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.47 €3.98

$1.28 ₺64.4

249.22%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.09 €0.97

$0.85 ₺42.80

28.24%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.48 €14.67

$11.09 ₺556

48.60%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.17 €1.93

$1.48 ₺74.0

46.62%

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

$27.7K €24.6K

$48.6K ₺2.4M

-43.15%

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

$28.2K €25.1K

$42.0K ₺2.1M

-32.91%

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

$190 €169

$92.7 ₺4,650

104.47%

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

$23.28 €20.73

$11.20 ₺562

107.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.55 €27.20

$15.89 ₺797

92.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.30 €38.55

$74.7 ₺3,745

-42.02%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.95 ₺1,151

Cinema Ticket

$8.90 €7.93

$8.05 ₺404

10.56%

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

$446 €397

$948 ₺47.6K

-52.95%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K €10.6K

$36.9K ₺1.9M

-67.87%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$97.2 €86.5

$53.9 ₺2,702

80.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$22.64 €20.16

$41.49 ₺2,081

-45.43%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$59.6 €53.1

$101 ₺5,060

-40.90%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$67.3 €60.0

$91.3 ₺4,580

-26.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$355 €316

$1,014 ₺50.8K

-64.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$296 €264

$625 ₺31.3K

-52.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$618 €550

$2,005 ₺100.6K

-69.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$441 €393

$1,126 ₺56.5K

-60.84%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,531 €1,364

$2,988 ₺149.8K

-48.74%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,222 €2,869

$1,730 ₺86.8K

86.24%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,134 €1,010

$1,136 ₺57.0K

-0.23%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.27

40.42

-89.44%

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

Last update for Drama: 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

Drama

$296 24.2%

Istanbul

$625 41.1% 111% $328

Groceries & Markets

Drama

$265 21.6%

Istanbul

$258 17% 2.4% $6.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Drama

$243 19.9%

Istanbul

$120 7.9% 50.8% $124

Eating Out

Drama

$238 19.4%

Istanbul

$221 14.6% 7.1% $17

Clothing & Footwear

Drama

$111 9.1%

Istanbul

$129 8.5% 16.5% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Drama

$61 5%

Istanbul

$91 6% 48.6% $30

Getting Around

Drama

$9.9 * 0.8%

Istanbul

$75 5% 658% $65

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 $355 in Drama and $1,014 in Istanbul. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $45 in Drama vs $55 in Istanbul. Groceries flip the comparison at $265 vs $258, with Istanbul cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Drama

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

22:56 10:56 PM

23:56 11:56 PM

1 h ahead of Drama

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

42,501

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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Drama Istanbul 410 km

From you

Drama
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

Drama vs Istanbul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Drama is about 19% cheaper overall, especially in transport, leisure, and clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $1,836 in Drama 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $355 in Drama versus $1,014 in Istanbul. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Drama – a meal for two runs $45 versus $55 in Istanbul. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Childcare runs $446 in Drama versus $948 in Istanbul. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,224 in Drama versus $1,519 in Istanbul, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Drama but tight or insufficient in Istanbul. The gap between the two cities makes Drama 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, Drama and Istanbul are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.