Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Drobeta-Turnu Severin and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in Drobeta-Turnu Severin: $885 a month against $1,519 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $7,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

42

Cost of Living Index in Drobeta-Turnu Severin
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Drobeta-Turnu Severin Living Index
73

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index

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Drobeta-Turnu Severin

🇷🇴 Romania

$885

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,519

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $885 in Drobeta-Turnu Severin versus $1,519 in Istanbul.

Drobeta-Turnu Severin $885
Istanbul $1,519

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,483 in Drobeta-Turnu Severin versus $2,365 in Istanbul.

Drobeta-Turnu Severin $1,483
Istanbul $2,365

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,081 in Drobeta-Turnu Severin versus $3,212 in Istanbul.

Drobeta-Turnu Severin $2,081
Istanbul $3,212

Living in Drobeta-Turnu Severin costs roughly 42% less than in Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Drobeta-Turnu Severin is 35% below, Istanbul is 12% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.34 RON 39.87

$11.81 ₺592

-29.38%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$41.68 RON 199

$54.9 ₺2,754

-24.09%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.24 RON 34.61

$9.26 ₺465

-21.81%

Cappuccino

$3.20 RON 15.29

$4.30 ₺216

-25.58%

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

$2.09 RON 10.01

$1.77 ₺89.0

18.08%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.80 RON 8.60

$0.56 ₺28.32

221.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.07 RON 14.67

$4.69 ₺235

-34.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.92 RON 18.73

$7.12 ₺357

-44.94%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.37 RON 6.55

$1.25 ₺62.7

9.60%

White Bread (500g)

$1.11 RON 5.31

$0.88 ₺44.17

26.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.38 RON 6.59

$2.20 ₺111

-37.27%

Eggs

$3.47 RON 16.61

$2.43 ₺122

42.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.98 RON 38.14

$10.48 ₺526

-23.85%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.80 RON 27.72

$5.31 ₺267

9.23%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.80 RON 37.30

$21.10 ₺1,058

-63.03%

Apples (1kg)

$1.19 RON 5.68

$1.86 ₺93.1

-36.02%

Banana (1kg)

$1.56 RON 7.47

$2.30 ₺115

-32.17%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.48 RON 7.08

$1.22 ₺61.0

21.31%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.53 RON 12.10

$1.80 ₺90.2

40.56%

Potato (1kg)

$0.71 RON 3.40

$0.69 ₺34.83

2.90%

Onion (1kg)

$0.61 RON 2.89

$0.64 ₺32.16

-4.69%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.04 RON 4.95

$1.36 ₺68.0

-23.53%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.87 RON 4.17

$0.58 ₺28.94

50.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.02 RON 28.77

$2.34 ₺117

157.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.16 RON 34.22

$13.03 ₺653

-45.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.91 RON 4.37

$2.36 ₺118

-61.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 RON 6.59

$3.32 ₺166

-58.43%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.63 RON 2.99

$0.88 ₺44.07

-28.41%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.28 RON 106

$66.1 ₺3,316

-66.30%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.89 RON 4.27

$1.28 ₺64.4

-30.47%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.87 RON 4.18

$0.85 ₺42.80

2.35%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.31 RON 44.48

$11.09 ₺556

-16.05%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.88 RON 8.97

$1.48 ₺74.0

27.03%

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

$28.6K RON 136.7K

$48.6K ₺2.4M

-41.20%

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

$25.3K RON 120.9K

$42.0K ₺2.1M

-39.73%

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

$116 RON 554

$92.7 ₺4,650

25.09%

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

$8.90 RON 42.55

$11.20 ₺562

-20.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$12.27 RON 58.6

$15.89 ₺797

-22.78%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.17 RON 154

$74.7 ₺3,745

-56.92%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.19 RON 101

$22.95 ₺1,151

-7.67%

Cinema Ticket

$6.66 RON 31.82

$8.05 ₺404

-17.27%

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

$435 RON 2,080

$948 ₺47.6K

-54.12%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.2K RON 48.9K

$36.9K ₺1.9M

-72.27%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 RON 481

$53.9 ₺2,702

86.95%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.50 RON 184

$41.49 ₺2,081

-7.21%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$86.8 RON 415

$101 ₺5,060

-13.98%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.8 RON 429

$91.3 ₺4,580

-1.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$385 RON 1,840

$1,014 ₺50.8K

-62.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$170 RON 813

$625 ₺31.3K

-72.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$603 RON 2,880

$2,005 ₺100.6K

-69.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$458 RON 2,191

$1,126 ₺56.5K

-59.29%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,630 RON 7,791

$2,988 ₺149.8K

-45.45%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,544 RON 7,378

$1,730 ₺86.8K

-10.78%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$914 RON 4,368

$1,136 ₺57.0K

-19.59%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.02

40.42

-82.63%

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

Last update for Drobeta-Turnu Severin: November 3, 2026

Last update for Istanbul: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Drobeta-Turnu Severin

$194 21.9%

Istanbul

$258 17% 33.1% $64

Accommodation & Living

Drobeta-Turnu Severin

$170 19.2%

Istanbul

$625 41.1% 267% $454

Eating Out

Drobeta-Turnu Severin

$166 18.7%

Istanbul

$221 14.6% 33.4% $55

Clothing & Footwear

Drobeta-Turnu Severin

$142 16.1%

Istanbul

$129 8.5% 8.9% $13

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Drobeta-Turnu Severin

$137 15.5%

Istanbul

$120 7.9% 12.7% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Drobeta-Turnu Severin

$45 5.1%

Istanbul

$91 6% 99.6% $45

Getting Around

Drobeta-Turnu Severin

$30 3.4%

Istanbul

$75 5% 150% $45

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $385 in Drobeta-Turnu Severin and $1,014 in Istanbul. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Istanbul pays 24% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $42 in Drobeta-Turnu Severin vs $55 in Istanbul for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $194 vs $258 per month, with Drobeta-Turnu Severin cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Drobeta-Turnu Severin

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

17:10 5:10 PM

18:10 6:10 PM

1 h ahead of Drobeta-Turnu Severin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

92,617

15,701,602

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.209 USD

1 RON = 0.186 EUR

100 TRY = 1.99 USD

100 TRY = 1.78 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TRY, USD, EUR to RON – Romanian Leu Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇷🇴 Romanian Leu (lei)

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 4.78 RON (1 RON = 0.209 USD). 1 EUR = 5.37 RON (1 RON = 0.186 EUR).

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 50.15 TRY (100 TRY = 1.99 USD). 1 EUR = 56.33 TRY (100 TRY = 1.78 EUR).

USD to RON in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Drobeta-Turnu Severin Istanbul 650 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Drobeta-Turnu Severin
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

Drobeta-Turnu Severin vs Istanbul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Drobeta-Turnu Severin is about 42% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 20% lower in Drobeta-Turnu Severin. 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: $385 in Drobeta-Turnu Severin versus $1,014 in Istanbul. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Drobeta-Turnu Severin runs roughly 66% less than in Istanbul. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $435 in Drobeta-Turnu Severin versus $948 in Istanbul. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $885 in Drobeta-Turnu Severin versus $1,519 in Istanbul, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Drobeta-Turnu Severin but tight or insufficient in Istanbul. The gap between the two cities makes Drobeta-Turnu Severin 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, Drobeta-Turnu Severin and Istanbul are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Drobeta-Turnu Severin gentler on the wallet – expenses run 42% less than in Istanbul. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.