Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dublin and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in Istanbul: $1,526 a month against $3,734 in Dublin, rent and utilities included – about $26,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

180

Cost of Living Index in Dublin
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Dublin Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index

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Dublin

🇮🇪 Ireland

$3,734

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,526

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,734 per month in Dublin vs $1,526 in Istanbul, rent included.

Dublin $3,734
Istanbul $1,526

A couple spends around $5,273 per month in Dublin vs $2,399 in Istanbul, rent included.

Dublin $5,273
Istanbul $2,399

A family of three spends $6,811 per month in Dublin vs $3,272 in Istanbul, rent included.

Dublin $6,811
Istanbul $3,272

Dublin costs about 145% more than Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Dublin and Istanbul sit above the global median – Dublin by 179%, Istanbul by 14%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$23.89 €21.30

$11.88 ₺585

101.09%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$102 €90.5

$55.1 ₺2,715

84.28%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.62 €12.15

$9.14 ₺450

49.02%

Cappuccino

$4.90 €4.37

$4.24 ₺209

15.57%

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

$2.88 €2.57

$1.75 ₺86.0

64.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.16 €1.92

$0.54 ₺26.84

300.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.64 €6.82

$4.69 ₺231

62.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.47 €6.66

$5.97 ₺294

25.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.68 €1.50

$1.26 ₺62.1

33.33%

White Bread (500g)

$2.44 €2.17

$0.95 ₺46.82

156.84%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.05 €1.82

$2.31 ₺114

-11.26%

Eggs

$4.86 €4.34

$2.47 ₺122

96.76%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.03 €8.94

$10.55 ₺520

-4.93%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.98 €11.58

$5.60 ₺276

131.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.31 €14.54

$21.21 ₺1,045

-23.10%

Apples (1kg)

$2.85 €2.54

$1.93 ₺95.1

47.67%

Banana (1kg)

$2.18 €1.94

$2.29 ₺113

-4.80%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.68 €2.39

$1.28 ₺63.1

109.38%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.39 €4.81

$1.84 ₺90.8

192.93%

Potato (1kg)

$1.86 €1.66

$0.67 ₺32.87

177.61%

Onion (1kg)

$1.50 €1.33

$0.59 ₺29.31

154.24%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 €1.16

$1.33 ₺65.4

-2.26%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.03 €1.81

$0.59 ₺29.11

244.07%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$21.45 €19.13

$2.36 ₺116

808.90%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.70 €12.22

$13.47 ₺664

1.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.34 €2.98

$2.42 ₺119

38.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.58 €3.19

$3.54 ₺174

1.13%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.29 €2.04

$0.83 ₺40.65

175.90%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$106 €94.8

$66.5 ₺3,274

60.05%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.30 €4.72

$1.35 ₺66.6

292.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.55 €1.38

$0.85 ₺42.06

82.35%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$37.18 €33.15

$10.86 ₺535

242.36%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.16 €1.92

$1.47 ₺72.3

46.94%

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

$39.0K €34.8K

$51.6K ₺2.5M

-24.45%

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

$39.6K €35.3K

$44.4K ₺2.2M

-10.88%

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

$276 €246

$89.2 ₺4,396

208.84%

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

$18.01 €16.06

$11.60 ₺572

55.26%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$52.0 €46.38

$16.10 ₺793

223.11%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.8 €61.4

$77.3 ₺3,806

-10.90%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.99 €18.71

$22.66 ₺1,116

-7.37%

Cinema Ticket

$16.00 €14.27

$8.34 ₺411

91.85%

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

$1,296 €1,155

$974 ₺48.0K

33.03%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.3K €12.7K

$25.8K ₺1.3M

-44.67%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$107 €95.5

$52.7 ₺2,597

103.28%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.2 €44.73

$39.16 ₺1,930

28.12%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 €100

$103 ₺5,084

8.90%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$132 €118

$96.6 ₺4,760

37.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,465 €2,197

$994 ₺49.0K

147.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,179 €1,943

$629 ₺31.0K

246.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,492 €4,005

$2,024 ₺99.7K

121.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,520 €3,139

$1,155 ₺56.9K

204.82%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$9,511 €8,480

$3,160 ₺155.7K

200.95%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,656 €5,043

$1,838 ₺90.5K

207.79%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,795 €3,384

$1,203 ₺59.3K

215.38%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.82

41.09

-90.70%

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

Last update for Dublin: October 3, 2026

Last update for Istanbul: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Dublin

$2.2K 59.4%

Istanbul

$629 41.2% 71.1% $1.5K

Groceries & Markets

Dublin

$367 10%

Istanbul

$264 17.3% 28.1% $103

Eating Out

Dublin

$364 9.9%

Istanbul

$218 14.3% 40.1% $146

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dublin

$346 9.4%

Istanbul

$117 7.7% 66.2% $229

Clothing & Footwear

Dublin

$181 4.9%

Istanbul

$131 8.6% 27.5% $50

Getting Around

Dublin

$129 3.5%

Istanbul

$75 4.9% 41.4% $53

Sport & Entertainment

Dublin

$101 2.8%

Istanbul

$94 6.1% 6.9% $6.9

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,465 in Dublin versus $994 in Istanbul. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 215% higher in Dublin, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $102 in Dublin versus $55.0 in Istanbul. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $367 vs $264 – making Istanbul the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇪 Dublin

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

01:31 1:31 AM

03:31 3:31 AM

2 h ahead of Dublin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

588,233 Capital

15,701,602

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 TRY = 2.03 USD

100 TRY = 1.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TRY, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 49.27 TRY (100 TRY = 2.03 USD). 1 EUR = 55.26 TRY (100 TRY = 1.81 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Dublin Istanbul 2,960 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Dublin
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

Dublin vs Istanbul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $3,734 in Dublin, $1,526 in Istanbul – roughly 145% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $5,601 per month in Dublin and $2,289 in Istanbul. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Istanbul, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $102 in Dublin and $55.0 in Istanbul. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $3,734 in Dublin and $1,526 in Istanbul. That's a gap of about 145%.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Istanbul, where all-in costs run around $1,526, than in Dublin at $3,734. In Istanbul it covers expenses comfortably, while in Dublin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Dublin has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,526 in Istanbul to $3,734 in Dublin. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Istanbul. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Dublin makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.