Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dubrovnik and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in Istanbul: $1,550 a month against $1,979 in Dubrovnik, rent and utilities included – about $5,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

97

Cost of Living Index in Dubrovnik
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Dubrovnik Living Index
75

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index

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Dubrovnik

🇭🇷 Croatia

$1,979

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,979 per month in Dubrovnik vs $1,550 in Istanbul, rent included.

Dubrovnik $1,979
Istanbul $1,550

A couple spends around $2,933 per month in Dubrovnik vs $2,415 in Istanbul, rent included.

Dubrovnik $2,933
Istanbul $2,415

A family of three spends $3,886 per month in Dubrovnik vs $3,281 in Istanbul, rent included.

Dubrovnik $3,886
Istanbul $3,281

Dubrovnik costs about 28% more than Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Dubrovnik and Istanbul sit above the global median – Dubrovnik by 47%, Istanbul by 15%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.49 €17.34

$12.30 ₺609

58.46%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$77.3 €68.8

$54.7 ₺2,708

41.30%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.71 €11.30

$9.22 ₺456

37.85%

Cappuccino

$4.21 €3.74

$4.40 ₺218

-4.32%

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

$4.50 €4.01

$1.68 ₺83.1

167.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.49 €3.99

$0.59 ₺29.40

661.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.45 €4.85

$4.70 ₺233

15.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.98 €7.10

$5.91 ₺292

35.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.08 €0.96

$1.21 ₺60.0

-10.74%

White Bread (500g)

$1.21 €1.07

$0.89 ₺44.10

35.96%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.30 €2.05

$2.19 ₺108

5.02%

Eggs

$4.18 €3.72

$2.35 ₺116

77.87%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.90 €8.81

$10.42 ₺516

-4.99%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.96 €7.97

$5.65 ₺280

58.58%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.60 €8.54

$20.94 ₺1,037

-54.15%

Apples (1kg)

$1.77 €1.58

$1.90 ₺94.1

-6.84%

Banana (1kg)

$1.36 €1.21

$2.31 ₺114

-41.13%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.70 €1.51

$1.28 ₺63.1

32.81%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.74 €2.44

$1.80 ₺89.0

52.22%

Potato (1kg)

$0.86 €0.77

$0.65 ₺32.16

32.31%

Onion (1kg)

$0.91 €0.81

$0.64 ₺31.91

42.19%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 €0.98

$1.25 ₺62.1

-12.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.25 €1.11

$0.56 ₺27.58

123.21%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.36 €4.76

$2.37 ₺118

126.16%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.41 €3.92

$13.42 ₺664

-67.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.32 €1.18

$2.40 ₺119

-45.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 €2.56

$3.48 ₺172

-17.24%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.83 €2.51

$0.89 ₺43.84

217.98%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.6 €48.53

$67.4 ₺3,338

-19.09%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.41 €3.92

$1.29 ₺64.1

241.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.22 €1.08

$0.92 ₺45.70

32.61%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.40 €6.58

$10.96 ₺542

-32.48%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 €1.60

$1.47 ₺72.9

22.45%

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

$25.9K €23.0K

$50.8K ₺2.5M

-48.99%

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

$25.5K €22.7K

$44.5K ₺2.2M

-42.75%

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

$178 €158

$88.6 ₺4,387

100.33%

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

$22.58 €20.09

$11.59 ₺574

94.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.34 €37.66

$15.81 ₺783

167.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$70.1 €62.4

$77.2 ₺3,820

-9.12%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.39 €20.81

$22.74 ₺1,126

2.86%

Cinema Ticket

$8.00 €7.12

$8.14 ₺403

-1.72%

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

$90.6 €80.6

$1,008 ₺49.9K

-91.01%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,922 €6,157

$25.6K ₺1.3M

-72.92%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$73.3 €65.2

$54.0 ₺2,671

35.79%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$27.46 €24.43

$40.83 ₺2,021

-32.75%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$66.3 €58.9

$98.9 ₺4,895

-33.00%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.4 €69.7

$96.6 ₺4,783

-18.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,442 €1,283

$985 ₺48.7K

46.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$906 €806

$650 ₺32.2K

39.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,964 €1,747

$1,983 ₺98.2K

-0.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,442 €1,283

$1,180 ₺58.4K

22.21%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,912 €7,038

$3,138 ₺155.4K

152.14%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,158 €3,698

$1,780 ₺88.1K

133.60%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,437 €1,279

$1,205 ₺59.7K

19.25%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.79

40.92

-90.74%

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

Last update for Dubrovnik: October 11, 2026

Last update for Istanbul: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Dubrovnik

$906 45.8%

Istanbul

$650 41.9% 28.2% $256

Eating Out

Dubrovnik

$324 16.4%

Istanbul

$223 14.4% 31% $100

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dubrovnik

$242 12.3%

Istanbul

$116 7.5% 52.1% $126

Groceries & Markets

Dubrovnik

$235 11.9%

Istanbul

$260 16.8% 10.7% $25

Clothing & Footwear

Dubrovnik

$110 5.6%

Istanbul

$131 8.4% 18.3% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Dubrovnik

$86 4.4%

Istanbul

$93 6% 8.5% $7.3

Getting Around

Dubrovnik

$76 3.9%

Istanbul

$77 5% 0.7% $0.5

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,442 in Dubrovnik versus $985 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 19% higher in Dubrovnik, 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 $77.0 in Dubrovnik versus $55.0 in Istanbul. Groceries tell a different story – $235 in Dubrovnik vs $260 in Istanbul – so Dubrovnik wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇭🇷 Dubrovnik

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

16:49 4:49 PM

17:49 5:49 PM

1 h ahead of Dubrovnik

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

41,562

15,701,602

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 TRY = 2.02 USD

100 TRY = 1.8 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Dubrovnik Istanbul 920 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Dubrovnik
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

Dubrovnik vs Istanbul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,979 in Dubrovnik, $1,550 in Istanbul – roughly 28% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,969 per month in Dubrovnik and $2,325 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.

Public transport costs about 24% less in Istanbul. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $90.6 per month in Dubrovnik and $1,008 in Istanbul. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Istanbul, where all-in costs run around $1,550, than in Dubrovnik at $1,979. In Istanbul it covers expenses comfortably, while in Dubrovnik it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Dubrovnik has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,550 in Istanbul to $1,979 in Dubrovnik. 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, Dubrovnik makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.