Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Erzurum and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in Erzurum: $1,016 a month against $1,519 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $6,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

47

Cost of Living Index in Erzurum
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Erzurum Living Index
73

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index

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Erzurum

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,016

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,519

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,016 per month in Erzurum vs $1,519 in Istanbul, rent included.

Erzurum $1,016
Istanbul $1,519

A couple spends around $1,566 per month in Erzurum vs $2,365 in Istanbul, rent included.

Erzurum $1,566
Istanbul $2,365

A family of three spends $2,116 per month in Erzurum vs $3,212 in Istanbul, rent included.

Erzurum $2,116
Istanbul $3,212

Erzurum is about 33% cheaper than Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Erzurum sits 25% below the global median, while Istanbul is 12% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.44 ₺372

$11.81 ₺590

-37.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.52 ₺1,476

$54.9 ₺2,745

-46.24%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.01 ₺401

$9.26 ₺463

-13.50%

Cappuccino

$3.59 ₺180

$4.30 ₺215

-16.51%

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

$1.38 ₺68.9

$1.77 ₺88.7

-22.03%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.26 ₺13.04

$0.56 ₺28.23

-53.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.97 ₺149

$4.69 ₺234

-36.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.53 ₺177

$7.12 ₺356

-50.42%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.89 ₺44.28

$1.25 ₺62.5

-28.80%

White Bread (500g)

$0.85 ₺42.62

$0.88 ₺44.03

-3.41%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.96 ₺98.1

$2.20 ₺110

-10.91%

Eggs

$2.24 ₺112

$2.43 ₺122

-7.82%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.42 ₺421

$10.48 ₺524

-19.66%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.85 ₺193

$5.31 ₺266

-27.50%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.68 ₺1,084

$21.10 ₺1,055

2.75%

Apples (1kg)

$1.79 ₺89.3

$1.86 ₺92.8

-3.76%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 ₺87.3

$2.30 ₺115

-23.91%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.96 ₺48.08

$1.22 ₺60.8

-21.31%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.25 ₺62.6

$1.80 ₺89.9

-30.56%

Potato (1kg)

$0.44 ₺22.14

$0.69 ₺34.72

-36.23%

Onion (1kg)

$0.34 ₺16.99

$0.64 ₺32.06

-46.88%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.82 ₺40.90

$1.36 ₺67.8

-39.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 ₺29.09

$0.58 ₺28.85

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.37 ₺118

$2.34 ₺117

1.28%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.87 ₺493

$13.03 ₺651

-24.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.99 ₺99.5

$2.36 ₺118

-15.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.86 ₺143

$3.32 ₺166

-13.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.76 ₺38.13

$0.88 ₺43.93

-13.64%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.1 ₺3,306

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.12 ₺56.2

$1.28 ₺64.2

-12.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.93 ₺46.30

$0.85 ₺42.66

9.41%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.77 ₺288

$11.09 ₺554

-47.97%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 ₺65.1

$1.48 ₺73.8

-12.16%

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

$42.4K ₺2.1M

$48.6K ₺2.4M

-12.73%

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

$43.4K ₺2.2M

$42.0K ₺2.1M

3.36%

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

$79.1 ₺3,955

$92.7 ₺4,635

-14.67%

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

$9.60 ₺480

$11.20 ₺560

-14.29%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$14.94 ₺747

$15.89 ₺794

-5.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.9 ₺2,945

$74.7 ₺3,734

-21.13%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.95 ₺1,148

Cinema Ticket

$6.51 ₺325

$8.05 ₺402

-19.13%

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

$620 ₺31.0K

$948 ₺47.4K

-34.63%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.1K ₺607.3K

$36.9K ₺1.8M

-67.10%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$41.69 ₺2,084

$53.9 ₺2,694

-22.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.19 ₺1,659

$41.49 ₺2,074

-20.00%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.5 ₺4,526

$101 ₺5,044

-10.26%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.5 ₺3,975

$91.3 ₺4,565

-12.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$427 ₺21.3K

$1,014 ₺50.7K

-57.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$345 ₺17.3K

$625 ₺31.2K

-44.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$745 ₺37.3K

$2,005 ₺100.3K

-62.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$627 ₺31.3K

$1,126 ₺56.3K

-44.34%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,271 ₺63.5K

$2,988 ₺149.4K

-57.48%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,001 ₺50.1K

$1,730 ₺86.5K

-42.13%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,177 ₺58.9K

$1,136 ₺56.8K

3.60%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.44

40.42

0.05%

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

Last update for Erzurum: 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

Erzurum

$345 34%

Istanbul

$625 41.1% 81% $279

Groceries & Markets

Erzurum

$221 21.8%

Istanbul

$258 17% 16.9% $37

Eating Out

Erzurum

$155 15.3%

Istanbul

$221 14.6% 42.4% $66

Clothing & Footwear

Erzurum

$110 10.9%

Istanbul

$129 8.5% 17.4% $19

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Erzurum

$104 10.2%

Istanbul

$120 7.9% 15.6% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Erzurum

$72 7.1%

Istanbul

$91 6% 26.2% $19

Getting Around

Erzurum

$8.8 * 0.9%

Istanbul

$75 5% 754% $66

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $427 in Erzurum versus $1,014 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 4% higher in Erzurum, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $30 in Erzurum versus $55 in Istanbul. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $221 vs $258 – making Erzurum the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Erzurum

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

22:04 10:04 PM

Same time as Erzurum

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

762,021

15,701,602

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 2 USD

100 TRY = 1.79 EUR

100 TRY = 2 USD

100 TRY = 1.79 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Erzurum Istanbul 1,050 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Erzurum
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

Erzurum vs Istanbul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,016 in Erzurum, $1,519 in Istanbul – Erzurum comes out roughly 33% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,524 per month in Erzurum and $2,278 in Istanbul. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Erzurum, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $427 there versus $1,014 in Istanbul.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $30 in Erzurum and $55 in Istanbul. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 17% more in Istanbul, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$2,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,016 in Erzurum and $1,519 in Istanbul, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Erzurum – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.