Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Famagusta and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in Istanbul: $1,519 a month against $1,635 in Famagusta, rent and utilities included – about $1,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

78

Cost of Living Index in Famagusta
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Famagusta Living Index
73

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index

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Famagusta

🇨🇾 Cyprus

$1,635

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,519

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,635 in Famagusta versus $1,519 in Istanbul.

Famagusta $1,635
Istanbul $1,519

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,346 in Famagusta versus $2,365 in Istanbul.

Famagusta $2,346
Istanbul $2,365

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,058 in Famagusta versus $3,212 in Istanbul.

Famagusta $3,058
Istanbul $3,212

Living in Famagusta is roughly 8% more expensive than in Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Famagusta 21% above, Istanbul 12% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.56 €14.74

$11.81 ₺592

40.22%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$56.0 €49.85

$54.9 ₺2,754

1.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.03 €8.04

$9.26 ₺465

-2.48%

Cappuccino

$3.58 €3.19

$4.30 ₺216

-16.74%

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

$1.15 €1.03

$1.77 ₺89.0

-35.03%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.18 €1.05

$0.56 ₺28.32

110.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.42 €3.94

$4.69 ₺235

-5.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.02 €3.58

$7.12 ₺357

-43.54%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 €1.73

$1.25 ₺62.7

56.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.47 €1.31

$0.88 ₺44.17

67.05%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.16 €1.92

$2.20 ₺111

-1.82%

Eggs

$4.47 €3.98

$2.43 ₺122

83.95%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.38 €8.35

$10.48 ₺526

-10.50%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.79 €7.83

$5.31 ₺267

65.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.58 €11.20

$21.10 ₺1,058

-40.38%

Apples (1kg)

$3.25 €2.89

$1.86 ₺93.1

74.73%

Banana (1kg)

$1.83 €1.63

$2.30 ₺115

-20.43%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.13 €1.90

$1.22 ₺61.0

74.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.95 €2.63

$1.80 ₺90.2

63.89%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 €1.30

$0.69 ₺34.83

111.59%

Onion (1kg)

$1.14 €1.01

$0.64 ₺32.16

78.12%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.58 €0.52

$1.36 ₺68.0

-57.35%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.00 €0.89

$0.58 ₺28.94

72.41%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.64 €5.03

$2.34 ₺117

141.03%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.73 €5.99

$13.03 ₺653

-48.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.73 €1.54

$2.36 ₺118

-26.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.07 €1.84

$3.32 ₺166

-37.65%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.27 €2.02

$0.88 ₺44.07

157.95%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.6 €45.08

$66.1 ₺3,316

-23.43%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.57 €4.96

$1.28 ₺64.4

335.16%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.07 €1.85

$0.85 ₺42.80

143.53%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.03 €19.61

$11.09 ₺556

98.65%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.74 €1.55

$1.48 ₺74.0

17.57%

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

$27.0K €24.1K

$48.6K ₺2.4M

-44.45%

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

$23.7K €21.1K

$42.0K ₺2.1M

-43.47%

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

$187 €166

$92.7 ₺4,650

101.16%

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

$24.31 €21.65

$11.20 ₺562

117.05%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.47 €28.91

$15.89 ₺797

104.34%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.85 €39.93

$74.7 ₺3,745

-39.94%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.02 €15.16

$22.95 ₺1,151

-25.84%

Cinema Ticket

$11.16 €9.94

$8.05 ₺404

38.63%

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

$476 €424

$948 ₺47.6K

-49.76%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,944 €2,621

$36.9K ₺1.9M

-92.03%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.3 €45.67

$53.9 ₺2,702

-4.81%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.74 €29.15

$41.49 ₺2,081

-21.09%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.7 €84.3

$101 ₺5,060

-6.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.1 €80.2

$91.3 ₺4,580

-1.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$669 €596

$1,014 ₺50.8K

-34.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$617 €550

$625 ₺31.3K

-1.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$942 €839

$2,005 ₺100.6K

-53.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$807 €719

$1,126 ₺56.5K

-28.30%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,707 €3,301

$2,988 ₺149.8K

24.08%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,289 €2,038

$1,730 ₺86.8K

32.27%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$901 €802

$1,136 ₺57.0K

-20.69%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.31

40.42

-91.81%

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

Last update for Famagusta: October 31, 2026

Last update for Istanbul: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Famagusta

$617 37.8%

Istanbul

$625 41.1% 1.2% $7.3

Groceries & Markets

Famagusta

$268 16.4%

Istanbul

$258 17% 3.7% $10

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Famagusta

$243 14.9%

Istanbul

$120 7.9% 50.8% $123

Eating Out

Famagusta

$242 14.8%

Istanbul

$221 14.6% 8.7% $21

Clothing & Footwear

Famagusta

$121 7.4%

Istanbul

$129 8.5% 7% $8.5

Getting Around

Famagusta

$76 4.6%

Istanbul

$75 5% 0.6% $0.4

Sport & Entertainment

Famagusta

$67 4.1%

Istanbul

$91 6% 35.1% $24

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $669 in Famagusta and $1,014 in Istanbul. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Istanbul pays 26% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $56 in Famagusta vs $55 in Istanbul for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $268 vs $258 per month, with Istanbul cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇾 Famagusta

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

18:16 6:16 PM

19:16 7:16 PM

1 h ahead of Famagusta

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

42,526

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

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Between locations

Famagusta Istanbul 790 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Famagusta
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

Famagusta vs Istanbul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Istanbul wins on cost – living expenses run 7% lower than in Famagusta. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Istanbul the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 21% lower in Famagusta. 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: $669 in Famagusta versus $1,014 in Istanbul. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 4% higher in Famagusta. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $1,635 per month in Famagusta versus $1,519 in Istanbul – Istanbul is about 7% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,500. Istanbul is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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.