Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Florence and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in Istanbul: $1,526 a month against $2,395 in Florence, rent and utilities included – about $10,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

118

Cost of Living Index in Florence
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Florence Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index

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Florence

🇮🇹 Italy

$2,395

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,526

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,395 per month in Florence vs $1,526 in Istanbul, rent included.

Florence $2,395
Istanbul $1,526

A couple spends around $3,671 per month in Florence vs $2,399 in Istanbul, rent included.

Florence $3,671
Istanbul $2,399

A family of three spends $4,947 per month in Florence vs $3,272 in Istanbul, rent included.

Florence $4,947
Istanbul $3,272

Florence costs about 57% more than Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Florence and Istanbul sit above the global median – Florence by 79%, Istanbul by 14%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$27.37 €24.43

$11.88 ₺585

130.39%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$77.3 €69.0

$55.1 ₺2,714

40.30%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.54 €12.98

$9.14 ₺450

59.08%

Cappuccino

$2.29 €2.04

$4.24 ₺209

-45.99%

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

$3.20 €2.85

$1.75 ₺86.0

82.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.44 €1.29

$0.54 ₺26.83

166.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.64 €5.92

$4.69 ₺231

41.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.99 €7.13

$5.97 ₺294

33.84%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.92 €1.72

$1.26 ₺62.1

52.38%

White Bread (500g)

$2.55 €2.28

$0.95 ₺46.81

168.42%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.90 €2.59

$2.31 ₺114

25.54%

Eggs

$4.82 €4.30

$2.47 ₺122

95.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$26.17 €23.36

$10.55 ₺520

148.06%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.23 €10.92

$5.60 ₺276

118.39%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$25.48 €22.74

$21.21 ₺1,045

20.13%

Apples (1kg)

$2.94 €2.62

$1.93 ₺95.1

52.33%

Banana (1kg)

$2.63 €2.35

$2.29 ₺113

14.85%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.35 €2.99

$1.28 ₺63.1

161.72%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.32 €2.96

$1.84 ₺90.8

80.43%

Potato (1kg)

$2.23 €1.99

$0.67 ₺32.86

232.84%

Onion (1kg)

$1.86 €1.66

$0.59 ₺29.31

215.25%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.89 €1.68

$1.33 ₺65.4

42.11%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.70 €0.63

$0.59 ₺29.10

18.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.47 €6.66

$2.36 ₺116

216.53%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.83 €6.99

$13.47 ₺664

-41.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.00 €1.78

$2.42 ₺119

-17.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.13 €2.79

$3.54 ₺174

-11.58%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.07 €1.85

$0.83 ₺40.64

149.40%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$43.27 €38.62

$66.5 ₺3,273

-34.88%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.78 €3.37

$1.35 ₺66.6

180.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.26 €1.12

$0.85 ₺42.05

48.24%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.89 €27.56

$10.86 ₺535

184.44%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.09 €1.86

$1.47 ₺72.3

42.18%

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

$35.9K €32.1K

$51.6K ₺2.5M

-30.42%

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

$35.3K €31.5K

$44.4K ₺2.2M

-20.59%

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

$247 €220

$89.2 ₺4,395

176.40%

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

$11.59 €10.34

$11.60 ₺572

-0.09%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.90 €30.25

$16.10 ₺793

110.56%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.4 €57.5

$77.3 ₺3,805

-16.66%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.77 €18.54

$22.66 ₺1,116

-8.34%

Cinema Ticket

$13.02 €11.62

$8.34 ₺411

56.12%

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

$745 €665

$974 ₺48.0K

-23.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.0K €15.2K

$25.8K ₺1.3M

-33.93%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$96.5 €86.1

$52.7 ₺2,597

83.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.82 €34.65

$39.16 ₺1,929

-0.87%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 €96.4

$103 ₺5,083

4.72%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$146 €131

$96.6 ₺4,759

51.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,570 €1,401

$994 ₺49.0K

57.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,043 €931

$629 ₺31.0K

65.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,766 €2,469

$2,024 ₺99.7K

36.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,833 €1,635

$1,155 ₺56.9K

58.70%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,288 €5,612

$3,160 ₺155.7K

98.99%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,951 €3,526

$1,838 ₺90.5K

115.01%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,005 €1,789

$1,203 ₺59.3K

66.61%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.16

41.09

-92.31%

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

Last update for Florence: October 4, 2026

Last update for Istanbul: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Florence

$1K 42.9%

Istanbul

$629 41.2% 39.7% $414

Groceries & Markets

Florence

$411 16.9%

Istanbul

$264 17.3% 35.7% $147

Eating Out

Florence

$358 14.7%

Istanbul

$218 14.3% 39.1% $140

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Florence

$292 12%

Istanbul

$117 7.7% 60% $175

Clothing & Footwear

Florence

$175 7.2%

Istanbul

$131 8.6% 25.2% $44

Sport & Entertainment

Florence

$90 3.7%

Istanbul

$94 6.1% 3.9% $3.5

Getting Around

Florence

$62 2.5%

Istanbul

$75 4.9% 22.3% $14

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,570 in Florence 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 67% higher in Florence, 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 Florence versus $55.0 in Istanbul. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $411 vs $264 – making Istanbul the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇹 Florence

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

05:21 5:21 AM

06:21 6:21 AM

1 h ahead of Florence

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

382,808

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 = 49.26 TRY (100 TRY = 2.03 USD). 1 EUR = 55.25 TRY (100 TRY = 1.81 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Florence Istanbul 1,480 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Florence
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

Florence vs Istanbul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,395 in Florence, $1,526 in Istanbul – roughly 57% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,593 per month in Florence 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.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,395 in Florence and $1,526 in Istanbul. That's a gap of about 57%.

Public transport costs about 54% less in Istanbul. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Istanbul, where all-in costs run around $1,526, than in Florence at $2,395. In Istanbul it covers expenses comfortably, while in Florence it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Florence has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,526 in Istanbul to $2,395 in Florence. 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, Florence makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.