Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Foca and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in Foca: $952 a month against $1,550 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $7,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

46

Cost of Living Index in Foca
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Foca Living Index
75

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index

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Foca

🇧🇦 Bosnia and Herzegovina

$952

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $952 in Foca versus $1,550 in Istanbul.

Foca $952
Istanbul $1,550

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,369 in Foca versus $2,415 in Istanbul.

Foca $1,369
Istanbul $2,415

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,786 in Foca versus $3,281 in Istanbul.

Foca $1,786
Istanbul $3,281

Living in Foca costs roughly 39% less than in Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Foca is 29% below, Istanbul is 15% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.40 BAM 9.39

$12.30 ₺609

-56.10%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$21.90 BAM 38.08

$54.7 ₺2,708

-59.96%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.68 BAM 8.14

$9.22 ₺456

-49.24%

Cappuccino

$1.53 BAM 2.66

$4.40 ₺218

-65.23%

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

$1.36 BAM 2.37

$1.68 ₺83.1

-19.05%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 BAM 1.36

$0.59 ₺29.40

32.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.75 BAM 3.04

$4.70 ₺233

-62.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 BAM 3.92

$5.91 ₺292

-61.76%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 BAM 2.03

$1.21 ₺60.0

-4.13%

White Bread (500g)

$1.11 BAM 1.94

$0.89 ₺44.10

24.72%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.62 BAM 2.82

$2.19 ₺108

-26.03%

Eggs

$2.11 BAM 3.67

$2.35 ₺116

-10.21%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.89 BAM 11.99

$10.42 ₺516

-33.88%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.45 BAM 11.22

$5.65 ₺280

14.16%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.11 BAM 17.59

$20.94 ₺1,037

-51.72%

Apples (1kg)

$0.88 BAM 1.54

$1.90 ₺94.1

-53.68%

Banana (1kg)

$1.74 BAM 3.02

$2.31 ₺114

-24.68%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.24 BAM 3.90

$1.28 ₺63.1

75.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.73 BAM 3.01

$1.80 ₺89.0

-3.89%

Potato (1kg)

$1.02 BAM 1.77

$0.65 ₺32.16

56.92%

Onion (1kg)

$1.34 BAM 2.34

$0.64 ₺31.91

109.38%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 BAM 2.03

$1.25 ₺62.1

-6.40%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.86 BAM 1.50

$0.56 ₺27.58

53.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.43 BAM 5.96

$2.37 ₺118

44.73%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.93 BAM 13.79

$13.42 ₺664

-40.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 BAM 1.43

$2.40 ₺119

-65.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.11 BAM 1.93

$3.48 ₺172

-68.10%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.28 BAM 2.22

$0.89 ₺43.84

43.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.4 ₺3,338

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.66 BAM 2.89

$1.29 ₺64.1

28.68%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.59 BAM 1.03

$0.92 ₺45.70

-35.87%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.47 BAM 30.37

$10.96 ₺542

59.40%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 BAM 2.57

$1.47 ₺72.9

0.68%

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

$30.3K BAM 52.6K

$50.8K ₺2.5M

-40.39%

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

$21.2K BAM 36.8K

$44.5K ₺2.2M

-52.41%

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

$157 BAM 274

$88.6 ₺4,387

77.54%

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

$16.59 BAM 28.85

$11.59 ₺574

43.14%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.72 BAM 58.6

$15.81 ₺783

113.28%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.19 BAM 50.8

$77.2 ₺3,820

-62.17%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.74 ₺1,126

Cinema Ticket

$5.76 BAM 10.02

$8.14 ₺403

-29.24%

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

$289 BAM 503

$1,008 ₺49.9K

-71.30%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,628 BAM 6,308

$25.6K ₺1.3M

-85.81%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.9 BAM 148

$54.0 ₺2,671

57.29%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.14 BAM 62.9

$40.83 ₺2,021

-11.49%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$68.8 BAM 120

$98.9 ₺4,895

-30.41%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$142 BAM 246

$96.6 ₺4,783

46.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$155 BAM 269

$985 ₺48.7K

-84.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$251 BAM 437

$650 ₺32.2K

-61.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$515 BAM 896

$1,983 ₺98.2K

-74.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$368 BAM 641

$1,180 ₺58.4K

-68.78%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,431 BAM 4,228

$3,138 ₺155.4K

-22.52%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,663 BAM 2,892

$1,780 ₺88.1K

-6.56%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,205 ₺59.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.44

40.92

-89.15%

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

Last update for Foca: October 13, 2026

Last update for Istanbul: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Foca

$251 26.4%

Istanbul

$650 41.9% 159% $399

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Foca

$208 21.8%

Istanbul

$116 7.5% 44.1% $92

Groceries & Markets

Foca

$196 20.6%

Istanbul

$260 16.8% 32.2% $63

Clothing & Footwear

Foca

$149 15.7%

Istanbul

$131 8.4% 12.4% $18

Eating Out

Foca

$97 10.2%

Istanbul

$223 14.4% 129% $126

Sport & Entertainment

Foca

$41 4.3%

Istanbul

$93 6% 130% $53

Getting Around

Foca

$9.7 * 1%

Istanbul

$77 5% 691% $67

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $155 in Foca and $985 in Istanbul. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $22.00 in Foca vs $55.0 in Istanbul for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $196 vs $260 per month, with Foca cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇦 Foca

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

06:41 6:41 AM

07:41 7:41 AM

1 h ahead of Foca

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

12,334

15,701,602

💱 Currency

Bosnia and Herzegovina Convertible Mark BAM KM

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

📈 Exchange rate

1 BAM = 0.575 USD

1 BAM = 0.512 EUR

100 TRY = 2.02 USD

100 TRY = 1.8 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TRY, USD, EUR to BAM – Bosnia and Herzegovina Convertible Mark Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇦 Bosnia and Herzegovina Convertible Mark (KM)

Bosnia and Herzegovina Convertible Mark exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 1.74 BAM (1 BAM = 0.575 USD). 1 EUR = 1.95 BAM (1 BAM = 0.512 EUR).

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 49.51 TRY (100 TRY = 2.02 USD). 1 EUR = 55.66 TRY (100 TRY = 1.8 EUR).

USD to BAM in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Foca Istanbul 880 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Foca
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

Foca vs Istanbul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Foca is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and leisure. The 63% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $1,428 in Foca and $2,325 in Istanbul to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $155 in Foca versus $985 in Istanbul. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $289 in Foca versus $1,008 in Istanbul. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Foca – a meal for two runs $22.00 versus $55.0 in Istanbul. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $952 in Foca versus $1,550 in Istanbul, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Foca but tight or insufficient in Istanbul. The gap between the two cities makes Foca the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Foca is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Istanbul, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Foca and Istanbul are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Foca gentler on the wallet – expenses run 63% less than in Istanbul. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.