Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Focsani and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in Focsani: $1,024 a month against $1,519 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $5,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

49

Cost of Living Index in Focsani
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Focsani Living Index
73

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index

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Focsani

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,024

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,519

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,024 in Focsani versus $1,519 in Istanbul.

Focsani $1,024
Istanbul $1,519

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,663 in Focsani versus $2,365 in Istanbul.

Focsani $1,663
Istanbul $2,365

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,302 in Focsani versus $3,212 in Istanbul.

Focsani $2,302
Istanbul $3,212

Living in Focsani costs roughly 33% less than in Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Focsani is 24% below, Istanbul is 12% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.43 RON 35.28

$11.81 ₺592

-37.09%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$41.94 RON 199

$54.9 ₺2,754

-23.62%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.26 RON 34.51

$9.26 ₺465

-21.60%

Cappuccino

$2.48 RON 11.81

$4.30 ₺216

-42.33%

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

$1.85 RON 8.81

$1.77 ₺89.0

4.52%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.64 RON 7.78

$0.56 ₺28.32

192.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.87 RON 8.89

$4.69 ₺235

-60.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.58 RON 12.26

$7.12 ₺357

-63.76%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.63 RON 7.75

$1.25 ₺62.7

30.40%

White Bread (500g)

$1.14 RON 5.43

$0.88 ₺44.17

29.55%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.29 RON 6.15

$2.20 ₺111

-41.36%

Eggs

$3.26 RON 15.47

$2.43 ₺122

34.16%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.18 RON 43.61

$10.48 ₺526

-12.40%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.72 RON 31.92

$5.31 ₺267

26.55%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.57 RON 50.2

$21.10 ₺1,058

-49.91%

Apples (1kg)

$1.17 RON 5.56

$1.86 ₺93.1

-37.10%

Banana (1kg)

$1.65 RON 7.82

$2.30 ₺115

-28.26%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.49 RON 7.07

$1.22 ₺61.0

22.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.28 RON 10.85

$1.80 ₺90.2

26.67%

Potato (1kg)

$0.86 RON 4.06

$0.69 ₺34.83

24.64%

Onion (1kg)

$0.74 RON 3.54

$0.64 ₺32.16

15.62%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.61 RON 2.89

$1.36 ₺68.0

-55.15%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.75 RON 3.57

$0.58 ₺28.94

29.31%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.71 RON 27.14

$2.34 ₺117

144.02%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.08 RON 19.38

$13.03 ₺653

-68.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 RON 5.46

$2.36 ₺118

-51.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.51 RON 7.18

$3.32 ₺166

-54.52%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.82 RON 3.91

$0.88 ₺44.07

-6.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.51 RON 73.7

$66.1 ₺3,316

-76.54%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.61 RON 2.91

$1.28 ₺64.4

-52.34%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.62 RON 2.93

$0.85 ₺42.80

-27.06%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.38 RON 30.30

$11.09 ₺556

-42.47%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.87 RON 8.87

$1.48 ₺74.0

26.35%

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

$25.2K RON 119.5K

$48.6K ₺2.4M

-48.28%

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

$24.3K RON 115.6K

$42.0K ₺2.1M

-42.04%

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

$171 RON 812

$92.7 ₺4,650

84.25%

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

$8.45 RON 40.14

$11.20 ₺562

-24.55%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.22 RON 43.83

$15.89 ₺797

-41.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.04 RON 133

$74.7 ₺3,745

-62.45%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$36.84 RON 175

$22.95 ₺1,151

60.52%

Cinema Ticket

$8.62 RON 40.93

$8.05 ₺404

7.08%

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

$316 RON 1,503

$948 ₺47.6K

-66.65%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.7K RON 88.7K

$36.9K ₺1.9M

-49.41%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$92.2 RON 438

$53.9 ₺2,702

71.18%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.80 RON 184

$41.49 ₺2,081

-6.48%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.8 RON 379

$101 ₺5,060

-20.89%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$92.5 RON 440

$91.3 ₺4,580

1.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$373 RON 1,770

$1,014 ₺50.8K

-63.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$288 RON 1,368

$625 ₺31.3K

-53.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$929 RON 4,415

$2,005 ₺100.6K

-53.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$658 RON 3,124

$1,126 ₺56.5K

-41.60%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,075 RON 5,107

$2,988 ₺149.8K

-64.02%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$875 RON 4,159

$1,730 ₺86.8K

-49.40%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$690 RON 3,281

$1,136 ₺57.0K

-39.24%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.75

40.42

-83.30%

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

Last update for Focsani: 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

Focsani

$288 28.1%

Istanbul

$625 41.1% 117% $337

Groceries & Markets

Focsani

$204 19.9%

Istanbul

$258 17% 26.4% $54

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Focsani

$188 18.4%

Istanbul

$120 7.9% 36.4% $69

Eating Out

Focsani

$140 13.6%

Istanbul

$221 14.6% 58.4% $81

Clothing & Footwear

Focsani

$137 13.3%

Istanbul

$129 8.5% 5.2% $7.1

Sport & Entertainment

Focsani

$45 4.4%

Istanbul

$91 6% 101% $46

Getting Around

Focsani

$22 2.2%

Istanbul

$75 5% 234% $53

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $373 in Focsani and $1,014 in Istanbul. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Istanbul pays 65% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $42 in Focsani vs $55 in Istanbul for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $204 vs $258 per month, with Focsani cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Focsani

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

15:16 3:16 PM

16:16 4:16 PM

1 h ahead of Focsani

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

97,186

15,701,602

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.21 USD

1 RON = 0.187 EUR

100 TRY = 1.99 USD

100 TRY = 1.78 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TRY, USD, EUR to RON – Romanian Leu Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇷🇴 Romanian Leu (lei)

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 4.75 RON (1 RON = 0.21 USD). 1 EUR = 5.34 RON (1 RON = 0.187 EUR).

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 50.15 TRY (100 TRY = 1.99 USD). 1 EUR = 56.33 TRY (100 TRY = 1.78 EUR).

USD to RON in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Focsani Istanbul 540 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Focsani
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

Focsani vs Istanbul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Focsani wins on cost – living expenses run 33% lower than in Istanbul. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Focsani the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 39% lower in Focsani. 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: $373 in Focsani versus $1,014 in Istanbul. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Focsani – a meal for two runs $42 versus $55 in Istanbul. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $1,024 per month in Focsani versus $1,519 in Istanbul – Focsani is about 33% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Focsani 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.

Expats usually find Focsani gentler on the wallet – expenses run 33% less than in Istanbul. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.