Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Gdansk and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in Istanbul: $1,526 a month against $1,752 in Gdansk, rent and utilities included – about $2,700 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Gdansk outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

86

Cost of Living Index in Gdansk
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Gdansk Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index

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Gdansk

🇵🇱 Poland

$1,752

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,526

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,752 per month in Gdansk vs $1,526 in Istanbul, rent included.

Gdansk $1,752
Istanbul $1,526

A couple spends around $2,523 per month in Gdansk vs $2,399 in Istanbul, rent included.

Gdansk $2,523
Istanbul $2,399

A family of three spends $3,294 per month in Gdansk vs $3,272 in Istanbul, rent included.

Gdansk $3,294
Istanbul $3,272

Gdansk costs about 15% more than Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Gdansk and Istanbul sit above the global median – Gdansk by 31%, Istanbul by 14%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.44 zł 44.71

$11.88 ₺585

-3.70%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$57.9 zł 226

$55.1 ₺2,714

5.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.79 zł 34.37

$9.14 ₺450

-3.83%

Cappuccino

$4.10 zł 16.02

$4.24 ₺209

-3.30%

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

$2.33 zł 9.12

$1.75 ₺86.0

33.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.65 zł 6.45

$0.54 ₺26.83

205.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.77 zł 14.72

$4.69 ₺231

-19.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.81 zł 14.90

$5.97 ₺294

-36.18%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.00 zł 3.93

$1.26 ₺62.1

-20.63%

White Bread (500g)

$1.29 zł 5.04

$0.95 ₺46.81

35.79%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.72 zł 6.74

$2.31 ₺114

-25.54%

Eggs

$3.89 zł 15.22

$2.47 ₺122

57.49%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.47 zł 33.11

$10.55 ₺520

-19.72%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.77 zł 26.47

$5.60 ₺276

20.89%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.76 zł 53.8

$21.21 ₺1,045

-35.12%

Apples (1kg)

$1.25 zł 4.90

$1.93 ₺95.1

-35.23%

Banana (1kg)

$1.81 zł 7.09

$2.29 ₺113

-20.96%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.10 zł 8.21

$1.28 ₺63.1

64.06%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.12 zł 12.20

$1.84 ₺90.8

69.57%

Potato (1kg)

$0.79 zł 3.09

$0.67 ₺32.86

17.91%

Onion (1kg)

$1.06 zł 4.14

$0.59 ₺29.31

79.66%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.31 zł 5.14

$1.33 ₺65.4

-1.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.69 zł 2.70

$0.59 ₺29.10

16.95%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.92 zł 23.13

$2.36 ₺116

150.85%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.62 zł 25.89

$13.47 ₺664

-50.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 zł 4.83

$2.42 ₺119

-49.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.80 zł 7.03

$3.54 ₺174

-49.15%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.20 zł 4.71

$0.83 ₺40.64

44.58%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.95 zł 121

$66.5 ₺3,273

-53.42%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.03 zł 7.92

$1.35 ₺66.6

50.37%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.03 zł 4.04

$0.85 ₺42.05

21.18%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$12.55 zł 49.06

$10.86 ₺535

15.56%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.62 zł 6.32

$1.47 ₺72.3

10.20%

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

$30.2K zł 118.1K

$51.6K ₺2.5M

-41.48%

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

$28.6K zł 111.9K

$44.4K ₺2.2M

-35.57%

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

$296 zł 1,157

$89.2 ₺4,395

231.66%

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

$11.78 zł 46.06

$11.60 ₺572

1.55%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.47 zł 80.0

$16.10 ₺793

27.14%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.71 zł 175

$77.3 ₺3,805

-42.12%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.31 zł 115

$22.66 ₺1,116

29.35%

Cinema Ticket

$7.84 zł 30.63

$8.34 ₺411

-6.00%

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

$537 zł 2,098

$974 ₺48.0K

-44.87%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,897 zł 30.9K

$25.8K ₺1.3M

-69.36%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.3 zł 349

$52.7 ₺2,597

69.44%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.46 zł 189

$39.16 ₺1,929

23.75%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.7 zł 366

$103 ₺5,083

-9.23%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 zł 415

$96.6 ₺4,759

9.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$999 zł 3,906

$994 ₺49.0K

0.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$742 zł 2,900

$629 ₺31.0K

17.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,670 zł 6,526

$2,024 ₺99.7K

-17.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,099 zł 4,295

$1,155 ₺56.9K

-4.85%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,429 zł 21.2K

$3,160 ₺155.7K

71.79%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,001 zł 11.7K

$1,838 ₺90.5K

63.32%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,991 zł 7,782

$1,203 ₺59.3K

65.42%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.67

41.09

-83.77%

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

Last update for Gdansk: October 3, 2026

Last update for Istanbul: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Gdansk

$742 42.1%

Istanbul

$629 41.2% 15.2% $113

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Gdansk

$328 18.6%

Istanbul

$117 7.7% 64.4% $211

Groceries & Markets

Gdansk

$228 12.9%

Istanbul

$264 17.3% 15.7% $36

Eating Out

Gdansk

$209 11.9%

Istanbul

$218 14.3% 4% $8.4

Clothing & Footwear

Gdansk

$152 8.6%

Istanbul

$131 8.6% 13.6% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Gdansk

$60 3.4%

Istanbul

$94 6.1% 55.5% $34

Getting Around

Gdansk

$43 2.4%

Istanbul

$75 4.9% 75.4% $32

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $999 in Gdansk 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 65% higher in Gdansk, 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 $58.0 in Gdansk versus $55.0 in Istanbul. Groceries tell a different story – $228 in Gdansk vs $264 in Istanbul – so Gdansk wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇵🇱 Gdansk

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

13:30 1:30 PM

14:30 2:30 PM

1 h ahead of Gdansk

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

470,633

15,701,602

💱 Currency

Polish Złoty PLN zł

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

📈 Exchange rate

1 PLN = 0.256 USD

1 PLN = 0.228 EUR

100 TRY = 2.03 USD

100 TRY = 1.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TRY, USD, EUR to PLN – Polish Złoty Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇱 Polish Złoty (zł)

Polish Złoty exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3.91 PLN (1 PLN = 0.256 USD). 1 EUR = 4.38 PLN (1 PLN = 0.228 EUR).

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 49.26 TRY (100 TRY = 2.03 USD). 1 EUR = 55.2 TRY (100 TRY = 1.81 EUR).

USD to PLN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Gdansk Istanbul 1,670 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Gdansk
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

Gdansk vs Istanbul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,752 in Gdansk, $1,526 in Istanbul – roughly 15% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,628 per month in Gdansk 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.

Kindergarten costs $537 per month in Gdansk and $974 in Istanbul. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 16% cheaper in Gdansk – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Istanbul, where all-in costs run around $1,526, than in Gdansk at $1,752. In Istanbul it covers expenses comfortably, while in Gdansk it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Gdansk has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,526 in Istanbul to $1,752 in Gdansk. 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, Gdansk makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.