Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Gela and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in Gela: $1,235 a month against $1,550 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $3,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

60

Cost of Living Index in Gela
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Gela Living Index
75

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index

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Gela

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,235

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,235 in Gela versus $1,550 in Istanbul.

Gela $1,235
Istanbul $1,550

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,975 in Gela versus $2,415 in Istanbul.

Gela $1,975
Istanbul $2,415

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,714 in Gela versus $3,281 in Istanbul.

Gela $2,714
Istanbul $3,281

Living in Gela costs roughly 20% less than in Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Gela is 9% below, Istanbul is 15% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.32 €10.07

$12.30 ₺609

-7.97%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.3 €49.22

$54.7 ₺2,708

1.15%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.30 €8.28

$9.22 ₺456

0.87%

Cappuccino

$1.75 €1.56

$4.40 ₺218

-60.23%

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

$2.34 €2.08

$1.68 ₺83.1

39.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.26 €1.12

$0.59 ₺29.40

113.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.00 €3.56

$4.70 ₺233

-14.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.87 €3.44

$5.91 ₺292

-34.52%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 €1.11

$1.21 ₺60.0

3.31%

White Bread (500g)

$1.74 €1.55

$0.89 ₺44.10

95.51%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.29 €2.03

$2.19 ₺108

4.57%

Eggs

$2.93 €2.61

$2.35 ₺116

24.68%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.62 €13.01

$10.42 ₺516

40.31%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.93 €10.62

$5.65 ₺280

111.15%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.87 €15.01

$20.94 ₺1,037

-19.44%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.65

$1.90 ₺94.1

56.84%

Banana (1kg)

$2.19 €1.94

$2.31 ₺114

-5.19%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.13 €1.90

$1.28 ₺63.1

66.41%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.24 €2.00

$1.80 ₺89.0

24.44%

Potato (1kg)

$1.72 €1.53

$0.65 ₺32.16

164.62%

Onion (1kg)

$2.84 €2.53

$0.64 ₺31.91

343.75%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.26 €1.12

$1.25 ₺62.1

0.80%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.40 €0.35

$0.56 ₺27.58

-28.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.87 €6.11

$2.37 ₺118

189.87%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.69 €6.84

$13.42 ₺664

-42.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 €1.76

$2.40 ₺119

-17.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.22 €1.97

$3.48 ₺172

-36.21%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.41 €1.26

$0.89 ₺43.84

58.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$42.44 €37.75

$67.4 ₺3,338

-37.06%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.64 €5.02

$1.29 ₺64.1

337.21%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.20 €1.96

$0.92 ₺45.70

139.13%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.81 €29.18

$10.96 ₺542

199.36%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.97 €1.75

$1.47 ₺72.9

34.01%

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

$36.3K €32.3K

$50.8K ₺2.5M

-28.52%

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

$35.5K €31.6K

$44.5K ₺2.2M

-20.18%

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

$169 €150

$88.6 ₺4,387

90.92%

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

$9.98 €8.88

$11.59 ₺574

-13.89%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.12 €24.12

$15.81 ₺783

71.54%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.5 €44.94

$77.2 ₺3,820

-34.53%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.05 €21.39

$22.74 ₺1,126

5.76%

Cinema Ticket

$8.70 €7.74

$8.14 ₺403

6.88%

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

$451 €401

$1,008 ₺49.9K

-55.26%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,478 €4,873

$25.6K ₺1.3M

-78.57%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.1 €62.4

$54.0 ₺2,671

29.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.53 €27.16

$40.83 ₺2,021

-25.23%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.3 €77.6

$98.9 ₺4,895

-11.74%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$125 €111

$96.6 ₺4,783

28.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$305 €271

$985 ₺48.7K

-69.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$271 €241

$650 ₺32.2K

-58.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$499 €444

$1,983 ₺98.2K

-74.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$538 €479

$1,180 ₺58.4K

-54.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,158 €1,920

$3,138 ₺155.4K

-31.22%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$998 €887

$1,780 ₺88.1K

-43.94%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,205 ₺59.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.39

40.92

-91.72%

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

Last update for Gela: October 10, 2026

Last update for Istanbul: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Gela

$303 24.5%

Istanbul

$260 16.8% 14.3% $43

Accommodation & Living

Gela

$271 21.9%

Istanbul

$650 41.9% 140% $379

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Gela

$206 16.7%

Istanbul

$116 7.5% 43.8% $90

Eating Out

Gela

$182 14.7%

Istanbul

$223 14.4% 22.9% $42

Clothing & Footwear

Gela

$141 11.4%

Istanbul

$131 8.4% 7.1% $10

Sport & Entertainment

Gela

$68 5.5%

Istanbul

$93 6% 37.6% $26

Getting Around

Gela

$65 5.2%

Istanbul

$77 5% 18.8% $12

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $305 in Gela and $985 in Istanbul. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $55.0 in Gela vs $55.0 in Istanbul. Groceries flip the comparison at $303 vs $260, with Istanbul cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇮🇹 Gela

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

09:22 9:22 AM

10:22 10:22 AM

1 h ahead of Gela

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

70,735

15,701,602

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 TRY = 2.02 USD

100 TRY = 1.8 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Gela Istanbul 1,340 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Gela
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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

Gela vs Istanbul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Gela is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, leisure, and transport. The 25% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $1,853 in Gela 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: $305 in Gela versus $985 in Istanbul. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $451 in Gela versus $1,008 in Istanbul. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Istanbul pay roughly 17% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,235 in Gela versus $1,550 in Istanbul, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Gela but tight or insufficient in Istanbul. The gap between the two cities makes Gela the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Gela 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, Gela 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 Gela gentler on the wallet – expenses run 25% less than in Istanbul. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.