Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Giurgiu and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in Giurgiu: $1,102 a month against $1,519 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $5,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

53

Cost of Living Index in Giurgiu
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Giurgiu Living Index
73

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index

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Giurgiu

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,102

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,519

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,102 per month in Giurgiu vs $1,519 in Istanbul, rent included.

Giurgiu $1,102
Istanbul $1,519

A couple spends around $1,693 per month in Giurgiu vs $2,365 in Istanbul, rent included.

Giurgiu $1,693
Istanbul $2,365

A family of three spends $2,284 per month in Giurgiu vs $3,212 in Istanbul, rent included.

Giurgiu $2,284
Istanbul $3,212

Giurgiu is about 27% cheaper than Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Giurgiu sits 18% below the global median, while Istanbul is 12% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.21 RON 53.3

$11.81 ₺592

-5.08%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$52.7 RON 250

$54.9 ₺2,754

-4.06%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.51 RON 35.69

$9.26 ₺465

-18.90%

Cappuccino

$3.69 RON 17.52

$4.30 ₺216

-14.19%

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

$2.44 RON 11.59

$1.77 ₺89.0

37.85%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.23 RON 10.58

$0.56 ₺28.32

298.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.13 RON 14.87

$4.69 ₺235

-33.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.43 RON 16.32

$7.12 ₺357

-51.83%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.60 RON 7.62

$1.25 ₺62.7

28.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.42 RON 6.74

$0.88 ₺44.17

61.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.69 RON 8.02

$2.20 ₺111

-23.18%

Eggs

$3.62 RON 17.18

$2.43 ₺122

48.97%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.83 RON 41.97

$10.48 ₺526

-15.74%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.76 RON 32.11

$5.31 ₺267

27.31%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.78 RON 60.7

$21.10 ₺1,058

-39.43%

Apples (1kg)

$1.50 RON 7.15

$1.86 ₺93.1

-19.35%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 RON 7.38

$2.30 ₺115

-32.61%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.59 RON 7.54

$1.22 ₺61.0

30.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.62 RON 12.45

$1.80 ₺90.2

45.56%

Potato (1kg)

$0.76 RON 3.60

$0.69 ₺34.83

10.14%

Onion (1kg)

$0.81 RON 3.83

$0.64 ₺32.16

26.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.81 RON 3.85

$1.36 ₺68.0

-40.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.79 RON 3.76

$0.58 ₺28.94

36.21%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.99 RON 28.46

$2.34 ₺117

155.98%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.48 RON 35.52

$13.03 ₺653

-42.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.22 RON 5.81

$2.36 ₺118

-48.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.77 RON 8.41

$3.32 ₺166

-46.69%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.76 RON 3.61

$0.88 ₺44.07

-13.64%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.27 RON 106

$66.1 ₺3,316

-66.32%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.68 RON 3.22

$1.28 ₺64.4

-46.88%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.63 RON 2.97

$0.85 ₺42.80

-25.88%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.36 RON 30.23

$11.09 ₺556

-42.65%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.86 RON 8.83

$1.48 ₺74.0

25.68%

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

$28.8K RON 137.0K

$48.6K ₺2.4M

-40.72%

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

$25.7K RON 122.0K

$42.0K ₺2.1M

-38.83%

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

$181 RON 862

$92.7 ₺4,650

95.71%

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

$7.15 RON 33.97

$11.20 ₺562

-36.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$8.93 RON 42.41

$15.89 ₺797

-43.80%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.94 RON 204

$74.7 ₺3,745

-42.50%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.83 RON 104

$22.95 ₺1,151

-4.88%

Cinema Ticket

$9.24 RON 43.90

$8.05 ₺404

14.78%

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

$444 RON 2,108

$948 ₺47.6K

-53.22%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,626 RON 36.2K

$36.9K ₺1.9M

-79.34%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.8 RON 241

$53.9 ₺2,702

-5.68%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.38 RON 168

$41.49 ₺2,081

-14.73%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.2 RON 362

$101 ₺5,060

-24.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.7 RON 422

$91.3 ₺4,580

-2.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$335 RON 1,592

$1,014 ₺50.8K

-66.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$276 RON 1,311

$625 ₺31.3K

-55.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$642 RON 3,048

$2,005 ₺100.6K

-68.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$431 RON 2,048

$1,126 ₺56.5K

-61.71%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,909 RON 9,069

$2,988 ₺149.8K

-36.11%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,195 RON 5,678

$1,730 ₺86.8K

-30.93%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$897 RON 4,261

$1,136 ₺57.0K

-21.09%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.23

40.42

-82.11%

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

Last update for Giurgiu: November 1, 2026

Last update for Istanbul: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Giurgiu

$276 25%

Istanbul

$625 41.1% 126% $349

Groceries & Markets

Giurgiu

$228 20.7%

Istanbul

$258 17% 13.5% $31

Eating Out

Giurgiu

$198 17.9%

Istanbul

$221 14.6% 11.8% $23

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Giurgiu

$198 17.9%

Istanbul

$120 7.9% 39.4% $78

Clothing & Footwear

Giurgiu

$113 10.3%

Istanbul

$129 8.5% 14.5% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Giurgiu

$61 5.6%

Istanbul

$91 6% 47.8% $29

Getting Around

Giurgiu

$29 2.6%

Istanbul

$75 5% 158% $46

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $335 in Giurgiu versus $1,014 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 27% higher in Istanbul, 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 $53 in Giurgiu versus $55 in Istanbul. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $228 vs $258 – making Giurgiu the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Giurgiu

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

14:03 2:03 PM

15:03 3:03 PM

1 h ahead of Giurgiu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

61,353

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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Giurgiu Istanbul 410 km

From you

Giurgiu
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

Giurgiu vs Istanbul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 38%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,653 per month in Giurgiu and $2,278 in Istanbul. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Giurgiu, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $335 there versus $1,014 in Istanbul.

Public transport costs about 66% less in Giurgiu. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $444 per month in Giurgiu and $948 in Istanbul. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Giurgiu, where all-in costs run around $1,102, than in Istanbul at $1,519. In Giurgiu it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Giurgiu – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

If budget matters most, go with Giurgiu. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Istanbul makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.