Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Gjilan and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in Gjilan: $774 a month against $1,526 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $9,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

38

Cost of Living Index in Gjilan
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Gjilan Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index

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Gjilan

🇽🇰 Kosovo

$774

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,526

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $774 in Gjilan versus $1,526 in Istanbul.

Gjilan $774
Istanbul $1,526

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,140 in Gjilan versus $2,399 in Istanbul.

Gjilan $1,140
Istanbul $2,399

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,507 in Gjilan versus $3,272 in Istanbul.

Gjilan $1,507
Istanbul $3,272

Living in Gjilan costs roughly 49% less than in Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Gjilan is 42% below, Istanbul is 14% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.13 €3.69

$11.88 ₺585

-65.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.81 €20.35

$55.1 ₺2,714

-58.60%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.77 €5.15

$9.14 ₺450

-36.87%

Cappuccino

$1.36 €1.21

$4.24 ₺209

-67.92%

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

$1.09 €0.97

$1.75 ₺86.0

-37.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.88 €0.78

$0.54 ₺26.83

62.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.66 €1.48

$4.69 ₺231

-64.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.32 €1.18

$5.97 ₺294

-77.89%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 €1.11

$1.26 ₺62.1

-0.79%

White Bread (500g)

$0.46 €0.41

$0.95 ₺46.81

-51.58%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.29 €1.15

$2.31 ₺114

-44.16%

Eggs

$1.86 €1.66

$2.47 ₺122

-24.70%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.81 €6.97

$10.55 ₺520

-25.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.67 €5.95

$5.60 ₺276

19.11%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.67 €11.31

$21.21 ₺1,045

-40.26%

Apples (1kg)

$1.57 €1.40

$1.93 ₺95.1

-18.65%

Banana (1kg)

$1.58 €1.41

$2.29 ₺113

-31.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.69 €1.51

$1.28 ₺63.1

32.03%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.65 €1.47

$1.84 ₺90.8

-10.33%

Potato (1kg)

$0.96 €0.85

$0.67 ₺32.86

43.28%

Onion (1kg)

$0.86 €0.77

$0.59 ₺29.31

45.76%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.84 €0.75

$1.33 ₺65.4

-36.84%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 €0.44

$0.59 ₺29.10

-16.95%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.41 €3.04

$2.36 ₺116

44.49%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.69 €5.07

$13.47 ₺664

-57.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.00 €0.89

$2.42 ₺119

-58.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.26 €1.13

$3.54 ₺174

-64.41%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.58 €0.52

$0.83 ₺40.64

-30.12%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.5 ₺3,273

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.19 €1.96

$1.35 ₺66.6

62.22%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.59 €0.52

$0.85 ₺42.05

-30.59%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.30 €2.95

$10.86 ₺535

-69.61%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.43 €1.28

$1.47 ₺72.3

-2.72%

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

$22.2K €19.8K

$51.6K ₺2.5M

-56.98%

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

$25.6K €22.9K

$44.4K ₺2.2M

-42.31%

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

$107 €95.2

$89.2 ₺4,395

19.50%

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

$11.27 €10.06

$11.60 ₺572

-2.84%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.50 €20.97

$16.10 ₺793

45.96%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$19.87 €17.73

$77.3 ₺3,805

-74.28%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.66 ₺1,116

Cinema Ticket

$4.57 €4.08

$8.34 ₺411

-45.20%

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

$166 €148

$974 ₺48.0K

-82.98%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,466 €1,308

$25.8K ₺1.3M

-94.31%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.41 €37.85

$52.7 ₺2,597

-19.54%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.57 €28.17

$39.16 ₺1,929

-19.38%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$63.2 €56.4

$103 ₺5,083

-38.75%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.9 €71.3

$96.6 ₺4,759

-17.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$278 €248

$994 ₺49.0K

-72.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$228 €204

$629 ₺31.0K

-63.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$479 €428

$2,024 ₺99.7K

-76.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$360 €321

$1,155 ₺56.9K

-68.83%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$911 €813

$3,160 ₺155.7K

-71.17%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$700 €624

$1,838 ₺90.5K

-61.93%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$441 €394

$1,203 ₺59.3K

-63.33%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.5

41.09

-89.05%

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

Last update for Gjilan: October 5, 2026

Last update for Istanbul: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Gjilan

$228 29.3%

Istanbul

$629 41.2% 176% $401

Groceries & Markets

Gjilan

$190 24.3%

Istanbul

$264 17.3% 39.3% $74

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Gjilan

$141 18.2%

Istanbul

$117 7.7% 17.3% $24

Clothing & Footwear

Gjilan

$98 12.5%

Istanbul

$131 8.6% 34.4% $34

Eating Out

Gjilan

$85 11%

Istanbul

$218 14.3% 155% $132

Sport & Entertainment

Gjilan

$29 3.7%

Istanbul

$94 6.1% 224% $65

Getting Around

Gjilan

$7.5 * 1%

Istanbul

$75 4.9% 910% $68

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 $278 in Gjilan and $994 in Istanbul. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Istanbul pays 173% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $23.00 in Gjilan vs $55.0 in Istanbul for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $190 vs $264 per month, with Gjilan cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇽🇰 Gjilan

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

15:46 3:46 PM

16:46 4:46 PM

1 h ahead of Gjilan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

54,239

15,701,602

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 TRY = 2.03 USD

100 TRY = 1.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Gjilan Istanbul 640 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Gjilan
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

Gjilan vs Istanbul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Gjilan and Istanbul differ by about 97% in total monthly costs ($774 vs $1,526 including rent). Gjilan is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 173% lower in Istanbul. 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: $278 in Gjilan versus $994 in Istanbul. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 39% higher in Istanbul. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $774 per month in Gjilan versus $1,526 in Istanbul – a 97% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $774 in Gjilan versus $1,526 in Istanbul, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Gjilan but tight or insufficient in Istanbul. The gap between the two cities makes Gjilan the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.

Safety-wise, Gjilan 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 Gjilan gentler on the wallet – expenses run 97% less than in Istanbul. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.