Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Gran Canaria, Canary Islands and Istanbul

For one person, living costs are similar in Gran Canaria, Canary Islands and in Istanbul: $1,600 and $1,526 a month, rent and utilities included.

79

Cost of Living Index in Gran Canaria, Canary Islands
Learn more

Gran Canaria, Canary Islands Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index

Jump to prices

Gran Canaria, Canary Islands

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,600

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,526

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,600 per month in Gran Canaria, Canary Islands vs $1,526 in Istanbul, rent included.

Gran Canaria, Canary Islands $1,600
Istanbul $1,526

A couple spends around $2,345 per month in Gran Canaria, Canary Islands vs $2,399 in Istanbul, rent included.

Gran Canaria, Canary Islands $2,345
Istanbul $2,399

A family of three spends $3,090 per month in Gran Canaria, Canary Islands vs $3,272 in Istanbul, rent included.

Gran Canaria, Canary Islands $3,090
Istanbul $3,272

Gran Canaria, Canary Islands costs about 5% more than Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both Gran Canaria, Canary Islands and Istanbul sit above the global median – Gran Canaria, Canary Islands by 19%, Istanbul by 14%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.29 €13.70

$11.88 ₺586

28.70%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$57.5 €51.5

$55.1 ₺2,717

4.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.40 €9.32

$9.14 ₺451

13.79%

Cappuccino

$2.13 €1.91

$4.24 ₺209

-49.76%

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

$2.41 €2.16

$1.75 ₺86.1

37.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.71 €1.54

$0.54 ₺26.86

216.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.23 €2.90

$4.69 ₺231

-31.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.38 €3.03

$5.97 ₺295

-43.38%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.20 €1.08

$1.26 ₺62.2

-4.76%

White Bread (500g)

$1.35 €1.21

$0.95 ₺46.87

42.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.62 €1.45

$2.31 ₺114

-29.87%

Eggs

$2.80 €2.51

$2.47 ₺122

13.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.71 €12.28

$10.55 ₺521

29.95%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.26 €7.40

$5.60 ₺276

47.50%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.30 €13.71

$21.21 ₺1,046

-27.86%

Apples (1kg)

$2.46 €2.21

$1.93 ₺95.2

27.46%

Banana (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$2.29 ₺113

-13.97%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.98 €1.77

$1.28 ₺63.2

54.69%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.56 €2.29

$1.84 ₺90.9

39.13%

Potato (1kg)

$1.71 €1.53

$0.67 ₺32.91

155.22%

Onion (1kg)

$2.05 €1.84

$0.59 ₺29.35

247.46%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.31 €1.17

$1.33 ₺65.5

-1.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.76 €0.68

$0.59 ₺29.14

28.81%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.27 €5.61

$2.36 ₺116

165.68%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.68 €5.09

$13.47 ₺665

-57.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.25 €1.12

$2.42 ₺119

-48.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.04 €1.83

$3.54 ₺174

-42.37%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.70 €1.52

$0.83 ₺40.69

104.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$34.53 €30.93

$66.5 ₺3,277

-48.04%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.00 €3.58

$1.35 ₺66.7

196.30%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.24 €1.11

$0.85 ₺42.10

45.88%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.63 €22.06

$10.86 ₺536

126.80%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 €1.61

$1.47 ₺72.4

22.45%

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

$38.4K €34.4K

$51.6K ₺2.5M

-25.68%

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

$30.4K €27.3K

$44.4K ₺2.2M

-31.55%

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

$133 €119

$89.2 ₺4,400

49.20%

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

$21.10 €18.90

$11.60 ₺572

81.90%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.91 €27.69

$16.10 ₺794

91.99%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$47.28 €42.36

$77.3 ₺3,810

-38.80%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.31 €13.72

$22.66 ₺1,117

-32.44%

Cinema Ticket

$9.19 €8.23

$8.34 ₺411

10.19%

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

$409 €366

$974 ₺48.0K

-58.04%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,292 €7,428

$25.8K ₺1.3M

-67.83%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$85.1 €76.2

$52.7 ₺2,600

61.43%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.30 €31.62

$39.16 ₺1,932

-9.86%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.1 €79.8

$103 ₺5,090

-13.68%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 €96.6

$96.6 ₺4,765

11.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$843 €755

$994 ₺49.0K

-15.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$689 €618

$629 ₺31.0K

9.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,304 €1,168

$2,024 ₺99.8K

-35.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$995 €891

$1,155 ₺57.0K

-13.86%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,345 €2,996

$3,160 ₺155.9K

5.83%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,308 €2,068

$1,838 ₺90.6K

25.62%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,203 ₺59.4K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.5

41.09

-91.48%

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

Last update for Gran Canaria, Canary Islands: 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

Gran Canaria, Canary Islands

$689 42.7%

Istanbul

$629 41.2% 8.7% $60

Groceries & Markets

Gran Canaria, Canary Islands

$262 16.2%

Istanbul

$264 17.3% 0.9% $2.3

Eating Out

Gran Canaria, Canary Islands

$218 13.5%

Istanbul

$218 14.3% 0.3% $0.6

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Gran Canaria, Canary Islands

$185 11.5%

Istanbul

$117 7.7% 36.8% $68

Clothing & Footwear

Gran Canaria, Canary Islands

$143 8.8%

Istanbul

$131 8.6% 8.1% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Gran Canaria, Canary Islands

$66 4.1%

Istanbul

$94 6.1% 43.1% $28

Getting Around

Gran Canaria, Canary Islands

$52 3.2%

Istanbul

$75 4.9% 46.2% $24

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $843 in Gran Canaria, Canary Islands 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $57.0 in Gran Canaria, Canary Islands versus $55.0 in Istanbul. Groceries tell a different story – $262 in Gran Canaria, Canary Islands vs $264 in Istanbul – so Gran Canaria, Canary Islands wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Gran Canaria, Canary Islands

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

06:56 6:56 AM

08:56 8:56 AM

2 h ahead of Gran Canaria, Canary Islands

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

862,893

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

TRY, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 13, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of October 13, 2026: 1 USD = 49.32 TRY (100 TRY = 2.03 USD). 1 EUR = 55.28 TRY (100 TRY = 1.81 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Gran Canaria, Canary Islands Istanbul 4,280 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Gran Canaria, Canary Islands
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

Gran Canaria, Canary Islands vs Istanbul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Gran Canaria, Canary Islands is pricier by about 5%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in leisure.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,401 per month in Gran Canaria, Canary Islands 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 $409 per month in Gran Canaria, Canary Islands 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 1% cheaper in Gran Canaria, Canary Islands – 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 Gran Canaria, Canary Islands at $1,600. In Istanbul it covers expenses comfortably, while in Gran Canaria, Canary Islands it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

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, Gran Canaria, Canary Islands makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.