Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Graz and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in Istanbul: $1,526 a month against $2,204 in Graz, rent and utilities included – about $8,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

107

Cost of Living Index in Graz
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Graz Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index

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Graz

🇦🇹 Austria

$2,204

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,526

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,204 per month in Graz vs $1,526 in Istanbul, rent included.

Graz $2,204
Istanbul $1,526

A couple spends around $3,268 per month in Graz vs $2,399 in Istanbul, rent included.

Graz $3,268
Istanbul $2,399

A family of three spends $4,332 per month in Graz vs $3,272 in Istanbul, rent included.

Graz $4,332
Istanbul $3,272

Graz costs about 44% more than Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Graz and Istanbul sit above the global median – Graz by 64%, Istanbul by 14%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.76 €14.96

$11.88 ₺585

41.08%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$59.5 €53.1

$55.1 ₺2,714

7.93%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.66 €12.19

$9.14 ₺450

49.45%

Cappuccino

$4.32 €3.86

$4.24 ₺209

1.89%

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

$3.94 €3.52

$1.75 ₺86.0

125.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.77 €2.47

$0.54 ₺26.83

412.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.76 €5.14

$4.69 ₺231

22.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.51 €4.91

$5.97 ₺294

-7.71%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.78 €1.59

$1.26 ₺62.1

41.27%

White Bread (500g)

$2.86 €2.55

$0.95 ₺46.81

201.05%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.83 €2.53

$2.31 ₺114

22.51%

Eggs

$5.03 €4.49

$2.47 ₺122

103.64%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$24.53 €21.89

$10.55 ₺520

132.51%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$15.10 €13.48

$5.60 ₺276

169.64%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$23.42 €20.90

$21.21 ₺1,045

10.42%

Apples (1kg)

$2.92 €2.60

$1.93 ₺95.1

51.30%

Banana (1kg)

$2.47 €2.20

$2.29 ₺113

7.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.11 €2.78

$1.28 ₺63.1

142.97%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.71 €3.31

$1.84 ₺90.8

101.63%

Potato (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$0.67 ₺32.86

194.03%

Onion (1kg)

$2.05 €1.83

$0.59 ₺29.31

247.46%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.94 €1.74

$1.33 ₺65.4

45.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.95 €0.85

$0.59 ₺29.10

61.02%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.89 €7.04

$2.36 ₺116

234.32%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.17 €8.19

$13.47 ₺664

-31.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 €1.41

$2.42 ₺119

-34.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 €2.03

$3.54 ₺174

-35.88%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.64 €3.25

$0.83 ₺40.64

338.55%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$75.3 €67.2

$66.5 ₺3,273

13.32%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.39 €4.81

$1.35 ₺66.6

299.26%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.64 €2.36

$0.85 ₺42.05

210.59%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.10 €31.33

$10.86 ₺535

223.20%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.99 €1.78

$1.47 ₺72.3

35.37%

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

$29.9K €26.7K

$51.6K ₺2.5M

-41.99%

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

$27.8K €24.8K

$44.4K ₺2.2M

-37.52%

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

$376 €336

$89.2 ₺4,395

321.61%

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

$13.76 €12.28

$11.60 ₺572

18.62%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.59 €31.76

$16.10 ₺793

121.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.86 €34.68

$77.3 ₺3,805

-49.70%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.97 €19.61

$22.66 ₺1,116

-3.05%

Cinema Ticket

$13.34 €11.91

$8.34 ₺411

59.95%

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

$519 €463

$974 ₺48.0K

-46.70%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,618 €5,013

$25.8K ₺1.3M

-78.20%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$105 €94.1

$52.7 ₺2,597

99.96%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.03 €37.50

$39.16 ₺1,929

7.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 €101

$103 ₺5,083

9.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$168 €150

$96.6 ₺4,759

74.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$831 €742

$994 ₺49.0K

-16.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$689 €615

$629 ₺31.0K

9.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,452 €1,296

$2,024 ₺99.7K

-28.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,164 €1,039

$1,155 ₺56.9K

0.79%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,864 €5,233

$3,160 ₺155.7K

85.57%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,250 €2,900

$1,838 ₺90.5K

76.87%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,155 €2,815

$1,203 ₺59.3K

162.15%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.58

41.09

-91.29%

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

Last update for Graz: 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

Graz

$689 31.4%

Istanbul

$629 41.2% 8.6% $59

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Graz

$426 19.4%

Istanbul

$117 7.7% 72.5% $309

Groceries & Markets

Graz

$418 19.1%

Istanbul

$264 17.3% 36.8% $154

Eating Out

Graz

$294 13.4%

Istanbul

$218 14.3% 25.8% $76

Clothing & Footwear

Graz

$193 8.8%

Istanbul

$131 8.6% 31.9% $62

Getting Around

Graz

$108 5%

Istanbul

$75 4.9% 30.5% $33

Sport & Entertainment

Graz

$66 3%

Istanbul

$94 6.1% 43.3% $28

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $831 in Graz 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 162% higher in Graz, 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 $59.0 in Graz versus $55.0 in Istanbul. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $418 vs $264 – making Istanbul the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇹 Graz

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

09:19 9:19 AM

10:19 10:19 AM

1 h ahead of Graz

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

331,359

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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 49.26 TRY (100 TRY = 2.03 USD). 1 EUR = 55.25 TRY (100 TRY = 1.81 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

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Between locations

Graz Istanbul 1,270 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

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Graz
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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

Graz vs Istanbul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Graz is pricier by about 44%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,306 per month in Graz 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.

Groceries cost about 58% more in Graz, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $59.0 in Graz and $55.0 in Istanbul. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Istanbul, where all-in costs run around $1,526, than in Graz at $2,204. In Istanbul it covers expenses comfortably, while in Graz 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, Graz makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.