Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Heraklion and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in Istanbul: $1,519 a month against $1,629 in Heraklion, rent and utilities included – about $1,300 less a year. The total is higher in Heraklion despite lower rent and utilities.

78

Cost of Living Index in Heraklion
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Heraklion Living Index
73

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index

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Heraklion

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,629

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,519

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,629 in Heraklion versus $1,519 in Istanbul.

Heraklion $1,629
Istanbul $1,519

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,534 in Heraklion versus $2,365 in Istanbul.

Heraklion $2,534
Istanbul $2,365

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,438 in Heraklion versus $3,212 in Istanbul.

Heraklion $3,438
Istanbul $3,212

Living in Heraklion is roughly 7% more expensive than in Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Heraklion 21% above, Istanbul 12% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.71 €11.38

$11.81 ₺592

7.62%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$56.6 €50.7

$54.9 ₺2,754

3.15%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.92 €8.88

$9.26 ₺465

7.13%

Cappuccino

$3.87 €3.46

$4.30 ₺216

-10.00%

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

$2.46 €2.20

$1.77 ₺89.0

38.98%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 €0.70

$0.56 ₺28.32

39.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.64 €5.04

$4.69 ₺235

20.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.42 €4.85

$7.12 ₺357

-23.88%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.77 €1.58

$1.25 ₺62.7

41.60%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 €1.30

$0.88 ₺44.17

64.77%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.71 €2.42

$2.20 ₺111

23.18%

Eggs

$4.57 €4.09

$2.43 ₺122

88.07%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.74 €14.08

$10.48 ₺526

50.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.71 €9.58

$5.31 ₺267

101.69%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.41 €13.79

$21.10 ₺1,058

-26.97%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 €1.93

$1.86 ₺93.1

15.59%

Banana (1kg)

$2.13 €1.91

$2.30 ₺115

-7.39%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.36 €1.21

$1.22 ₺61.0

11.48%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.69 €1.51

$1.80 ₺90.2

-6.11%

Potato (1kg)

$1.18 €1.05

$0.69 ₺34.83

71.01%

Onion (1kg)

$1.22 €1.09

$0.64 ₺32.16

90.62%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.96 €0.85

$1.36 ₺68.0

-29.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.71 €0.64

$0.58 ₺28.94

22.41%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.99 €4.47

$2.34 ₺117

113.25%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.60 €6.80

$13.03 ₺653

-41.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.26 €2.02

$2.36 ₺118

-4.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.96 €2.65

$3.32 ₺166

-10.84%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.48 €1.32

$0.88 ₺44.07

68.18%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$70.7 €63.2

$66.1 ₺3,316

6.90%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.40 €3.94

$1.28 ₺64.4

243.75%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.99 €0.88

$0.85 ₺42.80

16.47%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.23 €19.89

$11.09 ₺556

100.45%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.17 €1.95

$1.48 ₺74.0

46.62%

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

$27.8K €24.9K

$48.6K ₺2.4M

-42.87%

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

$23.7K €21.2K

$42.0K ₺2.1M

-43.44%

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

$195 €174

$92.7 ₺4,650

110.11%

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

$30.56 €27.34

$11.20 ₺562

172.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$38.91 €34.82

$15.89 ₺797

144.87%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.1 €48.43

$74.7 ₺3,745

-27.53%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$38.86 €34.77

$22.95 ₺1,151

69.32%

Cinema Ticket

$8.94 €8.00

$8.05 ₺404

11.06%

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

$411 €368

$948 ₺47.6K

-56.62%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,367 €1,223

$36.9K ₺1.9M

-96.30%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.5 €79.2

$53.9 ₺2,702

64.29%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.01 €38.49

$41.49 ₺2,081

3.66%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.6 €75.7

$101 ₺5,060

-16.12%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$137 €122

$91.3 ₺4,580

49.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$653 €585

$1,014 ₺50.8K

-35.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$522 €467

$625 ₺31.3K

-16.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,177 €1,053

$2,005 ₺100.6K

-41.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$996 €891

$1,126 ₺56.5K

-11.51%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,589 €3,211

$2,988 ₺149.8K

20.12%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,458 €2,199

$1,730 ₺86.8K

42.04%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,111 €994

$1,136 ₺57.0K

-2.23%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.44

40.42

-89.02%

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

Last update for Heraklion: October 31, 2026

Last update for Istanbul: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Heraklion

$522 32%

Istanbul

$625 41.1% 19.7% $103

Groceries & Markets

Heraklion

$296 18.2%

Istanbul

$258 17% 12.9% $38

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Heraklion

$264 16.2%

Istanbul

$120 7.9% 54.7% $144

Eating Out

Heraklion

$230 14.1%

Istanbul

$221 14.6% 3.9% $9

Clothing & Footwear

Heraklion

$159 9.8%

Istanbul

$129 8.5% 18.5% $29

Getting Around

Heraklion

$86 5.3%

Istanbul

$75 5% 12.5% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Heraklion

$72 4.4%

Istanbul

$91 6% 26.1% $19

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $653 in Heraklion and $1,014 in Istanbul. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $57 in Heraklion vs $55 in Istanbul for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $296 vs $258 per month, with Istanbul cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Heraklion

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

16:12 4:12 PM

17:12 5:12 PM

1 h ahead of Heraklion

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

140,730

15,701,602

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 TRY = 1.99 USD

100 TRY = 1.78 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TRY, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 0.895 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

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 EUR in detail →

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Heraklion Istanbul 710 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Heraklion
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

Heraklion vs Istanbul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Istanbul is about 7% cheaper overall, especially in utilities, groceries, and clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $2,444 in Heraklion and $2,278 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: $653 in Heraklion versus $1,014 in Istanbul. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $411 in Heraklion versus $948 in Istanbul. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 15% higher in Heraklion. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,500. Istanbul is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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, Heraklion and Istanbul are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.