Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Herceg Novi and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in Herceg Novi: $1,237 a month against $1,526 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $3,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

61

Cost of Living Index in Herceg Novi
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Herceg Novi Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index

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Herceg Novi

🇲🇪 Montenegro

$1,237

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,526

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,237 in Herceg Novi versus $1,526 in Istanbul.

Herceg Novi $1,237
Istanbul $1,526

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,973 in Herceg Novi versus $2,399 in Istanbul.

Herceg Novi $1,973
Istanbul $2,399

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,710 in Herceg Novi versus $3,272 in Istanbul.

Herceg Novi $2,710
Istanbul $3,272

Living in Herceg Novi costs roughly 19% less than in Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Herceg Novi is 8% below, Istanbul is 14% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.23 €10.02

$11.88 ₺585

-5.47%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$36.34 €32.43

$55.1 ₺2,714

-34.04%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.19 €8.20

$9.14 ₺450

0.55%

Cappuccino

$2.59 €2.31

$4.24 ₺209

-38.92%

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

$2.47 €2.20

$1.75 ₺86.0

41.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.64 €1.46

$0.54 ₺26.83

203.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.82 €2.52

$4.69 ₺231

-39.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.39 €3.02

$5.97 ₺294

-43.22%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.04

$1.26 ₺62.1

-7.94%

White Bread (500g)

$1.02 €0.91

$0.95 ₺46.81

7.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.82 €2.52

$2.31 ₺114

22.08%

Eggs

$3.03 €2.70

$2.47 ₺122

22.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.94 €7.98

$10.55 ₺520

-15.26%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.27 €6.48

$5.60 ₺276

29.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.81 €11.43

$21.21 ₺1,045

-39.60%

Apples (1kg)

$1.34 €1.20

$1.93 ₺95.1

-30.57%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 €1.38

$2.29 ₺113

-32.31%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.58 €1.41

$1.28 ₺63.1

23.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.02 €2.70

$1.84 ₺90.8

64.13%

Potato (1kg)

$0.89 €0.80

$0.67 ₺32.86

32.84%

Onion (1kg)

$1.30 €1.16

$0.59 ₺29.31

120.34%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.52 €1.36

$1.33 ₺65.4

14.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.93 €0.83

$0.59 ₺29.10

57.63%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.98 €3.55

$2.36 ₺116

68.64%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.43 €3.96

$13.47 ₺664

-67.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 €1.11

$2.42 ₺119

-48.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.72 €1.54

$3.54 ₺174

-51.41%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.69 €1.51

$0.83 ₺40.64

103.61%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$45.08 €40.23

$66.5 ₺3,273

-32.16%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.91 €2.60

$1.35 ₺66.6

115.56%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.09 €0.97

$0.85 ₺42.05

28.24%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.59 €14.81

$10.86 ₺535

52.76%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.72 €1.53

$1.47 ₺72.3

17.01%

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

$33.0K €29.5K

$51.6K ₺2.5M

-35.99%

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

$20.9K €18.7K

$44.4K ₺2.2M

-52.91%

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

$131 €117

$89.2 ₺4,395

47.38%

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

$12.86 €11.48

$11.60 ₺572

10.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.38 €29.79

$16.10 ₺793

107.33%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.7 €49.71

$77.3 ₺3,805

-27.88%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.00 €9.81

$22.66 ₺1,116

-51.46%

Cinema Ticket

$8.00 €7.14

$8.34 ₺411

-4.08%

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

$443 €395

$974 ₺48.0K

-54.50%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,028 €6,272

$25.8K ₺1.3M

-72.73%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$82.5 €73.7

$52.7 ₺2,597

56.59%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.95 €30.30

$39.16 ₺1,929

-13.30%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$73.9 €65.9

$103 ₺5,083

-28.39%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$94.6 €84.4

$96.6 ₺4,759

-2.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$657 €587

$994 ₺49.0K

-33.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$395 €353

$629 ₺31.0K

-37.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,232 €1,100

$2,024 ₺99.7K

-39.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$886 €791

$1,155 ₺56.9K

-23.27%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,642 €3,250

$3,160 ₺155.7K

15.23%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,415 €2,155

$1,838 ₺90.5K

31.44%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,037 €926

$1,203 ₺59.3K

-13.80%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

41.09

-87.83%

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

Last update for Herceg Novi: October 6, 2026

Last update for Istanbul: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Herceg Novi

$395 31.8%

Istanbul

$629 41.2% 59.3% $234

Groceries & Markets

Herceg Novi

$225 18.1%

Istanbul

$264 17.3% 17.1% $39

Eating Out

Herceg Novi

$186 14.9%

Istanbul

$218 14.3% 17.2% $32

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Herceg Novi

$178 14.3%

Istanbul

$117 7.7% 34.2% $61

Clothing & Footwear

Herceg Novi

$128 10.3%

Istanbul

$131 8.6% 2.4% $3

Sport & Entertainment

Herceg Novi

$72 5.8%

Istanbul

$94 6.1% 31% $22

Getting Around

Herceg Novi

$60 4.8%

Istanbul

$75 4.9% 25.2% $15

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $657 in Herceg Novi and $994 in Istanbul. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Istanbul pays 16% 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: $36.00 in Herceg Novi vs $55.0 in Istanbul for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $225 vs $264 per month, with Herceg Novi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇪 Herceg Novi

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

12:51 12:51 PM

13:51 1:51 PM

1 h ahead of Herceg Novi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

11,059

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

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Between locations

Herceg Novi Istanbul 880 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

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Herceg Novi
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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

Herceg Novi vs Istanbul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Herceg Novi and Istanbul differ by about 23% in total monthly costs ($1,237 vs $1,526 including rent). Herceg Novi is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 16% 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: $657 in Herceg Novi versus $994 in Istanbul. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 17% higher in Istanbul. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Herceg Novi – a meal for two runs $36.00 versus $55.0 in Istanbul. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,237 in Herceg Novi versus $1,526 in Istanbul, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Herceg Novi but tight or insufficient in Istanbul. The gap between the two cities makes Herceg Novi 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, Herceg Novi 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 Herceg Novi gentler on the wallet – expenses run 23% less than in Istanbul. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.