Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Iskenderun and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in Iskenderun: $941 a month against $1,516 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $6,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

46

Cost of Living Index in Iskenderun
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Iskenderun Living Index
73

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index

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Iskenderun

🇹🇷 Turkey

$941

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,516

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $941 per month in Iskenderun vs $1,516 in Istanbul, rent included.

Iskenderun $941
Istanbul $1,516

A couple spends around $1,484 per month in Iskenderun vs $2,356 in Istanbul, rent included.

Iskenderun $1,484
Istanbul $2,356

A family of three spends $2,027 per month in Iskenderun vs $3,197 in Istanbul, rent included.

Iskenderun $2,027
Istanbul $3,197

Iskenderun is about 38% cheaper than Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Iskenderun sits 31% below the global median, while Istanbul is 11% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.94 ₺296

$11.59 ₺577

-48.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.11 ₺1,500

$54.7 ₺2,724

-44.93%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.13 ₺306

$9.39 ₺468

-34.72%

Cappuccino

$3.16 ₺158

$4.23 ₺211

-25.30%

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

$1.12 ₺55.7

$1.72 ₺85.6

-34.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.27 ₺13.45

$0.57 ₺28.25

-52.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.47 ₺123

$4.65 ₺232

-46.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ₺138

$6.84 ₺341

-59.36%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.03 ₺51.2

$1.20 ₺60.0

-14.17%

White Bread (500g)

$0.75 ₺37.22

$0.94 ₺46.96

-20.21%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.70 ₺84.5

$2.24 ₺112

-24.11%

Eggs

$1.85 ₺92.0

$2.42 ₺121

-23.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.03 ₺350

$10.24 ₺510

-31.35%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.10 ₺204

$5.38 ₺268

-23.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.99 ₺896

$21.19 ₺1,056

-15.10%

Apples (1kg)

$1.65 ₺82.3

$1.89 ₺94.2

-12.70%

Banana (1kg)

$1.82 ₺90.6

$2.22 ₺111

-18.02%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.92 ₺45.95

$1.26 ₺62.7

-26.98%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.06 ₺53.0

$1.81 ₺90.0

-41.44%

Potato (1kg)

$0.50 ₺24.85

$0.70 ₺34.83

-28.57%

Onion (1kg)

$0.38 ₺18.77

$0.64 ₺32.12

-40.63%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.93 ₺46.17

$1.22 ₺60.8

-23.77%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.61 ₺30.22

$0.55 ₺27.35

10.91%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.13 ₺106

$2.32 ₺116

-8.19%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.01 ₺499

$13.31 ₺663

-24.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.30 ₺115

$2.33 ₺116

-1.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.29 ₺164

$3.46 ₺172

-4.91%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.80 ₺39.72

$0.91 ₺45.17

-12.09%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.3 ₺3,305

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.02 ₺51.0

$1.29 ₺64.2

-20.93%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.51 ₺25.44

$0.86 ₺42.65

-40.70%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.08 ₺502

$11.09 ₺553

-9.11%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.29 ₺64.5

$1.42 ₺70.7

-9.15%

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

$42.7K ₺2.1M

$49.2K ₺2.5M

-13.22%

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

$37.9K ₺1.9M

$42.8K ₺2.1M

-11.37%

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

$92.1 ₺4,588

$87.7 ₺4,371

4.96%

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

$9.28 ₺462

$11.28 ₺562

-17.73%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.95 ₺546

$15.89 ₺792

-31.09%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.70 ₺2,327

$75.9 ₺3,782

-38.47%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.04 ₺1,148

Cinema Ticket

$6.08 ₺303

$8.20 ₺409

-25.85%

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

$446 ₺22.2K

$1,028 ₺51.2K

-56.61%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,164 ₺356.9K

$26.0K ₺1.3M

-72.41%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.5 ₺2,717

$53.3 ₺2,657

2.25%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.84 ₺1,437

$39.69 ₺1,978

-27.34%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 ₺5,642

$99.8 ₺4,971

13.51%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 ₺5,393

$93.5 ₺4,659

15.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$402 ₺20.0K

$1,003 ₺50.0K

-59.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$292 ₺14.5K

$628 ₺31.3K

-53.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$755 ₺37.6K

$1,963 ₺97.8K

-61.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$590 ₺29.4K

$1,122 ₺55.9K

-47.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,214 ₺60.5K

$3,075 ₺153.2K

-60.52%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$892 ₺44.4K

$1,753 ₺87.3K

-49.12%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,115 ₺55.6K

$1,180 ₺58.8K

-5.44%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.69

-13.98%

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

Last update for Iskenderun: October 25, 2026

Last update for Istanbul: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Iskenderun

$292 31%

Istanbul

$628 41.5% 115% $336

Groceries & Markets

Iskenderun

$207 22%

Istanbul

$258 17% 24.7% $51

Clothing & Footwear

Iskenderun

$137 14.6%

Istanbul

$129 8.5% 6.1% $8.3

Eating Out

Iskenderun

$127 13.5%

Istanbul

$218 14.4% 71% $90

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Iskenderun

$112 11.9%

Istanbul

$115 7.6% 2.3% $2.6

Sport & Entertainment

Iskenderun

$59 6.3%

Istanbul

$92 6.1% 56.8% $33

Getting Around

Iskenderun

$6.8 * 0.7%

Istanbul

$76 5% 1016% $69

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $402 in Iskenderun versus $1,003 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 6% higher in Istanbul, 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 $30 in Iskenderun versus $55 in Istanbul. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $207 vs $258 – making Iskenderun the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Iskenderun

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

12:05 12:05 PM

Same time as Iskenderun

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

246,639

15,701,602

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 2.01 USD

100 TRY = 1.8 EUR

100 TRY = 2.01 USD

100 TRY = 1.8 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Iskenderun Istanbul 790 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Iskenderun
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

Iskenderun vs Istanbul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 61%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,412 per month in Iskenderun and $2,274 in Istanbul. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Iskenderun, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $402 there versus $1,003 in Istanbul.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $941 in Iskenderun and $1,516 in Istanbul. That’s a gap of about 61%.

Kindergarten costs $446 per month in Iskenderun and $1,028 in Istanbul. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Families tend to lean toward Iskenderun – 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 Iskenderun. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Istanbul makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.