Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Acharnes

For one person, living is cheaper in Acharnes: $1,307 a month against $1,519 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $2,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Istanbul, Turkey
Acharnes, Greece
Istanbul
🇹🇷 Turkey
$1,519
/mo nomad
Acharnes
🇬🇷 Greece
$1,307
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Acharnes

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Istanbul and in Acharnes actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,519 in Istanbul versus $1,307 in Acharnes.

  • Istanbul $1,519
  • Acharnes $1,307

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,365 in Istanbul versus $2,022 in Acharnes.

  • Istanbul $2,365
  • Acharnes $2,022

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,212 in Istanbul versus $2,736 in Acharnes.

  • Istanbul $3,212
  • Acharnes $2,736

Living in Istanbul is roughly 16% more expensive than in Acharnes, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

The two cities straddle the global median: Istanbul is 12% above, Acharnes is 3% below.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Istanbul
Acharnes
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.81 ₺591
$11.28 €10.05
4.70%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$54.9 ₺2,748
$59.0 €52.6
-6.93%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.26 ₺463
$8.78 €7.82
5.47%
Cappuccino
$4.30 ₺215
$3.96 €3.53
8.59%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.77 ₺88.8
$2.32 €2.06
-23.71%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.56 ₺28.26
$0.55 €0.49
1.82%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$4.69 ₺234
$4.52 €4.03
3.76%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$7.12 ₺356
$5.07 €4.51
40.43%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Istanbul
Acharnes
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.25 ₺62.6
$1.60 €1.42
-21.88%
White Bread (500g)
$0.88 ₺44.07
$1.36 €1.21
-35.29%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.20 ₺110
$2.56 €2.28
-14.06%
Eggs
$2.43 ₺122
$5.00 €4.46
-51.40%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.48 ₺524
$12.24 €10.90
-14.38%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$5.31 ₺266
$10.25 €9.13
-48.20%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$21.10 ₺1,056
$16.02 €14.27
31.71%
Apples (1kg)
$1.86 ₺92.9
$2.20 €1.96
-15.45%
Banana (1kg)
$2.30 ₺115
$2.15 €1.92
6.98%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.22 ₺60.8
$1.67 €1.49
-26.95%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.80 ₺90.0
$2.11 €1.88
-14.69%
Potato (1kg)
$0.69 ₺34.75
$1.11 €0.99
-37.84%
Onion (1kg)
$0.64 ₺32.09
$1.21 €1.07
-47.11%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.36 ₺67.8
$0.84 €0.75
61.90%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.58 ₺28.88
$1.16 €1.03
-50.00%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.34 ₺117
$4.47 €3.98
-47.65%
Wine (Bottle)
$13.03 ₺652
$7.11 €6.34
83.26%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.36 ₺118
$1.78 €1.59
32.58%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.32 ₺166
$3.21 €2.86
3.43%
🚌 Getting Around
Istanbul
Acharnes
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.88 ₺43.97
$1.41 €1.26
-37.59%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$66.1 ₺3,309
$51.1 €45.47
29.52%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.28 ₺64.3
$4.59 €4.09
-72.11%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.85 ₺42.70
$1.10 €0.98
-22.73%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$11.09 ₺555
$17.08 €15.22
-35.07%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.48 ₺73.9
$2.19 €1.95
-32.42%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$48.6K ₺2.4M
$28.0K €25.0K
73.65%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$42.0K ₺2.1M
$23.7K €21.1K
76.94%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Istanbul
Acharnes
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$92.7 ₺4,639
$139 €123
-33.11%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$11.20 ₺560
$14.72 €13.11
-23.91%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$15.89 ₺795
$27.46 €24.46
-42.13%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Istanbul
Acharnes
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$74.7 ₺3,737
$52.0 €46.34
43.56%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$22.95 ₺1,149
$25.12 €22.38
-8.64%
Cinema Ticket
$8.05 ₺403
$9.34 €8.32
-13.81%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Istanbul
Acharnes
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$948 ₺47.5K
$475 €423
99.59%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$36.9K ₺1.8M
$4,713 €4,198
683.33%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Istanbul
Acharnes
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$53.9 ₺2,696
$22.09 €19.68
143.91%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$41.49 ₺2,076
$39.48 €35.17
5.09%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$101 ₺5,049
$66.0 €58.8
52.89%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$91.3 ₺4,570
$108 €95.8
-15.13%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Istanbul
Acharnes
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,014 ₺50.7K
$484 €431
109.61%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$625 ₺31.3K
$385 €343
62.01%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,005 ₺100.4K
$728 €649
175.30%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,126 ₺56.3K
$610 €543
84.66%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,988 ₺149.5K
$2,503 €2,229
19.38%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,730 ₺86.6K
$1,993 €1,775
-13.17%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Istanbul
Acharnes
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,136 ₺56.9K
$986 €879
15.21%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
40.42
4.38
822.83%

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

Last update for Istanbul: November 2, 2026

Last update for Acharnes: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Istanbul
$625
Acharnes
$385 38.3% $239
Groceries & Markets
Istanbul
$258
Acharnes
$290 12.1% $31
Eating Out
Istanbul
$221
Acharnes
$208 5.7% $13
Clothing & Footwear
Istanbul
$129
Acharnes
$106 18.2% $24
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Istanbul
$120
Acharnes
$181 50.9% $61
Sport & Entertainment
Istanbul
$91
Acharnes
$71 22.1% $20
Getting Around
Istanbul
$75
Acharnes
$67 11.2% $8.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,014 in Istanbul and $484 in Acharnes. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Istanbul pays 15% 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: $55 in Istanbul vs $59 in Acharnes for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $258 vs $290 per month, with Istanbul cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇹🇷 Istanbul
🇬🇷 Acharnes
🕒 Local time
20:42 8:42 PM
19:42 7:42 PM
1 h behind Istanbul
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
15,701,602
106,943
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to TRY – Turkish Lira Converter

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 50.04 TRY (100 TRY = 2 USD). 1 EUR = 56.23 TRY (100 TRY = 1.78 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 0.891 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

On the map
Between locations
  • Istanbul Acharnes 550 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Istanbul
  • Acharnes

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
Istanbul vs Acharnes: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Acharnes cheaper than Istanbul?
Acharnes is about 14% cheaper overall, especially in clothing, leisure, and eating out. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
Where can you earn more: Istanbul or Acharnes?
Average pay runs 15% higher in Istanbul, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.
What is the rent difference between Istanbul and Acharnes?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,014 in Istanbul versus $484 in Acharnes. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
How do food prices compare in Istanbul and in Acharnes?
Shoppers in Istanbul pay roughly 11% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.
Is eating out cheaper in Istanbul or in Acharnes?
Dining out is cheaper in Istanbul – a meal for two runs $55 versus $59 in Acharnes. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in Istanbul or in Acharnes?
At $1,307 in Acharnes versus $1,519 in Istanbul, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Acharnes but tight or insufficient in Istanbul. The gap between the two cities makes Acharnes the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Is it better to live in Istanbul or in Acharnes?
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.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
It comes down to priorities – Acharnes wins on affordability, Istanbul on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.

Istanbul vs other spots: cost of living compared

Similar cities

Show times on the 12-hour clock, temperatures in °F and distances in miles?