Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Agen

For one person, living is cheaper in Istanbul: $1,550 a month against $1,739 in Agen, rent and utilities included – about $2,300 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

75

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index
85

Cost of Living Index in Agen
Learn more

Agen Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

Agen

🇫🇷 France

$1,739

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Agen

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 Agen actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,550 in Istanbul versus $1,739 in Agen.

Istanbul $1,550
Agen $1,739

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,415 in Istanbul versus $2,553 in Agen.

Istanbul $2,415
Agen $2,553

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,281 in Istanbul versus $3,367 in Agen.

Istanbul $3,281
Agen $3,367

Living in Istanbul costs roughly 11% less than in Agen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Istanbul 15% above, Agen 29% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.30 ₺609

$11.04 €9.82

11.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.7 ₺2,708

$55.4 €49.31

-1.33%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.22 ₺456

$11.51 €10.24

-19.90%

Cappuccino

$4.40 ₺218

$3.91 €3.47

12.53%

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

$1.68 ₺83.1

$2.82 €2.51

-40.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₺29.40

$1.44 €1.28

-59.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.70 ₺233

$6.63 €5.90

-29.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.91 ₺292

$4.47 €3.98

32.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 ₺60.0

$1.14 €1.01

6.14%

White Bread (500g)

$0.89 ₺44.10

$2.01 €1.79

-55.72%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.19 ₺108

$2.69 €2.39

-18.59%

Eggs

$2.35 ₺116

$3.19 €2.84

-26.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.42 ₺516

$13.92 €12.39

-25.14%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.65 ₺280

$12.40 €11.03

-54.44%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.94 ₺1,037

$16.50 €14.67

26.91%

Apples (1kg)

$1.90 ₺94.1

$2.26 €2.01

-15.93%

Banana (1kg)

$2.31 ₺114

$2.18 €1.94

5.96%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.1

$2.35 €2.09

-45.53%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺89.0

$4.42 €3.93

-59.28%

Potato (1kg)

$0.65 ₺32.16

$2.08 €1.85

-68.75%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺31.91

$2.97 €2.64

-78.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 ₺62.1

$1.36 €1.21

-8.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.58

$0.43 €0.39

30.23%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.37 ₺118

$13.36 €11.88

-82.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.42 ₺664

$8.76 €7.79

53.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₺119

$3.96 €3.52

-39.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 ₺172

$4.28 €3.81

-18.69%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.89 ₺43.84

$1.91 €1.70

-53.40%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.4 ₺3,338

$53.0 €47.14

27.23%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.29 ₺64.1

$2.20 €1.96

-41.36%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 ₺45.70

$1.82 €1.62

-49.45%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.96 ₺542

$37.91 €33.72

-71.09%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ₺72.9

$1.87 €1.66

-21.39%

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

$50.8K ₺2.5M

$32.4K €28.8K

56.83%

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

$44.5K ₺2.2M

$34.6K €30.8K

28.58%

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

$88.6 ₺4,387

$252 €224

-64.88%

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

$11.59 ₺574

$15.39 €13.69

-24.69%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.81 ₺783

$31.17 €27.73

-49.28%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.2 ₺3,820

$31.18 €27.73

147.47%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.74 ₺1,126

Cinema Ticket

$8.14 ₺403

$11.55 €10.27

-29.52%

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

$1,008 ₺49.9K

$791 €703

27.48%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.6K ₺1.3M

$13.6K €12.1K

87.60%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.0 ₺2,671

$120 €107

-55.07%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.83 ₺2,021

$44.05 €39.18

-7.31%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.9 ₺4,895

$106 €94.3

-6.72%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.6 ₺4,783

$145 €129

-33.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$985 ₺48.7K

$602 €536

63.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$650 ₺32.2K

$566 €503

14.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,983 ₺98.2K

$968 €861

104.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,180 ₺58.4K

$888 €790

32.88%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,138 ₺155.4K

$3,840 €3,415

-18.27%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,780 ₺88.1K

$2,922 €2,599

-39.08%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,205 ₺59.7K

$3,155 €2,806

-61.79%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.92

3.5

1069.14%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 13, 2026

Last update for Agen: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$650 41.9%

Agen

$566 32.5% 12.9% $84

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$260 16.8%

Agen

$333 19.1% 28.1% $73

Eating Out

Istanbul

$223 14.4%

Agen

$229 13.2% 2.5% $5.5

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$131 8.4%

Agen

$187 10.7% 43% $56

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$116 7.5%

Agen

$299 17.2% 158% $183

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$93 6%

Agen

$54 3.1% 41.9% $39

Getting Around

Istanbul

$77 5%

Agen

$72 4.1% 6.4% $4.9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $985 in Istanbul and $602 in Agen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Agen pays 162% 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: $55.0 in Istanbul vs $55.0 in Agen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $260 vs $333 per month, with Istanbul cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇫🇷 Agen

🕒 Local time

22:00 10:00 PM

21:00 9:00 PM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

32,485

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 2.02 USD

100 TRY = 1.8 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to TRY – Turkish Lira Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇷 Turkish Lira (₺)

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 49.51 TRY (100 TRY = 2.02 USD). 1 EUR = 55.67 TRY (100 TRY = 1.8 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Istanbul Agen 2,340 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Agen

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 Agen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Istanbul wins on cost – living expenses run 12% lower than in Agen. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Istanbul the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 162% lower in Agen. 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: $985 in Istanbul versus $602 in Agen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 28% higher in Agen. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

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

At $1,550 in Istanbul versus $1,739 in Agen, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Istanbul but tight or insufficient in Agen. The gap between the two cities makes Istanbul the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Istanbul delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,550 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Istanbul hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Istanbul and Agen 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 Istanbul gentler on the wallet – expenses run 12% less than in Agen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.