Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Aix-en-Provence

For one person, living is cheaper in Istanbul: $1,550 a month against $2,148 in Aix-en-Provence, rent and utilities included – about $7,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

Istanbul
🇹🇷 Turkey
$1,550
/mo nomad
Aix-en-Provence
🇫🇷 France
$2,148
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Aix-en-Provence

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 Aix-en-Provence actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,550 in Istanbul versus $2,148 in Aix-en-Provence.

  • Istanbul $1,550
  • Aix-en-Provence $2,148

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,415 in Istanbul versus $3,369 in Aix-en-Provence.

  • Istanbul $2,415
  • Aix-en-Provence $3,369

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,281 in Istanbul versus $4,590 in Aix-en-Provence.

  • Istanbul $3,281
  • Aix-en-Provence $4,590

Living in Istanbul costs roughly 28% less than in Aix-en-Provence, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Istanbul 15% above, Aix-en-Provence 59% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Istanbul
Aix-en-Provence
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$12.30 ₺609
$20.29 €18.05
-39.38%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$54.7 ₺2,708
$79.2 €70.5
-30.93%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.22 ₺456
$13.23 €11.77
-30.31%
Cappuccino
$4.40 ₺218
$3.73 €3.31
17.96%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.68 ₺83.1
$3.69 €3.28
-54.47%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.59 ₺29.40
$2.22 €1.98
-73.42%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$4.70 ₺233
$7.73 €6.88
-39.20%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.91 ₺292
$6.71 €5.97
-11.92%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Istanbul
Aix-en-Provence
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.21 ₺60.0
$1.25 €1.11
-3.20%
White Bread (500g)
$0.89 ₺44.10
$2.21 €1.96
-59.73%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.19 ₺108
$2.61 €2.32
-16.09%
Eggs
$2.35 ₺116
$4.80 €4.27
-51.04%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.42 ₺516
$21.18 €18.84
-50.80%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$5.65 ₺280
$16.80 €14.94
-66.37%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$20.94 ₺1,037
$22.89 €20.36
-8.52%
Apples (1kg)
$1.90 ₺94.1
$2.83 €2.52
-32.86%
Banana (1kg)
$2.31 ₺114
$2.49 €2.21
-7.23%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.28 ₺63.1
$2.72 €2.42
-52.94%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.80 ₺89.0
$4.00 €3.55
-55.00%
Potato (1kg)
$0.65 ₺32.16
$2.82 €2.50
-76.95%
Onion (1kg)
$0.64 ₺31.91
$2.59 €2.31
-75.29%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.25 ₺62.1
$1.65 €1.46
-24.24%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.56 ₺27.58
$0.82 €0.73
-31.71%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.37 ₺118
$13.20 €11.74
-82.05%
Wine (Bottle)
$13.42 ₺664
$8.70 €7.74
54.25%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.40 ₺119
$3.62 €3.22
-33.70%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.48 ₺172
$3.93 €3.50
-11.45%
🚌 Getting Around
Istanbul
Aix-en-Provence
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.89 ₺43.84
$1.44 €1.28
-38.19%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$67.4 ₺3,338
$33.35 €29.67
102.19%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.29 ₺64.1
$2.83 €2.52
-54.42%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.92 ₺45.70
$2.31 €2.05
-60.17%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$10.96 ₺542
$28.34 €25.21
-61.33%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.47 ₺72.9
$2.18 €1.94
-32.57%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$50.8K ₺2.5M
$34.5K €30.7K
47.36%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$44.5K ₺2.2M
$35.5K €31.6K
25.36%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Istanbul
Aix-en-Provence
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$88.6 ₺4,387
$180 €160
-50.72%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$11.59 ₺574
$16.48 €14.66
-29.67%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$15.81 ₺783
$32.71 €29.10
-51.67%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Istanbul
Aix-en-Provence
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$77.2 ₺3,820
$37.53 €33.39
105.60%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$22.74 ₺1,126
$20.67 €18.39
10.01%
Cinema Ticket
$8.14 ₺403
$15.76 €14.02
-48.35%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Istanbul
Aix-en-Provence
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,008 ₺49.9K
$962 €856
4.79%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$25.6K ₺1.3M
$15.8K €14.1K
61.59%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Istanbul
Aix-en-Provence
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$54.0 ₺2,671
$113 €101
-52.34%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$40.83 ₺2,021
$67.9 €60.4
-39.84%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$98.9 ₺4,895
$105 €93.0
-5.39%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$96.6 ₺4,783
$171 €152
-43.40%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Istanbul
Aix-en-Provence
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$985 ₺48.7K
$1,169 €1,040
-15.80%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$650 ₺32.2K
$855 €760
-23.97%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,983 ₺98.2K
$1,969 €1,752
0.71%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,180 ₺58.4K
$1,607 €1,430
-26.58%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,138 ₺155.4K
$7,625 €6,783
-58.85%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,780 ₺88.1K
$4,750 €4,225
-62.53%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Istanbul
Aix-en-Provence
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,205 ₺59.7K
$3,432 €3,052
-64.87%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
40.92
3.9
949.23%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 13, 2026

Last update for Aix-en-Provence: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Istanbul
$650
Aix-en-Provence
$855 31.5% $205
Groceries & Markets
Istanbul
$260
Aix-en-Provence
$414 59.3% $154
Eating Out
Istanbul
$223
Aix-en-Provence
$322 44.4% $99
Clothing & Footwear
Istanbul
$131
Aix-en-Provence
$205 57.2% $75
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Istanbul
$116
Aix-en-Provence
$229 97.4% $113
Sport & Entertainment
Istanbul
$93
Aix-en-Provence
$69 26.1% $24
Getting Around
Istanbul
$77
Aix-en-Provence
$53 30.4% $23

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $985 in Istanbul and $1,169 in Aix-en-Provence. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Aix-en-Provence pays 185% 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 $79.0 in Aix-en-Provence for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $260 vs $414 per month, with Istanbul cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇹🇷 Istanbul
🇫🇷 Aix-en-Provence
🕒 Local time
19:44 7:44 PM
18:44 6:44 PM
1 h behind Istanbul
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
15,701,602
147,478
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to TRY – Turkish Lira Converter

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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Istanbul Aix-en-Provence 1,950 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Istanbul
  • Aix-en-Provence

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 Aix-en-Provence: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Aix-en-Provence cheaper than Istanbul?
Istanbul is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 39% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
Where can you earn more: Istanbul or Aix-en-Provence?
On paper, salaries run 185% lower in Aix-en-Provence. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.
What is the rent difference between Istanbul and Aix-en-Provence?
Rent for a central apartment: $985 in Istanbul versus $1,169 in Aix-en-Provence. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
What are total monthly expenses in Istanbul and in Aix-en-Provence?
All in, you'll spend $1,550 per month in Istanbul versus $2,148 in Aix-en-Provence – a 39% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.
Which city has cheaper public transport?
A monthly transit pass in Istanbul runs roughly 102% less than in Aix-en-Provence. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in Istanbul or in Aix-en-Provence?
At $1,550 in Istanbul versus $2,148 in Aix-en-Provence, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Istanbul but tight or insufficient in Aix-en-Provence. The gap between the two cities makes Istanbul the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Is Istanbul or Aix-en-Provence more family-friendly?
For families, Istanbul is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Aix-en-Provence, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.
Which city is safer, Istanbul or Aix-en-Provence?
Safety-wise, Istanbul and Aix-en-Provence are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.
Which city is easier to live in as a foreigner?
Expats usually find Istanbul gentler on the wallet – expenses run 39% less than in Aix-en-Provence. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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