Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Albacete

For one person, living costs are similar in Istanbul and in Albacete: $1,550 and $1,551 a month, rent and utilities included.

75

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index
76

Cost of Living Index in Albacete
Learn more

Albacete Living Index

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Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

Albacete

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,551

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Albacete

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,550 in Istanbul versus $1,551 in Albacete.

Istanbul $1,550
Albacete $1,551

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,415 in Istanbul versus $2,230 in Albacete.

Istanbul $2,415
Albacete $2,230

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,281 in Istanbul versus $2,910 in Albacete.

Istanbul $3,281
Albacete $2,910

Monthly costs are close between Istanbul and Albacete; which city is cheaper depends on the spending category.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.30 ₺609

$14.35 €12.77

-14.29%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.7 ₺2,708

$48.40 €43.05

13.02%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.22 ₺456

$9.24 €8.22

-0.22%

Cappuccino

$4.40 ₺218

$2.18 €1.94

101.83%

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

$1.68 ₺83.1

$2.34 €2.08

-28.21%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₺29.40

$1.66 €1.48

-64.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.70 ₺233

$2.82 €2.51

66.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.91 ₺292

$4.73 €4.20

24.95%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 ₺60.0

$0.82 €0.73

47.56%

White Bread (500g)

$0.89 ₺44.10

$0.82 €0.73

8.54%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.19 ₺108

$1.68 €1.49

30.36%

Eggs

$2.35 ₺116

$2.98 €2.65

-21.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.42 ₺516

$16.58 €14.75

-37.15%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.65 ₺280

$5.69 €5.06

-0.70%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.94 ₺1,037

$17.42 €15.49

20.21%

Apples (1kg)

$1.90 ₺94.1

$2.64 €2.35

-28.03%

Banana (1kg)

$2.31 ₺114

$2.08 €1.85

11.06%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.1

$2.49 €2.21

-48.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺89.0

$2.51 €2.23

-28.29%

Potato (1kg)

$0.65 ₺32.16

$2.21 €1.96

-70.59%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺31.91

$2.17 €1.93

-70.51%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 ₺62.1

$1.56 €1.38

-19.87%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.58

$0.54 €0.48

3.70%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.37 ₺118

$6.53 €5.81

-63.71%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.42 ₺664

$5.32 €4.73

152.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₺119

$1.21 €1.08

98.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 ₺172

$2.20 €1.96

58.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.89 ₺43.84

$1.36 €1.21

-34.56%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.4 ₺3,338

$16.75 €14.90

302.57%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.29 ₺64.1

$3.81 €3.39

-66.14%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 ₺45.70

$1.55 €1.38

-40.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.96 ₺542

$29.98 €26.67

-63.44%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ₺72.9

$1.67 €1.49

-11.98%

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

$50.8K ₺2.5M

$34.6K €30.7K

46.96%

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

$44.5K ₺2.2M

$29.5K €26.2K

51.14%

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

$88.6 ₺4,387

$187 €166

-52.64%

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

$11.59 ₺574

$18.20 €16.19

-36.32%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.81 ₺783

$16.99 €15.11

-6.95%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.2 ₺3,820

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.74 ₺1,126

$4.43 €3.94

413.32%

Cinema Ticket

$8.14 ₺403

$9.07 €8.07

-10.25%

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

$1,008 ₺49.9K

$676 €602

49.07%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.6K ₺1.3M

$17.5K €15.6K

45.77%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.0 ₺2,671

$82.5 €73.4

-34.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.83 ₺2,021

$43.22 €38.44

-5.53%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.9 ₺4,895

$90.1 €80.1

9.79%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.6 ₺4,783

$113 €101

-14.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$985 ₺48.7K

$920 €818

7.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$650 ₺32.2K

$662 €589

-1.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,983 ₺98.2K

$1,240 €1,103

59.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,180 ₺58.4K

$947 €843

24.58%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,138 ₺155.4K

$2,301 €2,047

36.37%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,780 ₺88.1K

$2,041 €1,816

-12.80%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,205 ₺59.7K

$1,959 €1,743

-38.47%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.92

3.14

1203.18%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 13, 2026

Last update for Albacete: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$650 41.9%

Albacete

$662 42.7% 1.9% $12

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$260 16.8%

Albacete

$258 16.7% 0.5% $1.3

Eating Out

Istanbul

$223 14.4%

Albacete

$208 13.4% 6.7% $15

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$131 8.4%

Albacete

$148 9.6% 13.4% $18

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$116 7.5%

Albacete

$222 14.3% 91.6% $106

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$93 6%

Albacete

$18 * 1.2% 80.6% $75

Getting Around

Istanbul

$77 5%

Albacete

$34 2.2% 56.1% $43

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $985 in Istanbul and $920 in Albacete. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Albacete pays 63% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $55.0 in Istanbul vs $48.00 in Albacete for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $260 vs $258 per month, with Albacete cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇪🇸 Albacete

🕒 Local time

07:13 7:13 AM

06:13 6:13 AM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

173,206

💱 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 18, 2026: 1 USD = 49.51 TRY (100 TRY = 2.02 USD). 1 EUR = 55.66 TRY (100 TRY = 1.8 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Istanbul Albacete 2,620 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Albacete

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 Albacete: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

On paper, salaries run 63% lower in Albacete. 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 $920 in Albacete. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Istanbul runs roughly 303% less than in Albacete. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Shoppers in Albacete pay roughly 1% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,550 in Istanbul versus $1,551 in Albacete, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Istanbul but tight or insufficient in Albacete. The gap between the two cities makes Istanbul 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, Istanbul and Albacete are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

It comes down to priorities – Istanbul wins on affordability, Albacete on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.