Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Alessandria

For one person, living costs are similar in Istanbul and in Alessandria: $1,550 and $1,616 a month, rent and utilities included.

75

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Alessandria
Learn more

Alessandria Living Index

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Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

Alessandria

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,616

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Alessandria

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,550 in Istanbul versus $1,616 in Alessandria.

Istanbul $1,550
Alessandria $1,616

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,415 in Istanbul versus $2,429 in Alessandria.

Istanbul $2,415
Alessandria $2,429

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,281 in Istanbul versus $3,243 in Alessandria.

Istanbul $3,281
Alessandria $3,243

Living in Istanbul costs roughly 4% less than in Alessandria, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Istanbul 15% above, Alessandria 20% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.30 ₺609

$17.44 €15.51

-29.47%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.7 ₺2,708

$67.8 €60.4

-19.37%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.22 ₺456

$11.05 €9.83

-16.56%

Cappuccino

$4.40 ₺218

$1.83 €1.63

140.44%

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

$1.68 ₺83.1

$3.11 €2.77

-45.98%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₺29.40

$1.13 €1.00

-47.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.70 ₺233

$4.56 €4.06

3.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.91 ₺292

$4.54 €4.04

30.18%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 ₺60.0

$1.60 €1.43

-24.38%

White Bread (500g)

$0.89 ₺44.10

$2.32 €2.06

-61.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.19 ₺108

$2.64 €2.35

-17.05%

Eggs

$2.35 ₺116

$3.75 €3.34

-37.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.42 ₺516

$15.84 €14.09

-34.22%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.65 ₺280

$10.07 €8.95

-43.89%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.94 ₺1,037

$20.27 €18.03

3.31%

Apples (1kg)

$1.90 ₺94.1

$2.35 €2.09

-19.15%

Banana (1kg)

$2.31 ₺114

$1.81 €1.61

27.62%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.1

$2.76 €2.45

-53.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺89.0

$2.76 €2.46

-34.78%

Potato (1kg)

$0.65 ₺32.16

$1.54 €1.37

-57.79%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺31.91

$1.63 €1.45

-60.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 ₺62.1

$1.78 €1.59

-29.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.58

$0.51 €0.46

9.80%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.37 ₺118

$6.75 €6.00

-64.89%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.42 ₺664

$4.37 €3.89

207.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₺119

$1.60 €1.42

50.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 ₺172

$2.30 €2.05

51.30%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.89 ₺43.84

$2.11 €1.88

-57.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.4 ₺3,338

$77.2 €68.7

-12.70%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.29 ₺64.1

$5.42 €4.82

-76.20%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 ₺45.70

$2.20 €1.96

-58.18%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.96 ₺542

$63.4 €56.4

-82.72%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ₺72.9

$2.14 €1.90

-31.31%

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

$50.8K ₺2.5M

$36.8K €32.7K

38.10%

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

$44.5K ₺2.2M

$35.5K €31.5K

25.57%

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

$88.6 ₺4,387

$252 €224

-64.78%

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

$11.59 ₺574

$10.18 €9.06

13.85%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.81 ₺783

$28.50 €25.35

-44.53%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.2 ₺3,820

$39.45 €35.09

95.59%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.74 ₺1,126

$33.61 €29.90

-32.34%

Cinema Ticket

$8.14 ₺403

$9.03 €8.03

-9.86%

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

$1,008 ₺49.9K

$508 €452

98.55%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.6K ₺1.3M

$5,621 €5,000

354.75%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.0 ₺2,671

$94.4 €84.0

-42.83%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.83 ₺2,021

$50.3 €44.75

-18.83%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.9 ₺4,895

$94.8 €84.3

4.33%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.6 ₺4,783

$161 €143

-39.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$985 ₺48.7K

$446 €397

120.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$650 ₺32.2K

$429 €382

51.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,983 ₺98.2K

$746 €663

166.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,180 ₺58.4K

$606 €539

94.58%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,138 ₺155.4K

$2,270 €2,019

38.24%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,780 ₺88.1K

$1,415 €1,259

25.77%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,205 ₺59.7K

$1,826 €1,624

-33.99%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.92

3.18

1186.79%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 13, 2026

Last update for Alessandria: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$650 41.9%

Alessandria

$429 26.6% 33.9% $220

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$260 16.8%

Alessandria

$313 19.4% 20.7% $54

Eating Out

Istanbul

$223 14.4%

Alessandria

$243 15.1% 9% $20

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$131 8.4%

Alessandria

$180 11.1% 37.8% $49

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$116 7.5%

Alessandria

$290 18% 150% $174

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$93 6%

Alessandria

$58 3.6% 38.5% $36

Getting Around

Istanbul

$77 5%

Alessandria

$102 6.3% 32.8% $25

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $985 in Istanbul and $446 in Alessandria. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Alessandria pays 52% 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 $68.0 in Alessandria for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $260 vs $313 per month, with Istanbul cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇮🇹 Alessandria

🕒 Local time

21:13 9:13 PM

20:13 8:13 PM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

90,987

💱 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 19, 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 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Istanbul Alessandria 1,710 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Alessandria

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 Alessandria: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Istanbul and Alessandria differ by about 4% in total monthly costs ($1,550 vs $1,616 including rent). Istanbul is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 52% lower in Alessandria. 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 $446 in Alessandria. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,008 in Istanbul versus $508 in Alessandria. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 21% higher in Alessandria. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,550 in Istanbul versus $1,616 in Alessandria, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Istanbul but tight or insufficient in Alessandria. 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 Alessandria 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 4% less than in Alessandria. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.