Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Alexandria, Romania

Name: Alexandria
Address: Alexandria, RO

For one person, living is cheaper in Alexandria: $862 a month against $1,519 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $7,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

73

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index
41

Cost of Living Index in Alexandria
Learn more

Alexandria Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,519

/mo nomad

Alexandria

🇷🇴 Romania

$862

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Alexandria

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,519 in Istanbul versus $862 in Alexandria.

Istanbul $1,519
Alexandria $862

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,365 in Istanbul versus $1,324 in Alexandria.

Istanbul $2,365
Alexandria $1,324

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,212 in Istanbul versus $1,786 in Alexandria.

Istanbul $3,212
Alexandria $1,786

Living in Istanbul is roughly 76% more expensive than in Alexandria, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Istanbul is 12% above, Alexandria is 36% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.81 ₺592

$8.36 RON 39.98

41.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.9 ₺2,754

$30.49 RON 146

80.09%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.26 ₺465

$7.22 RON 34.53

28.25%

Cappuccino

$4.30 ₺216

$1.73 RON 8.26

148.55%

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

$1.77 ₺89.0

$1.83 RON 8.75

-3.28%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺28.32

$1.43 RON 6.85

-60.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.69 ₺235

$2.08 RON 9.95

125.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.12 ₺357

$2.50 RON 11.96

184.80%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 ₺62.7

$1.43 RON 6.86

-12.59%

White Bread (500g)

$0.88 ₺44.17

$0.80 RON 3.83

10.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 ₺111

$1.11 RON 5.29

98.20%

Eggs

$2.43 ₺122

$2.10 RON 10.03

15.71%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.48 ₺526

$5.12 RON 24.49

104.69%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.31 ₺267

$4.52 RON 21.60

17.48%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.10 ₺1,058

$7.77 RON 37.12

171.56%

Apples (1kg)

$1.86 ₺93.1

$0.88 RON 4.23

111.36%

Banana (1kg)

$2.30 ₺115

$1.13 RON 5.41

103.54%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.22 ₺61.0

$0.90 RON 4.32

35.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺90.2

$0.93 RON 4.43

93.55%

Potato (1kg)

$0.69 ₺34.83

$0.71 RON 3.38

-2.82%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺32.16

$0.64 RON 3.08

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.36 ₺68.0

$0.72 RON 3.43

88.89%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 ₺28.94

$0.81 RON 3.87

-28.40%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.34 ₺117

$5.41 RON 25.86

-56.75%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.03 ₺653

$5.18 RON 24.75

151.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.36 ₺118

$0.90 RON 4.28

162.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.32 ₺166

$1.07 RON 5.10

210.28%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.88 ₺44.07

$0.65 RON 3.12

35.38%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.1 ₺3,316

$41.50 RON 198

59.33%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 ₺64.4

$0.40 RON 1.93

220.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 ₺42.80

$0.40 RON 1.92

112.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.09 ₺556

$5.53 RON 26.41

100.54%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 ₺74.0

$1.73 RON 8.26

-14.45%

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

$48.6K ₺2.4M

$16.3K RON 77.8K

198.97%

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

$42.0K ₺2.1M

$23.0K RON 109.8K

82.66%

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

$92.7 ₺4,650

$114 RON 544

-18.49%

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

$11.20 ₺562

$5.17 RON 24.73

116.63%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.89 ₺797

$7.66 RON 36.60

107.44%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.7 ₺3,745

$58.7 RON 280

27.31%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.95 ₺1,151

$25.39 RON 121

-9.61%

Cinema Ticket

$8.05 ₺404

$6.17 RON 29.51

30.47%

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

$948 ₺47.6K

$317 RON 1,516

199.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.9K ₺1.9M

$10.0K RON 47.9K

268.31%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₺2,702

$51.8 RON 248

4.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.49 ₺2,081

$22.22 RON 106

86.72%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 ₺5,060

$64.0 RON 306

57.71%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.3 ₺4,580

$64.0 RON 306

42.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,014 ₺50.8K

$313 RON 1,497

223.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$625 ₺31.3K

$241 RON 1,150

159.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,005 ₺100.6K

$574 RON 2,746

249.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,126 ₺56.5K

$418 RON 1,996

169.68%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,988 ₺149.8K

$1,281 RON 6,123

133.23%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,730 ₺86.8K

$786 RON 3,757

120.14%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,136 ₺57.0K

$840 RON 4,014

35.33%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.42

6.73

500.59%

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

Last update for Istanbul: November 2, 2026

Last update for Alexandria: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$625 41.1%

Alexandria

$241 27.9% 61.5% $384

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$258 17%

Alexandria

$149 17.3% 42.4% $109

Eating Out

Istanbul

$221 14.6%

Alexandria

$138 16% 37.6% $83

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$129 8.5%

Alexandria

$91 10.5% 29.8% $39

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$120 7.9%

Alexandria

$127 14.7% 5.7% $6.8

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$91 6%

Alexandria

$71 8.2% 21.8% $20

Getting Around

Istanbul

$75 5%

Alexandria

$47 5.4% 38.1% $29

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,014 in Istanbul and $313 in Alexandria. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Istanbul pays 35% 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 $30 in Alexandria for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $258 vs $149 per month, with Alexandria cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇷🇴 Alexandria

🕒 Local time

23:30 11:30 PM

22:30 10:30 PM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

45,434

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 1.99 USD

100 TRY = 1.78 EUR

1 RON = 0.209 USD

1 RON = 0.187 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RON, USD, EUR to TRY – Turkish Lira Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇷 Turkish Lira (₺)

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 50.15 TRY (100 TRY = 1.99 USD). 1 EUR = 56.05 TRY (100 TRY = 1.78 EUR).

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 4.78 RON (1 RON = 0.209 USD). 1 EUR = 5.34 RON (1 RON = 0.187 EUR).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Istanbul Alexandria 440 km

From you

Istanbul
Alexandria

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 Alexandria: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Alexandria wins on cost – living expenses run 43% lower than in Istanbul. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Alexandria the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 35% higher in Istanbul, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,014 in Istanbul versus $313 in Alexandria. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $1,519 per month in Istanbul versus $862 in Alexandria – Alexandria is about 43% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Alexandria runs roughly 37% less than in Istanbul. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Both cities are expensive relative to $800. Alexandria is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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.

Expats usually find Alexandria gentler on the wallet – expenses run 43% less than in Istanbul. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.