Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Alexandroupoli

For one person, living is cheaper in Alexandroupoli: $1,426 a month against $1,519 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $1,100 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Istanbul outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

73

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index
68

Cost of Living Index in Alexandroupoli
Learn more

Alexandroupoli Living Index

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Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,519

/mo nomad

Alexandroupoli

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,426

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Alexandroupoli

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,519 in Istanbul versus $1,426 in Alexandroupoli.

Istanbul $1,519
Alexandroupoli $1,426

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,365 in Istanbul versus $2,146 in Alexandroupoli.

Istanbul $2,365
Alexandroupoli $2,146

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,212 in Istanbul versus $2,865 in Alexandroupoli.

Istanbul $3,212
Alexandroupoli $2,865

Living in Istanbul is roughly 6% more expensive than in Alexandroupoli, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Istanbul 12% above, Alexandroupoli 5% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.81 ₺592

$17.08 €15.28

-30.85%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.9 ₺2,754

$46.65 €41.75

17.71%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.26 ₺465

$10.49 €9.39

-11.73%

Cappuccino

$4.30 ₺216

$3.65 €3.27

17.81%

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

$1.77 ₺89.0

$2.73 €2.44

-35.16%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺28.32

$0.70 €0.63

-20.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.69 ₺235

$5.55 €4.97

-15.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.12 ₺357

$5.61 €5.02

26.92%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 ₺62.7

$1.32 €1.18

-5.30%

White Bread (500g)

$0.88 ₺44.17

$1.37 €1.23

-35.77%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 ₺111

$2.47 €2.21

-10.93%

Eggs

$2.43 ₺122

$4.64 €4.15

-47.63%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.48 ₺526

$11.99 €10.73

-12.59%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.31 ₺267

$10.03 €8.98

-47.06%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.10 ₺1,058

$14.30 €12.80

47.55%

Apples (1kg)

$1.86 ₺93.1

$2.18 €1.95

-14.68%

Banana (1kg)

$2.30 ₺115

$2.08 €1.86

10.58%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.22 ₺61.0

$1.82 €1.63

-32.97%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺90.2

$2.49 €2.23

-27.71%

Potato (1kg)

$0.69 ₺34.83

$1.26 €1.13

-45.24%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺32.16

$0.88 €0.79

-27.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.36 ₺68.0

$1.36 €1.22

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 ₺28.94

$0.88 €0.78

-34.09%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.34 ₺117

$5.49 €4.91

-57.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.03 ₺653

$7.37 €6.60

76.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.36 ₺118

$2.08 €1.86

13.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.32 ₺166

$2.53 €2.26

31.23%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.88 ₺44.07

$1.37 €1.23

-35.77%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.1 ₺3,316

$44.65 €39.96

48.09%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 ₺64.4

$4.61 €4.13

-72.23%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 ₺42.80

$1.15 €1.03

-26.09%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.09 ₺556

$16.55 €14.81

-32.99%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 ₺74.0

$2.22 €1.98

-33.33%

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

$48.6K ₺2.4M

$28.4K €25.5K

70.99%

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

$42.0K ₺2.1M

$23.9K €21.4K

75.35%

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

$92.7 ₺4,650

$110 €98.8

-16.02%

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

$11.20 ₺562

$22.66 €20.28

-50.57%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.89 ₺797

$29.81 €26.67

-46.70%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.7 ₺3,745

$51.0 €45.61

46.52%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.95 ₺1,151

Cinema Ticket

$8.05 ₺404

$6.61 €5.92

21.79%

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

$948 ₺47.6K

$478 €428

98.51%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.9K ₺1.9M

$11.8K €10.6K

213.04%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₺2,702

$97.3 €87.1

-44.64%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.49 ₺2,081

$45.44 €40.66

-8.69%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 ₺5,060

$126 €113

-20.17%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.3 ₺4,580

$133 €119

-31.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,014 ₺50.8K

$473 €423

114.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$625 ₺31.3K

$414 €370

50.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,005 ₺100.6K

$694 €621

188.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,126 ₺56.5K

$604 €540

86.50%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,988 ₺149.8K

$2,539 €2,272

17.67%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,730 ₺86.8K

$1,492 €1,335

15.99%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,136 ₺57.0K

$1,034 €926

9.86%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.42

4.3

840.00%

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

Last update for Istanbul: November 2, 2026

Last update for Alexandroupoli: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$625 41.1%

Alexandroupoli

$414 29% 33.7% $211

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$258 17%

Alexandroupoli

$279 19.6% 8.1% $21

Eating Out

Istanbul

$221 14.6%

Alexandroupoli

$265 18.6% 19.8% $44

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$129 8.5%

Alexandroupoli

$181 12.7% 39.8% $52

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$120 7.9%

Alexandroupoli

$163 11.4% 36% $43

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$91 6%

Alexandroupoli

$64 4.5% 29.3% $27

Getting Around

Istanbul

$75 5%

Alexandroupoli

$60 4.2% 19.5% $15

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,014 in Istanbul and $473 in Alexandroupoli. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Istanbul pays 10% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $55 in Istanbul vs $47 in Alexandroupoli. Groceries flip the comparison at $258 vs $279, with Istanbul cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇬🇷 Alexandroupoli

🕒 Local time

00:50 12:50 AM

23:50 11:50 PM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

53,000

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 1.99 USD

100 TRY = 1.78 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 November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 50.15 TRY (100 TRY = 1.99 USD). 1 EUR = 56.05 TRY (100 TRY = 1.78 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 0.895 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Istanbul Alexandroupoli 260 km

From you

Istanbul
Alexandroupoli

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 Alexandroupoli: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,519 in Istanbul and $1,426 in Alexandroupoli, so Alexandroupoli is about 6% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 10% 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 $473 in Alexandroupoli. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Alexandroupoli – a meal for two runs $47 versus $55 in Istanbul. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $1,519 per month in Istanbul versus $1,426 in Alexandroupoli – Alexandroupoli is about 6% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Either city works on $2,000 a month, though Alexandroupoli gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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 Alexandroupoli are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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