Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Arad, Israel

For one person, living is cheaper in Istanbul: $1,519 a month against $2,967 in Arad, rent and utilities included – about $17,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

73

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index
141

Cost of Living Index in Arad
Learn more

Arad Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,519

/mo nomad

Arad

🇮🇱 Israel

$2,967

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Arad

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

A single person spends $1,519 per month in Istanbul vs $2,967 in Arad, rent included.

Istanbul $1,519
Arad $2,967

A couple spends around $2,365 per month in Istanbul vs $4,355 in Arad, rent included.

Istanbul $2,365
Arad $4,355

A family of three spends $3,212 per month in Istanbul vs $5,743 in Arad, rent included.

Istanbul $3,212
Arad $5,743

Istanbul is about 49% cheaper than Arad, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Istanbul and Arad sit above the global median – Istanbul by 12%, Arad by 119%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.81 ₺592

$26.32 ₪84.2

-55.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.9 ₺2,754

$89.4 ₪286

-38.59%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.26 ₺465

$20.55 ₪65.7

-54.94%

Cappuccino

$4.30 ₺216

$4.65 ₪14.86

-7.53%

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

$1.77 ₺89.0

$3.87 ₪12.38

-54.26%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺28.32

$2.67 ₪8.52

-79.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.69 ₺235

$9.93 ₪31.74

-52.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.12 ₺357

$9.95 ₪31.82

-28.44%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 ₺62.7

$2.65 ₪8.46

-52.83%

White Bread (500g)

$0.88 ₺44.17

$5.77 ₪18.45

-84.75%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 ₺111

$3.38 ₪10.80

-34.91%

Eggs

$2.43 ₺122

$4.54 ₪14.52

-46.48%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.48 ₺526

$13.09 ₪41.85

-19.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.31 ₺267

$18.84 ₪60.2

-71.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.10 ₺1,058

$25.99 ₪83.1

-18.81%

Apples (1kg)

$1.86 ₺93.1

$6.54 ₪20.92

-71.56%

Banana (1kg)

$2.30 ₺115

$3.16 ₪10.10

-27.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.22 ₺61.0

$2.96 ₪9.46

-58.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺90.2

$3.20 ₪10.22

-43.75%

Potato (1kg)

$0.69 ₺34.83

$2.08 ₪6.66

-66.83%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺32.16

$1.73 ₪5.54

-63.01%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.36 ₺68.0

$2.35 ₪7.51

-42.13%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 ₺28.94

$2.53 ₪8.08

-77.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.34 ₺117

$10.00 ₪31.97

-76.60%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.03 ₺653

$12.71 ₪40.64

2.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.36 ₺118

$4.59 ₪14.69

-48.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.32 ₺166

$3.99 ₪12.76

-16.79%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.88 ₺44.07

$2.52 ₪8.07

-65.08%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.1 ₺3,316

$104 ₪332

-36.25%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 ₺64.4

$8.10 ₪25.89

-84.20%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 ₺42.80

$1.28 ₪4.09

-33.59%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.09 ₺556

$27.83 ₪89.0

-60.15%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 ₺74.0

$2.55 ₪8.15

-41.96%

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

$48.6K ₺2.4M

$54.2K ₪173.3K

-10.25%

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

$42.0K ₺2.1M

$53.8K ₪172.2K

-22.04%

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

$92.7 ₺4,650

$333 ₪1,066

-72.19%

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

$11.20 ₺562

$11.98 ₪38.32

-6.51%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.89 ₺797

$48.92 ₪156

-67.52%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.7 ₺3,745

$79.0 ₪252

-5.43%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.95 ₺1,151

Cinema Ticket

$8.05 ₺404

$16.19 ₪51.8

-50.28%

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

$948 ₺47.6K

$1,602 ₪5,121

-40.79%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.9K ₺1.9M

$28.6K ₪91.6K

28.86%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₺2,702

$102 ₪325

-47.06%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.49 ₺2,081

$63.8 ₪204

-34.95%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 ₺5,060

$175 ₪560

-42.44%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.3 ₺4,580

$158 ₪506

-42.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,014 ₺50.8K

$1,595 ₪5,099

-36.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$625 ₺31.3K

$1,172 ₪3,748

-46.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,005 ₺100.6K

$2,423 ₪7,747

-17.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,126 ₺56.5K

$1,879 ₪6,008

-40.08%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,988 ₺149.8K

$10.1K ₪32.1K

-70.28%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,730 ₺86.8K

$7,705 ₪24.6K

-77.55%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,136 ₺57.0K

$2,549 ₪8,149

-55.41%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.42

5.2

677.31%

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

Last update for Istanbul: November 2, 2026

Last update for Arad: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$625 41.1%

Arad

$1.2K 39.5% 87.7% $548

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$258 17%

Arad

$513 17.3% 98.5% $254

Eating Out

Istanbul

$221 14.6%

Arad

$424 14.3% 91.8% $203

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$129 8.5%

Arad

$225 7.6% 73.6% $95

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$120 7.9%

Arad

$394 13.3% 229% $274

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$91 6%

Arad

$111 3.8% 22.7% $21

Getting Around

Istanbul

$75 5%

Arad

$128 4.3% 70.6% $53

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,014 in Istanbul versus $1,595 in Arad. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Arad are about 2.2 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55 in Istanbul versus $89 in Arad. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $513 – making Istanbul the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇮🇱 Arad

🕒 Local time

21:55 9:55 PM

20:55 8:55 PM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

25,530

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Israeli New Shekel ILS ₪

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 1.99 USD

100 TRY = 1.78 EUR

1 ILS = 0.313 USD

1 ILS = 0.278 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ILS, 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 = 56.33 TRY (100 TRY = 1.78 EUR).

Israeli New Shekel exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 3.2 ILS (1 ILS = 0.313 USD). 1 EUR = 3.59 ILS (1 ILS = 0.278 EUR).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Istanbul Arad 1,220 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Arad

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 Arad: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Arad costs about 95% more than Istanbul, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,278 per month in Istanbul and $4,451 in Arad. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Istanbul, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,014 there versus $1,595 in Arad.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,519 in Istanbul and $2,967 in Arad. That makes Istanbul about 49% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 36% less in Istanbul. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$1,500 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,519 in Istanbul and $2,967 in Arad. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Istanbul – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

If budget matters most, go with Istanbul. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Arad makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.