Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Arad, Romania

Name: Arad
Address: Arad, RO

For one person, living is cheaper in Arad: $982 a month against $1,519 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $6,400 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
47

Cost of Living Index in Arad
Learn more

Arad Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,519

/mo nomad

Arad

🇷🇴 Romania

$982

/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 $982 in Arad, rent included.

Istanbul $1,519
Arad $982

A couple spends around $2,365 per month in Istanbul vs $1,437 in Arad, rent included.

Istanbul $2,365
Arad $1,437

A family of three spends $3,212 per month in Istanbul vs $1,892 in Arad, rent included.

Istanbul $3,212
Arad $1,892

Istanbul costs about 55% more than Arad, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Istanbul sits 12% above the global median, while Arad is 27% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.81 ₺592

$10.38 RON 49.32

13.78%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.9 ₺2,754

$32.95 RON 157

66.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.26 ₺465

$7.18 RON 34.12

28.97%

Cappuccino

$4.30 ₺216

$2.60 RON 12.36

65.38%

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

$1.77 ₺89.0

$1.50 RON 7.11

18.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺28.32

$1.61 RON 7.64

-65.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.69 ₺235

$2.14 RON 10.15

119.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.12 ₺357

$2.56 RON 12.14

178.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 ₺62.7

$1.27 RON 6.05

-1.57%

White Bread (500g)

$0.88 ₺44.17

$1.24 RON 5.90

-29.03%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 ₺111

$1.71 RON 8.10

28.65%

Eggs

$2.43 ₺122

$2.59 RON 12.31

-6.18%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.48 ₺526

$7.29 RON 34.65

43.76%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.31 ₺267

$4.96 RON 23.57

7.06%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.10 ₺1,058

$10.19 RON 48.41

107.07%

Apples (1kg)

$1.86 ₺93.1

$1.67 RON 7.93

11.38%

Banana (1kg)

$2.30 ₺115

$1.71 RON 8.14

34.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.22 ₺61.0

$1.73 RON 8.21

-29.48%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺90.2

$1.39 RON 6.62

29.50%

Potato (1kg)

$0.69 ₺34.83

$0.79 RON 3.75

-12.66%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺32.16

$0.86 RON 4.11

-25.58%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.36 ₺68.0

$1.22 RON 5.80

11.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 ₺28.94

$0.81 RON 3.85

-28.40%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.34 ₺117

$5.90 RON 28.04

-60.34%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.03 ₺653

$5.60 RON 26.61

132.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.36 ₺118

$1.22 RON 5.82

93.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.32 ₺166

$1.68 RON 7.99

97.62%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.88 ₺44.07

$0.81 RON 3.86

8.64%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.1 ₺3,316

$21.49 RON 102

207.68%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 ₺64.4

$1.59 RON 7.56

-19.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 ₺42.80

$1.59 RON 7.57

-46.54%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.09 ₺556

$15.49 RON 73.6

-28.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 ₺74.0

$1.93 RON 9.18

-23.32%

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

$48.6K ₺2.4M

$28.4K RON 135.1K

71.01%

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

$42.0K ₺2.1M

$24.8K RON 117.8K

69.38%

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

$92.7 ₺4,650

$126 RON 599

-26.43%

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

$11.20 ₺562

$8.29 RON 39.39

35.10%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.89 ₺797

$7.20 RON 34.20

120.69%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.7 ₺3,745

$34.31 RON 163

117.66%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.95 ₺1,151

$31.84 RON 151

-27.92%

Cinema Ticket

$8.05 ₺404

$5.09 RON 24.20

58.15%

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

$948 ₺47.6K

$155 RON 735

513.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.9K ₺1.9M

$3,839 RON 18.2K

861.71%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₺2,702

$41.19 RON 196

30.81%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.49 ₺2,081

$21.77 RON 103

90.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 ₺5,060

$70.2 RON 333

43.78%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.3 ₺4,580

$72.1 RON 342

26.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,014 ₺50.8K

$431 RON 2,049

135.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$625 ₺31.3K

$314 RON 1,493

98.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,005 ₺100.6K

$524 RON 2,491

282.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,126 ₺56.5K

$403 RON 1,917

179.07%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,988 ₺149.8K

$1,889 RON 8,977

58.13%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,730 ₺86.8K

$1,334 RON 6,340

29.66%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,136 ₺57.0K

$1,038 RON 4,930

9.51%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.42

7.35

449.93%

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 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$625 41.1%

Arad

$314 32% 49.7% $310

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$258 17%

Arad

$191 19.5% 25.9% $67

Eating Out

Istanbul

$221 14.6%

Arad

$164 16.7% 25.8% $57

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$129 8.5%

Arad

$92 9.4% 28.7% $37

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$120 7.9%

Arad

$142 14.4% 18.1% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$91 6%

Arad

$44 4.5% 51% $46

Getting Around

Istanbul

$75 5%

Arad

$34 3.5% 54.4% $41

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,014 in Istanbul versus $431 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 run about 10% higher in Istanbul, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55 in Istanbul versus $33 in Arad. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $191 – making Arad the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇷🇴 Arad

🕒 Local time

14:06 2:06 PM

13:06 1:06 PM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

159,074

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 1.99 USD

100 TRY = 1.78 EUR

1 RON = 0.21 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 = 56.33 TRY (100 TRY = 1.78 EUR).

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 4.75 RON (1 RON = 0.21 USD). 1 EUR = 5.34 RON (1 RON = 0.187 EUR).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Istanbul Arad 840 km ≈ 1 h 30 min 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

Istanbul costs about 55% more than Arad, 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 $1,474 in Arad. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Arad, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $431 there versus $1,014 in Istanbul.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55 in Istanbul and $33 in Arad. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,519 in Istanbul and $982 in Arad. That makes Arad about 35% cheaper.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,519 in Istanbul and $982 in Arad. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

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

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