Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Argostoli

For one person, living is cheaper in Argostoli: $1,378 a month against $1,519 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $1,700 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
66

Cost of Living Index in Argostoli
Learn more

Argostoli Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,519

/mo nomad

Argostoli

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,378

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Argostoli

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

A single person spends $1,519 per month in Istanbul vs $1,378 in Argostoli, rent included.

Istanbul $1,519
Argostoli $1,378

A couple spends around $2,365 per month in Istanbul vs $2,118 in Argostoli, rent included.

Istanbul $2,365
Argostoli $2,118

A family of three spends $3,212 per month in Istanbul vs $2,857 in Argostoli, rent included.

Istanbul $3,212
Argostoli $2,857

Istanbul costs about 10% more than Argostoli, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both Istanbul and Argostoli sit above the global median – Istanbul by 12%, Argostoli by 2%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.81 ₺591

$11.14 €9.92

6.01%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.9 ₺2,748

$59.1 €52.7

-7.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.26 ₺463

$9.00 €8.02

2.89%

Cappuccino

$4.30 ₺215

$4.18 €3.73

2.87%

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

$1.77 ₺88.8

$2.30 €2.05

-23.04%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺28.26

$0.54 €0.48

3.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.69 ₺234

$4.42 €3.93

6.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.12 ₺356

$4.37 €3.89

62.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 ₺62.6

$1.64 €1.46

-23.78%

White Bread (500g)

$0.88 ₺44.07

$1.42 €1.26

-38.03%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 ₺110

$2.56 €2.28

-14.06%

Eggs

$2.43 ₺122

$5.16 €4.60

-52.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.48 ₺524

$12.41 €11.05

-15.55%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.31 ₺266

$9.89 €8.81

-46.31%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.10 ₺1,056

$15.56 €13.86

35.60%

Apples (1kg)

$1.86 ₺92.9

$2.13 €1.89

-12.68%

Banana (1kg)

$2.30 ₺115

$2.15 €1.92

6.98%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.22 ₺60.8

$1.59 €1.42

-23.27%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺90.0

$2.11 €1.88

-14.69%

Potato (1kg)

$0.69 ₺34.75

$1.10 €0.98

-37.27%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺32.09

$1.16 €1.03

-44.83%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.36 ₺67.8

$0.84 €0.75

61.90%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 ₺28.88

$1.21 €1.07

-52.07%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.34 ₺117

$5.50 €4.90

-57.45%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.03 ₺652

$7.25 €6.45

79.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.36 ₺118

$1.78 €1.59

32.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.32 ₺166

$3.32 €2.96

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.88 ₺43.97

$1.39 €1.24

-36.69%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.1 ₺3,309

$50.3 €44.82

31.40%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 ₺64.3

$4.45 €3.96

-71.24%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 ₺42.70

$1.09 €0.97

-22.02%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.09 ₺555

$16.77 €14.94

-33.87%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 ₺73.9

$2.17 €1.93

-31.80%

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

$48.6K ₺2.4M

$27.6K €24.6K

76.07%

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

$42.0K ₺2.1M

$23.9K €21.3K

75.43%

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

$92.7 ₺4,639

$171 €153

-45.94%

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

$11.20 ₺560

$25.38 €22.61

-55.87%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.89 ₺795

$27.29 €24.31

-41.77%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.7 ₺3,737

$52.0 €46.32

43.62%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.95 ₺1,149

$25.13 €22.38

-8.67%

Cinema Ticket

$8.05 ₺403

$9.18 €8.18

-12.31%

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

$948 ₺47.5K

$471 €419

101.51%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.9K ₺1.8M

$4,821 €4,295

665.76%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₺2,696

$83.4 €74.3

-35.40%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.49 ₺2,076

$39.06 €34.79

6.22%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 ₺5,049

$79.9 €71.2

26.30%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.3 ₺4,570

$109 €97.3

-16.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,014 ₺50.7K

$486 €433

108.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$625 ₺31.3K

$381 €339

64.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,005 ₺100.4K

$723 €644

177.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,126 ₺56.3K

$605 €539

86.07%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,988 ₺149.5K

$2,488 €2,216

20.09%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,730 ₺86.6K

$1,964 €1,749

-11.89%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,136 ₺56.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.42

4.38

822.83%

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

Last update for Istanbul: November 2, 2026

Last update for Argostoli: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$625 41.1%

Argostoli

$381 27.6% 39.1% $244

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$258 17%

Argostoli

$289 21% 11.8% $30

Eating Out

Istanbul

$221 14.6%

Argostoli

$208 15.1% 5.6% $12

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$129 8.5%

Argostoli

$140 10.2% 8.4% $11

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$120 7.9%

Argostoli

$224 16.3% 87.1% $104

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$91 6%

Argostoli

$70 5.1% 22.5% $20

Getting Around

Istanbul

$75 5%

Argostoli

$66 4.8% 12.5% $9.4

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,014 in Istanbul versus $486 in Argostoli. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55 in Istanbul versus $59 in Argostoli. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $289 – making Istanbul the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇬🇷 Argostoli

🕒 Local time

04:01 4:01 AM

03:01 3:01 AM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

10,000

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 2 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 = 50.04 TRY (100 TRY = 2 USD). 1 EUR = 56.18 TRY (100 TRY = 1.78 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 0.891 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Istanbul Argostoli 790 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Argostoli

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 Argostoli: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 10%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in leisure.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,278 per month in Istanbul and $2,067 in Argostoli. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Argostoli, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $486 there versus $1,014 in Istanbul.

Interestingly, groceries are about 11% cheaper in Istanbul – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55 in Istanbul and $59 in Argostoli. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Families tend to lean toward Argostoli – 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.