Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Ariana

For one person, living is cheaper in Ariana: $666 a month against $1,550 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $10,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

75

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index
32

Cost of Living Index in Ariana
Learn more

Ariana Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

Ariana

🇹🇳 Tunisia

$666

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Ariana

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

A single person spends $1,550 per month in Istanbul vs $666 in Ariana, rent included.

Istanbul $1,550
Ariana $666

A couple spends around $2,415 per month in Istanbul vs $1,039 in Ariana, rent included.

Istanbul $2,415
Ariana $1,039

A family of three spends $3,281 per month in Istanbul vs $1,413 in Ariana, rent included.

Istanbul $3,281
Ariana $1,413

Istanbul costs about 133% more than Ariana, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Istanbul sits 15% above the global median, while Ariana is 51% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.30 ₺609

$4.44 TND 13.29

177.03%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.7 ₺2,708

$17.44 TND 52.3

213.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.22 ₺456

$4.77 TND 14.29

93.29%

Cappuccino

$4.40 ₺218

$1.11 TND 3.33

296.40%

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

$1.68 ₺83.1

$0.66 TND 1.97

154.55%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₺29.40

$0.33 TND 1.00

78.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.70 ₺233

$1.65 TND 4.95

184.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.91 ₺292

$1.38 TND 4.12

328.26%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 ₺60.0

$0.52 TND 1.56

132.69%

White Bread (500g)

$0.89 ₺44.10

$0.26 TND 0.78

242.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.19 ₺108

$1.77 TND 5.30

23.73%

Eggs

$2.35 ₺116

$1.55 TND 4.64

51.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.42 ₺516

$7.27 TND 21.79

43.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.65 ₺280

$6.03 TND 18.06

-6.30%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.94 ₺1,037

$11.19 TND 33.52

87.13%

Apples (1kg)

$1.90 ₺94.1

$1.66 TND 4.97

14.46%

Banana (1kg)

$2.31 ₺114

$2.65 TND 7.93

-12.83%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.1

$1.12 TND 3.34

14.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺89.0

$0.76 TND 2.28

136.84%

Potato (1kg)

$0.65 ₺32.16

$0.80 TND 2.40

-18.75%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺31.91

$0.71 TND 2.11

-9.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 ₺62.1

$0.52 TND 1.57

140.38%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.58

$0.33 TND 0.99

69.70%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.37 ₺118

$3.43 TND 10.28

-30.90%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.42 ₺664

$6.78 TND 20.30

97.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₺119

$1.24 TND 3.70

93.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 ₺172

$1.58 TND 4.73

120.25%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.89 ₺43.84

$0.35 TND 1.04

154.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.4 ₺3,338

$10.04 TND 30.07

571.61%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.29 ₺64.1

$0.30 TND 0.89

330.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 ₺45.70

$0.33 TND 1.00

178.79%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.96 ₺542

$1.75 TND 5.25

526.29%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ₺72.9

$0.82 TND 2.44

79.27%

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

$50.8K ₺2.5M

$37.3K TND 111.7K

36.21%

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

$44.5K ₺2.2M

$33.3K TND 99.7K

33.80%

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

$88.6 ₺4,387

$59.8 TND 179

48.28%

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

$11.59 ₺574

$9.20 TND 27.55

25.98%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.81 ₺783

$20.51 TND 61.4

-22.92%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.2 ₺3,820

$31.26 TND 93.6

146.83%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.74 ₺1,126

$16.96 TND 50.8

34.08%

Cinema Ticket

$8.14 ₺403

$4.36 TND 13.07

86.70%

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

$1,008 ₺49.9K

$103 TND 308

881.34%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.6K ₺1.3M

$3,289 TND 9,850

677.19%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.0 ₺2,671

$38.46 TND 115

40.28%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.83 ₺2,021

$58.2 TND 174

-29.82%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.9 ₺4,895

$90.1 TND 270

9.81%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.6 ₺4,783

$65.7 TND 197

47.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$985 ₺48.7K

$244 TND 731

303.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$650 ₺32.2K

$160 TND 479

306.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,983 ₺98.2K

$441 TND 1,322

349.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,180 ₺58.4K

$292 TND 876

303.55%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,138 ₺155.4K

$1,110 TND 3,324

182.79%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,780 ₺88.1K

$732 TND 2,193

143.07%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,205 ₺59.7K

$331 TND 991

264.37%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.92

10.67

283.51%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 13, 2026

Last update for Ariana: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$650 41.9%

Ariana

$160 24% 75.4% $490

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$260 16.8%

Ariana

$172 25.8% 33.8% $88

Eating Out

Istanbul

$223 14.4%

Ariana

$78 11.7% 65% $145

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$131 8.4%

Ariana

$114 17% 13% $17

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$116 7.5%

Ariana

$89 13.4% 22.9% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$93 6%

Ariana

$40 6% 57.2% $53

Getting Around

Istanbul

$77 5%

Ariana

$13 2% 82.6% $63

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $985 in Istanbul versus $244 in Ariana. 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 264% 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 $55.0 in Istanbul versus $17.00 in Ariana. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $260 vs $172 – making Ariana the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇹🇳 Ariana

🕒 Local time

02:20 2:20 AM

00:20 12:20 AM

2 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

114,486

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Tunisian Dinar TND د.ت

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 2.02 USD

100 TRY = 1.8 EUR

1 TND = 0.334 USD

1 TND = 0.297 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TND, USD, EUR to TRY – Turkish Lira Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇷 Turkish Lira (₺)

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 49.51 TRY (100 TRY = 2.02 USD). 1 EUR = 55.66 TRY (100 TRY = 1.8 EUR).

Tunisian Dinar exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 2.99 TND (1 TND = 0.334 USD). 1 EUR = 3.37 TND (1 TND = 0.297 EUR).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Istanbul Ariana 1,680 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Ariana

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 Ariana: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,550 in Istanbul, $666 in Ariana – roughly 133% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,325 per month in Istanbul and $1,000 in Ariana. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Ariana, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Groceries cost about 51% more in Istanbul, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55.0 in Istanbul and $17.00 in Ariana. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Ariana, where all-in costs run around $666, than in Istanbul at $1,550. In Ariana it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Istanbul has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $666 in Ariana to $1,550 in Istanbul. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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