Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Arona

For one person, living is cheaper in Istanbul: $1,550 a month against $1,638 in Arona, rent and utilities included – about $1,100 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

75

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index
80

Cost of Living Index in Arona
Learn more

Arona Living Index

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Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

Arona

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,638

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Arona

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,550 in Istanbul versus $1,638 in Arona.

Istanbul $1,550
Arona $1,638

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,415 in Istanbul versus $2,516 in Arona.

Istanbul $2,415
Arona $2,516

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,281 in Istanbul versus $3,394 in Arona.

Istanbul $3,281
Arona $3,394

Living in Istanbul costs roughly 5% less than in Arona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Istanbul 15% above, Arona 21% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.30 ₺609

$16.44 €14.62

-25.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.7 ₺2,708

$78.6 €69.9

-30.43%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.22 ₺456

$8.70 €7.74

5.98%

Cappuccino

$4.40 ₺218

$1.63 €1.45

169.94%

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

$1.68 ₺83.1

$2.96 €2.63

-43.24%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₺29.40

$1.14 €1.02

-48.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.70 ₺233

$3.83 €3.41

22.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.91 ₺292

$5.73 €5.10

3.14%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 ₺60.0

$1.38 €1.23

-12.32%

White Bread (500g)

$0.89 ₺44.10

$2.17 €1.93

-58.99%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.19 ₺108

$4.17 €3.71

-47.48%

Eggs

$2.35 ₺116

$2.98 €2.65

-21.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.42 ₺516

$15.34 €13.65

-32.07%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.65 ₺280

$14.32 €12.74

-60.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.94 ₺1,037

$14.89 €13.24

40.63%

Apples (1kg)

$1.90 ₺94.1

$2.73 €2.43

-30.40%

Banana (1kg)

$2.31 ₺114

$1.66 €1.48

39.16%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.1

$3.13 €2.78

-59.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺89.0

$2.32 €2.07

-22.41%

Potato (1kg)

$0.65 ₺32.16

$1.85 €1.64

-64.86%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺31.91

$1.74 €1.55

-63.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 ₺62.1

$1.63 €1.45

-23.31%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.58

$0.65 €0.57

-13.85%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.37 ₺118

$6.66 €5.92

-64.41%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.42 ₺664

$4.49 €3.99

198.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₺119

$0.93 €0.83

158.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 ₺172

$1.69 €1.50

105.92%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.89 ₺43.84

$1.77 €1.58

-49.72%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.4 ₺3,338

$36.08 €32.09

86.89%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.29 ₺64.1

$5.49 €4.88

-76.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 ₺45.70

$1.61 €1.43

-42.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.96 ₺542

$30.45 €27.09

-64.01%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ₺72.9

$2.02 €1.79

-27.23%

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

$50.8K ₺2.5M

$36.2K €32.2K

40.32%

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

$44.5K ₺2.2M

$35.8K €31.8K

24.53%

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

$88.6 ₺4,387

$197 €175

-54.98%

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

$11.59 ₺574

$11.48 €10.22

0.96%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.81 ₺783

$27.12 €24.13

-41.70%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.2 ₺3,820

$47.80 €42.52

61.42%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.74 ₺1,126

$22.72 €20.21

0.09%

Cinema Ticket

$8.14 ₺403

$13.18 €11.72

-38.24%

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

$1,008 ₺49.9K

$872 €776

15.61%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.6K ₺1.3M

$18.9K €16.8K

35.03%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.0 ₺2,671

$88.0 €78.3

-38.71%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.83 ₺2,021

$37.51 €33.37

8.85%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.9 ₺4,895

$107 €95.3

-7.68%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.6 ₺4,783

$129 €115

-25.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$985 ₺48.7K

$644 €573

52.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$650 ₺32.2K

$570 €507

13.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,983 ₺98.2K

$999 €889

98.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,180 ₺58.4K

$904 €805

30.47%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,138 ₺155.4K

$2,772 €2,466

13.20%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,780 ₺88.1K

$1,968 €1,751

-9.57%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,205 ₺59.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.92

3.65

1021.10%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 13, 2026

Last update for Arona: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$650 41.9%

Arona

$570 34.8% 12.2% $80

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$260 16.8%

Arona

$314 19.2% 21.1% $55

Eating Out

Istanbul

$223 14.4%

Arona

$224 13.7% 0.4% $1

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$131 8.4%

Arona

$163 9.9% 24.6% $32

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$116 7.5%

Arona

$235 14.4% 103% $119

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$93 6%

Arona

$74 4.5% 20.6% $19

Getting Around

Istanbul

$77 5%

Arona

$57 3.5% 26.2% $20

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $985 in Istanbul and $644 in Arona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $55.0 in Istanbul vs $79.0 in Arona for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $260 vs $314 per month, with Istanbul cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇮🇹 Arona

🕒 Local time

18:06 6:06 PM

17:06 5:06 PM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

14,310

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 2.02 USD

100 TRY = 1.8 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 October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 49.51 TRY (100 TRY = 2.02 USD). 1 EUR = 55.66 TRY (100 TRY = 1.8 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Istanbul Arona 1,730 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Arona

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 Arona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Istanbul is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 6% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $2,325 in Istanbul and $2,457 in Arona to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $985 in Istanbul versus $644 in Arona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,008 in Istanbul versus $872 in Arona. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 21% higher in Arona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,550 in Istanbul versus $1,638 in Arona, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Istanbul but tight or insufficient in Arona. The gap between the two cities makes Istanbul the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Istanbul is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Arona, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Istanbul and Arona are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Istanbul gentler on the wallet – expenses run 6% less than in Arona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.