Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Arta

For one person, living is cheaper in Arta: $1,348 a month against $1,519 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $2,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

73

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index
65

Cost of Living Index in Arta
Learn more

Arta Living Index

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Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,519

/mo nomad

Arta

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,348

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Arta

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

A single person spends $1,519 per month in Istanbul vs $1,348 in Arta, rent included.

Istanbul $1,519
Arta $1,348

A couple spends around $2,365 per month in Istanbul vs $2,005 in Arta, rent included.

Istanbul $2,365
Arta $2,005

A family of three spends $3,212 per month in Istanbul vs $2,661 in Arta, rent included.

Istanbul $3,212
Arta $2,661

Istanbul costs about 13% more than Arta, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.81 ₺592

$11.28 €10.04

4.70%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.9 ₺2,754

$44.11 €39.28

24.48%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.26 ₺465

$9.98 €8.89

-7.21%

Cappuccino

$4.30 ₺216

$4.22 €3.75

1.90%

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

$1.77 ₺89.0

$2.87 €2.55

-38.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺28.32

$0.54 €0.48

3.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.69 ₺235

$5.17 €4.60

-9.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.12 ₺357

$6.02 €5.36

18.27%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 ₺62.7

$1.24 €1.11

0.81%

White Bread (500g)

$0.88 ₺44.17

$1.15 €1.02

-23.48%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 ₺111

$0.92 €0.82

139.13%

Eggs

$2.43 ₺122

$3.39 €3.01

-28.32%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.48 ₺526

$13.68 €12.18

-23.39%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.31 ₺267

$11.05 €9.84

-51.95%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.10 ₺1,058

$10.96 €9.76

92.52%

Apples (1kg)

$1.86 ₺93.1

$1.00 €0.89

86.00%

Banana (1kg)

$2.30 ₺115

$1.27 €1.13

81.10%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.22 ₺61.0

$1.20 €1.07

1.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺90.2

$0.99 €0.88

81.82%

Potato (1kg)

$0.69 ₺34.83

$1.22 €1.09

-43.44%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺32.16

$1.09 €0.97

-41.28%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.36 ₺68.0

$0.82 €0.73

65.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 ₺28.94

$0.15 €0.14

286.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.34 ₺117

$4.99 €4.44

-53.11%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.03 ₺653

$4.42 €3.93

194.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.36 ₺118

$0.85 €0.76

177.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.32 ₺166

$2.25 €2.01

47.56%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.88 ₺44.07

$1.41 €1.25

-37.59%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.1 ₺3,316

$49.30 €43.90

34.12%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 ₺64.4

$4.30 €3.83

-70.23%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 ₺42.80

$1.10 €0.98

-22.73%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.09 ₺556

$16.57 €14.76

-33.07%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 ₺74.0

$2.10 €1.87

-29.52%

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

$48.6K ₺2.4M

$28.2K €25.1K

72.52%

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

$42.0K ₺2.1M

$28.1K €25.1K

49.13%

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

$92.7 ₺4,650

$211 €188

-56.07%

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

$11.20 ₺562

$23.45 €20.88

-52.24%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.89 ₺797

$24.99 €22.25

-36.41%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.7 ₺3,745

$52.1 €46.41

43.28%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.95 ₺1,151

$25.62 €22.81

-10.42%

Cinema Ticket

$8.05 ₺404

$10.60 €9.44

-24.06%

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

$948 ₺47.6K

$467 €415

103.29%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.9K ₺1.9M

$9,041 €8,050

308.35%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₺2,702

$89.3 €79.6

-39.69%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.49 ₺2,081

$28.26 €25.17

46.82%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 ₺5,060

$77.7 €69.2

29.83%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.3 ₺4,580

$89.5 €79.7

2.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,014 ₺50.8K

$494 €440

104.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$625 ₺31.3K

$379 €338

64.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,005 ₺100.6K

$746 €665

168.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,126 ₺56.5K

$599 €533

88.05%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,988 ₺149.8K

$2,477 €2,206

20.60%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,730 ₺86.8K

$1,969 €1,753

-12.13%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,136 ₺57.0K

$895 €797

27.03%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.42

5.34

656.93%

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

Last update for Istanbul: November 2, 2026

Last update for Arta: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$625 41.1%

Arta

$379 28.1% 39.3% $245

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$258 17%

Arta

$221 16.4% 14.4% $37

Eating Out

Istanbul

$221 14.6%

Arta

$222 16.5% 0.6% $1.3

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$129 8.5%

Arta

$128 9.5% 1% $1.2

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$120 7.9%

Arta

$259 19.2% 117% $140

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$91 6%

Arta

$73 5.4% 19.2% $17

Getting Around

Istanbul

$75 5%

Arta

$65 4.8% 13.9% $10

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,014 in Istanbul versus $494 in Arta. 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 27% higher in Istanbul. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55 in Istanbul versus $44 in Arta. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $221 – making Arta the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇬🇷 Arta

🕒 Local time

07:10 7:10 AM

06:10 6:10 AM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

19,435

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 1.99 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 = 50.15 TRY (100 TRY = 1.99 USD). 1 EUR = 56.3 TRY (100 TRY = 1.78 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 0.89 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to TRY in detail →

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Between locations

Istanbul Arta 710 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Arta

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 Arta: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 13%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,278 per month in Istanbul and $2,022 in Arta. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Arta, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $494 there versus $1,014 in Istanbul.

Kindergarten costs $948 per month in Istanbul and $467 in Arta. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 17% more in Istanbul, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Arta, where all-in costs run around $1,348, than in Istanbul at $1,519. In Arta it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Arta – 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 Arta. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Istanbul makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.