Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Athienou

For one person, living is cheaper in Istanbul: $1,516 a month against $1,686 in Athienou, rent and utilities included – about $2,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

73

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index
82

Cost of Living Index in Athienou
Learn more

Athienou Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,516

/mo nomad

Athienou

🇨🇾 Cyprus

$1,686

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Athienou

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,516 in Istanbul versus $1,686 in Athienou.

Istanbul $1,516
Athienou $1,686

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,356 in Istanbul versus $2,591 in Athienou.

Istanbul $2,356
Athienou $2,591

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,197 in Istanbul versus $3,497 in Athienou.

Istanbul $3,197
Athienou $3,497

Living in Istanbul costs roughly 10% less than in Athienou, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Istanbul 11% above, Athienou 24% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.59 ₺577

$13.33 €11.95

-13.05%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.7 ₺2,722

$52.3 €46.88

4.61%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.39 ₺468

$7.95 €7.13

18.11%

Cappuccino

$4.23 ₺211

$3.69 €3.31

14.63%

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

$1.72 ₺85.5

$1.65 €1.48

4.24%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.57 ₺28.23

$1.04 €0.93

-45.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.65 ₺232

$3.27 €2.93

42.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.84 ₺340

$4.67 €4.19

46.47%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.20 ₺59.9

$1.63 €1.47

-26.38%

White Bread (500g)

$0.94 ₺46.92

$2.00 €1.79

-53.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.24 ₺112

$2.99 €2.68

-25.08%

Eggs

$2.42 ₺120

$4.18 €3.75

-42.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.24 ₺510

$13.22 €11.86

-22.54%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.38 ₺268

$8.74 €7.84

-38.44%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.19 ₺1,055

$11.66 €10.46

81.73%

Apples (1kg)

$1.89 ₺94.2

$2.60 €2.33

-27.31%

Banana (1kg)

$2.22 ₺111

$2.35 €2.11

-5.53%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.26 ₺62.6

$1.66 €1.49

-24.10%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.81 ₺89.9

$2.58 €2.32

-29.84%

Potato (1kg)

$0.70 ₺34.81

$1.42 €1.27

-50.70%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺32.09

$1.13 €1.01

-43.36%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.22 ₺60.8

$0.88 €0.79

38.64%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ₺27.33

$1.11 €1.00

-50.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.32 ₺116

$5.75 €5.16

-59.65%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.31 ₺663

$7.95 €7.13

67.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.33 ₺116

$1.89 €1.70

23.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 ₺172

$2.53 €2.27

36.76%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.91 ₺45.13

$2.33 €2.09

-60.94%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.3 ₺3,302

$43.99 €39.46

50.81%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.29 ₺64.1

$7.05 €6.32

-81.70%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.86 ₺42.61

$2.29 €2.05

-62.45%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.09 ₺552

$22.42 €20.11

-50.54%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.42 ₺70.7

$1.68 €1.51

-15.48%

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

$49.2K ₺2.4M

$31.7K €28.4K

55.18%

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

$42.8K ₺2.1M

$31.0K €27.8K

38.19%

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

$87.7 ₺4,368

$179 €161

-51.04%

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

$11.28 ₺561

$17.98 €16.13

-37.26%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.89 ₺791

$30.11 €27.01

-47.23%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$75.9 ₺3,779

$69.8 €62.7

8.68%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.04 ₺1,147

$23.56 €21.13

-2.21%

Cinema Ticket

$8.20 ₺408

$11.08 €9.94

-25.99%

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

$1,028 ₺51.2K

$382 €342

169.26%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$26.0K ₺1.3M

$7,361 €6,603

252.70%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.3 ₺2,655

$66.0 €59.2

-19.15%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.69 ₺1,976

$31.96 €28.67

24.19%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.8 ₺4,967

$69.4 €62.3

43.68%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.5 ₺4,656

$91.7 €82.3

2.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,003 ₺50.0K

$695 €623

44.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$628 ₺31.3K

$683 €613

-8.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,963 ₺97.7K

$1,584 €1,421

23.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,122 ₺55.8K

$1,287 €1,154

-12.83%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,075 ₺153.1K

$3,572 €3,204

-13.92%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,753 ₺87.3K

$2,493 €2,236

-29.69%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,180 ₺58.7K

$2,075 €1,862

-43.16%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.69

3.93

935.37%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 27, 2026

Last update for Athienou: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$628 41.5%

Athienou

$683 40.5% 8.8% $55

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$258 17%

Athienou

$284 16.8% 9.9% $26

Eating Out

Istanbul

$218 14.4%

Athienou

$211 12.5% 3% $6.5

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$129 8.5%

Athienou

$117 6.9% 9.5% $12

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$115 7.6%

Athienou

$227 13.5% 97.8% $112

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$92 6.1%

Athienou

$92 5.5% 0.3% $0.3

Getting Around

Istanbul

$76 5%

Athienou

$72 4.3% 4.9% $3.7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,003 in Istanbul and $695 in Athienou. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Athienou pays 76% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $55 in Istanbul vs $52 in Athienou. Groceries flip the comparison at $258 vs $284, with Istanbul cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇨🇾 Athienou

🕒 Local time

01:28 1:28 AM

00:28 12:28 AM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

5,000

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 2.01 USD

100 TRY = 1.8 EUR

1 EUR = 1.11 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 27, 2026: 1 USD = 49.78 TRY (100 TRY = 2.01 USD). 1 EUR = 55.5 TRY (100 TRY = 1.8 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 27, 2026: 1 USD = 0.897 EUR (1 EUR = 1.11 USD).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Istanbul Athienou 770 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Athienou

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 Athienou: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Istanbul and Athienou differ by about 11% in total monthly costs ($1,516 vs $1,686 including rent). Istanbul is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 43% lower in Istanbul. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,003 in Istanbul versus $695 in Athienou. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $1,516 per month in Istanbul versus $1,686 in Athienou – a 11% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Athienou runs roughly 34% less than in Istanbul. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you’re watching your budget.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,500. Istanbul is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

It comes down to priorities – Istanbul wins on affordability, Athienou on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.