Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Athlone

For one person, living is cheaper in Istanbul: $1,550 a month against $2,542 in Athlone, rent and utilities included – about $11,900 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
124

Cost of Living Index in Athlone
Learn more

Athlone Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

Athlone

🇮🇪 Ireland

$2,542

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Athlone

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,550 in Istanbul versus $2,542 in Athlone.

Istanbul $1,550
Athlone $2,542

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,415 in Istanbul versus $3,749 in Athlone.

Istanbul $2,415
Athlone $3,749

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,281 in Istanbul versus $4,956 in Athlone.

Istanbul $3,281
Athlone $4,956

Living in Istanbul costs roughly 39% less than in Athlone, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Istanbul 15% above, Athlone 88% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.30 ₺609

$22.37 €19.90

-45.02%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.7 ₺2,708

$91.0 €81.0

-39.90%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.22 ₺456

$12.63 €11.23

-27.00%

Cappuccino

$4.40 ₺218

$4.32 €3.85

1.85%

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

$1.68 ₺83.1

$2.92 €2.60

-42.47%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₺29.40

$1.84 €1.64

-67.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.70 ₺233

$7.41 €6.59

-36.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.91 ₺292

$6.55 €5.82

-9.77%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 ₺60.0

$1.46 €1.30

-17.12%

White Bread (500g)

$0.89 ₺44.10

$1.26 €1.12

-29.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.19 ₺108

$1.66 €1.48

31.93%

Eggs

$2.35 ₺116

$3.91 €3.48

-39.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.42 ₺516

$10.73 €9.55

-2.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.65 ₺280

$11.27 €10.02

-49.87%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.94 ₺1,037

$11.85 €10.54

76.71%

Apples (1kg)

$1.90 ₺94.1

$2.55 €2.27

-25.49%

Banana (1kg)

$2.31 ₺114

$1.56 €1.39

48.08%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.1

$2.41 €2.14

-46.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺89.0

$2.85 €2.53

-36.84%

Potato (1kg)

$0.65 ₺32.16

$2.29 €2.03

-71.62%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺31.91

$1.81 €1.61

-64.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 ₺62.1

$1.44 €1.28

-13.19%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.58

$1.90 €1.69

-70.53%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.37 ₺118

$17.88 €15.90

-86.74%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.42 ₺664

$11.10 €9.88

20.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₺119

$3.44 €3.06

-30.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 ₺172

$3.58 €3.18

-2.79%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.89 ₺43.84

$2.06 €1.83

-56.80%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.4 ₺3,338

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.29 ₺64.1

$5.08 €4.52

-74.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 ₺45.70

$1.49 €1.32

-38.26%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.96 ₺542

$27.77 €24.70

-60.53%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ₺72.9

$2.03 €1.80

-27.59%

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

$50.8K ₺2.5M

$39.6K €35.2K

28.28%

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

$44.5K ₺2.2M

$36.8K €32.7K

20.99%

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

$88.6 ₺4,387

$241 €214

-63.21%

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

$11.59 ₺574

$21.86 €19.45

-46.98%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.81 ₺783

$49.22 €43.78

-67.88%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.2 ₺3,820

$58.5 €52.1

31.83%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.74 ₺1,126

$34.69 €30.85

-34.45%

Cinema Ticket

$8.14 ₺403

$10.95 €9.74

-25.66%

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

$1,008 ₺49.9K

$1,001 €891

0.66%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.6K ₺1.3M

$5,365 €4,772

376.41%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.0 ₺2,671

$92.9 €82.6

-41.90%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.83 ₺2,021

$40.88 €36.36

-0.12%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.9 ₺4,895

$83.6 €74.4

18.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.6 ₺4,783

$77.7 €69.1

24.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$985 ₺48.7K

$1,468 €1,306

-32.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$650 ₺32.2K

$1,353 €1,203

-51.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,983 ₺98.2K

$2,529 €2,249

-21.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,180 ₺58.4K

$2,254 €2,005

-47.64%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,138 ₺155.4K

$3,294 €2,930

-4.73%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,780 ₺88.1K

$3,340 €2,971

-46.71%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,205 ₺59.7K

$3,153 €2,805

-61.77%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.92

3.73

997.05%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 13, 2026

Last update for Athlone: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$650 41.9%

Athlone

$1.4K 53.2% 108% $703

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$260 16.8%

Athlone

$305 12% 17.5% $45

Eating Out

Istanbul

$223 14.4%

Athlone

$338 13.3% 51.4% $115

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$131 8.4%

Athlone

$133 5.2% 1.7% $2.2

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$116 7.5%

Athlone

$312 12.3% 169% $196

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$93 6%

Athlone

$80 3.2% 13.9% $13

Getting Around

Istanbul

$77 5%

Athlone

$21 * 0.8% 73% $56

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $985 in Istanbul and $1,468 in Athlone. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Athlone pays 162% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $55.0 in Istanbul vs $91.0 in Athlone for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $260 vs $305 per month, with Istanbul cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇮🇪 Athlone

🕒 Local time

15:31 3:31 PM

13:31 1:31 PM

2 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

21,000

💱 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 17, 2026: 1 USD = 49.51 TRY (100 TRY = 2.02 USD). 1 EUR = 55.67 TRY (100 TRY = 1.8 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Istanbul Athlone 3,070 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Athlone

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 Athlone: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Istanbul wins on cost – living expenses run 64% lower than in Athlone. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Istanbul the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 162% lower in Athlone. 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: $985 in Istanbul versus $1,468 in Athlone. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 17% higher in Athlone. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,550 per month in Istanbul versus $2,542 in Athlone – a 64% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,550 in Istanbul versus $2,542 in Athlone, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Istanbul but tight or insufficient in Athlone. The gap between the two cities makes Istanbul the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Istanbul delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,550 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Istanbul hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Istanbul and Athlone 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 64% less than in Athlone. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.