Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Bacau

For one person, living is cheaper in Bacau: $924 a month against $1,519 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $7,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

73

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index
44

Cost of Living Index in Bacau
Learn more

Bacau Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,519

/mo nomad

Bacau

🇷🇴 Romania

$924

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Bacau

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

A single person spends $1,519 per month in Istanbul vs $924 in Bacau, rent included.

Istanbul $1,519
Bacau $924

A couple spends around $2,365 per month in Istanbul vs $1,556 in Bacau, rent included.

Istanbul $2,365
Bacau $1,556

A family of three spends $3,212 per month in Istanbul vs $2,189 in Bacau, rent included.

Istanbul $3,212
Bacau $2,189

Istanbul costs about 64% more than Bacau, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Istanbul sits 12% above the global median, while Bacau is 32% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.81 ₺592

$14.27 RON 67.8

-17.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.9 ₺2,754

$83.5 RON 397

-34.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.26 ₺465

$7.46 RON 35.46

24.13%

Cappuccino

$4.30 ₺216

$2.00 RON 9.51

115.00%

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

$1.77 ₺89.0

$1.94 RON 9.21

-8.76%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺28.32

$1.90 RON 9.04

-70.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.69 ₺235

$2.49 RON 11.83

88.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.12 ₺357

$3.22 RON 15.28

121.12%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 ₺62.7

$1.19 RON 5.68

5.04%

White Bread (500g)

$0.88 ₺44.17

$0.71 RON 3.39

23.94%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 ₺111

$1.66 RON 7.91

32.53%

Eggs

$2.43 ₺122

$3.53 RON 16.75

-31.16%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.48 ₺526

$7.65 RON 36.36

36.99%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.31 ₺267

$5.50 RON 26.12

-3.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.10 ₺1,058

$8.23 RON 39.09

156.38%

Apples (1kg)

$1.86 ₺93.1

$1.15 RON 5.47

61.74%

Banana (1kg)

$2.30 ₺115

$1.49 RON 7.07

54.36%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.22 ₺61.0

$1.51 RON 7.18

-19.21%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺90.2

$1.76 RON 8.38

2.27%

Potato (1kg)

$0.69 ₺34.83

$0.73 RON 3.45

-5.48%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺32.16

$0.63 RON 2.98

1.59%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.36 ₺68.0

$0.74 RON 3.53

83.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 ₺28.94

$0.72 RON 3.41

-19.44%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.34 ₺117

$5.39 RON 25.62

-56.59%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.03 ₺653

$5.21 RON 24.76

150.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.36 ₺118

$0.93 RON 4.42

153.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.32 ₺166

$1.23 RON 5.85

169.92%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.88 ₺44.07

$0.69 RON 3.30

27.54%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.1 ₺3,316

$29.69 RON 141

122.70%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 ₺64.4

$0.74 RON 3.53

72.97%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 ₺42.80

$0.71 RON 3.38

19.72%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.09 ₺556

$7.38 RON 35.04

50.27%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 ₺74.0

$1.89 RON 8.97

-21.69%

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

$48.6K ₺2.4M

$28.8K RON 137.0K

68.68%

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

$42.0K ₺2.1M

$25.2K RON 119.8K

66.54%

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

$92.7 ₺4,650

$104 RON 494

-10.90%

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

$11.20 ₺562

$7.69 RON 36.53

45.64%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.89 ₺797

$4.76 RON 22.64

233.82%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.7 ₺3,745

$26.06 RON 124

186.57%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.95 ₺1,151

$15.65 RON 74.4

46.65%

Cinema Ticket

$8.05 ₺404

$6.26 RON 29.74

28.59%

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

$948 ₺47.6K

$591 RON 2,810

60.35%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.9K ₺1.9M

$6,342 RON 30.1K

482.06%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₺2,702

$84.6 RON 402

-36.34%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.49 ₺2,081

$31.92 RON 152

29.98%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 ₺5,060

$60.4 RON 287

67.15%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.3 ₺4,580

$84.3 RON 401

8.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,014 ₺50.8K

$409 RON 1,943

147.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$625 ₺31.3K

$242 RON 1,152

157.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,005 ₺100.6K

$541 RON 2,569

270.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,126 ₺56.5K

$404 RON 1,919

178.83%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,988 ₺149.8K

$1,809 RON 8,593

65.20%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,730 ₺86.8K

$1,198 RON 5,693

44.40%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,136 ₺57.0K

$926 RON 4,399

22.74%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.42

6.97

479.91%

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

Last update for Istanbul: November 2, 2026

Last update for Bacau: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$625 41.1%

Bacau

$242 26.2% 61.2% $382

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$258 17%

Bacau

$177 19.2% 31.4% $81

Eating Out

Istanbul

$221 14.6%

Bacau

$195 21.1% 11.8% $26

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$129 8.5%

Bacau

$118 12.7% 9.2% $12

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$120 7.9%

Bacau

$117 12.6% 2.7% $3.3

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$91 6%

Bacau

$39 4.2% 57.5% $52

Getting Around

Istanbul

$75 5%

Bacau

$37 4% 51.1% $38

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,014 in Istanbul versus $409 in Bacau. 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 23% 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 in Istanbul versus $83 in Bacau. Groceries tell a different story – $258 in Istanbul vs $177 in Bacau – so Bacau wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇷🇴 Bacau

🕒 Local time

06:07 6:07 AM

05:07 5:07 AM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

144,307

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 1.99 USD

100 TRY = 1.78 EUR

1 RON = 0.21 USD

1 RON = 0.187 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RON, USD, EUR 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).

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 4.75 RON (1 RON = 0.21 USD). 1 EUR = 5.33 RON (1 RON = 0.187 EUR).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Istanbul Bacau 640 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Bacau

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 Bacau: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 64%, 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 $1,385 in Bacau. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Bacau, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $409 there versus $1,014 in Istanbul.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55 in Istanbul and $83 in Bacau. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,519 in Istanbul and $924 in Bacau. That makes Bacau about 39% cheaper.

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