Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Barakaldo

For one person, living costs are similar in Istanbul and in Barakaldo: $1,550 and $1,618 a month, rent and utilities included.

75

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Barakaldo
Learn more

Barakaldo Living Index

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Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

Barakaldo

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,618

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Barakaldo

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,550 in Istanbul versus $1,618 in Barakaldo.

Istanbul $1,550
Barakaldo $1,618

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,415 in Istanbul versus $2,418 in Barakaldo.

Istanbul $2,415
Barakaldo $2,418

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,281 in Istanbul versus $3,219 in Barakaldo.

Istanbul $3,281
Barakaldo $3,219

Living in Istanbul costs roughly 4% less than in Barakaldo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Istanbul 15% above, Barakaldo 20% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.30 ₺609

$16.91 €15.04

-27.26%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.7 ₺2,708

$68.0 €60.5

-19.55%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.22 ₺456

$12.19 €10.85

-24.36%

Cappuccino

$4.40 ₺218

$2.45 €2.18

79.59%

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

$1.68 ₺83.1

$2.99 €2.66

-43.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₺29.40

$1.97 €1.75

-70.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.70 ₺233

$3.44 €3.06

36.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.91 ₺292

$3.27 €2.91

80.73%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 ₺60.0

$1.14 €1.01

6.14%

White Bread (500g)

$0.89 ₺44.10

$1.61 €1.43

-44.72%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.19 ₺108

$1.38 €1.23

58.70%

Eggs

$2.35 ₺116

$3.23 €2.88

-27.24%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.42 ₺516

$12.22 €10.87

-14.73%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.65 ₺280

$7.98 €7.10

-29.20%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.94 ₺1,037

$12.98 €11.55

61.33%

Apples (1kg)

$1.90 ₺94.1

$2.77 €2.47

-31.41%

Banana (1kg)

$2.31 ₺114

$1.56 €1.39

48.08%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.1

$1.91 €1.70

-32.98%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺89.0

$2.29 €2.04

-21.40%

Potato (1kg)

$0.65 ₺32.16

$1.54 €1.37

-57.79%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺31.91

$2.31 €2.05

-72.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 ₺62.1

$1.26 €1.12

-0.79%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.58

$0.85 €0.75

-34.12%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.37 ₺118

$6.51 €5.79

-63.59%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.42 ₺664

$7.74 €6.88

73.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₺119

$1.50 €1.33

60.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 ₺172

$1.98 €1.76

75.76%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.89 ₺43.84

$1.65 €1.47

-46.06%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.4 ₺3,338

$32.27 €28.71

108.96%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.29 ₺64.1

$5.54 €4.93

-76.71%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 ₺45.70

$1.04 €0.92

-11.54%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.96 ₺542

$29.55 €26.28

-62.91%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ₺72.9

$1.83 €1.62

-19.67%

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

$50.8K ₺2.5M

$34.8K €30.9K

46.11%

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

$44.5K ₺2.2M

$29.1K €25.9K

52.82%

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

$88.6 ₺4,387

$141 €125

-37.09%

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

$11.59 ₺574

$18.30 €16.28

-36.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.81 ₺783

$25.36 €22.56

-37.66%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.2 ₺3,820

$45.61 €40.57

69.17%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.74 ₺1,126

$16.02 €14.25

41.95%

Cinema Ticket

$8.14 ₺403

$9.95 €8.85

-18.19%

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

$1,008 ₺49.9K

$491 €436

105.49%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.6K ₺1.3M

$10.2K €9,111

149.55%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.0 ₺2,671

$90.3 €80.4

-40.27%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.83 ₺2,021

$31.23 €27.78

30.74%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.9 ₺4,895

$69.3 €61.6

42.75%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.6 ₺4,783

$119 €106

-18.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$985 ₺48.7K

$914 €813

7.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$650 ₺32.2K

$679 €604

-4.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,983 ₺98.2K

$1,364 €1,213

45.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,180 ₺58.4K

$1,022 €909

15.46%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,138 ₺155.4K

$3,321 €2,954

-5.50%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,780 ₺88.1K

$2,166 €1,927

-17.84%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,205 ₺59.7K

$1,796 €1,598

-32.89%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.92

2.98

1273.15%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 13, 2026

Last update for Barakaldo: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$650 41.9%

Barakaldo

$679 42% 4.5% $29

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$260 16.8%

Barakaldo

$255 15.8% 1.8% $4.6

Eating Out

Istanbul

$223 14.4%

Barakaldo

$245 15.1% 9.7% $22

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$131 8.4%

Barakaldo

$140 8.6% 6.8% $8.9

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$116 7.5%

Barakaldo

$185 11.4% 59% $68

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$93 6%

Barakaldo

$66 4.1% 29.9% $28

Getting Around

Istanbul

$77 5%

Barakaldo

$50 3.1% 35.5% $27

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $985 in Istanbul and $914 in Barakaldo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barakaldo pays 49% 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 $68.0 in Barakaldo. Groceries flip the comparison at $260 vs $255, with Barakaldo cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇪🇸 Barakaldo

🕒 Local time

20:14 8:14 PM

19:14 7:14 PM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

101,229

💱 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 18, 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 18, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Istanbul Barakaldo 2,630 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Barakaldo

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 Barakaldo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Istanbul and Barakaldo differ by about 4% in total monthly costs ($1,550 vs $1,618 including rent). Istanbul is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 49% lower in Barakaldo. 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 $914 in Barakaldo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Istanbul – a meal for two runs $55.0 versus $68.0 in Barakaldo. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,550 per month in Istanbul versus $1,618 in Barakaldo – a 4% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,550 in Istanbul versus $1,618 in Barakaldo, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Istanbul but tight or insufficient in Barakaldo. The gap between the two cities makes Istanbul the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.

Safety-wise, Istanbul and Barakaldo 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 4% less than in Barakaldo. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.