Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Barlad

For one person, living is cheaper in Barlad: $968 a month against $1,519 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $6,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

73

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index
47

Cost of Living Index in Barlad
Learn more

Barlad Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,519

/mo nomad

Barlad

🇷🇴 Romania

$968

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Barlad

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

A single person spends $1,519 per month in Istanbul vs $968 in Barlad, rent included.

Istanbul $1,519
Barlad $968

A couple spends around $2,365 per month in Istanbul vs $1,470 in Barlad, rent included.

Istanbul $2,365
Barlad $1,470

A family of three spends $3,212 per month in Istanbul vs $1,971 in Barlad, rent included.

Istanbul $3,212
Barlad $1,971

Istanbul costs about 57% more than Barlad, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Istanbul sits 12% above the global median, while Barlad is 28% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.81 ₺592

$10.01 RON 47.55

17.98%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.9 ₺2,754

$42.25 RON 201

29.96%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.26 ₺465

$7.32 RON 34.78

26.50%

Cappuccino

$4.30 ₺216

$2.39 RON 11.37

79.92%

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

$1.77 ₺89.0

$1.92 RON 9.14

-7.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺28.32

$1.63 RON 7.75

-65.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.69 ₺235

$2.05 RON 9.73

128.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.12 ₺357

$2.59 RON 12.31

174.90%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 ₺62.7

$1.38 RON 6.57

-9.42%

White Bread (500g)

$0.88 ₺44.17

$1.20 RON 5.70

-26.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 ₺111

$1.24 RON 5.89

77.42%

Eggs

$2.43 ₺122

$3.01 RON 14.31

-19.27%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.48 ₺526

$7.11 RON 33.78

47.40%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.31 ₺267

$5.34 RON 25.37

-0.56%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.10 ₺1,058

$9.14 RON 43.45

130.85%

Apples (1kg)

$1.86 ₺93.1

$1.15 RON 5.45

61.74%

Banana (1kg)

$2.30 ₺115

$1.69 RON 8.05

36.09%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.22 ₺61.0

$1.68 RON 7.99

-27.38%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺90.2

$2.11 RON 10.04

-14.69%

Potato (1kg)

$0.69 ₺34.83

$0.81 RON 3.85

-14.81%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺32.16

$0.79 RON 3.74

-18.99%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.36 ₺68.0

$0.91 RON 4.34

49.45%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 ₺28.94

$0.88 RON 4.19

-34.09%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.34 ₺117

$5.94 RON 28.23

-60.61%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.03 ₺653

$6.63 RON 31.51

96.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.36 ₺118

$0.91 RON 4.34

159.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.32 ₺166

$1.59 RON 7.57

108.81%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.88 ₺44.07

$0.49 RON 2.35

79.59%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.1 ₺3,316

$20.93 RON 99.5

215.91%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 ₺64.4

$0.73 RON 3.45

75.34%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 ₺42.80

$0.71 RON 3.39

19.72%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.09 ₺556

$7.47 RON 35.47

48.46%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 ₺74.0

$1.86 RON 8.81

-20.43%

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

$48.6K ₺2.4M

$27.1K RON 128.9K

79.24%

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

$42.0K ₺2.1M

$26.3K RON 125.0K

59.60%

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

$92.7 ₺4,650

$117 RON 557

-20.93%

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

$11.20 ₺562

$8.60 RON 40.88

30.23%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.89 ₺797

$7.13 RON 33.88

122.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.7 ₺3,745

$34.57 RON 164

116.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.95 ₺1,151

$19.76 RON 93.9

16.14%

Cinema Ticket

$8.05 ₺404

$6.27 RON 29.77

28.39%

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

$948 ₺47.6K

$372 RON 1,769

154.78%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.9K ₺1.9M

$7,742 RON 36.8K

376.86%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₺2,702

$64.5 RON 306

-16.44%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.49 ₺2,081

$39.38 RON 187

5.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 ₺5,060

$72.4 RON 344

39.45%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.3 ₺4,580

$82.8 RON 393

10.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,014 ₺50.8K

$416 RON 1,977

143.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$625 ₺31.3K

$293 RON 1,394

112.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,005 ₺100.6K

$639 RON 3,037

213.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,126 ₺56.5K

$422 RON 2,003

167.12%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,988 ₺149.8K

$2,092 RON 9,940

42.82%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,730 ₺86.8K

$1,294 RON 6,147

33.73%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,136 ₺57.0K

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 Barlad: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$625 41.1%

Barlad

$293 30.3% 53% $331

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$258 17%

Barlad

$191 19.7% 26.1% $68

Eating Out

Istanbul

$221 14.6%

Barlad

$160 16.6% 27.4% $61

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$129 8.5%

Barlad

$117 12% 9.9% $13

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$120 7.9%

Barlad

$133 13.7% 11% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$91 6%

Barlad

$47 4.9% 48.1% $44

Getting Around

Istanbul

$75 5%

Barlad

$27 2.8% 63.8% $48

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,014 in Istanbul versus $416 in Barlad. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55 in Istanbul versus $42 in Barlad. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $191 – making Barlad the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇷🇴 Barlad

🕒 Local time

12:44 12:44 PM

11:44 11:44 AM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

77,518

💱 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 = 56.33 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 = 5.34 RON (1 RON = 0.187 EUR).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Istanbul Barlad 590 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Barlad

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 Barlad: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,519 in Istanbul, $968 in Barlad – Barlad comes out roughly 36% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,278 per month in Istanbul and $1,453 in Barlad. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Barlad, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $416 there versus $1,014 in Istanbul.

Public transport costs about 68% less in Barlad. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $948 per month in Istanbul and $372 in Barlad. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Barlad, where all-in costs run around $968, than in Istanbul at $1,519. In Barlad it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Barlad – 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.

For expats, Barlad is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 36% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.