Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Bečej

For one person, living is cheaper in Bečej: $844 a month against $1,525 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $8,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

74

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index
41

Cost of Living Index in Bečej
Learn more

Bečej Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,525

/mo nomad

Bečej

🇷🇸 Serbia

$844

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Bečej

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,525 in Istanbul versus $844 in Bečej.

Istanbul $1,525
Bečej $844

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,390 in Istanbul versus $1,261 in Bečej.

Istanbul $2,390
Bečej $1,261

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,256 in Istanbul versus $1,679 in Bečej.

Istanbul $3,256
Bečej $1,679

Living in Istanbul is roughly 81% more expensive than in Bečej, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Istanbul is 13% above, Bečej is 38% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.96 ₺592

$6.50 RSD 677

84.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$57.2 ₺2,834

$33.61 RSD 3,504

70.28%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.51 ₺471

$9.59 RSD 1,000

-0.83%

Cappuccino

$4.40 ₺218

$1.18 RSD 123

272.88%

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

$1.75 ₺86.6

$1.40 RSD 146

25.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.57

$0.74 RSD 77.4

-24.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.71 ₺233

$1.46 RSD 153

222.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.14 ₺304

$1.90 RSD 198

223.16%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.24 ₺61.6

$0.98 RSD 102

26.53%

White Bread (500g)

$0.95 ₺47.25

$1.17 RSD 122

-18.80%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.28 ₺113

$1.45 RSD 151

57.24%

Eggs

$2.45 ₺121

$2.11 RSD 220

16.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.56 ₺523

$8.84 RSD 921

19.46%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.50 ₺272

$6.67 RSD 696

-17.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.65 ₺1,072

$7.32 RSD 763

195.77%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 ₺90.6

$0.98 RSD 102

86.73%

Banana (1kg)

$2.29 ₺113

$1.85 RSD 193

23.78%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.4

$1.55 RSD 162

-17.42%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.82 ₺90.1

$1.86 RSD 194

-2.15%

Potato (1kg)

$0.66 ₺32.74

$0.70 RSD 72.9

-5.71%

Onion (1kg)

$0.63 ₺31.14

$0.32 RSD 33.01

96.88%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.27 ₺62.8

$0.64 RSD 66.7

98.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.62

$0.54 RSD 56.7

3.70%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.36 ₺117

$3.92 RSD 409

-39.80%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.98 ₺642

$3.78 RSD 394

243.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.48 ₺123

$0.66 RSD 68.4

275.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.50 ₺174

$0.93 RSD 97.2

276.34%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.82 ₺40.77

$0.90 RSD 93.9

-8.89%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.2 ₺3,228

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.33 ₺65.7

$1.87 RSD 195

-28.88%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.90 ₺44.60

$0.80 RSD 83.0

12.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.91 ₺540

$9.43 RSD 983

15.69%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.43 ₺70.7

$1.92 RSD 201

-25.52%

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

$49.6K ₺2.5M

$30.9K RSD 3.2M

60.61%

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

$43.2K ₺2.1M

$23.7K RSD 2.5M

82.01%

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

$88.8 ₺4,395

$62.0 RSD 6,458

43.29%

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

$11.69 ₺579

$9.59 RSD 999

21.90%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.09 ₺797

$23.07 RSD 2,405

-30.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$76.3 ₺3,776

$29.23 RSD 3,047

160.90%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.72 ₺1,125

Cinema Ticket

$8.26 ₺409

$8.36 RSD 872

-1.20%

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

$1,015 ₺50.2K

$433 RSD 45.2K

134.14%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.8K ₺1.3M

$11.2K RSD 1.2M

131.68%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.3 ₺2,636

$110 RSD 11.4K

-51.45%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.55 ₺2,008

$47.52 RSD 4,953

-14.67%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100 ₺4,956

$63.3 RSD 6,601

58.06%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.5 ₺4,630

$113 RSD 11.7K

-16.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$977 ₺48.4K

$316 RSD 33.0K

208.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$627 ₺31.0K

$256 RSD 26.7K

145.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,980 ₺98.0K

$434 RSD 45.2K

356.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,147 ₺56.8K

$327 RSD 34.1K

251.07%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,095 ₺153.2K

$2,136 RSD 222.7K

44.92%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,787 ₺88.5K

$1,750 RSD 182.4K

2.14%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,213 ₺60.1K

$526 RSD 54.8K

130.65%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.69

4.61

782.65%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 19, 2026

Last update for Bečej: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$627 41.1%

Bečej

$256 30.3% 59.2% $371

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$263 17.2%

Bečej

$174 20.6% 33.9% $89

Eating Out

Istanbul

$222 14.6%

Bečej

$115 13.6% 48.4% $107

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$129 8.5%

Bečej

$150 17.8% 15.9% $21

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$117 7.6%

Bečej

$95 11.2% 18.8% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$93 6.1%

Bečej

$46 5.5% 50.5% $47

Getting Around

Istanbul

$74 4.9%

Bečej

$9.5 * 1.1% 87.3% $65

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 $977 in Istanbul and $316 in Bečej. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Istanbul pays 131% 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: $57.0 in Istanbul vs $34.00 in Bečej for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $263 vs $174 per month, with Bečej cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇷🇸 Bečej

🕒 Local time

17:42 5:42 PM

16:42 4:42 PM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

19,492

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Serbian Dinar RSD din

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 2.02 USD

100 TRY = 1.8 EUR

1,000 RSD = 9.59 USD

1,000 RSD = 8.53 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RSD, USD, EUR to TRY – Turkish Lira Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇷 Turkish Lira (₺)

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 49.51 TRY (100 TRY = 2.02 USD). 1 EUR = 55.66 TRY (100 TRY = 1.8 EUR).

Serbian Dinar exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 104 RSD (1,000 RSD = 9.59 USD). 1 EUR = 117 RSD (1,000 RSD = 8.53 EUR).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Istanbul Bečej 880 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Bečej

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 Bečej: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bečej is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and leisure. The 81% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 131% higher in Istanbul, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $977 in Istanbul versus $316 in Bečej. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 51% higher in Istanbul. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,525 per month in Istanbul versus $844 in Bečej – a 81% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $844 in Bečej versus $1,525 in Istanbul, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Bečej but tight or insufficient in Istanbul. The gap between the two cities makes Bečej the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Bečej is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Istanbul, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Istanbul and Bečej 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 Bečej gentler on the wallet – expenses run 81% less than in Istanbul. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.