Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Bergamo

For one person, living costs are similar in Istanbul and in Bergamo: $1,526 and $1,592 a month, rent and utilities included.

74

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Bergamo
Learn more

Bergamo Living Index

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Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,526

/mo nomad

Bergamo

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,592

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Bergamo

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,526 in Istanbul versus $1,592 in Bergamo.

Istanbul $1,526
Bergamo $1,592

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,399 in Istanbul versus $2,451 in Bergamo.

Istanbul $2,399
Bergamo $2,451

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,272 in Istanbul versus $3,311 in Bergamo.

Istanbul $3,272
Bergamo $3,311

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

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Istanbul 14% above, Bergamo 19% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.88 ₺585

$15.68 €13.99

-24.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.1 ₺2,714

$82.6 €73.8

-33.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.14 ₺450

$11.08 €9.89

-17.51%

Cappuccino

$4.24 ₺209

$1.87 €1.67

126.74%

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

$1.75 ₺86.0

$3.31 €2.95

-47.13%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.54 ₺26.83

$1.29 €1.15

-58.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.69 ₺231

$5.57 €4.97

-15.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.97 ₺294

$5.57 €4.97

7.18%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.26 ₺62.1

$1.42 €1.27

-11.27%

White Bread (500g)

$0.95 ₺46.81

$2.02 €1.81

-52.97%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.31 ₺114

$3.02 €2.70

-23.51%

Eggs

$2.47 ₺122

$3.71 €3.31

-33.42%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.55 ₺520

$15.27 €13.63

-30.91%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.60 ₺276

$11.39 €10.16

-50.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.21 ₺1,045

$16.13 €14.39

31.49%

Apples (1kg)

$1.93 ₺95.1

$2.30 €2.05

-16.09%

Banana (1kg)

$2.29 ₺113

$1.71 €1.52

33.92%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.1

$2.25 €2.01

-43.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.84 ₺90.8

$2.66 €2.38

-30.83%

Potato (1kg)

$0.67 ₺32.86

$1.81 €1.62

-62.98%

Onion (1kg)

$0.59 ₺29.31

$2.19 €1.95

-73.06%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.33 ₺65.4

$1.86 €1.66

-28.49%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₺29.10

$0.48 €0.43

22.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.36 ₺116

$7.11 €6.35

-66.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.47 ₺664

$4.17 €3.72

223.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.42 ₺119

$1.25 €1.12

93.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.54 ₺174

$1.77 €1.58

100.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.83 ₺40.64

$1.88 €1.67

-55.85%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.5 ₺3,273

$45.25 €40.38

46.85%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.35 ₺66.6

$10.21 €9.11

-86.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 ₺42.05

$2.22 €1.98

-61.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.86 ₺535

$38.74 €34.57

-71.97%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ₺72.3

$2.09 €1.86

-29.67%

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

$51.6K ₺2.5M

$36.8K €32.8K

40.35%

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

$44.4K ₺2.2M

$35.0K €31.3K

26.87%

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

$89.2 ₺4,395

$195 €174

-54.32%

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

$11.60 ₺572

$8.87 €7.92

30.78%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.10 ₺793

$27.82 €24.82

-42.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.3 ₺3,805

$32.67 €29.15

136.46%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.66 ₺1,116

$23.37 €20.86

-3.04%

Cinema Ticket

$8.34 ₺411

$11.26 €10.05

-25.93%

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

$974 ₺48.0K

$569 €507

71.30%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.8K ₺1.3M

$14.0K €12.5K

84.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.7 ₺2,597

$74.1 €66.1

-28.82%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.16 ₺1,929

$32.57 €29.06

20.23%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 ₺5,083

$88.0 €78.5

17.31%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.6 ₺4,759

$103 €92.0

-6.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$994 ₺49.0K

$751 €670

32.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$629 ₺31.0K

$573 €511

9.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,024 ₺99.7K

$1,370 €1,222

47.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,155 ₺56.9K

$904 €807

27.72%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,160 ₺155.7K

$3,471 €3,097

-8.95%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,838 ₺90.5K

$2,509 €2,239

-26.77%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,203 ₺59.3K

$2,426 €2,165

-50.40%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

41.09

3.05

1247.21%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 3, 2026

Last update for Bergamo: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$629 41.2%

Bergamo

$573 35.7% 9% $56

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$264 17.3%

Bergamo

$298 18.6% 12.8% $34

Eating Out

Istanbul

$218 14.3%

Bergamo

$239 14.9% 9.5% $21

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$131 8.6%

Bergamo

$134 8.4% 2% $2.7

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$117 7.7%

Bergamo

$232 14.5% 98.4% $115

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$94 6.1%

Bergamo

$55 3.4% 41.3% $39

Getting Around

Istanbul

$75 4.9%

Bergamo

$74 4.6% 1.7% $1.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $994 in Istanbul and $751 in Bergamo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bergamo pays 102% 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 $83.0 in Bergamo for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $264 vs $298 per month, with Istanbul cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇮🇹 Bergamo

🕒 Local time

13:28 1:28 PM

12:28 12:28 PM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

120,569

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 2.03 USD

100 TRY = 1.81 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 49.26 TRY (100 TRY = 2.03 USD). 1 EUR = 55.2 TRY (100 TRY = 1.81 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Istanbul Bergamo 1,640 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Bergamo

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 Bergamo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Istanbul and Bergamo differ by about 4% in total monthly costs ($1,526 vs $1,592 including rent). Istanbul is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 102% lower in Bergamo. 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: $994 in Istanbul versus $751 in Bergamo. 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 $83.0 in Bergamo. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,526 per month in Istanbul versus $1,592 in Bergamo – a 4% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,526 in Istanbul versus $1,592 in Bergamo, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Istanbul but tight or insufficient in Bergamo. 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 Bergamo 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 Bergamo. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.