Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Besancon

For one person, living is cheaper in Istanbul: $1,550 a month against $1,755 in Besancon, rent and utilities included – about $2,500 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

75

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index
86

Cost of Living Index in Besancon
Learn more

Besancon Living Index

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Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

Besancon

🇫🇷 France

$1,755

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Besancon

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,550 in Istanbul versus $1,755 in Besancon.

Istanbul $1,550
Besancon $1,755

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,415 in Istanbul versus $2,536 in Besancon.

Istanbul $2,415
Besancon $2,536

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,281 in Istanbul versus $3,318 in Besancon.

Istanbul $3,281
Besancon $3,318

Living in Istanbul costs roughly 12% less than in Besancon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Istanbul 15% above, Besancon 30% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.30 ₺609

$16.69 €14.88

-26.30%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.7 ₺2,708

$55.2 €49.17

-0.82%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.22 ₺456

$10.94 €9.76

-15.72%

Cappuccino

$4.40 ₺218

$3.03 €2.70

45.21%

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

$1.68 ₺83.1

$2.36 €2.10

-28.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₺29.40

$1.55 €1.38

-61.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.70 ₺233

$6.58 €5.87

-28.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.91 ₺293

$5.56 €4.95

6.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 ₺60.0

$1.28 €1.14

-5.47%

White Bread (500g)

$0.89 ₺44.10

$1.71 €1.52

-47.95%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.19 ₺108

$2.14 €1.91

2.34%

Eggs

$2.35 ₺116

$4.41 €3.93

-46.71%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.42 ₺516

$19.97 €17.80

-47.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.65 ₺280

$10.95 €9.77

-48.40%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.94 ₺1,037

$17.89 €15.95

17.05%

Apples (1kg)

$1.90 ₺94.1

$2.65 €2.36

-28.30%

Banana (1kg)

$2.31 ₺114

$2.26 €2.01

2.21%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.2

$2.72 €2.43

-52.94%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺89.0

$2.46 €2.19

-26.83%

Potato (1kg)

$0.65 ₺32.17

$2.54 €2.27

-74.41%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺31.92

$2.42 €2.16

-73.55%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 ₺62.1

$1.43 €1.27

-12.59%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.59

$1.17 €1.04

-52.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.37 ₺118

$13.78 €12.29

-82.80%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.42 ₺664

$9.39 €8.37

42.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₺119

$4.85 €4.32

-50.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 ₺172

$3.25 €2.90

7.08%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.89 ₺43.84

$1.68 €1.50

-47.02%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.4 ₺3,339

$44.17 €39.38

52.66%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.29 ₺64.1

$3.04 €2.71

-57.57%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 ₺45.70

$2.12 €1.89

-56.60%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.96 ₺543

$30.05 €26.79

-63.53%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ₺72.9

$2.13 €1.90

-30.99%

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

$50.8K ₺2.5M

$34.4K €30.7K

47.59%

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

$44.5K ₺2.2M

$34.3K €30.6K

29.90%

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

$88.6 ₺4,388

$225 €200

-60.54%

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

$11.59 ₺574

$14.65 €13.06

-20.89%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.81 ₺783

$34.19 €30.49

-53.76%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.2 ₺3,821

$26.44 €23.57

191.83%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.74 ₺1,126

$19.68 €17.54

15.55%

Cinema Ticket

$8.14 ₺403

$11.32 €10.10

-28.09%

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

$1,008 ₺49.9K

$339 €302

197.63%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.6K ₺1.3M

$7,309 €6,517

249.72%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.0 ₺2,671

$99.0 €88.3

-45.52%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.83 ₺2,021

$38.58 €34.40

5.83%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.9 ₺4,896

$93.0 €82.9

6.31%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.6 ₺4,783

$124 €110

-21.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$985 ₺48.7K

$635 €566

55.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$650 ₺32.2K

$590 €526

10.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,983 ₺98.2K

$991 €884

100.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,180 ₺58.4K

$803 €716

46.91%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,138 ₺155.4K

$2,822 €2,516

11.20%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,780 ₺88.1K

$2,245 €2,001

-20.71%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,205 ₺59.7K

$2,181 €1,945

-44.73%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.92

3.62

1030.39%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 13, 2026

Last update for Besancon: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$650 41.9%

Besancon

$590 33.6% 9.2% $59

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$260 16.8%

Besancon

$356 20.3% 37.1% $96

Eating Out

Istanbul

$223 14.4%

Besancon

$262 15% 17.5% $39

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$131 8.4%

Besancon

$159 9.1% 22.1% $29

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$116 7.5%

Besancon

$273 15.6% 136% $157

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$93 6%

Besancon

$49 2.8% 47.5% $44

Getting Around

Istanbul

$77 5%

Besancon

$65 3.7% 16% $12

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $985 in Istanbul and $635 in Besancon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Besancon pays 81% 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 $55.0 in Besancon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $260 vs $356 per month, with Istanbul cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇫🇷 Besancon

🕒 Local time

03:25 3:25 AM

02:25 2:25 AM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

119,198

💱 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 16, 2026: 1 USD = 49.51 TRY (100 TRY = 2.02 USD). 1 EUR = 55.51 TRY (100 TRY = 1.8 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 16, 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 Besancon 1,950 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Besancon

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 Besancon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Istanbul wins on cost – living expenses run 13% lower than in Besancon. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Istanbul the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 81% lower in Besancon. 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 $635 in Besancon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Istanbul runs roughly 53% less than in Besancon. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $1,008 in Istanbul versus $339 in Besancon. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,550 in Istanbul versus $1,755 in Besancon, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Istanbul but tight or insufficient in Besancon. The gap between the two cities makes Istanbul the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Istanbul delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,550 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Istanbul hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Istanbul and Besancon 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 13% less than in Besancon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.