Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Bialystok

For one person, living is cheaper in Bialystok: $1,450 a month against $1,550 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $1,200 less a year. The total is higher in Istanbul despite lower rent and utilities.

75

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index
71

Cost of Living Index in Bialystok
Learn more

Bialystok Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

Bialystok

🇵🇱 Poland

$1,450

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Bialystok

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

A single person spends $1,550 per month in Istanbul vs $1,450 in Bialystok, rent included.

Istanbul $1,550
Bialystok $1,450

A couple spends around $2,415 per month in Istanbul vs $2,061 in Bialystok, rent included.

Istanbul $2,415
Bialystok $2,061

A family of three spends $3,281 per month in Istanbul vs $2,672 in Bialystok, rent included.

Istanbul $3,281
Bialystok $2,672

Istanbul costs about 7% more than Bialystok, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Istanbul and Bialystok sit above the global median – Istanbul by 15%, Bialystok by 7%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.30 ₺609

$9.82 zł 38.15

25.25%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.7 ₺2,708

$45.59 zł 177

19.98%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.22 ₺456

$9.01 zł 35.02

2.33%

Cappuccino

$4.40 ₺218

$3.60 zł 13.99

22.22%

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

$1.68 ₺83.1

$1.80 zł 6.99

-6.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₺29.40

$1.57 zł 6.11

-62.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.70 ₺233

$3.47 zł 13.48

35.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.91 ₺292

$3.03 zł 11.77

95.05%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 ₺60.0

$1.06 zł 4.11

14.15%

White Bread (500g)

$0.89 ₺44.10

$1.01 zł 3.93

-11.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.19 ₺108

$2.22 zł 8.63

-1.35%

Eggs

$2.35 ₺116

$3.82 zł 14.84

-38.48%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.42 ₺516

$9.25 zł 35.94

12.65%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.65 ₺280

$5.78 zł 22.47

-2.25%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.94 ₺1,037

$11.23 zł 43.63

86.46%

Apples (1kg)

$1.90 ₺94.1

$1.20 zł 4.68

58.33%

Banana (1kg)

$2.31 ₺114

$1.83 zł 7.09

26.23%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.1

$1.57 zł 6.08

-18.47%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺89.0

$2.00 zł 7.78

-10.00%

Potato (1kg)

$0.65 ₺32.16

$1.04 zł 4.05

-37.50%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺31.91

$1.17 zł 4.54

-45.30%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 ₺62.1

$1.12 zł 4.35

11.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.58

$0.62 zł 2.40

-9.68%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.37 ₺118

$5.07 zł 19.70

-53.25%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.42 ₺664

$6.29 zł 24.45

113.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₺119

$1.15 zł 4.47

108.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 ₺172

$1.46 zł 5.66

138.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.89 ₺43.84

$1.10 zł 4.26

-19.09%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.4 ₺3,338

$32.94 zł 128

104.71%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.29 ₺64.1

$2.01 zł 7.81

-35.82%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 ₺45.70

$0.65 zł 2.52

41.54%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.96 ₺542

$12.95 zł 50.3

-15.37%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ₺72.9

$1.55 zł 6.01

-5.16%

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

$50.8K ₺2.5M

$30.2K zł 117.4K

68.08%

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

$44.5K ₺2.2M

$27.0K zł 105.0K

64.74%

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

$88.6 ₺4,387

$298 zł 1,157

-70.25%

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

$11.59 ₺574

$8.38 zł 32.54

38.31%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.81 ₺783

$17.99 zł 69.9

-12.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.2 ₺3,820

$41.37 zł 161

86.51%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.74 ₺1,126

$27.66 zł 107

-17.79%

Cinema Ticket

$8.14 ₺403

$6.71 zł 26.08

21.31%

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

$1,008 ₺49.9K

$359 zł 1,394

180.87%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.6K ₺1.3M

$4,280 zł 16.6K

497.26%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.0 ₺2,671

$98.7 zł 383

-45.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.83 ₺2,021

$36.27 zł 141

12.57%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.9 ₺4,895

$86.0 zł 334

15.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.6 ₺4,783

$89.9 zł 349

7.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$985 ₺48.7K

$541 zł 2,101

82.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$650 ₺32.2K

$496 zł 1,925

31.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,983 ₺98.2K

$820 zł 3,187

141.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,180 ₺58.4K

$720 zł 2,799

63.82%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,138 ₺155.4K

$2,620 zł 10.2K

19.79%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,780 ₺88.1K

$2,272 zł 8,826

-21.65%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,205 ₺59.7K

$1,462 zł 5,680

-17.55%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.92

7.07

478.78%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 13, 2026

Last update for Bialystok: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$650 41.9%

Bialystok

$496 34.2% 23.7% $154

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$260 16.8%

Bialystok

$207 14.3% 20.3% $53

Eating Out

Istanbul

$223 14.4%

Bialystok

$186 12.8% 16.8% $38

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$131 8.4%

Bialystok

$140 9.7% 7.1% $9.2

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$116 7.5%

Bialystok

$324 22.4% 179% $208

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$93 6%

Bialystok

$55 3.8% 41.4% $39

Getting Around

Istanbul

$77 5%

Bialystok

$43 2.9% 44.6% $34

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $985 in Istanbul versus $541 in Bialystok. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 21% higher in Bialystok, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55.0 in Istanbul versus $46.00 in Bialystok. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $260 vs $207 – making Bialystok the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇵🇱 Bialystok

🕒 Local time

19:55 7:55 PM

18:55 6:55 PM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

297,554

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Polish Złoty PLN zł

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 2.02 USD

100 TRY = 1.8 EUR

1 PLN = 0.257 USD

1 PLN = 0.229 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PLN, USD, EUR 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).

Polish Złoty exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 3.89 PLN (1 PLN = 0.257 USD). 1 EUR = 4.37 PLN (1 PLN = 0.229 EUR).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Istanbul Bialystok 1,420 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Bialystok

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 Bialystok: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Istanbul costs about 7% more than Bialystok, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,325 per month in Istanbul and $2,175 in Bialystok. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Bialystok, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $1,008 per month in Istanbul and $359 in Bialystok. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 25% more in Istanbul, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Bialystok, where all-in costs run around $1,450, than in Istanbul at $1,550. In Bialystok it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Bialystok costs $1,450 versus $1,550 in Istanbul. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Bialystok. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Istanbul makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.