Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Biarritz

For one person, living is cheaper in Istanbul: $1,550 a month against $2,091 in Biarritz, rent and utilities included – about $6,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

75

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index
102

Cost of Living Index in Biarritz
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Biarritz Living Index

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Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

Biarritz

🇫🇷 France

$2,091

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Biarritz

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,550 in Istanbul versus $2,091 in Biarritz.

Istanbul $1,550
Biarritz $2,091

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,415 in Istanbul versus $3,371 in Biarritz.

Istanbul $2,415
Biarritz $3,371

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,281 in Istanbul versus $4,652 in Biarritz.

Istanbul $3,281
Biarritz $4,652

Living in Istanbul costs roughly 26% less than in Biarritz, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Istanbul 15% above, Biarritz 55% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.30 ₺609

$19.87 €17.67

-38.10%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.7 ₺2,708

$77.2 €68.7

-29.14%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.22 ₺456

$13.97 €12.43

-34.00%

Cappuccino

$4.40 ₺218

$3.77 €3.36

16.71%

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

$1.68 ₺83.1

$2.86 €2.54

-41.26%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₺29.40

$1.44 €1.28

-59.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.70 ₺233

$7.93 €7.05

-40.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.91 ₺292

$6.63 €5.90

-10.86%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 ₺60.0

$1.18 €1.05

2.54%

White Bread (500g)

$0.89 ₺44.10

$2.01 €1.79

-55.72%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.19 ₺108

$2.22 €1.97

-1.35%

Eggs

$2.35 ₺116

$3.65 €3.25

-35.62%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.42 ₺516

$13.78 €12.26

-24.38%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.65 ₺280

$15.93 €14.17

-64.53%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.94 ₺1,037

$20.32 €18.07

3.05%

Apples (1kg)

$1.90 ₺94.1

$3.27 €2.91

-41.90%

Banana (1kg)

$2.31 ₺114

$2.21 €1.96

4.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.1

$3.28 €2.92

-60.98%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺89.0

$4.38 €3.90

-58.90%

Potato (1kg)

$0.65 ₺32.16

$2.18 €1.94

-70.18%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺31.91

$2.63 €2.34

-75.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 ₺62.1

$1.37 €1.22

-8.76%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.58

$0.52 €0.47

7.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.37 ₺118

$13.04 €11.60

-81.83%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.42 ₺664

$10.16 €9.03

32.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₺119

$3.89 €3.46

-38.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 ₺172

$3.42 €3.04

1.75%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.89 ₺43.84

$1.57 €1.40

-43.31%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.4 ₺3,338

$42.31 €37.64

59.37%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.29 ₺64.1

$2.24 €1.99

-42.41%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 ₺45.70

$1.89 €1.68

-51.32%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.96 ₺542

$37.32 €33.20

-70.63%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ₺72.9

$2.04 €1.81

-27.94%

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

$50.8K ₺2.5M

$34.7K €30.9K

46.43%

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

$44.5K ₺2.2M

$33.8K €30.1K

31.69%

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

$88.6 ₺4,387

$217 €193

-59.16%

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

$11.59 ₺574

$15.24 €13.55

-23.95%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.81 ₺783

$31.33 €27.87

-49.54%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.2 ₺3,820

$71.9 €64.0

7.30%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.74 ₺1,126

$23.87 €21.24

-4.73%

Cinema Ticket

$8.14 ₺403

$9.91 €8.82

-17.86%

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

$1,008 ₺49.9K

$782 €695

28.98%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.6K ₺1.3M

$13.4K €11.9K

90.56%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.0 ₺2,671

$118 €105

-54.15%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.83 ₺2,021

$44.28 €39.39

-7.79%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.9 ₺4,895

$108 €96.1

-8.52%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.6 ₺4,783

$147 €130

-34.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$985 ₺48.7K

$900 €801

9.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$650 ₺32.2K

$800 €711

-18.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,983 ₺98.2K

$2,165 €1,925

-8.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,180 ₺58.4K

$1,737 €1,545

-32.05%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,138 ₺155.4K

$10.1K €8,987

-68.94%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,780 ₺88.1K

$7,631 €6,788

-76.68%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,205 ₺59.7K

$2,301 €2,047

-47.62%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.92

3.7

1005.95%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 13, 2026

Last update for Biarritz: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$650 41.9%

Biarritz

$800 38.3% 23.1% $150

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$260 16.8%

Biarritz

$372 17.8% 43.4% $113

Eating Out

Istanbul

$223 14.4%

Biarritz

$316 15.1% 41.6% $93

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$131 8.4%

Biarritz

$187 9% 43.5% $57

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$116 7.5%

Biarritz

$264 12.6% 127% $148

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$93 6%

Biarritz

$92 4.4% 1.8% $1.7

Getting Around

Istanbul

$77 5%

Biarritz

$60 2.9% 21.6% $17

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $985 in Istanbul and $900 in Biarritz. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Biarritz pays 91% 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 $77.0 in Biarritz for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $260 vs $372 per month, with Istanbul cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇫🇷 Biarritz

🕒 Local time

19:39 7:39 PM

18:39 6:39 PM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

25,764

💱 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 17, 2026: 1 USD = 49.51 TRY (100 TRY = 2.02 USD). 1 EUR = 55.67 TRY (100 TRY = 1.8 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Istanbul Biarritz 2,510 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Biarritz

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 Biarritz: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Istanbul and Biarritz differ by about 35% in total monthly costs ($1,550 vs $2,091 including rent). Istanbul is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 91% lower in Biarritz. 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 $900 in Biarritz. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 43% higher in Biarritz. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Istanbul – a meal for two runs $55.0 versus $77.0 in Biarritz. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,550 in Istanbul versus $2,091 in Biarritz, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Istanbul but tight or insufficient in Biarritz. 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 Biarritz 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 35% less than in Biarritz. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.