Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Biella

For one person, living is cheaper in Biella: $1,453 a month against $1,550 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $1,200 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Istanbul outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

75

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index
71

Cost of Living Index in Biella
Learn more

Biella Living Index

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Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

Biella

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,453

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Biella

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,550 in Istanbul versus $1,453 in Biella.

Istanbul $1,550
Biella $1,453

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,415 in Istanbul versus $2,249 in Biella.

Istanbul $2,415
Biella $2,249

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,281 in Istanbul versus $3,046 in Biella.

Istanbul $3,281
Biella $3,046

Living in Istanbul is roughly 7% more expensive than in Biella, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Istanbul 15% above, Biella 8% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.30 ₺609

$16.91 €15.04

-27.26%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.7 ₺2,708

$67.0 €59.6

-18.37%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.22 ₺456

$10.80 €9.61

-14.63%

Cappuccino

$4.40 ₺218

$1.77 €1.57

148.59%

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

$1.68 ₺83.1

$2.92 €2.60

-42.47%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₺29.40

$1.31 €1.16

-54.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.70 ₺233

$5.11 €4.54

-8.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.91 ₺292

$4.48 €3.99

31.92%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 ₺60.0

$1.24 €1.10

-2.42%

White Bread (500g)

$0.89 ₺44.10

$2.19 €1.94

-59.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.19 ₺108

$2.90 €2.58

-24.48%

Eggs

$2.35 ₺116

$3.75 €3.34

-37.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.42 ₺516

$14.50 €12.90

-28.14%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.65 ₺280

$9.11 €8.11

-37.98%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.94 ₺1,037

$21.04 €18.72

-0.48%

Apples (1kg)

$1.90 ₺94.1

$3.11 €2.77

-38.91%

Banana (1kg)

$2.31 ₺114

$2.13 €1.90

8.45%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.1

$2.00 €1.78

-36.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺89.0

$4.65 €4.14

-61.29%

Potato (1kg)

$0.65 ₺32.16

$1.87 €1.67

-65.24%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺31.91

$1.77 €1.57

-63.84%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 ₺62.1

$1.53 €1.36

-18.30%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.58

$0.34 €0.30

64.71%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.37 ₺118

$6.63 €5.90

-64.25%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.42 ₺664

$6.57 €5.84

104.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₺119

$1.99 €1.77

20.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 ₺172

$2.65 €2.36

31.32%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.89 ₺43.84

$2.01 €1.79

-55.72%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.4 ₺3,338

$38.10 €33.89

76.98%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.29 ₺64.1

$14.72 €13.10

-91.24%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 ₺45.70

$1.70 €1.51

-45.88%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.96 ₺542

$28.90 €25.70

-62.08%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ₺72.9

$2.05 €1.82

-28.29%

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

$50.8K ₺2.5M

$35.7K €31.7K

42.44%

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

$44.5K ₺2.2M

$35.0K €31.2K

27.15%

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

$88.6 ₺4,387

$192 €171

-53.96%

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

$11.59 ₺574

$7.90 €7.03

46.71%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.81 ₺783

$26.83 €23.87

-41.07%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.2 ₺3,820

$66.3 €59.0

16.34%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.74 ₺1,126

$24.49 €21.78

-7.15%

Cinema Ticket

$8.14 ₺403

$8.75 €7.78

-6.97%

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

$1,008 ₺49.9K

$688 €612

46.59%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.6K ₺1.3M

$10.2K €9,087

150.20%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.0 ₺2,671

$86.9 €77.3

-37.92%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.83 ₺2,021

$44.89 €39.93

-9.04%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.9 ₺4,895

$85.3 €75.9

15.93%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.6 ₺4,783

$111 €98.4

-12.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$985 ₺48.7K

$421 €375

133.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$650 ₺32.2K

$365 €325

78.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,983 ₺98.2K

$687 €611

188.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,180 ₺58.4K

$568 €505

107.76%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,138 ₺155.4K

$1,589 €1,414

97.42%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,780 ₺88.1K

$871 €775

104.31%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,205 ₺59.7K

$1,889 €1,680

-36.19%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.92

3.65

1021.10%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 13, 2026

Last update for Biella: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$650 41.9%

Biella

$365 25.1% 43.8% $285

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$260 16.8%

Biella

$320 22% 23.4% $61

Eating Out

Istanbul

$223 14.4%

Biella

$240 16.5% 7.6% $17

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$131 8.4%

Biella

$147 10.2% 12.9% $17

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$116 7.5%

Biella

$227 15.6% 95.8% $111

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$93 6%

Biella

$84 5.8% 10.3% $9.6

Getting Around

Istanbul

$77 5%

Biella

$69 4.8% 9.8% $7.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $985 in Istanbul and $421 in Biella. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Biella pays 57% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $55.0 in Istanbul vs $67.0 in Biella for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $260 vs $320 per month, with Istanbul cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇮🇹 Biella

🕒 Local time

15:32 3:32 PM

14:32 2:32 PM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

45,740

💱 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 19, 2026: 1 USD = 49.51 TRY (100 TRY = 2.02 USD). 1 EUR = 55.66 TRY (100 TRY = 1.8 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Istanbul Biella 1,760 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Biella

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 Biella: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Istanbul and Biella differ by about 7% in total monthly costs ($1,550 vs $1,453 including rent). Biella is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 57% lower in Biella. 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 $421 in Biella. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,008 in Istanbul versus $688 in Biella. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Istanbul pay roughly 23% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,453 in Biella versus $1,550 in Istanbul, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Biella but tight or insufficient in Istanbul. The gap between the two cities makes Biella 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 Biella 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 Biella gentler on the wallet – expenses run 7% less than in Istanbul. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.