Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Bijeljina

For one person, living is cheaper in Bijeljina: $905 a month against $1,526 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $7,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

74

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index
44

Cost of Living Index in Bijeljina
Learn more

Bijeljina Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,526

/mo nomad

Bijeljina

🇧🇦 Bosnia and Herzegovina

$905

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Bijeljina

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

A single person spends $1,526 per month in Istanbul vs $905 in Bijeljina, rent included.

Istanbul $1,526
Bijeljina $905

A couple spends around $2,399 per month in Istanbul vs $1,424 in Bijeljina, rent included.

Istanbul $2,399
Bijeljina $1,424

A family of three spends $3,272 per month in Istanbul vs $1,943 in Bijeljina, rent included.

Istanbul $3,272
Bijeljina $1,943

Istanbul costs about 69% more than Bijeljina, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Istanbul sits 14% above the global median, while Bijeljina is 32% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.88 ₺585

$8.65 BAM 15.10

37.34%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.1 ₺2,714

$34.77 BAM 60.7

58.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.14 ₺450

$4.45 BAM 7.77

105.39%

Cappuccino

$4.24 ₺209

$1.45 BAM 2.52

192.41%

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

$1.75 ₺86.0

$1.69 BAM 2.96

3.55%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.54 ₺26.83

$1.01 BAM 1.77

-46.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.69 ₺231

$1.69 BAM 2.95

177.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.97 ₺294

$2.27 BAM 3.96

163.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.26 ₺62.1

$1.52 BAM 2.66

-17.11%

White Bread (500g)

$0.95 ₺46.81

$1.21 BAM 2.11

-21.49%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.31 ₺114

$1.71 BAM 2.98

35.09%

Eggs

$2.47 ₺122

$3.04 BAM 5.31

-18.75%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.55 ₺520

$7.42 BAM 12.94

42.18%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.60 ₺276

$7.75 BAM 13.53

-27.74%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.21 ₺1,045

$11.47 BAM 20.01

84.92%

Apples (1kg)

$1.93 ₺95.1

$1.57 BAM 2.74

22.93%

Banana (1kg)

$2.29 ₺113

$1.81 BAM 3.15

26.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.1

$1.79 BAM 3.12

-28.49%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.84 ₺90.8

$2.59 BAM 4.52

-28.96%

Potato (1kg)

$0.67 ₺32.86

$1.59 BAM 2.77

-57.86%

Onion (1kg)

$0.59 ₺29.31

$1.40 BAM 2.45

-57.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.33 ₺65.4

$1.09 BAM 1.90

22.02%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₺29.10

$0.60 BAM 1.05

-1.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.36 ₺116

$3.72 BAM 6.49

-36.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.47 ₺664

$8.54 BAM 14.89

57.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.42 ₺119

$0.88 BAM 1.54

175.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.54 ₺174

$1.46 BAM 2.54

142.47%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.83 ₺40.64

$2.24 BAM 3.91

-62.95%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.5 ₺3,273

$16.86 BAM 29.41

294.13%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.35 ₺66.6

$1.40 BAM 2.45

-3.57%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 ₺42.05

$0.59 BAM 1.03

44.07%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.86 ₺535

$10.26 BAM 17.90

5.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ₺72.3

$1.41 BAM 2.46

4.26%

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

$51.6K ₺2.5M

$31.0K BAM 54.0K

66.75%

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

$44.4K ₺2.2M

$19.0K BAM 33.1K

134.04%

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

$89.2 ₺4,395

$138 BAM 240

-35.14%

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

$11.60 ₺572

$18.44 BAM 32.17

-37.09%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.10 ₺793

$24.10 BAM 42.04

-33.20%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.3 ₺3,805

$30.31 BAM 52.9

154.87%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.66 ₺1,116

$8.73 BAM 15.23

159.56%

Cinema Ticket

$8.34 ₺411

$4.94 BAM 8.61

68.83%

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

$974 ₺48.0K

$203 BAM 354

380.02%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.8K ₺1.3M

$3,914 BAM 6,829

558.48%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.7 ₺2,597

$56.2 BAM 98.0

-6.13%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.16 ₺1,929

$26.09 BAM 45.52

50.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 ₺5,083

$129 BAM 224

-19.80%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.6 ₺4,759

$120 BAM 209

-19.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$994 ₺49.0K

$253 BAM 441

293.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$629 ₺31.0K

$166 BAM 290

278.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,024 ₺99.7K

$358 BAM 625

465.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,155 ₺56.9K

$286 BAM 498

304.33%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,160 ₺155.7K

$1,811 BAM 3,159

74.54%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,838 ₺90.5K

$1,369 BAM 2,388

34.27%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,203 ₺59.3K

$739 BAM 1,290

62.80%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

41.09

584.83%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 3, 2026

Last update for Bijeljina: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$629 41.2%

Bijeljina

$166 18.2% 73.6% $463

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$264 17.3%

Bijeljina

$224 24.6% 15.1% $40

Eating Out

Istanbul

$218 14.3%

Bijeljina

$124 13.6% 43.2% $94

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$131 8.6%

Bijeljina

$149 16.3% 13.3% $17

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$117 7.7%

Bijeljina

$180 19.7% 54% $63

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$94 6.1%

Bijeljina

$40 4.4% 57.2% $54

Getting Around

Istanbul

$75 4.9%

Bijeljina

$30 3.3% 60% $45

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $994 in Istanbul versus $253 in Bijeljina. 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 63% higher in Istanbul, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55.0 in Istanbul versus $35.00 in Bijeljina. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $264 vs $224 – making Bijeljina the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇧🇦 Bijeljina

🕒 Local time

15:35 3:35 PM

14:35 2:35 PM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

42,278

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Bosnia and Herzegovina Convertible Mark BAM KM

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 2.03 USD

100 TRY = 1.81 EUR

1 BAM = 0.573 USD

1 BAM = 0.511 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BAM, USD, EUR 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).

Bosnia and Herzegovina Convertible Mark exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.74 BAM (1 BAM = 0.573 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 BAM (1 BAM = 0.511 EUR).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Istanbul Bijeljina 900 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Bijeljina

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 Bijeljina: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,526 in Istanbul, $905 in Bijeljina – roughly 69% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,289 per month in Istanbul and $1,357 in Bijeljina. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,526 in Istanbul and $905 in Bijeljina. That's a gap of about 69%.

Public transport costs about 294% less in Bijeljina. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Bijeljina, where all-in costs run around $905, than in Istanbul at $1,526. In Bijeljina it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Istanbul has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $905 in Bijeljina to $1,526 in Istanbul. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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 Bijeljina. 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.