Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Bijelo Polje

For one person, living is cheaper in Bijelo Polje: $1,289 a month against $1,525 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $2,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

74

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index
63

Cost of Living Index in Bijelo Polje
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Bijelo Polje Living Index

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Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,525

/mo nomad

Bijelo Polje

🇲🇪 Montenegro

$1,289

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Bijelo Polje

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

A single person spends $1,525 per month in Istanbul vs $1,289 in Bijelo Polje, rent included.

Istanbul $1,525
Bijelo Polje $1,289

A couple spends around $2,390 per month in Istanbul vs $2,011 in Bijelo Polje, rent included.

Istanbul $2,390
Bijelo Polje $2,011

A family of three spends $3,256 per month in Istanbul vs $2,733 in Bijelo Polje, rent included.

Istanbul $3,256
Bijelo Polje $2,733

Istanbul costs about 18% more than Bijelo Polje, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Istanbul sits 13% above the global median, while Bijelo Polje is 5% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.96 ₺592

$11.02 €9.80

8.53%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$57.2 ₺2,834

$36.35 €32.33

57.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.51 ₺471

$9.06 €8.06

4.97%

Cappuccino

$4.40 ₺218

$2.64 €2.34

66.67%

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

$1.75 ₺86.6

$2.48 €2.21

-29.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.57

$1.58 €1.40

-64.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.71 ₺233

$2.85 €2.54

65.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.14 ₺304

$3.40 €3.03

80.59%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.24 ₺61.6

$1.19 €1.06

4.20%

White Bread (500g)

$0.95 ₺47.25

$0.97 €0.86

-2.06%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.28 ₺113

$2.89 €2.57

-21.11%

Eggs

$2.45 ₺121

$3.07 €2.73

-20.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.56 ₺523

$9.14 €8.13

15.54%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.50 ₺272

$7.19 €6.40

-23.50%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.65 ₺1,072

$12.62 €11.22

71.55%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 ₺90.6

$1.32 €1.18

38.64%

Banana (1kg)

$2.29 ₺113

$1.56 €1.39

46.79%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.4

$1.56 €1.39

-17.95%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.82 ₺90.1

$2.99 €2.66

-39.13%

Potato (1kg)

$0.66 ₺32.74

$0.93 €0.83

-29.03%

Onion (1kg)

$0.63 ₺31.14

$1.27 €1.13

-50.39%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.27 ₺62.8

$1.52 €1.36

-16.45%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.62

$0.89 €0.79

-37.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.36 ₺117

$3.89 €3.46

-39.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.98 ₺642

$4.59 €4.08

182.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.48 ₺123

$1.27 €1.13

95.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.50 ₺174

$1.72 €1.53

103.49%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.82 ₺40.77

$1.64 €1.46

-50.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.2 ₺3,228

$38.93 €34.63

67.48%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.33 ₺65.7

$1.15 €1.02

15.65%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.90 ₺44.60

$1.14 €1.01

-21.05%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.91 ₺540

$16.71 €14.86

-34.71%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.43 ₺70.7

$1.76 €1.56

-18.75%

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

$49.6K ₺2.5M

$32.6K €29.0K

51.91%

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

$43.2K ₺2.1M

$21.2K €18.8K

103.89%

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

$88.8 ₺4,395

$132 €118

-32.89%

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

$11.69 ₺579

$12.88 €11.46

-9.24%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.09 ₺797

$34.04 €30.28

-52.73%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$76.3 ₺3,776

$46.82 €41.65

62.88%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.72 ₺1,125

$14.36 €12.77

58.22%

Cinema Ticket

$8.26 ₺409

$8.01 €7.13

3.12%

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

$1,015 ₺50.2K

$56.3 €50.1

1701.05%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.8K ₺1.3M

$6,950 €6,182

271.79%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.3 ₺2,636

$84.9 €75.5

-37.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.55 ₺2,008

$33.21 €29.54

22.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100 ₺4,956

$72.3 €64.3

38.53%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.5 ₺4,630

$95.8 €85.2

-2.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$977 ₺48.4K

$633 €563

54.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$627 ₺31.0K

$456 €406

37.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,980 ₺98.0K

$1,292 €1,149

53.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,147 ₺56.8K

$930 €827

23.30%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,095 ₺153.2K

$3,396 €3,021

-8.86%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,787 ₺88.5K

$2,291 €2,038

-22.00%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,213 ₺60.1K

$848 €754

43.13%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.69

5.45

646.61%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 19, 2026

Last update for Bijelo Polje: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$627 41.1%

Bijelo Polje

$456 35.4% 27.2% $171

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$263 17.2%

Bijelo Polje

$225 17.5% 14.3% $38

Eating Out

Istanbul

$222 14.6%

Bijelo Polje

$184 14.3% 17% $38

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$129 8.5%

Bijelo Polje

$129 10% 0.4% $0.6

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$117 7.6%

Bijelo Polje

$179 13.9% 53.7% $63

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$93 6.1%

Bijelo Polje

$63 4.9% 32.3% $30

Getting Around

Istanbul

$74 4.9%

Bijelo Polje

$52 4.1% 29.6% $22

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $977 in Istanbul versus $633 in Bijelo Polje. 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 43% 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 $57.0 in Istanbul versus $36.00 in Bijelo Polje. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $263 vs $225 – making Bijelo Polje the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇲🇪 Bijelo Polje

🕒 Local time

08:16 8:16 AM

06:16 6:16 AM

2 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

13,117

💱 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 25, 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 25, 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 Bijelo Polje 790 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Bijelo Polje

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 Bijelo Polje: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 18%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,287 per month in Istanbul and $1,933 in Bijelo Polje. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Groceries cost about 17% 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 mid-range dinner for two costs $57.0 in Istanbul and $36.00 in Bijelo Polje. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Bijelo Polje, where all-in costs run around $1,289, than in Istanbul at $1,525. In Bijelo Polje it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Bijelo Polje – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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 Bijelo Polje. 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.