Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Bilbao

For one person, living is cheaper in Istanbul: $1,526 a month against $2,101 in Bilbao, rent and utilities included – about $6,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

74

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index
101

Cost of Living Index in Bilbao
Learn more

Bilbao Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,526

/mo nomad

Bilbao

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,101

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Bilbao

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,526 in Istanbul versus $2,101 in Bilbao.

Istanbul $1,526
Bilbao $2,101

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,399 in Istanbul versus $3,137 in Bilbao.

Istanbul $2,399
Bilbao $3,137

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,272 in Istanbul versus $4,172 in Bilbao.

Istanbul $3,272
Bilbao $4,172

Living in Istanbul costs roughly 27% less than in Bilbao, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Istanbul 14% above, Bilbao 57% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.88 ₺585

$20.91 €18.66

-43.19%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.1 ₺2,714

$69.0 €61.6

-20.14%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.14 ₺450

$12.14 €10.83

-24.71%

Cappuccino

$4.24 ₺209

$2.50 €2.23

69.60%

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

$1.75 ₺86.0

$2.91 €2.59

-39.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.54 ₺26.83

$1.73 €1.55

-68.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.69 ₺231

$3.40 €3.03

37.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.97 ₺294

$3.27 €2.92

82.57%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.26 ₺62.1

$1.30 €1.16

-3.08%

White Bread (500g)

$0.95 ₺46.81

$1.58 €1.41

-39.87%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.31 ₺114

$1.51 €1.35

52.98%

Eggs

$2.47 ₺122

$3.32 €2.96

-25.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.55 ₺520

$14.39 €12.85

-26.69%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.60 ₺276

$8.05 €7.18

-30.43%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.21 ₺1,045

$13.25 €11.82

60.08%

Apples (1kg)

$1.93 ₺95.1

$2.72 €2.43

-29.04%

Banana (1kg)

$2.29 ₺113

$2.02 €1.80

13.37%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.1

$2.61 €2.33

-50.96%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.84 ₺90.8

$2.38 €2.13

-22.69%

Potato (1kg)

$0.67 ₺32.86

$1.52 €1.36

-55.92%

Onion (1kg)

$0.59 ₺29.31

$2.41 €2.15

-75.52%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.33 ₺65.4

$1.21 €1.08

9.92%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₺29.10

$0.78 €0.70

-24.36%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.36 ₺116

$6.83 €6.09

-65.45%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.47 ₺664

$7.78 €6.94

73.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.42 ₺119

$1.48 €1.32

63.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.54 ₺174

$2.62 €2.34

35.11%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.83 ₺40.64

$1.83 €1.63

-54.64%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.5 ₺3,273

$50.7 €45.25

31.07%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.35 ₺66.6

$5.63 €5.02

-76.02%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 ₺42.05

$0.99 €0.88

-14.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.86 ₺535

$31.89 €28.46

-65.95%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ₺72.3

$1.79 €1.60

-17.88%

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

$51.6K ₺2.5M

$35.0K €31.2K

47.44%

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

$44.4K ₺2.2M

$30.4K €27.1K

46.30%

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

$89.2 ₺4,395

$142 €127

-37.34%

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

$11.60 ₺572

$20.34 €18.15

-42.97%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.10 ₺793

$30.13 €26.89

-46.56%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.3 ₺3,805

$55.8 €49.81

38.39%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.66 ₺1,116

$15.27 €13.62

48.40%

Cinema Ticket

$8.34 ₺411

$9.92 €8.86

-15.93%

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

$974 ₺48.0K

$538 €480

80.89%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.8K ₺1.3M

$11.5K €10.3K

123.62%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.7 ₺2,597

$89.5 €79.9

-41.10%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.16 ₺1,929

$34.39 €30.69

13.87%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 ₺5,083

$68.7 €61.3

50.20%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.6 ₺4,759

$127 €114

-24.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$994 ₺49.0K

$1,261 €1,125

-21.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$629 ₺31.0K

$1,054 €941

-40.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,024 ₺99.7K

$2,469 €2,203

-18.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,155 ₺56.9K

$1,707 €1,523

-32.35%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,160 ₺155.7K

$5,875 €5,243

-46.21%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,838 ₺90.5K

$3,675 €3,280

-50.00%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,203 ₺59.3K

$2,385 €2,128

-49.53%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

41.09

2.98

1278.86%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 3, 2026

Last update for Bilbao: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$629 41.2%

Bilbao

$1.1K 50.6% 67.5% $425

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$264 17.3%

Bilbao

$271 13% 2.7% $7.3

Eating Out

Istanbul

$218 14.3%

Bilbao

$276 13.2% 26.5% $58

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$131 8.6%

Bilbao

$144 6.9% 9.7% $13

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$117 7.7%

Bilbao

$193 9.3% 64.9% $76

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$94 6.1%

Bilbao

$76 3.6% 19.4% $18

Getting Around

Istanbul

$75 4.9%

Bilbao

$69 3.3% 9% $6.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $994 in Istanbul and $1,261 in Bilbao. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bilbao pays 98% 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 $69.0 in Bilbao for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $264 vs $271 per month, with Istanbul cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇪🇸 Bilbao

🕒 Local time

13:10 1:10 PM

12:10 12:10 PM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

346,096

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 2.03 USD

100 TRY = 1.81 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 49.26 TRY (100 TRY = 2.03 USD). 1 EUR = 55.2 TRY (100 TRY = 1.81 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Istanbul Bilbao 2,630 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Bilbao

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 Bilbao: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Istanbul and Bilbao differ by about 38% in total monthly costs ($1,526 vs $2,101 including rent). Istanbul is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 98% lower in Bilbao. 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: $994 in Istanbul versus $1,261 in Bilbao. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $974 in Istanbul versus $538 in Bilbao. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 3% higher in Bilbao. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,526 in Istanbul versus $2,101 in Bilbao, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Istanbul but tight or insufficient in Bilbao. 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 Bilbao 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 38% less than in Bilbao. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.