Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Bissen

For one person, living is cheaper in Bissen: $1,418 a month against $1,550 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $1,600 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Istanbul outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

75

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index
69

Cost of Living Index in Bissen
Learn more

Bissen Living Index

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Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

Bissen

🇱🇺 Luxembourg

$1,418

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Bissen

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

A single person spends $1,550 per month in Istanbul vs $1,418 in Bissen, rent included.

Istanbul $1,550
Bissen $1,418

A couple spends around $2,415 per month in Istanbul vs $2,307 in Bissen, rent included.

Istanbul $2,415
Bissen $2,307

A family of three spends $3,281 per month in Istanbul vs $3,196 in Bissen, rent included.

Istanbul $3,281
Bissen $3,196

Istanbul costs about 9% more than Bissen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Istanbul and Bissen sit above the global median – Istanbul by 15%, Bissen by 5%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.30 ₺609

$27.11 €24.12

-54.63%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.7 ₺2,708

$102 €90.3

-46.12%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.22 ₺456

$14.60 €12.99

-36.85%

Cappuccino

$4.40 ₺218

$4.58 €4.08

-3.93%

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

$1.68 ₺83.1

$2.22 €1.97

-24.32%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₺29.40

$2.18 €1.94

-72.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.70 ₺233

$7.71 €6.85

-39.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.91 ₺292

$6.62 €5.89

-10.73%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 ₺60.0

$1.65 €1.46

-26.67%

White Bread (500g)

$0.89 ₺44.10

$2.75 €2.45

-67.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.19 ₺108

$2.97 €2.64

-26.26%

Eggs

$2.35 ₺116

$4.62 €4.11

-49.13%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.42 ₺516

$18.60 €16.55

-43.98%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.65 ₺280

$14.36 €12.78

-60.65%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.94 ₺1,037

$25.82 €22.97

-18.90%

Apples (1kg)

$1.90 ₺94.1

$3.26 €2.90

-41.72%

Banana (1kg)

$2.31 ₺114

$2.31 €2.05

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.1

$3.20 €2.85

-60.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺89.0

$4.34 €3.86

-58.53%

Potato (1kg)

$0.65 ₺32.16

$2.45 €2.18

-73.47%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺31.91

$2.27 €2.02

-71.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 ₺62.1

$1.90 €1.69

-34.21%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.58

$1.03 €0.92

-45.63%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.37 ₺118

$7.58 €6.74

-68.73%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.42 ₺664

$11.02 €9.80

21.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₺119

$2.03 €1.80

18.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 ₺172

$2.55 €2.27

36.47%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.89 ₺43.84

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.4 ₺3,338

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.29 ₺64.1

$5.05 €4.50

-74.46%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 ₺45.70

$3.93 €3.49

-76.59%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.96 ₺542

$55.2 €49.10

-80.14%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ₺72.9

$1.83 €1.63

-19.67%

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

$50.8K ₺2.5M

$30.5K €27.1K

66.70%

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

$44.5K ₺2.2M

$33.6K €29.9K

32.38%

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

$88.6 ₺4,387

$295 €262

-69.94%

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

$11.59 ₺574

$27.27 €24.26

-57.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.81 ₺783

$57.3 €50.9

-72.38%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.2 ₺3,820

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.74 ₺1,126

Cinema Ticket

$8.14 ₺403

$17.64 €15.69

-53.85%

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

$1,008 ₺49.9K

$1,386 €1,233

-27.26%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.6K ₺1.3M

$18.5K €16.5K

37.84%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.0 ₺2,671

$109 €97.0

-50.52%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.83 ₺2,021

$51.5 €45.81

-20.72%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.9 ₺4,895

$109 €97.1

-9.41%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.6 ₺4,783

$132 €118

-26.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$985 ₺48.7K

$3,297 €2,932

-70.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$650 ₺32.2K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,983 ₺98.2K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,180 ₺58.4K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,138 ₺155.4K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,780 ₺88.1K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,205 ₺59.7K

$2,487 €2,212

-51.53%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.92

3.54

1055.93%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 13, 2026

Last update for Bissen: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$650 41.9%

Bissen

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$260 16.8%

Bissen

$413 29.1% 59.1% $154

Eating Out

Istanbul

$223 14.4%

Bissen

$385 27.2% 72.5% $162

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$131 8.4%

Bissen

$181 12.8% 38.5% $50

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$116 7.5%

Bissen

$379 26.7% 227% $263

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$93 6%

Bissen

$35 * 2.5% 62.3% $58

Getting Around

Istanbul

$77 5%

Bissen

$25 * 1.7% 67.9% $52

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $985 in Istanbul versus $3,297 in Bissen. 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 106% higher in Bissen, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55.0 in Istanbul versus $102 in Bissen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $260 vs $413 – making Istanbul the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇱🇺 Bissen

🕒 Local time

15:40 3:40 PM

14:40 2:40 PM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

3,200

💱 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 18, 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 18, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Istanbul Bissen 2,030 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Bissen

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 Bissen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,550 in Istanbul, $1,418 in Bissen – roughly 9% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,325 per month in Istanbul and $2,128 in Bissen. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Bissen, 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 $1,550 in Istanbul and $1,418 in Bissen. That's a gap of about 9%.

Kindergarten costs $1,008 per month in Istanbul and $1,386 in Bissen. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Bissen, where all-in costs run around $1,418, than in Istanbul at $1,550. In Bissen 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 $1,418 in Bissen to $1,550 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 Bissen. 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.