Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Bjelovar

For one person, living costs are similar in Istanbul and in Bjelovar: $1,550 and $1,568 a month, rent and utilities included.

75

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index
76

Cost of Living Index in Bjelovar
Learn more

Bjelovar Living Index

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Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

Bjelovar

🇭🇷 Croatia

$1,568

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Bjelovar

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,550 in Istanbul versus $1,568 in Bjelovar.

Istanbul $1,550
Bjelovar $1,568

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,415 in Istanbul versus $2,407 in Bjelovar.

Istanbul $2,415
Bjelovar $2,407

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,281 in Istanbul versus $3,246 in Bjelovar.

Istanbul $3,281
Bjelovar $3,246

Living in Istanbul costs roughly 1% less than in Bjelovar, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Istanbul 15% above, Bjelovar 16% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.30 ₺609

$13.19 €11.73

-6.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.7 ₺2,708

$73.6 €65.5

-25.68%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.22 ₺456

$10.05 €8.94

-8.26%

Cappuccino

$4.40 ₺218

$2.30 €2.04

91.30%

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

$1.68 ₺83.1

$2.98 €2.65

-43.62%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₺29.40

$1.92 €1.70

-69.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.70 ₺233

$3.96 €3.52

18.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.91 ₺292

$4.43 €3.94

33.41%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 ₺60.0

$1.20 €1.07

0.83%

White Bread (500g)

$0.89 ₺44.10

$1.59 €1.42

-44.03%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.19 ₺108

$3.46 €3.08

-36.71%

Eggs

$2.35 ₺116

$3.64 €3.24

-35.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.42 ₺516

$15.81 €14.06

-34.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.65 ₺280

$9.99 €8.88

-43.44%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.94 ₺1,037

$14.49 €12.89

44.51%

Apples (1kg)

$1.90 ₺94.1

$1.64 €1.46

15.85%

Banana (1kg)

$2.31 ₺114

$1.67 €1.48

38.32%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.1

$1.90 €1.69

-32.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺89.0

$2.59 €2.31

-30.50%

Potato (1kg)

$0.65 ₺32.16

$1.37 €1.22

-52.55%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺31.91

$1.32 €1.17

-51.52%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 ₺62.1

$1.35 €1.20

-7.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.58

$1.31 €1.17

-57.25%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.37 ₺118

$5.78 €5.14

-59.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.42 ₺664

$7.88 €7.00

70.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₺119

$1.61 €1.43

49.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 ₺172

$2.11 €1.88

64.93%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.89 ₺43.84

$1.56 €1.39

-42.95%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.4 ₺3,338

$40.23 €35.78

67.61%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.29 ₺64.1

$3.28 €2.92

-60.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 ₺45.70

$1.47 €1.31

-37.41%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.96 ₺542

$13.39 €11.91

-18.15%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ₺72.9

$1.71 €1.52

-14.04%

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

$50.8K ₺2.5M

$26.3K €23.4K

93.23%

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

$44.5K ₺2.2M

$24.5K €21.8K

81.49%

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

$88.6 ₺4,387

$190 €169

-53.42%

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

$11.59 ₺574

$24.31 €21.62

-52.32%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.81 ₺783

$38.95 €34.65

-59.41%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.2 ₺3,820

$50.8 €45.17

51.92%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.74 ₺1,126

$16.18 €14.39

40.54%

Cinema Ticket

$8.14 ₺403

$6.60 €5.87

23.33%

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

$1,008 ₺49.9K

$537 €478

87.72%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.6K ₺1.3M

$13.0K €11.6K

96.29%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.0 ₺2,671

$99.2 €88.3

-45.64%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.83 ₺2,021

$41.10 €36.55

-0.66%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.9 ₺4,895

$103 €92.0

-4.40%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.6 ₺4,783

$111 €98.6

-12.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$985 ₺48.7K

$691 €614

42.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$650 ₺32.2K

$531 €472

22.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,983 ₺98.2K

$1,171 €1,041

69.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,180 ₺58.4K

$886 €788

33.23%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,138 ₺155.4K

$3,947 €3,511

-20.50%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,780 ₺88.1K

$3,064 €2,726

-41.92%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,205 ₺59.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.92

3.73

997.05%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 13, 2026

Last update for Bjelovar: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$650 41.9%

Bjelovar

$531 33.8% 18.3% $119

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$260 16.8%

Bjelovar

$292 18.6% 12.4% $32

Eating Out

Istanbul

$223 14.4%

Bjelovar

$212 13.5% 5.3% $12

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$131 8.4%

Bjelovar

$160 10.2% 22.2% $29

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$116 7.5%

Bjelovar

$254 16.2% 119% $137

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$93 6%

Bjelovar

$64 4.1% 31.5% $29

Getting Around

Istanbul

$77 5%

Bjelovar

$57 3.6% 25.7% $20

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $985 in Istanbul and $691 in Bjelovar. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $55.0 in Istanbul vs $74.0 in Bjelovar for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $260 vs $292 per month, with Istanbul cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇭🇷 Bjelovar

🕒 Local time

18:42 6:42 PM

17:42 5:42 PM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

36,316

💱 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 17, 2026: 1 USD = 49.51 TRY (100 TRY = 2.02 USD). 1 EUR = 55.67 TRY (100 TRY = 1.8 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 17, 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 Bjelovar 1,120 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Bjelovar

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 Bjelovar: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Istanbul and Bjelovar differ by about 1% in total monthly costs ($1,550 vs $1,568 including rent). Istanbul is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $2,325 in Istanbul and $2,352 in Bjelovar to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $985 in Istanbul versus $691 in Bjelovar. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Istanbul – a meal for two runs $55.0 versus $74.0 in Bjelovar. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,550 per month in Istanbul versus $1,568 in Bjelovar – a 1% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,550 in Istanbul versus $1,568 in Bjelovar, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Istanbul but tight or insufficient in Bjelovar. 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 Bjelovar 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 1% less than in Bjelovar. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.