Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Bodrum

For one person, living is cheaper in Bodrum: $1,179 a month against $1,516 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $4,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

73

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index
57

Cost of Living Index in Bodrum
Learn more

Bodrum Living Index

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Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,516

/mo nomad

Bodrum

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,179

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Bodrum

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,516 in Istanbul versus $1,179 in Bodrum.

Istanbul $1,516
Bodrum $1,179

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,356 in Istanbul versus $2,287 in Bodrum.

Istanbul $2,356
Bodrum $2,287

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,197 in Istanbul versus $3,396 in Bodrum.

Istanbul $3,197
Bodrum $3,396

Living in Istanbul is roughly 29% more expensive than in Bodrum, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

The two cities straddle the global median: Istanbul is 11% above, Bodrum is 13% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.59 ₺577

$9.63 ₺480

20.35%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.7 ₺2,725

$59.5 ₺2,967

-8.16%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.39 ₺468

$8.60 ₺428

9.19%

Cappuccino

$4.23 ₺211

$3.56 ₺177

18.82%

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

$1.72 ₺85.6

$1.45 ₺72.2

18.62%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.57 ₺28.26

$0.83 ₺41.11

-31.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.65 ₺232

$4.13 ₺206

12.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.84 ₺341

$4.79 ₺239

42.80%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.20 ₺60.0

$1.00 ₺49.83

20.00%

White Bread (500g)

$0.94 ₺46.97

$1.01 ₺50.4

-6.93%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.24 ₺112

$2.49 ₺124

-10.04%

Eggs

$2.42 ₺121

$2.02 ₺101

19.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.24 ₺510

$11.95 ₺596

-14.31%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.38 ₺268

$3.35 ₺167

60.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.19 ₺1,056

$21.04 ₺1,049

0.71%

Apples (1kg)

$1.89 ₺94.3

$1.62 ₺80.8

16.67%

Banana (1kg)

$2.22 ₺111

$1.90 ₺94.9

16.84%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.26 ₺62.7

$0.89 ₺44.39

41.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.81 ₺90.0

$1.16 ₺57.8

56.03%

Potato (1kg)

$0.70 ₺34.84

$0.55 ₺27.40

27.27%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺32.13

$0.44 ₺21.81

45.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.22 ₺60.9

$0.75 ₺37.53

62.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ₺27.35

$0.72 ₺35.73

-23.61%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.32 ₺116

$2.18 ₺109

6.42%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.31 ₺663

$15.31 ₺763

-13.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.33 ₺116

$1.83 ₺91.3

27.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 ₺172

$1.85 ₺92.2

87.03%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.91 ₺45.18

$1.08 ₺54.0

-15.74%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.3 ₺3,306

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.29 ₺64.2

$2.97 ₺148

-56.57%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.86 ₺42.66

$0.98 ₺48.71

-12.24%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.09 ₺553

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.42 ₺70.8

$1.31 ₺65.3

8.40%

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

$49.2K ₺2.5M

$42.2K ₺2.1M

16.63%

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

$42.8K ₺2.1M

$38.5K ₺1.9M

11.12%

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

$87.7 ₺4,373

$41.16 ₺2,051

113.17%

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

$11.28 ₺562

$10.09 ₺503

11.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.89 ₺792

$10.82 ₺539

46.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$75.9 ₺3,783

$74.9 ₺3,733

1.32%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.04 ₺1,148

Cinema Ticket

$8.20 ₺409

$7.08 ₺353

15.82%

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

$1,028 ₺51.2K

$407 ₺20.3K

152.31%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$26.0K ₺1.3M

$8,729 ₺435.0K

197.41%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.3 ₺2,658

$99.0 ₺4,933

-46.12%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.69 ₺1,978

$57.8 ₺2,880

-31.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.8 ₺4,972

$153 ₺7,627

-34.81%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.5 ₺4,661

$116 ₺5,764

-19.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,003 ₺50.0K

$597 ₺29.7K

68.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$628 ₺31.3K

$399 ₺19.9K

57.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,963 ₺97.8K

$1,318 ₺65.7K

48.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,122 ₺55.9K

$1,480 ₺73.8K

-24.23%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,075 ₺153.2K

$2,860 ₺142.5K

7.52%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,753 ₺87.3K

$2,386 ₺118.9K

-26.53%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,180 ₺58.8K

$1,057 ₺52.7K

11.59%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.69

38.25

6.38%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 27, 2026

Last update for Bodrum: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$628 41.5%

Bodrum

$399 33.8% 36.5% $230

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$258 17%

Bodrum

$240 20.4% 6.9% $18

Eating Out

Istanbul

$218 14.4%

Bodrum

$185 15.7% 15.1% $33

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$129 8.5%

Bodrum

$191 16.2% 48.6% $63

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$115 7.6%

Bodrum

$62 5.3% 46% $53

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$92 6.1%

Bodrum

$89 7.6% 3.5% $3.2

Getting Around

Istanbul

$76 5%

Bodrum

$12 * 1% 83.9% $63

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,003 in Istanbul and $597 in Bodrum. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Istanbul pays 12% 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 in Istanbul vs $60 in Bodrum. Groceries flip the comparison at $258 vs $240, with Bodrum cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇹🇷 Bodrum

🕒 Local time

02:45 2:45 AM

Same time as Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

187,284

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 2.01 USD

100 TRY = 1.8 EUR

100 TRY = 2.01 USD

100 TRY = 1.8 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Istanbul Bodrum 460 km

From you

Istanbul
Bodrum

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 Bodrum: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bodrum wins on cost – living expenses run 22% lower than in Istanbul. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Bodrum the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 12% higher in Istanbul, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,003 in Istanbul versus $597 in Bodrum. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 7% higher in Istanbul. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $1,516 per month in Istanbul versus $1,179 in Bodrum – Bodrum is about 22% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Bodrum is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

Both work as nomad bases, but Bodrum delivers better value at $1,179 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Bodrum hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Istanbul and Bodrum are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Bodrum wins on affordability, Istanbul on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.