Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Botosani

For one person, living is cheaper in Botosani: $893 a month against $1,519 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $7,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

73

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index
42

Cost of Living Index in Botosani
Learn more

Botosani Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,519

/mo nomad

Botosani

🇷🇴 Romania

$893

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Botosani

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,519 in Istanbul versus $893 in Botosani.

Istanbul $1,519
Botosani $893

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,365 in Istanbul versus $1,317 in Botosani.

Istanbul $2,365
Botosani $1,317

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,212 in Istanbul versus $1,740 in Botosani.

Istanbul $3,212
Botosani $1,740

Living in Istanbul is roughly 70% more expensive than in Botosani, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Istanbul is 12% above, Botosani is 34% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.81 ₺592

$8.28 RON 39.33

42.63%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.9 ₺2,754

$28.25 RON 134

94.37%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.26 ₺465

$7.30 RON 34.68

26.85%

Cappuccino

$4.30 ₺216

$2.20 RON 10.44

95.45%

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

$1.77 ₺89.0

$1.35 RON 6.41

31.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺28.32

$1.22 RON 5.80

-54.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.69 ₺235

$1.70 RON 8.06

175.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.12 ₺357

$2.29 RON 10.88

210.92%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 ₺62.7

$1.34 RON 6.36

-6.72%

White Bread (500g)

$0.88 ₺44.17

$1.10 RON 5.24

-20.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 ₺111

$1.40 RON 6.67

57.14%

Eggs

$2.43 ₺122

$2.81 RON 13.37

-13.52%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.48 ₺526

$7.19 RON 34.14

45.76%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.31 ₺267

$5.88 RON 27.94

-9.69%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.10 ₺1,058

$9.26 RON 44.02

127.86%

Apples (1kg)

$1.86 ₺93.1

$0.95 RON 4.51

95.79%

Banana (1kg)

$2.30 ₺115

$1.27 RON 6.02

81.10%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.22 ₺61.0

$1.44 RON 6.85

-15.28%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺90.2

$1.81 RON 8.59

-0.55%

Potato (1kg)

$0.69 ₺34.83

$0.74 RON 3.52

-6.76%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺32.16

$0.54 RON 2.58

18.52%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.36 ₺68.0

$0.80 RON 3.79

70.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 ₺28.94

$0.72 RON 3.41

-19.44%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.34 ₺117

$5.91 RON 28.09

-60.41%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.03 ₺653

$6.46 RON 30.72

101.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.36 ₺118

$1.08 RON 5.11

118.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.32 ₺166

$1.53 RON 7.29

116.99%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.88 ₺44.07

$0.76 RON 3.63

15.79%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.1 ₺3,316

$29.76 RON 141

122.18%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 ₺64.4

$0.75 RON 3.56

70.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 ₺42.80

$0.76 RON 3.61

11.84%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.09 ₺556

$7.48 RON 35.52

48.26%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 ₺74.0

$1.84 RON 8.74

-19.57%

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

$48.6K ₺2.4M

$26.9K RON 127.9K

80.74%

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

$42.0K ₺2.1M

$25.0K RON 118.8K

67.86%

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

$92.7 ₺4,650

$102 RON 486

-9.33%

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

$11.20 ₺562

$7.27 RON 34.54

54.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.89 ₺797

$7.94 RON 37.72

100.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.7 ₺3,745

$31.78 RON 151

134.99%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.95 ₺1,151

$22.91 RON 109

0.17%

Cinema Ticket

$8.05 ₺404

$5.27 RON 25.05

52.75%

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

$948 ₺47.6K

$312 RON 1,481

204.36%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.9K ₺1.9M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₺2,702

$45.87 RON 218

17.46%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.49 ₺2,081

$30.48 RON 145

36.12%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 ₺5,060

$61.9 RON 294

63.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.3 ₺4,580

$67.3 RON 320

35.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,014 ₺50.8K

$392 RON 1,863

158.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$625 ₺31.3K

$282 RON 1,340

121.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,005 ₺100.6K

$551 RON 2,620

263.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,126 ₺56.5K

$381 RON 1,812

195.27%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,988 ₺149.8K

$1,344 RON 6,386

122.29%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,730 ₺86.8K

$976 RON 4,639

77.20%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,136 ₺57.0K

$942 RON 4,477

20.61%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.42

6.57

515.22%

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

Last update for Istanbul: November 2, 2026

Last update for Botosani: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$625 41.1%

Botosani

$282 31.6% 54.8% $343

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$258 17%

Botosani

$184 20.6% 28.9% $75

Eating Out

Istanbul

$221 14.6%

Botosani

$138 15.4% 37.6% $83

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$129 8.5%

Botosani

$92 10.4% 28.5% $37

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$120 7.9%

Botosani

$117 13.2% 1.9% $2.3

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$91 6%

Botosani

$42 4.7% 53.4% $48

Getting Around

Istanbul

$75 5%

Botosani

$37 4.2% 50.3% $38

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,014 in Istanbul and $392 in Botosani. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Istanbul pays 21% 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 $28 in Botosani for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $258 vs $184 per month, with Botosani cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇷🇴 Botosani

🕒 Local time

18:59 6:59 PM

17:59 5:59 PM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

106,847

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 1.99 USD

100 TRY = 1.78 EUR

1 RON = 0.21 USD

1 RON = 0.187 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RON, USD, EUR to TRY – Turkish Lira Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇷 Turkish Lira (₺)

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 50.15 TRY (100 TRY = 1.99 USD). 1 EUR = 56.33 TRY (100 TRY = 1.78 EUR).

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 4.75 RON (1 RON = 0.21 USD). 1 EUR = 5.34 RON (1 RON = 0.187 EUR).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Istanbul Botosani 770 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Botosani

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 Botosani: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,519 in Istanbul and $893 in Botosani, so Botosani is about 41% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 21% 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: $1,014 in Istanbul versus $392 in Botosani. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $948 in Istanbul versus $312 in Botosani. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 41% higher in Istanbul. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $893 in Botosani versus $1,519 in Istanbul, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Botosani but tight or insufficient in Istanbul. The gap between the two cities makes Botosani 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 Botosani are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Botosani gentler on the wallet – expenses run 41% less than in Istanbul. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.