Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Bourges

For one person, living is cheaper in Istanbul: $1,550 a month against $1,937 in Bourges, rent and utilities included – about $4,600 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

75

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index
94

Cost of Living Index in Bourges
Learn more

Bourges Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

Bourges

🇫🇷 France

$1,937

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Bourges

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,550 in Istanbul versus $1,937 in Bourges.

Istanbul $1,550
Bourges $1,937

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,415 in Istanbul versus $3,009 in Bourges.

Istanbul $2,415
Bourges $3,009

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,281 in Istanbul versus $4,081 in Bourges.

Istanbul $3,281
Bourges $4,081

Living in Istanbul costs roughly 20% less than in Bourges, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Istanbul 15% above, Bourges 43% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.30 ₺609

$16.67 €14.83

-26.21%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.7 ₺2,708

$80.1 €71.2

-31.69%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.22 ₺456

$13.27 €11.81

-30.52%

Cappuccino

$4.40 ₺218

$5.09 €4.52

-13.56%

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

$1.68 ₺83.1

$4.60 €4.09

-63.48%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₺29.40

$2.82 €2.51

-79.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.70 ₺233

$7.88 €7.01

-40.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.91 ₺292

$6.90 €6.13

-14.35%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 ₺60.0

$1.14 €1.01

6.14%

White Bread (500g)

$0.89 ₺44.10

$2.47 €2.20

-63.97%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.19 ₺108

$2.20 €1.95

-0.45%

Eggs

$2.35 ₺116

$4.39 €3.91

-46.47%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.42 ₺516

$22.00 €19.57

-52.64%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.65 ₺280

$13.69 €12.17

-58.73%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.94 ₺1,037

$22.35 €19.88

-6.31%

Apples (1kg)

$1.90 ₺94.1

$3.32 €2.95

-42.77%

Banana (1kg)

$2.31 ₺114

$2.22 €1.98

4.05%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.1

$2.89 €2.57

-55.71%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺89.0

$4.31 €3.83

-58.24%

Potato (1kg)

$0.65 ₺32.16

$1.99 €1.77

-67.34%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺31.91

$2.48 €2.21

-74.19%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 ₺62.1

$1.91 €1.69

-34.55%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.58

$0.88 €0.79

-36.36%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.37 ₺118

$14.52 €12.92

-83.68%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.42 ₺664

$8.83 €7.85

51.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₺119

$2.67 €2.38

-10.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 ₺172

$3.50 €3.11

-0.57%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.89 ₺43.84

$1.87 €1.66

-52.41%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.4 ₺3,338

$48.81 €43.41

38.15%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.29 ₺64.1

$9.23 €8.21

-86.02%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 ₺45.70

$1.50 €1.33

-38.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.96 ₺542

$45.30 €40.30

-75.81%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ₺72.9

$2.25 €2.01

-34.67%

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

$50.8K ₺2.5M

$34.1K €30.4K

48.77%

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

$44.5K ₺2.2M

$34.5K €30.7K

28.94%

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

$88.6 ₺4,387

$243 €216

-63.49%

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

$11.59 ₺574

$7.81 €6.95

48.40%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.81 ₺783

$30.20 €26.86

-47.65%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.2 ₺3,820

$35.97 €32.00

114.51%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.74 ₺1,126

Cinema Ticket

$8.14 ₺403

$14.57 €12.96

-44.13%

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

$1,008 ₺49.9K

$1,795 €1,597

-43.85%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.6K ₺1.3M

$10.1K €9,018

152.13%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.0 ₺2,671

$108 €96.4

-50.19%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.83 ₺2,021

$51.7 €46.03

-21.09%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.9 ₺4,895

$119 €106

-17.17%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.6 ₺4,783

$160 €142

-39.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$985 ₺48.7K

$627 €558

56.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$650 ₺32.2K

$609 €542

6.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,983 ₺98.2K

$1,186 €1,055

67.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,180 ₺58.4K

$1,121 €997

5.24%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,138 ₺155.4K

$3,900 €3,469

-19.53%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,780 ₺88.1K

$3,026 €2,691

-41.18%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,205 ₺59.7K

$2,821 €2,510

-57.27%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.92

3.4

1103.53%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 13, 2026

Last update for Bourges: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$650 41.9%

Bourges

$609 31.5% 6.2% $40

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$260 16.8%

Bourges

$394 20.4% 51.8% $134

Eating Out

Istanbul

$223 14.4%

Bourges

$317 16.4% 42% $94

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$131 8.4%

Bourges

$198 10.2% 51.3% $67

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$116 7.5%

Bourges

$281 14.5% 142% $165

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$93 6%

Bourges

$65 3.4% 30.3% $28

Getting Around

Istanbul

$77 5%

Bourges

$73 3.8% 5.1% $3.9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $985 in Istanbul and $627 in Bourges. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bourges pays 134% 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 $80.0 in Bourges for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $260 vs $394 per month, with Istanbul cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇫🇷 Bourges

🕒 Local time

12:25 12:25 PM

11:25 11:25 AM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

63,702

💱 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

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Between locations

Istanbul Bourges 2,220 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Bourges

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 Bourges: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Istanbul wins on cost – living expenses run 25% lower than in Bourges. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Istanbul the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 134% lower in Bourges. 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: $985 in Istanbul versus $627 in Bourges. 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 $80.0 in Bourges. 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 $1,937 in Bourges – a 25% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,550 in Istanbul versus $1,937 in Bourges, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Istanbul but tight or insufficient in Bourges. The gap between the two cities makes Istanbul the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Istanbul delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,550 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Istanbul hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Istanbul and Bourges 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 25% less than in Bourges. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.