Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Bra

For one person, living costs are similar in Istanbul and in Bra: $1,550 and $1,544 a month, rent and utilities included.

75

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index
75

Cost of Living Index in Bra
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Bra Living Index

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Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

Bra

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,544

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Bra

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,550 in Istanbul versus $1,544 in Bra.

Istanbul $1,550
Bra $1,544

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,415 in Istanbul versus $2,240 in Bra.

Istanbul $2,415
Bra $2,240

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,281 in Istanbul versus $2,936 in Bra.

Istanbul $3,281
Bra $2,936

Monthly costs are close between Istanbul and Bra; which city is cheaper depends on the spending category.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Istanbul 15% above, Bra 14% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.30 ₺609

$22.77 €20.25

-45.98%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.7 ₺2,708

$38.73 €34.45

41.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.22 ₺456

$10.94 €9.73

-15.72%

Cappuccino

$4.40 ₺218

$1.74 €1.55

152.87%

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

$1.68 ₺83.1

$3.75 €3.33

-55.20%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₺29.40

$1.69 €1.51

-65.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.70 ₺233

$5.53 €4.92

-15.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.91 ₺292

$4.53 €4.03

30.46%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 ₺60.0

$1.66 €1.48

-27.11%

White Bread (500g)

$0.89 ₺44.10

$2.57 €2.28

-65.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.19 ₺108

$2.59 €2.31

-15.44%

Eggs

$2.35 ₺116

$3.25 €2.89

-27.69%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.42 ₺516

$12.99 €11.55

-19.78%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.65 ₺280

$11.54 €10.27

-51.04%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.94 ₺1,037

$18.67 €16.61

12.16%

Apples (1kg)

$1.90 ₺94.1

$2.21 €1.97

-14.03%

Banana (1kg)

$2.31 ₺114

$2.18 €1.94

5.96%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.1

$2.19 €1.94

-41.55%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺89.0

$3.32 €2.96

-45.78%

Potato (1kg)

$0.65 ₺32.16

$1.71 €1.52

-61.99%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺31.91

$1.69 €1.51

-62.13%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 ₺62.1

$1.10 €0.98

13.64%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.58

$0.57 €0.51

-1.75%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.37 ₺118

$6.56 €5.83

-63.87%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.42 ₺664

$5.99 €5.32

124.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₺119

$1.64 €1.46

46.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 ₺172

$2.22 €1.97

56.76%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.89 ₺43.84

$1.71 €1.52

-47.95%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.4 ₺3,338

$44.74 €39.80

50.72%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.29 ₺64.1

$7.85 €6.98

-83.57%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 ₺45.70

$2.29 €2.03

-59.83%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.96 ₺542

$11.11 €9.88

-1.35%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ₺72.9

$2.08 €1.85

-29.33%

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

$50.8K ₺2.5M

$26.4K €23.5K

92.12%

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

$44.5K ₺2.2M

$29.8K €26.5K

49.39%

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

$88.6 ₺4,387

$111 €98.8

-20.18%

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

$11.59 ₺574

$10.10 €8.98

14.75%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.81 ₺783

$28.41 €25.27

-44.35%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.2 ₺3,820

$79.3 €70.5

-2.65%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.74 ₺1,126

Cinema Ticket

$8.14 ₺403

$9.02 €8.02

-9.76%

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

$1,008 ₺49.9K

$113 €100

792.77%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.6K ₺1.3M

$18.5K €16.4K

38.39%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.0 ₺2,671

$102 €90.6

-47.01%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.83 ₺2,021

$50.4 €44.86

-19.05%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.9 ₺4,895

$114 €102

-13.54%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.6 ₺4,783

$133 €118

-27.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$985 ₺48.7K

$656 €584

50.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$650 ₺32.2K

$440 €391

47.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,983 ₺98.2K

$553 €492

258.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,180 ₺58.4K

$502 €446

135.18%

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

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.92

3.1

1220.00%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 13, 2026

Last update for Bra: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$650 41.9%

Bra

$440 28.5% 32.3% $210

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$260 16.8%

Bra

$312 20.2% 20.3% $53

Eating Out

Istanbul

$223 14.4%

Bra

$294 19.1% 31.8% $71

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$131 8.4%

Bra

$180 11.6% 37.6% $49

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$116 7.5%

Bra

$150 9.7% 28.9% $34

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$93 6%

Bra

$97 6.3% 4.1% $3.9

Getting Around

Istanbul

$77 5%

Bra

$71 4.6% 7.8% $6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $985 in Istanbul and $656 in Bra. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $55.0 in Istanbul vs $39.00 in Bra. Groceries flip the comparison at $260 vs $312, with Istanbul cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇮🇹 Bra

🕒 Local time

05:27 5:27 AM

04:27 4:27 AM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

30,224

💱 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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Highest

Between locations

Istanbul Bra 1,760 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Bra

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 Bra: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

You'd need roughly $2,325 in Istanbul and $2,316 in Bra 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 $656 in Bra. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Bra runs roughly 51% less than in Istanbul. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Shoppers in Istanbul pay roughly 20% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,544 in Bra versus $1,550 in Istanbul, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Bra but tight or insufficient in Istanbul. The gap between the two cities makes Bra the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Bra delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,544 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Bra hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Istanbul and Bra are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

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