Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Bragadiru

For one person, living is cheaper in Bragadiru: $1,106 a month against $1,519 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $5,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

73

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index
53

Cost of Living Index in Bragadiru
Learn more

Bragadiru Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,519

/mo nomad

Bragadiru

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,106

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Bragadiru

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,519 in Istanbul versus $1,106 in Bragadiru.

Istanbul $1,519
Bragadiru $1,106

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,365 in Istanbul versus $1,728 in Bragadiru.

Istanbul $2,365
Bragadiru $1,728

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,212 in Istanbul versus $2,351 in Bragadiru.

Istanbul $3,212
Bragadiru $2,351

Living in Istanbul is roughly 37% more expensive than in Bragadiru, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Istanbul is 12% above, Bragadiru is 18% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.81 ₺592

$13.82 RON 66.0

-14.54%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.9 ₺2,754

$60.0 RON 287

-8.48%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.26 ₺465

$7.15 RON 34.20

29.51%

Cappuccino

$4.30 ₺216

$3.30 RON 15.79

30.30%

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

$1.77 ₺89.0

$1.84 RON 8.79

-3.80%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺28.32

$1.34 RON 6.38

-58.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.69 ₺235

$2.26 RON 10.82

107.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.12 ₺357

$3.22 RON 15.37

121.12%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 ₺62.7

$1.64 RON 7.83

-23.78%

White Bread (500g)

$0.88 ₺44.17

$1.22 RON 5.83

-27.87%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 ₺111

$1.71 RON 8.15

28.65%

Eggs

$2.43 ₺122

$3.09 RON 14.77

-21.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.48 ₺526

$8.43 RON 40.31

24.32%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.31 ₺267

$6.77 RON 32.36

-21.57%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.10 ₺1,058

$9.10 RON 43.50

131.87%

Apples (1kg)

$1.86 ₺93.1

$1.25 RON 5.97

48.80%

Banana (1kg)

$2.30 ₺115

$1.61 RON 7.68

42.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.22 ₺61.0

$1.57 RON 7.48

-22.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺90.2

$2.66 RON 12.71

-32.33%

Potato (1kg)

$0.69 ₺34.83

$0.96 RON 4.60

-28.13%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺32.16

$0.94 RON 4.49

-31.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.36 ₺68.0

$1.03 RON 4.91

32.04%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 ₺28.94

$0.99 RON 4.71

-41.41%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.34 ₺117

$6.33 RON 30.25

-63.03%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.03 ₺653

$6.15 RON 29.42

111.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.36 ₺118

$1.02 RON 4.88

131.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.32 ₺166

$1.75 RON 8.38

89.71%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.88 ₺44.07

$0.76 RON 3.64

15.79%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.1 ₺3,316

$21.68 RON 104

204.98%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 ₺64.4

$0.65 RON 3.13

96.92%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 ₺42.80

$0.66 RON 3.15

28.79%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.09 ₺556

$6.44 RON 30.76

72.20%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 ₺74.0

$1.91 RON 9.14

-22.51%

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

$48.6K ₺2.4M

$28.0K RON 133.9K

73.62%

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

$42.0K ₺2.1M

$25.8K RON 123.5K

62.40%

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

$92.7 ₺4,650

$165 RON 788

-43.75%

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

$11.20 ₺562

$7.54 RON 36.04

48.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.89 ₺797

$7.43 RON 35.53

113.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.7 ₺3,745

$36.06 RON 172

107.10%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.95 ₺1,151

$20.98 RON 100

9.39%

Cinema Ticket

$8.05 ₺404

$7.01 RON 33.51

14.84%

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

$948 ₺47.6K

$560 RON 2,676

69.43%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.9K ₺1.9M

$8,366 RON 40.0K

341.25%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₺2,702

$92.4 RON 442

-41.67%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.49 ₺2,081

$42.75 RON 204

-2.95%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 ₺5,060

$86.6 RON 414

16.45%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.3 ₺4,580

$87.5 RON 418

4.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,014 ₺50.8K

$389 RON 1,857

160.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$625 ₺31.3K

$295 RON 1,411

111.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,005 ₺100.6K

$617 RON 2,951

224.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,126 ₺56.5K

$467 RON 2,233

141.00%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,988 ₺149.8K

$1,902 RON 9,092

57.07%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,730 ₺86.8K

$1,326 RON 6,338

30.49%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,136 ₺57.0K

$1,077 RON 5,146

5.55%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.42

6.75

498.81%

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

Last update for Istanbul: November 2, 2026

Last update for Bragadiru: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$625 41.1%

Bragadiru

$295 26.7% 52.7% $329

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$258 17%

Bragadiru

$211 19.1% 18.2% $47

Eating Out

Istanbul

$221 14.6%

Bragadiru

$202 18.3% 8.5% $19

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$129 8.5%

Bragadiru

$139 12.6% 7.5% $9.8

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$120 7.9%

Bragadiru

$180 16.3% 50.1% $60

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$91 6%

Bragadiru

$50 4.5% 44.8% $41

Getting Around

Istanbul

$75 5%

Bragadiru

$29 2.6% 61.9% $47

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,014 in Istanbul and $389 in Bragadiru. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Istanbul pays 6% 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 Bragadiru. Groceries flip the comparison at $258 vs $211, with Bragadiru cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇷🇴 Bragadiru

🕒 Local time

19:00 7:00 PM

18:00 6:00 PM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

15,000

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 1.99 USD

100 TRY = 1.78 EUR

1 RON = 0.209 USD

1 RON = 0.186 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 = 4.78 RON (1 RON = 0.209 USD). 1 EUR = 5.37 RON (1 RON = 0.186 EUR).

USD to TRY in detail →

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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 Bragadiru: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bragadiru is about 27% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, transport, and leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 6% 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 $389 in Bragadiru. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Bragadiru runs roughly 67% less than in Istanbul. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $948 in Istanbul versus $560 in Bragadiru. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,106 in Bragadiru versus $1,519 in Istanbul, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Bragadiru but tight or insufficient in Istanbul. The gap between the two cities makes Bragadiru 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 Bragadiru are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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