Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Brasov

For one person, living is cheaper in Brasov: $1,336 a month against $1,519 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $2,200 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

73

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index
64

Cost of Living Index in Brasov
Learn more

Brasov Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,519

/mo nomad

Brasov

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,336

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Brasov

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,519 in Istanbul versus $1,336 in Brasov.

Istanbul $1,519
Brasov $1,336

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,365 in Istanbul versus $2,088 in Brasov.

Istanbul $2,365
Brasov $2,088

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,212 in Istanbul versus $2,839 in Brasov.

Istanbul $3,212
Brasov $2,839

Living in Istanbul is roughly 14% more expensive than in Brasov, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.81 ₺592

$10.94 RON 52.0

7.95%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.9 ₺2,754

$51.8 RON 246

6.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.26 ₺465

$7.54 RON 35.85

22.81%

Cappuccino

$4.30 ₺216

$3.65 RON 17.33

17.81%

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

$1.77 ₺89.0

$2.35 RON 11.19

-24.68%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺28.32

$2.13 RON 10.14

-73.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.69 ₺235

$3.23 RON 15.34

45.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.12 ₺357

$3.29 RON 15.61

116.41%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 ₺62.7

$1.60 RON 7.59

-21.88%

White Bread (500g)

$0.88 ₺44.17

$1.39 RON 6.58

-36.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 ₺111

$1.75 RON 8.30

25.71%

Eggs

$2.43 ₺122

$3.44 RON 16.36

-29.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.48 ₺526

$8.73 RON 41.48

20.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.31 ₺267

$6.63 RON 31.52

-19.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.10 ₺1,058

$12.57 RON 59.7

67.86%

Apples (1kg)

$1.86 ₺93.1

$1.47 RON 6.96

26.53%

Banana (1kg)

$2.30 ₺115

$1.58 RON 7.49

45.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.22 ₺61.0

$1.55 RON 7.36

-21.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺90.2

$2.67 RON 12.70

-32.58%

Potato (1kg)

$0.69 ₺34.83

$0.81 RON 3.84

-14.81%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺32.16

$0.78 RON 3.68

-17.95%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.36 ₺68.0

$0.86 RON 4.10

58.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 ₺28.94

$0.77 RON 3.65

-24.68%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.34 ₺117

$6.04 RON 28.72

-61.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.03 ₺653

$7.53 RON 35.77

73.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.36 ₺118

$1.24 RON 5.91

90.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.32 ₺166

$1.87 RON 8.88

77.54%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.88 ₺44.07

$1.07 RON 5.07

-17.76%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.1 ₺3,316

$23.27 RON 111

184.14%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 ₺64.4

$0.63 RON 3.01

103.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 ₺42.80

$0.67 RON 3.18

26.87%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.09 ₺556

$6.53 RON 31.03

69.83%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 ₺74.0

$1.89 RON 8.98

-21.69%

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

$48.6K ₺2.4M

$29.1K RON 138.2K

67.22%

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

$42.0K ₺2.1M

$25.0K RON 118.7K

68.08%

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

$92.7 ₺4,650

$176 RON 836

-47.32%

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

$11.20 ₺562

$7.40 RON 35.15

51.35%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.89 ₺797

$9.17 RON 43.55

73.28%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.7 ₺3,745

$54.8 RON 260

36.38%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.95 ₺1,151

$13.29 RON 63.1

72.69%

Cinema Ticket

$8.05 ₺404

$9.53 RON 45.28

-15.53%

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

$948 ₺47.6K

$450 RON 2,140

110.54%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.9K ₺1.9M

$7,663 RON 36.4K

381.73%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₺2,702

$52.7 RON 250

2.28%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.49 ₺2,081

$34.80 RON 165

19.22%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 ₺5,060

$74.0 RON 352

36.37%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.3 ₺4,580

$88.7 RON 422

2.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,014 ₺50.8K

$677 RON 3,218

49.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$625 ₺31.3K

$506 RON 2,402

23.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,005 ₺100.6K

$1,259 RON 5,981

59.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,126 ₺56.5K

$987 RON 4,691

14.04%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,988 ₺149.8K

$3,159 RON 15.0K

-5.43%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,730 ₺86.8K

$2,376 RON 11.3K

-27.17%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,136 ₺57.0K

$1,126 RON 5,349

0.94%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.42

7.23

459.06%

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

Last update for Istanbul: November 2, 2026

Last update for Brasov: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$625 41.1%

Brasov

$506 37.8% 19% $119

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$258 17%

Brasov

$226 16.9% 12.6% $33

Eating Out

Istanbul

$221 14.6%

Brasov

$195 14.6% 11.9% $26

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$129 8.5%

Brasov

$113 8.4% 13% $17

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$120 7.9%

Brasov

$193 14.4% 60.7% $73

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$91 6%

Brasov

$74 5.5% 18.7% $17

Getting Around

Istanbul

$75 5%

Brasov

$32 2.4% 58.1% $44

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,014 in Istanbul and $677 in Brasov. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $55 in Istanbul vs $52 in Brasov for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $258 vs $226 per month, with Brasov cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇷🇴 Brasov

🕒 Local time

14:54 2:54 PM

13:54 1:54 PM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

253,200

💱 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

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Highest

Between locations

Istanbul Brasov 580 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Brasov

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 Brasov: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,519 in Istanbul and $1,336 in Brasov, so Brasov is about 12% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $2,278 in Istanbul and $2,005 in Brasov 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: $1,014 in Istanbul versus $677 in Brasov. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Brasov – a meal for two runs $52 versus $55 in Istanbul. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $1,519 per month in Istanbul versus $1,336 in Brasov – Brasov is about 12% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Either city works on $2,000 a month, though Brasov gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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 Brasov are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Brasov gentler on the wallet – expenses run 12% less than in Istanbul. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.