Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Brest

For one person, living is cheaper in Brest: $1,381 a month against $1,550 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $2,000 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Istanbul outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

75

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index
68

Cost of Living Index in Brest
Learn more

Brest Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

Brest

🇫🇷 France

$1,381

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Brest

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,550 in Istanbul versus $1,381 in Brest.

Istanbul $1,550
Brest $1,381

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,415 in Istanbul versus $2,157 in Brest.

Istanbul $2,415
Brest $2,157

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,281 in Istanbul versus $2,933 in Brest.

Istanbul $3,281
Brest $2,933

Living in Istanbul is roughly 12% more expensive than in Brest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Istanbul 15% above, Brest 2% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.30 ₺609

$15.39 €13.68

-20.08%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.7 ₺2,708

$45.10 €40.11

21.29%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.22 ₺456

$11.33 €10.07

-18.62%

Cappuccino

$4.40 ₺218

$2.97 €2.64

48.15%

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

$1.68 ₺83.1

$3.02 €2.68

-44.37%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₺29.40

$2.04 €1.82

-71.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.70 ₺233

$6.48 €5.76

-27.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.91 ₺292

$5.41 €4.81

9.24%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 ₺60.0

$1.11 €0.99

9.01%

White Bread (500g)

$0.89 ₺44.10

$1.52 €1.35

-41.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.19 ₺108

$2.57 €2.29

-14.79%

Eggs

$2.35 ₺116

$3.50 €3.11

-32.86%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.42 ₺516

$18.71 €16.64

-44.31%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.65 ₺280

$10.12 €9.00

-44.17%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.94 ₺1,037

$14.34 €12.75

46.03%

Apples (1kg)

$1.90 ₺94.1

$2.94 €2.61

-35.37%

Banana (1kg)

$2.31 ₺114

$1.90 €1.69

21.58%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.1

$2.62 €2.33

-51.15%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺89.0

$2.89 €2.57

-37.72%

Potato (1kg)

$0.65 ₺32.16

$1.70 €1.51

-61.76%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺31.91

$2.02 €1.80

-68.32%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 ₺62.1

$1.39 €1.24

-10.07%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.58

$0.34 €0.30

64.71%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.37 ₺118

$13.40 €11.92

-82.31%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.42 ₺664

$6.89 €6.13

94.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₺119

$2.62 €2.33

-8.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 ₺172

$2.81 €2.50

23.84%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.89 ₺43.84

$1.88 €1.67

-52.66%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.4 ₺3,338

$39.58 €35.20

70.36%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.29 ₺64.1

$8.32 €7.40

-84.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 ₺45.70

$2.95 €2.62

-68.81%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.96 ₺542

$30.97 €27.54

-64.61%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ₺72.9

$2.02 €1.79

-27.23%

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

$50.8K ₺2.5M

$36.8K €32.7K

38.08%

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

$44.5K ₺2.2M

$34.3K €30.5K

29.65%

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

$88.6 ₺4,387

$141 €126

-37.29%

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

$11.59 ₺574

$27.20 €24.19

-57.39%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.81 ₺783

$31.11 €27.67

-49.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.2 ₺3,820

$35.05 €31.18

120.14%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.74 ₺1,126

$15.12 €13.44

50.40%

Cinema Ticket

$8.14 ₺403

$13.74 €12.22

-40.76%

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

$1,008 ₺49.9K

$223 €198

352.36%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.6K ₺1.3M

$11.4K €10.1K

124.97%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.0 ₺2,671

$69.1 €61.4

-21.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.83 ₺2,021

$30.43 €27.07

34.18%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.9 ₺4,895

$76.7 €68.2

28.88%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.6 ₺4,783

$69.5 €61.8

39.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$985 ₺48.7K

$512 €456

92.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$650 ₺32.2K

$380 €338

71.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,983 ₺98.2K

$882 €784

124.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,180 ₺58.4K

$733 €652

60.92%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,138 ₺155.4K

$2,804 €2,494

11.93%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,780 ₺88.1K

$2,503 €2,226

-28.88%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,205 ₺59.7K

$2,642 €2,350

-54.38%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.92

3.82

971.20%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 13, 2026

Last update for Brest: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$650 41.9%

Brest

$380 27.5% 41.6% $270

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$260 16.8%

Brest

$303 21.9% 16.5% $43

Eating Out

Istanbul

$223 14.4%

Brest

$256 18.5% 14.7% $33

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$131 8.4%

Brest

$111 8% 15.4% $20

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$116 7.5%

Brest

$200 14.5% 72% $84

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$93 6%

Brest

$63 4.5% 33.1% $31

Getting Around

Istanbul

$77 5%

Brest

$70 5.1% 8.7% $6.7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $985 in Istanbul and $512 in Brest. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Brest pays 119% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $55.0 in Istanbul vs $45.00 in Brest. Groceries flip the comparison at $260 vs $303, with Istanbul cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇫🇷 Brest

🕒 Local time

19:36 7:36 PM

18:36 6:36 PM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

139,619

💱 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 17, 2026: 1 USD = 49.51 TRY (100 TRY = 2.02 USD). 1 EUR = 55.67 TRY (100 TRY = 1.8 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 17, 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 Brest 2,740 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Brest

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 Brest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Brest wins on cost – living expenses run 12% lower than in Istanbul. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Brest the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 119% lower in Brest. 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 $512 in Brest. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Brest – a meal for two runs $45.00 versus $55.0 in Istanbul. 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 $1,381 in Brest – a 12% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,381 in Brest versus $1,550 in Istanbul, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Brest but tight or insufficient in Istanbul. The gap between the two cities makes Brest the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Brest delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,381 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Brest hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Istanbul and Brest 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 Brest 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.