Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Bucharest

For one person, living is cheaper in Bucharest: $1,351 a month against $1,526 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $2,100 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

74

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index
65

Cost of Living Index in Bucharest
Learn more

Bucharest Living Index

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Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,526

/mo nomad

Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,351

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Bucharest

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,526 in Istanbul versus $1,351 in Bucharest.

Istanbul $1,526
Bucharest $1,351

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,399 in Istanbul versus $2,033 in Bucharest.

Istanbul $2,399
Bucharest $2,033

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,272 in Istanbul versus $2,715 in Bucharest.

Istanbul $3,272
Bucharest $2,715

Living in Istanbul is roughly 13% more expensive than in Bucharest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Istanbul 14% above, Bucharest 1% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.88 ₺585

$14.46 RON 68.4

-17.84%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.1 ₺2,714

$57.7 RON 273

-4.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.14 ₺450

$7.50 RON 35.46

21.87%

Cappuccino

$4.24 ₺209

$3.43 RON 16.20

23.62%

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

$1.75 ₺86.0

$2.46 RON 11.63

-28.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.54 ₺26.83

$2.33 RON 11.01

-76.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.69 ₺231

$3.80 RON 17.97

23.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.97 ₺294

$4.10 RON 19.41

45.61%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.26 ₺62.1

$1.65 RON 7.79

-23.64%

White Bread (500g)

$0.95 ₺46.81

$1.35 RON 6.39

-29.63%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.31 ₺114

$1.78 RON 8.42

29.78%

Eggs

$2.47 ₺122

$3.66 RON 17.33

-32.51%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.55 ₺520

$8.57 RON 40.54

23.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.60 ₺276

$6.80 RON 32.17

-17.65%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.21 ₺1,045

$11.72 RON 55.4

80.97%

Apples (1kg)

$1.93 ₺95.1

$1.29 RON 6.11

49.61%

Banana (1kg)

$2.29 ₺113

$1.56 RON 7.37

46.79%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.1

$1.54 RON 7.28

-16.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.84 ₺90.8

$2.48 RON 11.75

-25.81%

Potato (1kg)

$0.67 ₺32.86

$0.83 RON 3.92

-19.28%

Onion (1kg)

$0.59 ₺29.31

$0.80 RON 3.77

-26.25%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.33 ₺65.4

$0.84 RON 3.98

58.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₺29.10

$0.93 RON 4.39

-36.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.36 ₺116

$6.44 RON 30.45

-63.35%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.47 ₺664

$6.32 RON 29.91

113.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.42 ₺119

$1.26 RON 5.94

92.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.54 ₺174

$1.60 RON 7.59

121.25%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.83 ₺40.64

$0.81 RON 3.85

2.47%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.5 ₺3,273

$21.13 RON 99.9

214.48%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.35 ₺66.6

$0.60 RON 2.86

125.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 ₺42.05

$0.61 RON 2.91

39.34%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.86 ₺535

$6.17 RON 29.19

76.01%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ₺72.3

$1.96 RON 9.27

-25.00%

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

$51.6K ₺2.5M

$28.1K RON 133.1K

83.40%

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

$44.4K ₺2.2M

$26.3K RON 124.3K

69.07%

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

$89.2 ₺4,395

$197 RON 931

-54.68%

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

$11.60 ₺572

$8.34 RON 39.44

39.09%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.10 ₺793

$9.19 RON 43.47

75.19%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.3 ₺3,805

$49.87 RON 236

54.90%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.66 ₺1,116

$24.99 RON 118

-9.32%

Cinema Ticket

$8.34 ₺411

$8.46 RON 40.01

-1.42%

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

$974 ₺48.0K

$639 RON 3,023

52.36%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.8K ₺1.3M

$14.4K RON 68.1K

79.08%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.7 ₺2,597

$90.6 RON 429

-41.82%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.16 ₺1,929

$38.05 RON 180

2.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 ₺5,083

$79.7 RON 377

29.54%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.6 ₺4,759

$93.2 RON 441

3.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$994 ₺49.0K

$673 RON 3,184

47.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$629 ₺31.0K

$449 RON 2,123

40.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,024 ₺99.7K

$1,098 RON 5,195

84.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,155 ₺56.9K

$729 RON 3,448

58.41%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,160 ₺155.7K

$3,740 RON 17.7K

-15.50%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,838 ₺90.5K

$2,189 RON 10.4K

-16.05%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,203 ₺59.3K

$1,323 RON 6,259

-9.05%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

41.09

6.74

509.64%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 3, 2026

Last update for Bucharest: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$629 41.2%

Bucharest

$449 33.5% 28.7% $180

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$264 17.3%

Bucharest

$222 16.5% 16% $42

Eating Out

Istanbul

$218 14.3%

Bucharest

$226 16.8% 3.6% $7.8

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$131 8.6%

Bucharest

$136 10.1% 3.4% $4.4

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$117 7.7%

Bucharest

$214 16% 83.4% $97

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$94 6.1%

Bucharest

$67 5% 28.9% $27

Getting Around

Istanbul

$75 4.9%

Bucharest

$28 2.1% 62.8% $47

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $994 in Istanbul and $673 in Bucharest. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bucharest pays 10% 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 $58.0 in Bucharest. Groceries flip the comparison at $264 vs $222, with Bucharest cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🕒 Local time

04:39 4:39 AM

Same time as Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

1,883,425 Capital

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 2.03 USD

100 TRY = 1.81 EUR

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.189 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 October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 49.26 TRY (100 TRY = 2.03 USD). 1 EUR = 55.25 TRY (100 TRY = 1.81 EUR).

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 4.73 RON (1 RON = 0.211 USD). 1 EUR = 5.3 RON (1 RON = 0.189 EUR).

USD to TRY in detail →

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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 Bucharest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Istanbul and Bucharest differ by about 13% in total monthly costs ($1,526 vs $1,351 including rent). Bucharest is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 10% lower in Bucharest. 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: $994 in Istanbul versus $673 in Bucharest. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,526 per month in Istanbul versus $1,351 in Bucharest – a 13% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Bucharest runs roughly 214% less than in Istanbul. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,351 in Bucharest versus $1,526 in Istanbul, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Bucharest but tight or insufficient in Istanbul. The gap between the two cities makes Bucharest 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 Bucharest 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 Bucharest gentler on the wallet – expenses run 13% less than in Istanbul. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.