Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Budva

For one person, living is cheaper in Istanbul: $1,526 a month against $1,604 in Budva, rent and utilities included – about $940 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

74

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Budva
Learn more

Budva Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,526

/mo nomad

Budva

🇲🇪 Montenegro

$1,604

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Budva

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

A single person spends $1,526 per month in Istanbul vs $1,604 in Budva, rent included.

Istanbul $1,526
Budva $1,604

A couple spends around $2,399 per month in Istanbul vs $2,553 in Budva, rent included.

Istanbul $2,399
Budva $2,553

A family of three spends $3,272 per month in Istanbul vs $3,501 in Budva, rent included.

Istanbul $3,272
Budva $3,501

Istanbul is about 5% cheaper than Budva, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Istanbul and Budva sit above the global median – Istanbul by 14%, Budva by 20%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.88 ₺585

$14.84 €13.24

-19.95%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.1 ₺2,714

$68.4 €61.0

-19.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.14 ₺450

$13.49 €12.04

-32.25%

Cappuccino

$4.24 ₺209

$3.42 €3.05

23.98%

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

$1.75 ₺86.0

$2.25 €2.01

-22.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.54 ₺26.83

$1.54 €1.37

-64.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.69 ₺231

$4.80 €4.28

-2.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.97 ₺294

$4.30 €3.84

38.84%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.26 ₺62.1

$1.21 €1.08

4.13%

White Bread (500g)

$0.95 ₺46.81

$1.09 €0.98

-12.84%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.31 ₺114

$2.21 €1.97

4.52%

Eggs

$2.47 ₺122

$2.99 €2.67

-17.39%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.55 ₺520

$8.74 €7.80

20.71%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.60 ₺276

$9.23 €8.24

-39.33%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.21 ₺1,045

$12.51 €11.16

69.54%

Apples (1kg)

$1.93 ₺95.1

$1.28 €1.14

50.78%

Banana (1kg)

$2.29 ₺113

$1.67 €1.49

37.13%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.1

$1.48 €1.32

-13.51%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.84 ₺90.8

$2.83 €2.53

-34.98%

Potato (1kg)

$0.67 ₺32.86

$0.94 €0.84

-28.72%

Onion (1kg)

$0.59 ₺29.31

$1.06 €0.95

-44.34%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.33 ₺65.4

$1.64 €1.47

-18.90%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₺29.10

$0.91 €0.81

-35.16%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.36 ₺116

$4.36 €3.89

-45.87%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.47 ₺664

$7.68 €6.85

75.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.42 ₺119

$1.12 €1.00

116.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.54 ₺174

$1.69 €1.50

109.47%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.83 ₺40.64

$2.84 €2.54

-70.77%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.5 ₺3,273

$40.03 €35.73

66.00%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.35 ₺66.6

$1.13 €1.01

19.47%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 ₺42.05

$1.15 €1.02

-26.09%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.86 ₺535

$16.90 €15.08

-35.74%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ₺72.3

$1.72 €1.53

-14.53%

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

$51.6K ₺2.5M

$29.6K €26.4K

74.69%

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

$44.4K ₺2.2M

$26.2K €23.3K

69.90%

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

$89.2 ₺4,395

$163 €145

-45.17%

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

$11.60 ₺572

$14.79 €13.20

-21.57%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.10 ₺793

$33.37 €29.78

-51.75%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.3 ₺3,805

$58.8 €52.5

31.42%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.66 ₺1,116

$21.72 €19.39

4.33%

Cinema Ticket

$8.34 ₺411

$6.19 €5.52

34.73%

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

$974 ₺48.0K

$395 €352

146.78%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.8K ₺1.3M

$9,585 €8,553

168.90%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.7 ₺2,597

$104 €92.7

-49.28%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.16 ₺1,929

$44.73 €39.91

-12.45%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 ₺5,083

$97.7 €87.2

5.59%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.6 ₺4,759

$177 €158

-45.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$994 ₺49.0K

$823 €735

20.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$629 ₺31.0K

$592 €528

6.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,024 ₺99.7K

$1,484 €1,324

36.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,155 ₺56.9K

$1,168 €1,042

-1.12%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,160 ₺155.7K

$4,175 €3,726

-24.31%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,838 ₺90.5K

$2,981 €2,660

-38.36%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,203 ₺59.3K

$1,031 €920

16.70%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

41.09

5.95

590.59%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 3, 2026

Last update for Budva: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$629 41.2%

Budva

$592 36.8% 5.9% $37

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$264 17.3%

Budva

$237 14.7% 10.3% $27

Eating Out

Istanbul

$218 14.3%

Budva

$248 15.4% 13.8% $30

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$131 8.6%

Budva

$190 11.8% 45% $59

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$117 7.7%

Budva

$211 13.1% 80.4% $94

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$94 6.1%

Budva

$71 4.4% 24.3% $23

Getting Around

Istanbul

$75 4.9%

Budva

$58 3.6% 22.7% $17

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $994 in Istanbul versus $823 in Budva. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 17% higher in Istanbul, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55.0 in Istanbul versus $68.0 in Budva. Groceries tell a different story – $264 in Istanbul vs $237 in Budva – so Budva wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇲🇪 Budva

🕒 Local time

08:02 8:02 AM

07:02 7:02 AM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

13,338

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 2.03 USD

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

Euro exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to TRY in detail →

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Between locations

Istanbul Budva 850 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Budva

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 Budva: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,526 in Istanbul, $1,604 in Budva – roughly 5% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,289 per month in Istanbul and $2,406 in Budva. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Istanbul, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,526 in Istanbul and $1,604 in Budva. That's a gap of about 5%.

Public transport costs about 66% less in Istanbul. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Istanbul, where all-in costs run around $1,526, than in Budva at $1,604. In Istanbul it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budva it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Istanbul has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,526 in Istanbul to $1,604 in Budva. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Istanbul. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Budva makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.