Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Bursa

For one person, living is cheaper in Bursa: $1,047 a month against $1,516 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $5,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

73

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index
51

Cost of Living Index in Bursa
Learn more

Bursa Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,516

/mo nomad

Bursa

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,047

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Bursa

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,516 in Istanbul versus $1,047 in Bursa.

Istanbul $1,516
Bursa $1,047

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,356 in Istanbul versus $1,654 in Bursa.

Istanbul $2,356
Bursa $1,654

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,197 in Istanbul versus $2,260 in Bursa.

Istanbul $3,197
Bursa $2,260

Living in Istanbul is roughly 45% more expensive than in Bursa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Istanbul is 11% above, Bursa is 23% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.59 ₺577

$9.79 ₺488

18.39%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.7 ₺2,725

$30.03 ₺1,496

82.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.39 ₺468

$7.75 ₺386

21.16%

Cappuccino

$4.23 ₺211

$3.65 ₺182

15.89%

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

$1.72 ₺85.6

$1.06 ₺52.7

62.26%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.57 ₺28.26

$0.38 ₺18.70

50.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.65 ₺232

$2.29 ₺114

103.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.84 ₺341

$2.93 ₺146

133.45%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.20 ₺60.0

$0.96 ₺47.91

25.00%

White Bread (500g)

$0.94 ₺46.97

$0.80 ₺39.98

17.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.24 ₺112

$2.26 ₺112

-0.88%

Eggs

$2.42 ₺121

$2.28 ₺114

6.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.24 ₺510

$10.26 ₺511

-0.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.38 ₺268

$4.90 ₺244

9.80%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.19 ₺1,056

$18.96 ₺945

11.76%

Apples (1kg)

$1.89 ₺94.3

$1.66 ₺83.0

13.86%

Banana (1kg)

$2.22 ₺111

$1.96 ₺97.7

13.27%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.26 ₺62.7

$1.04 ₺52.0

21.15%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.81 ₺90.0

$1.30 ₺64.7

39.23%

Potato (1kg)

$0.70 ₺34.84

$0.58 ₺28.79

20.69%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺32.13

$0.39 ₺19.64

64.10%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.22 ₺60.9

$0.73 ₺36.47

67.12%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ₺27.35

$0.72 ₺35.85

-23.61%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.32 ₺116

$2.07 ₺103

12.08%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.31 ₺663

$14.15 ₺705

-5.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.33 ₺116

$2.08 ₺103

12.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 ₺172

$2.25 ₺112

53.78%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.91 ₺45.18

$0.98 ₺48.93

-7.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.3 ₺3,306

$36.23 ₺1,805

83.11%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.29 ₺64.2

$1.03 ₺51.2

25.24%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.86 ₺42.66

$0.87 ₺43.12

-1.15%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.09 ₺553

$6.89 ₺343

60.96%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.42 ₺70.8

$1.37 ₺68.2

3.65%

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

$49.2K ₺2.5M

$44.3K ₺2.2M

11.05%

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

$42.8K ₺2.1M

$38.9K ₺1.9M

9.94%

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

$87.7 ₺4,373

$75.9 ₺3,785

15.54%

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

$11.28 ₺562

$10.92 ₺544

3.30%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.89 ₺792

$14.81 ₺738

7.29%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$75.9 ₺3,783

$61.2 ₺3,048

24.10%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.04 ₺1,148

Cinema Ticket

$8.20 ₺409

$5.88 ₺293

39.46%

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

$1,028 ₺51.2K

$548 ₺27.3K

87.68%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$26.0K ₺1.3M

$10.9K ₺542.8K

138.35%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.3 ₺2,658

$44.43 ₺2,214

20.03%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.69 ₺1,978

$34.51 ₺1,720

15.01%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.8 ₺4,972

$78.4 ₺3,907

27.27%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.5 ₺4,661

$92.6 ₺4,615

1.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,003 ₺50.0K

$401 ₺20.0K

150.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$628 ₺31.3K

$310 ₺15.5K

102.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,963 ₺97.8K

$723 ₺36.1K

171.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,122 ₺55.9K

$607 ₺30.2K

84.92%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,075 ₺153.2K

$1,191 ₺59.4K

158.06%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,753 ₺87.3K

$1,217 ₺60.6K

44.05%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,180 ₺58.8K

$1,028 ₺51.2K

14.71%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.69

42.67

-4.64%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 27, 2026

Last update for Bursa: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$628 41.5%

Bursa

$310 29.6% 50.6% $318

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$258 17%

Bursa

$236 22.5% 8.6% $22

Eating Out

Istanbul

$218 14.4%

Bursa

$168 16.1% 22.7% $49

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$129 8.5%

Bursa

$112 10.7% 12.7% $16

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$115 7.6%

Bursa

$102 9.7% 11.5% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$92 6.1%

Bursa

$73 7% 21% $19

Getting Around

Istanbul

$76 5%

Bursa

$46 4.4% 39.7% $30

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,003 in Istanbul and $401 in Bursa. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Istanbul pays 15% 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 $30 in Bursa for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $258 vs $236 per month, with Bursa cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇹🇷 Bursa

🕒 Local time

23:27 11:27 PM

Same time as Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

3,238,618

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 2.01 USD

100 TRY = 1.8 EUR

100 TRY = 2.01 USD

100 TRY = 1.8 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Istanbul Bursa 92 km

From you

Istanbul
Bursa

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 Bursa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bursa is about 31% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, transport, and groceries. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 15% 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: $1,003 in Istanbul versus $401 in Bursa. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 9% higher in Istanbul. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Bursa – a meal for two runs $30 versus $55 in Istanbul. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,047 in Bursa versus $1,516 in Istanbul, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Bursa but tight or insufficient in Istanbul. The gap between the two cities makes Bursa 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 Bursa are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Bursa gentler on the wallet – expenses run 31% less than in Istanbul. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.