Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Buzau

For one person, living is cheaper in Buzau: $974 a month against $1,519 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $6,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

73

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index
47

Cost of Living Index in Buzau
Learn more

Buzau Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,519

/mo nomad

Buzau

🇷🇴 Romania

$974

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Buzau

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,519 in Istanbul versus $974 in Buzau.

Istanbul $1,519
Buzau $974

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,365 in Istanbul versus $1,447 in Buzau.

Istanbul $2,365
Buzau $1,447

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,212 in Istanbul versus $1,920 in Buzau.

Istanbul $3,212
Buzau $1,920

Living in Istanbul is roughly 56% more expensive than in Buzau, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Istanbul is 12% above, Buzau is 28% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.81 ₺592

$10.28 RON 48.86

14.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.9 ₺2,754

$25.30 RON 120

117.04%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.26 ₺465

$6.22 RON 29.54

48.87%

Cappuccino

$4.30 ₺216

$2.04 RON 9.69

110.78%

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

$1.77 ₺89.0

$2.01 RON 9.54

-11.94%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺28.32

$1.49 RON 7.09

-62.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.69 ₺235

$1.71 RON 8.14

174.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.12 ₺357

$1.65 RON 7.82

331.52%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 ₺62.7

$1.73 RON 8.24

-27.75%

White Bread (500g)

$0.88 ₺44.17

$1.25 RON 5.96

-29.60%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 ₺111

$1.43 RON 6.80

53.85%

Eggs

$2.43 ₺122

$3.01 RON 14.30

-19.27%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.48 ₺526

$7.28 RON 34.59

43.96%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.31 ₺267

$6.38 RON 30.31

-16.77%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.10 ₺1,058

$11.22 RON 53.3

88.06%

Apples (1kg)

$1.86 ₺93.1

$0.96 RON 4.58

93.75%

Banana (1kg)

$2.30 ₺115

$1.63 RON 7.75

41.10%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.22 ₺61.0

$1.10 RON 5.20

10.91%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺90.2

$1.23 RON 5.84

46.34%

Potato (1kg)

$0.69 ₺34.83

$0.69 RON 3.27

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺32.16

$0.76 RON 3.63

-15.79%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.36 ₺68.0

$0.49 RON 2.34

177.55%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 ₺28.94

$0.71 RON 3.38

-18.31%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.34 ₺117

$6.13 RON 29.10

-61.83%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.03 ₺653

$6.14 RON 29.17

112.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.36 ₺118

$0.82 RON 3.90

187.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.32 ₺166

$1.40 RON 6.63

137.14%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.88 ₺44.07

$0.66 RON 3.14

33.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.1 ₺3,316

$21.24 RON 101

211.30%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 ₺64.4

$0.50 RON 2.37

156.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 ₺42.80

$0.50 RON 2.36

70.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.09 ₺556

$6.24 RON 29.65

77.72%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 ₺74.0

$1.87 RON 8.91

-20.86%

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

$48.6K ₺2.4M

$19.3K RON 91.9K

151.38%

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

$42.0K ₺2.1M

$21.2K RON 101.0K

97.54%

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

$92.7 ₺4,650

$121 RON 573

-23.09%

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

$11.20 ₺562

$8.03 RON 38.15

39.48%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.89 ₺797

$7.66 RON 36.38

107.44%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.7 ₺3,745

$32.39 RON 154

130.56%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.95 ₺1,151

$18.01 RON 85.6

27.43%

Cinema Ticket

$8.05 ₺404

$6.85 RON 32.57

17.52%

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

$948 ₺47.6K

$289 RON 1,373

228.17%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.9K ₺1.9M

$6,741 RON 32.0K

447.64%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₺2,702

$54.6 RON 260

-1.35%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.49 ₺2,081

$58.4 RON 278

-28.97%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 ₺5,060

$97.6 RON 464

3.38%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.3 ₺4,580

$85.3 RON 405

7.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,014 ₺50.8K

$352 RON 1,674

187.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$625 ₺31.3K

$287 RON 1,364

117.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,005 ₺100.6K

$587 RON 2,791

241.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,126 ₺56.5K

$425 RON 2,020

164.78%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,988 ₺149.8K

$1,442 RON 6,851

107.21%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,730 ₺86.8K

$1,183 RON 5,622

46.23%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,136 ₺57.0K

$875 RON 4,157

29.89%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.42

6.97

479.91%

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

Last update for Istanbul: November 2, 2026

Last update for Buzau: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$625 41.1%

Buzau

$287 29.5% 54% $338

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$258 17%

Buzau

$193 19.9% 25.1% $65

Eating Out

Istanbul

$221 14.6%

Buzau

$151 15.5% 31.5% $70

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$129 8.5%

Buzau

$133 13.7% 2.9% $3.8

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$120 7.9%

Buzau

$136 14% 13.7% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$91 6%

Buzau

$46 4.7% 49.2% $45

Getting Around

Istanbul

$75 5%

Buzau

$27 2.8% 64.3% $48

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,014 in Istanbul and $352 in Buzau. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Istanbul pays 30% 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 $25 in Buzau for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $258 vs $193 per month, with Buzau cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇷🇴 Buzau

🕒 Local time

18:13 6:13 PM

17:13 5:13 PM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

115,494

💱 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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Istanbul Buzau 490 km

From you

Istanbul
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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 Buzau: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,519 in Istanbul and $974 in Buzau, so Buzau is about 36% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 30% 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: $1,014 in Istanbul versus $352 in Buzau. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 34% higher in Istanbul. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Buzau – a meal for two runs $25 versus $55 in Istanbul. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $974 in Buzau versus $1,519 in Istanbul, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Buzau but tight or insufficient in Istanbul. The gap between the two cities makes Buzau 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.

Expats usually find Buzau gentler on the wallet – expenses run 36% less than in Istanbul. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.