Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Cacak

For one person, living is cheaper in Cacak: $1,051 a month against $1,550 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $6,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

75

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index
51

Cost of Living Index in Cacak
Learn more

Cacak Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

Cacak

🇷🇸 Serbia

$1,051

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Cacak

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,550 in Istanbul versus $1,051 in Cacak.

Istanbul $1,550
Cacak $1,051

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,415 in Istanbul versus $1,571 in Cacak.

Istanbul $2,415
Cacak $1,571

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,281 in Istanbul versus $2,092 in Cacak.

Istanbul $3,281
Cacak $2,092

Living in Istanbul is roughly 48% more expensive than in Cacak, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Istanbul is 15% above, Cacak is 22% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.30 ₺609

$7.29 RSD 760

68.72%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.7 ₺2,708

$38.45 RSD 4,009

42.26%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.22 ₺456

$11.29 RSD 1,177

-18.33%

Cappuccino

$4.40 ₺218

$1.54 RSD 161

185.71%

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

$1.68 ₺83.1

$2.41 RSD 251

-30.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₺29.40

$1.44 RSD 150

-59.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.70 ₺233

$2.52 RSD 263

86.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.91 ₺292

$2.53 RSD 264

133.60%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 ₺60.0

$1.23 RSD 128

-1.63%

White Bread (500g)

$0.89 ₺44.10

$0.73 RSD 76.2

21.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.19 ₺108

$2.71 RSD 283

-19.19%

Eggs

$2.35 ₺116

$2.64 RSD 275

-10.98%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.42 ₺516

$3.76 RSD 392

177.13%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.65 ₺280

$7.35 RSD 766

-23.13%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.94 ₺1,037

$13.96 RSD 1,456

50.00%

Apples (1kg)

$1.90 ₺94.1

$1.25 RSD 130

52.00%

Banana (1kg)

$2.31 ₺114

$1.88 RSD 196

22.87%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.1

$1.67 RSD 174

-23.35%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺89.0

$2.48 RSD 258

-27.42%

Potato (1kg)

$0.65 ₺32.16

$1.00 RSD 104

-35.00%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺31.91

$0.68 RSD 71.1

-5.88%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 ₺62.1

$1.01 RSD 105

23.76%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.58

$0.60 RSD 62.0

-6.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.37 ₺118

$4.66 RSD 486

-49.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.42 ₺664

$7.13 RSD 743

88.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₺119

$0.94 RSD 97.7

155.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 ₺172

$2.23 RSD 232

56.05%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.89 ₺43.84

$0.93 RSD 96.9

-4.30%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.4 ₺3,338

$16.54 RSD 1,724

307.68%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.29 ₺64.1

$1.95 RSD 203

-33.85%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 ₺45.70

$0.89 RSD 92.9

3.37%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.96 ₺542

$10.64 RSD 1,109

3.01%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ₺72.9

$1.69 RSD 177

-13.02%

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

$50.8K ₺2.5M

$27.3K RSD 2.8M

86.24%

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

$44.5K ₺2.2M

$25.7K RSD 2.7M

73.33%

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

$88.6 ₺4,387

$142 RSD 14.8K

-37.58%

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

$11.59 ₺574

$18.81 RSD 1,961

-38.38%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.81 ₺783

$18.90 RSD 1,971

-16.35%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.2 ₺3,820

$29.86 RSD 3,112

158.41%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.74 ₺1,126

Cinema Ticket

$8.14 ₺403

$7.59 RSD 791

7.25%

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

$1,008 ₺49.9K

$374 RSD 39.0K

169.51%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.6K ₺1.3M

$7,499 RSD 781.7K

240.87%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.0 ₺2,671

$119 RSD 12.4K

-54.48%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.83 ₺2,021

$43.32 RSD 4,516

-5.75%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.9 ₺4,895

$136 RSD 14.2K

-27.51%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.6 ₺4,783

$125 RSD 13.0K

-22.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$985 ₺48.7K

$311 RSD 32.5K

216.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$650 ₺32.2K

$259 RSD 27.0K

151.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,983 ₺98.2K

$423 RSD 44.1K

369.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,180 ₺58.4K

$371 RSD 38.7K

217.98%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,138 ₺155.4K

$2,109 RSD 219.8K

48.82%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,780 ₺88.1K

$1,573 RSD 164.0K

13.15%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,205 ₺59.7K

$723 RSD 75.3K

66.84%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.92

5.21

685.41%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 13, 2026

Last update for Cacak: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$650 41.9%

Cacak

$259 24.6% 60.2% $391

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$260 16.8%

Cacak

$206 19.7% 20.5% $53

Eating Out

Istanbul

$223 14.4%

Cacak

$144 13.7% 35.6% $80

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$131 8.4%

Cacak

$190 18.1% 45.7% $60

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$116 7.5%

Cacak

$180 17.1% 54.9% $64

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$93 6%

Cacak

$45 4.3% 51.8% $48

Getting Around

Istanbul

$77 5%

Cacak

$27 2.5% 65.3% $50

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $985 in Istanbul and $311 in Cacak. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Istanbul pays 67% 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: $55.0 in Istanbul vs $38.00 in Cacak for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $260 vs $206 per month, with Cacak cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇷🇸 Cacak

🕒 Local time

07:09 7:09 AM

06:09 6:09 AM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

69,598

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Serbian Dinar RSD din

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 2.02 USD

100 TRY = 1.8 EUR

1,000 RSD = 9.59 USD

1,000 RSD = 8.53 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RSD, USD, EUR to TRY – Turkish Lira Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇷 Turkish Lira (₺)

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 49.51 TRY (100 TRY = 2.02 USD). 1 EUR = 55.66 TRY (100 TRY = 1.8 EUR).

Serbian Dinar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 104 RSD (1,000 RSD = 9.59 USD). 1 EUR = 117 RSD (1,000 RSD = 8.53 EUR).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Istanbul Cacak 780 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Cacak

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 Cacak: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cacak is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and leisure. The 48% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 67% 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: $985 in Istanbul versus $311 in Cacak. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,008 in Istanbul versus $374 in Cacak. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 26% higher in Istanbul. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,051 in Cacak versus $1,550 in Istanbul, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cacak but tight or insufficient in Istanbul. The gap between the two cities makes Cacak the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Cacak is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Istanbul, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Istanbul and Cacak 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 Cacak gentler on the wallet – expenses run 48% less than in Istanbul. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.