Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Cadca

For one person, living is cheaper in Cadca: $1,432 a month against $1,525 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $1,100 less a year. The total is higher in Istanbul despite lower rent and utilities.

74

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index
69

Cost of Living Index in Cadca
Learn more

Cadca Living Index

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Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,525

/mo nomad

Cadca

🇸🇰 Slovakia

$1,432

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Cadca

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

A single person spends $1,525 per month in Istanbul vs $1,432 in Cadca, rent included.

Istanbul $1,525
Cadca $1,432

A couple spends around $2,390 per month in Istanbul vs $2,040 in Cadca, rent included.

Istanbul $2,390
Cadca $2,040

A family of three spends $3,256 per month in Istanbul vs $2,648 in Cadca, rent included.

Istanbul $3,256
Cadca $2,648

Istanbul costs about 6% more than Cadca, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Istanbul and Cadca sit above the global median – Istanbul by 13%, Cadca by 6%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.96 ₺592

$9.64 €8.57

24.07%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$57.2 ₺2,834

$33.14 €29.48

72.69%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.51 ₺471

$10.27 €9.14

-7.40%

Cappuccino

$4.40 ₺218

$3.06 €2.72

43.79%

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

$1.75 ₺86.6

$2.19 €1.95

-20.09%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.57

$2.00 €1.78

-72.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.71 ₺233

$2.39 €2.13

97.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.14 ₺304

$2.48 €2.21

147.58%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.24 ₺61.6

$1.01 €0.90

22.77%

White Bread (500g)

$0.95 ₺47.25

$1.46 €1.30

-34.93%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.28 ₺113

$1.88 €1.68

21.28%

Eggs

$2.45 ₺121

$3.43 €3.05

-28.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.56 ₺523

$9.92 €8.83

6.45%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.50 ₺272

$8.33 €7.41

-33.97%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.65 ₺1,072

$10.99 €9.77

97.00%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 ₺90.6

$1.87 €1.66

-2.14%

Banana (1kg)

$2.29 ₺113

$2.00 €1.78

14.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.4

$1.88 €1.67

-31.91%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.82 ₺90.1

$2.71 €2.41

-32.84%

Potato (1kg)

$0.66 ₺32.74

$1.25 €1.12

-47.20%

Onion (1kg)

$0.63 ₺31.14

$1.33 €1.19

-52.63%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.27 ₺62.8

$1.83 €1.63

-30.60%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.62

$0.82 €0.73

-31.71%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.36 ₺117

$6.71 €5.96

-64.83%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.98 ₺642

$3.30 €2.93

293.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.48 ₺123

$1.73 €1.53

43.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.50 ₺174

$1.69 €1.51

107.10%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.82 ₺40.77

$1.10 €0.98

-25.45%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.2 ₺3,228

$25.32 €22.53

157.50%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.33 ₺65.7

$3.91 €3.48

-65.98%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.90 ₺44.60

$0.41 €0.36

119.51%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.91 ₺540

$13.71 €12.19

-20.42%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.43 ₺70.7

$1.77 €1.57

-19.21%

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

$49.6K ₺2.5M

$25.8K €22.9K

92.17%

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

$43.2K ₺2.1M

$22.4K €19.9K

92.94%

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

$88.8 ₺4,395

$228 €203

-61.07%

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

$11.69 ₺579

$19.32 €17.19

-39.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.09 ₺797

$21.47 €19.10

-25.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$76.3 ₺3,776

$41.67 €37.06

83.01%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.72 ₺1,125

$16.14 €14.35

40.77%

Cinema Ticket

$8.26 ₺409

$8.93 €7.94

-7.50%

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

$1,015 ₺50.2K

$393 €350

157.93%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.8K ₺1.3M

$7,209 €6,412

258.44%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.3 ₺2,636

$58.4 €51.9

-8.80%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.55 ₺2,008

$30.32 €26.97

33.74%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100 ₺4,956

$78.9 €70.2

26.90%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.5 ₺4,630

$97.9 €87.1

-4.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$977 ₺48.4K

$690 €614

41.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$627 ₺31.0K

$536 €476

17.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,980 ₺98.0K

$875 €778

126.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,147 ₺56.8K

$815 €725

40.82%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,095 ₺153.2K

$3,261 €2,901

-5.09%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,787 ₺88.5K

$2,761 €2,456

-35.27%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,213 ₺60.1K

$852 €758

42.33%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.69

3.57

1039.78%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 19, 2026

Last update for Cadca: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$627 41.1%

Cadca

$536 37.4% 14.6% $91

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$263 17.2%

Cadca

$235 16.4% 10.5% $28

Eating Out

Istanbul

$222 14.6%

Cadca

$178 12.5% 19.7% $44

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$129 8.5%

Cadca

$119 8.3% 7.6% $9.9

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$117 7.6%

Cadca

$269 18.8% 131% $152

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$93 6.1%

Cadca

$60 4.2% 35.8% $33

Getting Around

Istanbul

$74 4.9%

Cadca

$36 2.5% 52% $39

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $977 in Istanbul versus $690 in Cadca. 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 42% higher in Istanbul, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $57.0 in Istanbul versus $33.00 in Cadca. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $263 vs $235 – making Cadca the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇸🇰 Cadca

🕒 Local time

21:47 9:47 PM

20:47 8:47 PM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

24,315

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 2.02 USD

100 TRY = 1.8 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 20, 2026: 1 USD = 49.51 TRY (100 TRY = 2.02 USD). 1 EUR = 55.66 TRY (100 TRY = 1.8 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to TRY in detail →

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Between locations

Istanbul Cadca 1,230 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Cadca

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 Cadca: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Istanbul costs about 6% more than Cadca, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,287 per month in Istanbul and $2,148 in Cadca. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 158% less in Cadca. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $1,015 per month in Istanbul and $393 in Cadca. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Cadca, where all-in costs run around $1,432, than in Istanbul at $1,525. In Cadca it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Cadca costs $1,432 versus $1,525 in Istanbul. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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