Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Caen

For one person, living is cheaper in Istanbul: $1,550 a month against $1,669 in Caen, rent and utilities included – about $1,400 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

75

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index
81

Cost of Living Index in Caen
Learn more

Caen Living Index

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Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

Caen

🇫🇷 France

$1,669

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Caen

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,550 in Istanbul versus $1,669 in Caen.

Istanbul $1,550
Caen $1,669

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,415 in Istanbul versus $2,558 in Caen.

Istanbul $2,415
Caen $2,558

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,281 in Istanbul versus $3,447 in Caen.

Istanbul $3,281
Caen $3,447

Living in Istanbul costs roughly 7% less than in Caen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Istanbul 15% above, Caen 24% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.30 ₺609

$16.49 €14.67

-25.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.7 ₺2,708

$55.1 €49.04

-0.80%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.22 ₺456

$13.17 €11.72

-29.99%

Cappuccino

$4.40 ₺218

$2.82 €2.51

56.03%

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

$1.68 ₺83.1

$3.10 €2.76

-45.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₺29.40

$2.14 €1.90

-72.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.70 ₺233

$8.56 €7.61

-45.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.91 ₺292

$5.73 €5.10

3.14%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 ₺60.0

$1.32 €1.18

-8.33%

White Bread (500g)

$0.89 ₺44.10

$1.78 €1.58

-50.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.19 ₺108

$1.94 €1.72

12.89%

Eggs

$2.35 ₺116

$3.75 €3.33

-37.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.42 ₺516

$10.04 €8.93

3.78%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.65 ₺280

$11.49 €10.22

-50.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.94 ₺1,037

$15.98 €14.21

31.04%

Apples (1kg)

$1.90 ₺94.1

$2.97 €2.64

-36.03%

Banana (1kg)

$2.31 ₺114

$3.08 €2.74

-25.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.1

$1.44 €1.28

-11.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺89.0

$4.25 €3.78

-57.65%

Potato (1kg)

$0.65 ₺32.16

$1.78 €1.58

-63.48%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺31.91

$1.95 €1.74

-67.18%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 ₺62.1

$1.63 €1.45

-23.31%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.58

$0.13 €0.11

330.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.37 ₺118

$12.58 €11.19

-81.16%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.42 ₺664

$5.67 €5.04

136.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₺119

$1.42 €1.26

69.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 ₺172

$1.59 €1.42

118.87%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.89 ₺43.84

$1.75 €1.56

-49.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.4 ₺3,338

$48.77 €43.37

38.26%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.29 ₺64.1

$2.30 €2.04

-43.91%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 ₺45.70

$1.11 €0.99

-17.12%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.96 ₺542

$32.86 €29.23

-66.65%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ₺72.9

$2.15 €1.91

-31.63%

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

$50.8K ₺2.5M

$34.6K €30.8K

46.86%

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

$44.5K ₺2.2M

$32.1K €28.6K

38.55%

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

$88.6 ₺4,387

$138 €123

-35.75%

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

$11.59 ₺574

$32.99 €29.34

-64.87%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.81 ₺783

$31.71 €28.20

-50.14%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.2 ₺3,820

$32.67 €29.06

136.18%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.74 ₺1,126

$22.06 €19.62

3.08%

Cinema Ticket

$8.14 ₺403

$8.98 €7.98

-9.35%

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

$1,008 ₺49.9K

$903 €803

11.61%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.6K ₺1.3M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.0 ₺2,671

$107 €95.5

-49.73%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.83 ₺2,021

$38.27 €34.04

6.69%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.9 ₺4,895

$102 €90.3

-2.59%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.6 ₺4,783

$148 €132

-34.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$985 ₺48.7K

$769 €684

27.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$650 ₺32.2K

$605 €539

7.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,983 ₺98.2K

$1,501 €1,335

32.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,180 ₺58.4K

$1,041 €926

13.34%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,138 ₺155.4K

$4,428 €3,938

-29.13%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,780 ₺88.1K

$2,484 €2,209

-28.35%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,205 ₺59.7K

$2,373 €2,110

-49.20%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.92

3.79

979.68%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 13, 2026

Last update for Caen: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$650 41.9%

Caen

$606 36.3% 6.8% $44

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$260 16.8%

Caen

$289 17.3% 11.1% $29

Eating Out

Istanbul

$223 14.4%

Caen

$281 16.8% 25.6% $57

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$131 8.4%

Caen

$178 10.7% 36.2% $47

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$116 7.5%

Caen

$203 12.1% 74.6% $87

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$93 6%

Caen

$51 3% 45.8% $43

Getting Around

Istanbul

$77 5%

Caen

$64 3.8% 17.3% $13

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $985 in Istanbul and $769 in Caen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Caen pays 97% 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 $55.0 in Caen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $260 vs $289 per month, with Istanbul cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇫🇷 Caen

🕒 Local time

18:37 6:37 PM

17:37 5:37 PM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

108,200

💱 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 17, 2026: 1 USD = 49.51 TRY (100 TRY = 2.02 USD). 1 EUR = 55.67 TRY (100 TRY = 1.8 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Istanbul Caen 2,460 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Caen

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 Caen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Istanbul and Caen differ by about 8% in total monthly costs ($1,550 vs $1,669 including rent). Istanbul is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 97% lower in Caen. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $985 in Istanbul versus $769 in Caen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Istanbul runs roughly 38% less than in Caen. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $1,008 in Istanbul versus $903 in Caen. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,550 in Istanbul versus $1,669 in Caen, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Istanbul but tight or insufficient in Caen. The gap between the two cities makes Istanbul 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 Caen 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 Istanbul gentler on the wallet – expenses run 8% less than in Caen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.