Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Cakovec

For one person, living is cheaper in Cakovec: $1,326 a month against $1,550 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $2,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

75

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index
64

Cost of Living Index in Cakovec
Learn more

Cakovec Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

Cakovec

🇭🇷 Croatia

$1,326

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Cakovec

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

A single person spends $1,550 per month in Istanbul vs $1,326 in Cakovec, rent included.

Istanbul $1,550
Cakovec $1,326

A couple spends around $2,415 per month in Istanbul vs $1,943 in Cakovec, rent included.

Istanbul $2,415
Cakovec $1,943

A family of three spends $3,281 per month in Istanbul vs $2,561 in Cakovec, rent included.

Istanbul $3,281
Cakovec $2,561

Istanbul costs about 17% more than Cakovec, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Istanbul sits 15% above the global median, while Cakovec is 2% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.30 ₺609

$7.04 €6.26

74.72%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.7 ₺2,708

$44.88 €39.92

21.88%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.22 ₺456

$8.04 €7.15

14.68%

Cappuccino

$4.40 ₺218

$2.26 €2.01

94.69%

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

$1.68 ₺83.1

$2.06 €1.83

-18.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₺29.40

$1.69 €1.50

-65.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.70 ₺233

$2.51 €2.23

87.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.91 ₺292

$3.38 €3.00

74.85%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 ₺60.0

$1.21 €1.08

White Bread (500g)

$0.89 ₺44.10

$1.58 €1.40

-43.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.19 ₺108

$3.32 €2.95

-34.04%

Eggs

$2.35 ₺116

$3.51 €3.12

-33.05%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.42 ₺516

$15.71 €13.97

-33.67%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.65 ₺280

$10.11 €8.99

-44.11%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.94 ₺1,037

$9.60 €8.54

118.13%

Apples (1kg)

$1.90 ₺94.1

$1.64 €1.46

15.85%

Banana (1kg)

$2.31 ₺114

$1.75 €1.56

32.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.1

$1.56 €1.39

-17.95%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺89.0

$1.57 €1.39

14.65%

Potato (1kg)

$0.65 ₺32.16

$1.35 €1.20

-51.85%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺31.91

$1.25 €1.11

-48.80%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 ₺62.1

$0.75 €0.67

66.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.58

$1.34 €1.19

-58.21%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.37 ₺118

$5.67 €5.05

-58.20%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.42 ₺664

$7.32 €6.51

83.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₺119

$1.30 €1.16

84.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 ₺172

$1.92 €1.71

81.25%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.89 ₺43.84

$2.33 €2.07

-61.80%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.4 ₺3,338

$60.3 €53.6

11.90%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.29 ₺64.1

$5.70 €5.07

-77.37%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 ₺45.70

$1.36 €1.21

-32.35%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.96 ₺542

$11.22 €9.98

-2.32%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ₺72.9

$1.63 €1.45

-9.82%

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

$50.8K ₺2.5M

$25.9K €23.0K

96.21%

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

$44.5K ₺2.2M

$24.6K €21.8K

81.32%

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

$88.6 ₺4,387

$185 €164

-52.00%

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

$11.59 ₺574

$17.69 €15.74

-34.48%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.81 ₺783

$32.42 €28.84

-51.23%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.2 ₺3,820

$51.8 €46.07

48.96%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.74 ₺1,126

$22.01 €19.58

3.32%

Cinema Ticket

$8.14 ₺403

$7.73 €6.87

5.30%

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

$1,008 ₺49.9K

$131 €117

667.67%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.6K ₺1.3M

$8,476 €7,540

201.55%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.0 ₺2,671

$99.7 €88.7

-45.91%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.83 ₺2,021

$41.34 €36.77

-1.23%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.9 ₺4,895

$84.6 €75.2

16.92%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.6 ₺4,783

$109 €96.7

-11.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$985 ₺48.7K

$471 €419

109.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$650 ₺32.2K

$384 €342

69.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,983 ₺98.2K

$686 €610

189.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,180 ₺58.4K

$534 €475

120.87%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,138 ₺155.4K

$3,109 €2,765

0.94%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,780 ₺88.1K

$2,217 €1,972

-19.73%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,205 ₺59.7K

$1,285 €1,143

-6.16%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.92

3.73

997.05%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 13, 2026

Last update for Cakovec: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$650 41.9%

Cakovec

$384 29% 40.8% $265

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$260 16.8%

Cakovec

$265 20% 2.1% $5.5

Eating Out

Istanbul

$223 14.4%

Cakovec

$142 10.7% 36.5% $82

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$131 8.4%

Cakovec

$150 11.4% 15.2% $20

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$116 7.5%

Cakovec

$235 17.7% 102% $119

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$93 6%

Cakovec

$67 5.1% 28% $26

Getting Around

Istanbul

$77 5%

Cakovec

$82 6.2% 6.8% $5.2

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $985 in Istanbul versus $471 in Cakovec. 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 7% higher in Cakovec, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55.0 in Istanbul versus $45.00 in Cakovec. Groceries tell a different story – $260 in Istanbul vs $265 in Cakovec – so Istanbul wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇭🇷 Cakovec

🕒 Local time

20:24 8:24 PM

19:24 7:24 PM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

27,122

💱 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 Cakovec 1,170 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Cakovec

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 Cakovec: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Istanbul costs about 17% more than Cakovec, 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 $2,325 per month in Istanbul and $1,989 in Cakovec. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Interestingly, groceries are about 2% cheaper in Istanbul – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55.0 in Istanbul and $45.00 in Cakovec. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Cakovec, where all-in costs run around $1,326, than in Istanbul at $1,550. In Cakovec it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Cakovec costs $1,326 versus $1,550 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 Cakovec. 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.