Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Calafat

For one person, living is cheaper in Calafat: $1,016 a month against $1,519 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $6,000 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

73

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index
48

Cost of Living Index in Calafat
Learn more

Calafat Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,519

/mo nomad

Calafat

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,016

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Calafat

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

A single person spends $1,519 per month in Istanbul vs $1,016 in Calafat, rent included.

Istanbul $1,519
Calafat $1,016

A couple spends around $2,365 per month in Istanbul vs $1,499 in Calafat, rent included.

Istanbul $2,365
Calafat $1,499

A family of three spends $3,212 per month in Istanbul vs $1,982 in Calafat, rent included.

Istanbul $3,212
Calafat $1,982

Istanbul costs about 50% more than Calafat, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Istanbul sits 12% above the global median, while Calafat is 25% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.81 ₺592

$7.35 RON 34.94

60.68%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.9 ₺2,754

$38.38 RON 182

43.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.26 ₺465

$7.21 RON 34.25

28.43%

Cappuccino

$4.30 ₺216

$2.14 RON 10.15

100.93%

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

$1.77 ₺89.0

$1.44 RON 6.83

22.92%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺28.32

$0.87 RON 4.12

-35.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.69 ₺235

$1.08 RON 5.12

334.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.12 ₺357

$1.83 RON 8.72

289.07%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 ₺62.7

$1.12 RON 5.31

11.61%

White Bread (500g)

$0.88 ₺44.17

$0.76 RON 3.63

15.79%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 ₺111

$1.35 RON 6.40

62.96%

Eggs

$2.43 ₺122

$2.33 RON 11.07

4.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.48 ₺526

$6.69 RON 31.80

56.65%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.31 ₺267

$6.35 RON 30.15

-16.38%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.10 ₺1,058

$6.24 RON 29.63

238.14%

Apples (1kg)

$1.86 ₺93.1

$1.01 RON 4.80

84.16%

Banana (1kg)

$2.30 ₺115

$1.49 RON 7.07

54.36%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.22 ₺61.0

$1.28 RON 6.06

-4.69%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺90.2

$1.44 RON 6.85

25.00%

Potato (1kg)

$0.69 ₺34.83

$0.60 RON 2.86

15.00%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺32.16

$0.75 RON 3.57

-14.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.36 ₺68.0

$0.69 RON 3.28

97.10%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 ₺28.94

$0.71 RON 3.38

-18.31%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.34 ₺117

$5.31 RON 25.21

-55.93%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.03 ₺653

$6.27 RON 29.78

107.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.36 ₺118

$0.88 RON 4.16

168.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.32 ₺166

$1.45 RON 6.91

128.97%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.88 ₺44.07

$0.75 RON 3.55

17.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.1 ₺3,316

$22.34 RON 106

195.97%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 ₺64.4

$0.53 RON 2.53

141.51%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 ₺42.80

$0.51 RON 2.42

66.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.09 ₺556

$9.77 RON 46.42

13.51%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 ₺74.0

$1.51 RON 7.15

-1.99%

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

$48.6K ₺2.4M

$25.5K RON 121.0K

91.03%

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

$42.0K ₺2.1M

$25.5K RON 121.2K

64.57%

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

$92.7 ₺4,650

$214 RON 1,018

-56.73%

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

$11.20 ₺562

$7.55 RON 35.89

48.34%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.89 ₺797

$6.33 RON 30.06

151.03%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.7 ₺3,745

$37.82 RON 180

97.46%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.95 ₺1,151

$19.06 RON 90.6

20.41%

Cinema Ticket

$8.05 ₺404

$7.40 RON 35.16

8.78%

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

$948 ₺47.6K

$412 RON 1,959

130.04%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.9K ₺1.9M

$8,151 RON 38.7K

352.91%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₺2,702

$63.5 RON 302

-15.18%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.49 ₺2,081

$42.04 RON 200

-1.31%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 ₺5,060

$84.2 RON 400

19.82%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.3 ₺4,580

$83.5 RON 397

9.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,014 ₺50.8K

$380 RON 1,806

166.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$625 ₺31.3K

$294 RON 1,398

112.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,005 ₺100.6K

$617 RON 2,930

225.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,126 ₺56.5K

$468 RON 2,222

140.79%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,988 ₺149.8K

$1,910 RON 9,077

56.40%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,730 ₺86.8K

$1,190 RON 5,656

45.34%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,136 ₺57.0K

$812 RON 3,858

39.94%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.42

573.67%

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

Last update for Istanbul: November 2, 2026

Last update for Calafat: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$625 41.1%

Calafat

$294 29% 52.9% $330

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$258 17%

Calafat

$165 16.2% 36.2% $94

Eating Out

Istanbul

$221 14.6%

Calafat

$124 12.3% 43.7% $97

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$129 8.5%

Calafat

$123 12.1% 5% $6.5

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$120 7.9%

Calafat

$228 22.5% 90.4% $108

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$91 6%

Calafat

$53 5.2% 42% $38

Getting Around

Istanbul

$75 5%

Calafat

$28 2.8% 62.2% $47

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,014 in Istanbul versus $380 in Calafat. 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 40% 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 $55 in Istanbul versus $38 in Calafat. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $165 – making Calafat the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇷🇴 Calafat

🕒 Local time

07:04 7:04 AM

06:04 6:04 AM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

18,500

💱 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 = 56.3 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 = 5.33 RON (1 RON = 0.187 EUR).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Istanbul Calafat 600 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Calafat

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 Calafat: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,519 in Istanbul, $1,016 in Calafat – Calafat comes out roughly 33% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,278 per month in Istanbul and $1,523 in Calafat. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Calafat, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $380 there versus $1,014 in Istanbul.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,519 in Istanbul and $1,016 in Calafat. That makes Calafat about 33% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 66% less in Calafat. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$2,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,519 in Istanbul and $1,016 in Calafat, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Calafat – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

If budget matters most, go with Calafat. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Istanbul makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.