Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Calarasi, Romania

Name: Calarasi
Address: Calarasi, RO

For one person, living is cheaper in Calarasi: $886 a month against $1,519 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $7,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

73

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index
42

Cost of Living Index in Calarasi
Learn more

Calarasi Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,519

/mo nomad

Calarasi

🇷🇴 Romania

$886

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Calarasi

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

A single person spends $1,519 per month in Istanbul vs $886 in Calarasi, rent included.

Istanbul $1,519
Calarasi $886

A couple spends around $2,365 per month in Istanbul vs $1,369 in Calarasi, rent included.

Istanbul $2,365
Calarasi $1,369

A family of three spends $3,212 per month in Istanbul vs $1,851 in Calarasi, rent included.

Istanbul $3,212
Calarasi $1,851

Istanbul costs about 71% more than Calarasi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Istanbul sits 12% above the global median, while Calarasi is 34% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.81 ₺592

$9.00 RON 43.00

31.22%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.9 ₺2,754

$32.89 RON 157

66.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.26 ₺465

$7.60 RON 36.33

21.84%

Cappuccino

$4.30 ₺216

$2.08 RON 9.97

106.73%

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

$1.77 ₺89.0

$1.79 RON 8.54

-1.12%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺28.32

$1.64 RON 7.86

-65.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.69 ₺235

$1.53 RON 7.32

206.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.12 ₺357

$1.43 RON 6.85

397.90%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 ₺62.7

$1.48 RON 7.10

-15.54%

White Bread (500g)

$0.88 ₺44.17

$0.93 RON 4.43

-5.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 ₺111

$1.47 RON 7.03

49.66%

Eggs

$2.43 ₺122

$2.71 RON 12.98

-10.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.48 ₺526

$7.65 RON 36.54

36.99%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.31 ₺267

$4.15 RON 19.86

27.95%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.10 ₺1,058

$8.58 RON 41.02

145.92%

Apples (1kg)

$1.86 ₺93.1

$1.09 RON 5.20

70.64%

Banana (1kg)

$2.30 ₺115

$1.34 RON 6.42

71.64%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.22 ₺61.0

$1.25 RON 5.97

-2.40%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺90.2

$1.50 RON 7.15

20.00%

Potato (1kg)

$0.69 ₺34.83

$0.40 RON 1.93

72.50%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺32.16

$0.60 RON 2.88

6.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.36 ₺68.0

$0.41 RON 1.95

231.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 ₺28.94

$0.82 RON 3.91

-29.27%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.34 ₺117

$6.14 RON 29.33

-61.89%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.03 ₺653

$4.15 RON 19.83

213.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.36 ₺118

$0.91 RON 4.36

159.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.32 ₺166

$1.39 RON 6.65

138.85%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.88 ₺44.07

$0.40 RON 1.94

120.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.1 ₺3,316

$12.67 RON 60.6

421.86%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 ₺64.4

$0.86 RON 4.12

48.84%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 ₺42.80

$0.85 RON 4.08

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.09 ₺556

$9.07 RON 43.34

22.27%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 ₺74.0

$1.71 RON 8.16

-13.45%

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

$48.6K ₺2.4M

$28.5K RON 136.3K

70.57%

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

$42.0K ₺2.1M

$25.4K RON 121.4K

65.24%

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

$92.7 ₺4,650

$164 RON 783

-43.40%

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

$11.20 ₺562

$6.20 RON 29.66

80.65%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.89 ₺797

$6.83 RON 32.63

132.65%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.7 ₺3,745

$47.46 RON 227

57.35%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.95 ₺1,151

$53.1 RON 254

-56.75%

Cinema Ticket

$8.05 ₺404

$8.54 RON 40.84

-5.74%

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

$948 ₺47.6K

$367 RON 1,752

158.75%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.9K ₺1.9M

$5,712 RON 27.3K

546.31%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₺2,702

$72.3 RON 345

-25.43%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.49 ₺2,081

$20.99 RON 100

97.67%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 ₺5,060

$92.2 RON 441

9.47%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.3 ₺4,580

$97.1 RON 464

-5.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,014 ₺50.8K

$309 RON 1,476

228.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$625 ₺31.3K

$189 RON 901

231.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,005 ₺100.6K

$412 RON 1,967

387.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,126 ₺56.5K

$321 RON 1,533

251.13%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,988 ₺149.8K

$1,188 RON 5,679

151.47%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,730 ₺86.8K

$957 RON 4,575

80.77%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,136 ₺57.0K

$726 RON 3,470

56.56%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.42

7.85

414.90%

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

Last update for Istanbul: November 2, 2026

Last update for Calarasi: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$625 41.1%

Calarasi

$189 21.3% 69.8% $436

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$258 17%

Calarasi

$166 18.7% 35.8% $92

Eating Out

Istanbul

$221 14.6%

Calarasi

$144 16.3% 34.8% $77

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$129 8.5%

Calarasi

$127 14.3% 1.8% $2.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$120 7.9%

Calarasi

$177 20% 47.6% $57

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$91 6%

Calarasi

$65 7.3% 28.9% $26

Getting Around

Istanbul

$75 5%

Calarasi

$19 2.2% 74.2% $56

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,014 in Istanbul versus $309 in Calarasi. 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 57% 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 $33 in Calarasi. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $166 – making Calarasi the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇷🇴 Calarasi

🕒 Local time

22:58 10:58 PM

21:58 9:58 PM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

65,181

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 1.99 USD

100 TRY = 1.78 EUR

1 RON = 0.209 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 = 56.05 TRY (100 TRY = 1.78 EUR).

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 4.78 RON (1 RON = 0.209 USD). 1 EUR = 5.34 RON (1 RON = 0.187 EUR).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

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Istanbul Calarasi 380 km

From you

Istanbul
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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 Calarasi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,519 in Istanbul, $886 in Calarasi – Calarasi comes out roughly 42% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,278 per month in Istanbul and $1,329 in Calarasi. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Calarasi, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $309 there versus $1,014 in Istanbul.

Kindergarten costs $948 per month in Istanbul and $367 in Calarasi. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 56% more in Istanbul, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Calarasi, where all-in costs run around $886, than in Istanbul at $1,519. In Calarasi it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Calarasi – 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 Calarasi. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Istanbul makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.