Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Campina

For one person, living is cheaper in Campina: $927 a month against $1,519 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $7,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

73

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index
44

Cost of Living Index in Campina
Learn more

Campina Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,519

/mo nomad

Campina

🇷🇴 Romania

$927

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Campina

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,519 in Istanbul versus $927 in Campina.

Istanbul $1,519
Campina $927

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,365 in Istanbul versus $1,467 in Campina.

Istanbul $2,365
Campina $1,467

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,212 in Istanbul versus $2,006 in Campina.

Istanbul $3,212
Campina $2,006

Living in Istanbul is roughly 64% more expensive than in Campina, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Istanbul is 12% above, Campina is 31% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.81 ₺592

$10.32 RON 49.05

14.44%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.9 ₺2,754

$42.42 RON 202

29.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.26 ₺465

$7.26 RON 34.50

27.55%

Cappuccino

$4.30 ₺216

$2.95 RON 14.02

45.76%

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

$1.77 ₺89.0

$2.05 RON 9.74

-13.66%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺28.32

$1.80 RON 8.56

-68.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.69 ₺235

$2.44 RON 11.62

92.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.12 ₺357

$3.33 RON 15.84

113.81%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 ₺62.7

$1.61 RON 7.67

-22.36%

White Bread (500g)

$0.88 ₺44.17

$1.13 RON 5.35

-22.12%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 ₺111

$1.44 RON 6.85

52.78%

Eggs

$2.43 ₺122

$3.37 RON 16.00

-27.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.48 ₺526

$7.99 RON 37.94

31.16%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.31 ₺267

$6.39 RON 30.36

-16.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.10 ₺1,058

$8.00 RON 38.02

163.75%

Apples (1kg)

$1.86 ₺93.1

$1.23 RON 5.83

51.22%

Banana (1kg)

$2.30 ₺115

$1.50 RON 7.11

53.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.22 ₺61.0

$1.38 RON 6.55

-11.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺90.2

$2.63 RON 12.49

-31.56%

Potato (1kg)

$0.69 ₺34.83

$0.78 RON 3.72

-11.54%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺32.16

$0.65 RON 3.09

-1.54%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.36 ₺68.0

$1.02 RON 4.86

33.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 ₺28.94

$0.81 RON 3.86

-28.40%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.34 ₺117

$5.88 RON 27.94

-60.20%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.03 ₺653

$6.70 RON 31.82

94.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.36 ₺118

$0.93 RON 4.40

153.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.32 ₺166

$1.32 RON 6.29

151.52%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.88 ₺44.07

$0.87 RON 4.14

1.15%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.1 ₺3,316

$21.81 RON 104

203.16%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 ₺64.4

$0.84 RON 3.99

52.38%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 ₺42.80

$0.84 RON 4.01

1.19%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.09 ₺556

$8.89 RON 42.22

24.75%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 ₺74.0

$1.83 RON 8.68

-19.13%

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

$48.6K ₺2.4M

$28.1K RON 133.5K

73.15%

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

$42.0K ₺2.1M

$24.9K RON 118.3K

68.66%

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

$92.7 ₺4,650

$117 RON 556

-20.80%

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

$11.20 ₺562

$6.88 RON 32.71

62.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.89 ₺797

$11.63 RON 55.3

36.63%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.7 ₺3,745

$52.7 RON 250

41.71%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.95 ₺1,151

$16.95 RON 80.6

35.40%

Cinema Ticket

$8.05 ₺404

$6.95 RON 33.00

15.83%

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

$948 ₺47.6K

$368 RON 1,746

158.04%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.9K ₺1.9M

$5,689 RON 27.0K

548.88%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₺2,702

$98.1 RON 466

-45.05%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.49 ₺2,081

$42.23 RON 201

-1.75%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 ₺5,060

$92.3 RON 439

9.26%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.3 ₺4,580

$94.0 RON 446

-2.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,014 ₺50.8K

$241 RON 1,147

320.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$625 ₺31.3K

$175 RON 831

257.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,005 ₺100.6K

$347 RON 1,647

478.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,126 ₺56.5K

$300 RON 1,426

275.28%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,988 ₺149.8K

$1,924 RON 9,144

55.25%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,730 ₺86.8K

$1,325 RON 6,294

30.61%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,136 ₺57.0K

$692 RON 3,290

64.14%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.42

7.02

475.78%

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

Last update for Istanbul: November 2, 2026

Last update for Campina: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$625 41.1%

Campina

$175 18.9% 72% $450

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$258 17%

Campina

$198 21.4% 23.2% $60

Eating Out

Istanbul

$221 14.6%

Campina

$174 18.8% 21.2% $47

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$129 8.5%

Campina

$147 15.9% 13.6% $18

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$120 7.9%

Campina

$136 14.6% 13.2% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$91 6%

Campina

$67 7.2% 26.6% $24

Getting Around

Istanbul

$75 5%

Campina

$30 3.3% 59.6% $45

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,014 in Istanbul and $241 in Campina. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Istanbul pays 64% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $55 in Istanbul vs $42 in Campina for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $258 vs $198 per month, with Campina cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇷🇴 Campina

🕒 Local time

16:01 4:01 PM

15:01 3:01 PM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

41,554

💱 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 = 56.33 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 = 5.34 RON (1 RON = 0.187 EUR).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Istanbul Campina 530 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Campina

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 Campina: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Campina wins on cost – living expenses run 39% lower than in Istanbul. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Campina the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 64% higher in Istanbul, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,014 in Istanbul versus $241 in Campina. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Campina – a meal for two runs $42 versus $55 in Istanbul. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $1,519 per month in Istanbul versus $927 in Campina – Campina is about 39% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Both cities are expensive relative to $800. Campina is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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 Campina are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Campina gentler on the wallet – expenses run 39% less than in Istanbul. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.