Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and the Canary Islands

For one person, living is cheaper in Istanbul: $1,550 a month against $1,650 in the Canary Islands, rent and utilities included – about $1,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

75

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index
80

Cost of Living Index in the Canary Islands
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Canary Islands Living Index

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Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

Canary Islands

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,650

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in the Canary Islands

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 the Canary Islands actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,550 in Istanbul versus $1,650 in the Canary Islands.

Istanbul $1,550
Canary Islands $1,650

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,415 in Istanbul versus $2,373 in the Canary Islands.

Istanbul $2,415
Canary Islands $2,373

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,281 in Istanbul versus $3,095 in the Canary Islands.

Istanbul $3,281
Canary Islands $3,095

Living in Istanbul costs roughly 6% less than in the Canary Islands, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Istanbul 15% above, Canary Islands 22% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.30 ₺609

$20.32 €18.07

-39.47%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.7 ₺2,708

$61.1 €54.3

-10.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.22 ₺456

$9.42 €8.37

-2.12%

Cappuccino

$4.40 ₺218

$2.05 €1.83

114.63%

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

$1.68 ₺83.1

$1.86 €1.65

-9.68%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₺29.40

$1.10 €0.98

-46.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.70 ₺233

$2.85 €2.53

64.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.91 ₺292

$3.42 €3.04

72.81%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 ₺60.0

$1.36 €1.21

-11.03%

White Bread (500g)

$0.89 ₺44.10

$2.39 €2.13

-62.76%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.19 ₺108

$1.58 €1.40

38.61%

Eggs

$2.35 ₺116

$2.18 €1.94

7.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.42 ₺516

$19.31 €17.18

-46.04%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.65 ₺280

$9.93 €8.83

-43.10%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.94 ₺1,037

$17.23 €15.32

21.53%

Apples (1kg)

$1.90 ₺94.1

$2.73 €2.43

-30.40%

Banana (1kg)

$2.31 ₺114

$2.25 €2.00

2.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.1

$2.16 €1.92

-40.74%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺89.0

$2.51 €2.23

-28.29%

Potato (1kg)

$0.65 ₺32.16

$2.14 €1.91

-69.63%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺31.91

$2.02 €1.80

-68.32%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 ₺62.1

$1.70 €1.51

-26.47%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.58

$0.93 €0.83

-39.78%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.37 ₺118

$4.66 €4.14

-49.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.42 ₺664

$7.86 €6.99

70.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₺119

$1.70 €1.51

41.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 ₺172

$1.75 €1.55

98.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.89 ₺43.84

$0.86 €0.76

3.49%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.4 ₺3,338

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.29 ₺64.1

$4.24 €3.77

-69.58%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 ₺45.70

$1.69 €1.50

-45.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.96 ₺542

$16.59 €14.75

-33.94%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ₺72.9

$1.70 €1.51

-13.53%

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

$50.8K ₺2.5M

$24.9K €22.2K

103.80%

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

$44.5K ₺2.2M

$29.0K €25.8K

53.73%

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

$88.6 ₺4,387

$126 €112

-29.72%

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

$11.59 ₺574

$20.91 €18.60

-44.57%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.81 ₺783

$35.49 €31.57

-55.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.2 ₺3,820

$47.49 €42.24

62.48%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.74 ₺1,126

$24.07 €21.41

-5.53%

Cinema Ticket

$8.14 ₺403

$9.85 €8.76

-17.36%

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

$1,008 ₺49.9K

$400 €355

152.28%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.6K ₺1.3M

$5,096 €4,532

401.58%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.0 ₺2,671

$68.3 €60.7

-20.95%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.83 ₺2,021

$38.65 €34.38

5.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.9 ₺4,895

$89.6 €79.7

10.32%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.6 ₺4,783

$114 €101

-15.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$985 ₺48.7K

$1,111 €988

-11.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$650 ₺32.2K

$680 €605

-4.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,983 ₺98.2K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,180 ₺58.4K

$825 €734

42.97%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,138 ₺155.4K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,780 ₺88.1K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,205 ₺59.7K

$1,369 €1,218

-11.97%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.92

3.33

1128.83%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 13, 2026

Last update for the Canary Islands: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$650 41.9%

Canary Islands

$680 41.2% 4.7% $30

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$260 16.8%

Canary Islands

$316 19.2% 21.8% $57

Eating Out

Istanbul

$223 14.4%

Canary Islands

$248 15.1% 11.2% $25

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$131 8.4%

Canary Islands

$140 8.5% 6.9% $9

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$116 7.5%

Canary Islands

$182 11.1% 57.3% $66

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$93 6%

Canary Islands

$67 4.1% 28.1% $26

Getting Around

Istanbul

$77 5%

Canary Islands

$16 * 1% 79% $61

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $985 in Istanbul and $1,111 in the Canary Islands. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Canary Islands pays 14% 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 $61.0 in the Canary Islands for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $260 vs $316 per month, with Istanbul cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇪🇸 Canary Islands

🕒 Local time

23:29 11:29 PM

21:29 9:29 PM

2 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

12,050

💱 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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Highest

Between locations

Istanbul Canary Islands 4,360 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Canary Islands

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 Canary Islands: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Istanbul wins on cost – living expenses run 6% lower than in the Canary Islands. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Istanbul the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 14% lower in the Canary Islands. 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 $1,111 in the Canary Islands. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 22% higher in the Canary Islands. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,550 per month in Istanbul versus $1,650 in the Canary Islands – a 6% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,550 in Istanbul versus $1,650 in the Canary Islands, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Istanbul but tight or insufficient in the Canary Islands. The gap between the two cities makes Istanbul the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Istanbul delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,550 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Istanbul hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Istanbul and Canary Islands 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 6% less than in the Canary Islands. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.