Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Cantù

For one person, living is cheaper in Istanbul: $1,550 a month against $1,674 in Cantù, rent and utilities included – about $1,500 less a year. The total is higher in Cantù despite lower rent and utilities.

75

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index
84

Cost of Living Index in Cantù
Learn more

Cantù Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

Cantù

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,674

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Cantù

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,550 in Istanbul versus $1,674 in Cantù.

Istanbul $1,550
Cantù $1,674

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,415 in Istanbul versus $2,639 in Cantù.

Istanbul $2,415
Cantù $2,639

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,281 in Istanbul versus $3,605 in Cantù.

Istanbul $3,281
Cantù $3,605

Living in Istanbul costs roughly 7% less than in Cantù, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Istanbul 15% above, Cantù 24% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.30 ₺609

$22.36 €19.89

-44.99%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.7 ₺2,708

$89.6 €79.7

-38.94%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.22 ₺456

$10.96 €9.75

-15.88%

Cappuccino

$4.40 ₺218

$1.78 €1.58

147.19%

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

$1.68 ₺83.1

$2.90 €2.58

-42.07%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₺29.40

$1.63 €1.45

-63.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.70 ₺233

$5.74 €5.10

-18.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.91 ₺292

$6.16 €5.48

-4.06%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 ₺60.0

$1.37 €1.22

-11.68%

White Bread (500g)

$0.89 ₺44.10

$2.28 €2.03

-60.96%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.19 ₺108

$3.40 €3.02

-35.59%

Eggs

$2.35 ₺116

$4.18 €3.72

-43.78%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.42 ₺516

$14.92 €13.27

-30.16%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.65 ₺280

$12.81 €11.39

-55.89%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.94 ₺1,037

$17.69 €15.74

18.37%

Apples (1kg)

$1.90 ₺94.1

$2.81 €2.50

-32.38%

Banana (1kg)

$2.31 ₺114

$1.60 €1.42

44.38%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.1

$3.08 €2.74

-58.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺89.0

$2.26 €2.01

-20.35%

Potato (1kg)

$0.65 ₺32.16

$1.85 €1.64

-64.86%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺31.91

$1.76 €1.56

-63.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 ₺62.1

$1.70 €1.51

-26.47%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.58

$0.61 €0.54

-8.20%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.37 ₺118

$6.62 €5.89

-64.20%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.42 ₺664

$5.68 €5.05

136.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₺119

$0.93 €0.82

158.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 ₺172

$1.67 €1.49

108.38%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.89 ₺43.84

$1.61 €1.43

-44.72%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.4 ₺3,338

$39.33 €34.98

71.45%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.29 ₺64.1

$5.45 €4.85

-76.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 ₺45.70

$2.22 €1.97

-58.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.96 ₺542

$38.55 €34.29

-71.57%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ₺72.9

$2.04 €1.82

-27.94%

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

$50.8K ₺2.5M

$36.4K €32.3K

39.69%

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

$44.5K ₺2.2M

$34.3K €30.5K

29.75%

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

$88.6 ₺4,387

$192 €171

-53.81%

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

$11.59 ₺574

$12.91 €11.49

-10.22%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.81 ₺783

$27.52 €24.48

-42.55%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.2 ₺3,820

$53.5 €47.59

44.22%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.74 ₺1,126

$23.72 €21.10

-4.13%

Cinema Ticket

$8.14 ₺403

$11.24 €10.00

-27.58%

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

$1,008 ₺49.9K

$721 €641

39.82%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.6K ₺1.3M

$7,148 €6,358

257.62%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.0 ₺2,671

$87.9 €78.2

-38.61%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.83 ₺2,021

$44.32 €39.42

-7.87%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.9 ₺4,895

$108 €95.7

-8.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.6 ₺4,783

$128 €114

-24.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$985 ₺48.7K

$771 €686

27.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$650 ₺32.2K

$527 €469

23.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,983 ₺98.2K

$1,137 €1,012

74.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,180 ₺58.4K

$884 €787

33.45%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,138 ₺155.4K

$3,313 €2,947

-5.27%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,780 ₺88.1K

$2,168 €1,929

-17.92%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,205 ₺59.7K

$2,815 €2,504

-57.17%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.92

3.65

1021.10%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 13, 2026

Last update for Cantù: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$650 41.9%

Cantù

$527 31.5% 18.9% $123

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$260 16.8%

Cantù

$318 19% 22.6% $59

Eating Out

Istanbul

$223 14.4%

Cantù

$292 17.5% 30.9% $69

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$131 8.4%

Cantù

$166 9.9% 26.9% $35

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$116 7.5%

Cantù

$232 13.9% 100% $116

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$93 6%

Cantù

$76 4.5% 18.7% $17

Getting Around

Istanbul

$77 5%

Cantù

$62 3.7% 19% $15

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $985 in Istanbul and $771 in Cantù. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cantù pays 133% 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 $90.0 in Cantù for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $260 vs $318 per month, with Istanbul cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇮🇹 Cantù

🕒 Local time

18:56 6:56 PM

17:56 5:56 PM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

35,153

💱 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 18, 2026: 1 USD = 49.51 TRY (100 TRY = 2.02 USD). 1 EUR = 55.66 TRY (100 TRY = 1.8 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to TRY in detail →

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Between locations

Istanbul Cantù 1,680 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

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 Cantù: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Istanbul and Cantù differ by about 8% in total monthly costs ($1,550 vs $1,674 including rent). Istanbul is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 133% lower in Cantù. 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 $771 in Cantù. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,008 in Istanbul versus $721 in Cantù. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 23% higher in Cantù. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,550 in Istanbul versus $1,674 in Cantù, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Istanbul but tight or insufficient in Cantù. The gap between the two cities makes Istanbul the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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 Cantù 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 8% less than in Cantù. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.