Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Cartagena

For one person, living is cheaper in Cartagena: $1,427 a month against $1,550 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $1,500 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

75

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index
69

Cost of Living Index in Cartagena
Learn more

Cartagena Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

Cartagena

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,427

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Cartagena

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,550 in Istanbul versus $1,427 in Cartagena.

Istanbul $1,550
Cartagena $1,427

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,415 in Istanbul versus $2,095 in Cartagena.

Istanbul $2,415
Cartagena $2,095

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,281 in Istanbul versus $2,762 in Cartagena.

Istanbul $3,281
Cartagena $2,762

Living in Istanbul is roughly 9% more expensive than in Cartagena, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Istanbul 15% above, Cartagena 6% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.30 ₺609

$13.84 €12.31

-11.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.7 ₺2,708

$55.0 €48.90

-0.49%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.22 ₺456

$7.60 €6.76

21.32%

Cappuccino

$4.40 ₺218

$2.56 €2.27

71.88%

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

$1.68 ₺83.1

$2.45 €2.18

-31.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₺29.40

$1.84 €1.64

-67.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.70 ₺233

$3.43 €3.05

37.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.91 ₺292

$3.98 €3.54

48.49%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 ₺60.0

$1.21 €1.07

White Bread (500g)

$0.89 ₺44.10

$1.18 €1.05

-24.58%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.19 ₺108

$2.55 €2.26

-14.12%

Eggs

$2.35 ₺116

$3.96 €3.52

-40.66%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.42 ₺516

$12.91 €11.48

-19.29%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.65 ₺280

$6.94 €6.18

-18.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.94 ₺1,037

$18.67 €16.60

12.16%

Apples (1kg)

$1.90 ₺94.1

$2.39 €2.13

-20.50%

Banana (1kg)

$2.31 ₺114

$2.52 €2.24

-8.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.1

$1.61 €1.43

-20.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺89.0

$3.09 €2.75

-41.75%

Potato (1kg)

$0.65 ₺32.16

$1.25 €1.11

-48.00%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺31.91

$1.24 €1.10

-48.39%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 ₺62.1

$1.57 €1.40

-20.38%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.58

$0.69 €0.62

-18.84%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.37 ₺118

$5.64 €5.02

-57.98%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.42 ₺664

$6.24 €5.55

115.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₺119

$1.25 €1.11

92.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 ₺172

$1.13 €1.00

207.96%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.89 ₺43.84

$1.43 €1.27

-37.76%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.4 ₺3,338

$11.14 €9.91

505.30%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.29 ₺64.1

$5.50 €4.90

-76.55%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 ₺45.70

$2.25 €2.00

-59.11%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.96 ₺542

$27.49 €24.45

-60.13%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ₺72.9

$1.77 €1.58

-16.95%

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

$50.8K ₺2.5M

$35.1K €31.2K

44.66%

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

$44.5K ₺2.2M

$30.2K €26.8K

47.66%

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

$88.6 ₺4,387

$210 €187

-57.81%

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

$11.59 ₺574

$19.74 €17.56

-41.29%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.81 ₺783

$28.70 €25.53

-44.91%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.2 ₺3,820

$41.14 €36.59

87.55%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.74 ₺1,126

$12.80 €11.39

77.66%

Cinema Ticket

$8.14 ₺403

$7.70 €6.85

5.71%

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

$1,008 ₺49.9K

$416 €370

142.12%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.6K ₺1.3M

$2,726 €2,425

837.63%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.0 ₺2,671

$47.17 €41.96

14.37%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.83 ₺2,021

$35.38 €31.47

15.40%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.9 ₺4,895

$61.1 €54.3

61.91%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.6 ₺4,783

$101 €89.7

-4.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$985 ₺48.7K

$591 €525

66.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$650 ₺32.2K

$492 €438

32.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,983 ₺98.2K

$836 €743

137.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,180 ₺58.4K

$708 €630

66.69%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,138 ₺155.4K

$1,770 €1,574

77.29%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,780 ₺88.1K

$1,433 €1,275

24.20%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,205 ₺59.7K

$1,720 €1,530

-29.90%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.92

4.06

907.88%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 13, 2026

Last update for Cartagena: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$650 41.9%

Cartagena

$492 34.5% 24.3% $158

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$260 16.8%

Cartagena

$270 18.9% 4% $10

Eating Out

Istanbul

$223 14.4%

Cartagena

$206 14.5% 7.5% $17

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$131 8.4%

Cartagena

$110 7.7% 15.8% $21

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$116 7.5%

Cartagena

$258 18.1% 123% $142

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$93 6%

Cartagena

$57 4% 39.5% $37

Getting Around

Istanbul

$77 5%

Cartagena

$34 2.4% 56.3% $43

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $985 in Istanbul and $591 in Cartagena. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cartagena pays 43% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $55.0 in Istanbul vs $55.0 in Cartagena for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $260 vs $270 per month, with Istanbul cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇪🇸 Cartagena

🕒 Local time

03:07 3:07 AM

02:07 2:07 AM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

218,050

💱 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 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 →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Istanbul Cartagena 2,590 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Cartagena

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 Cartagena: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cartagena wins on cost – living expenses run 9% lower than in Istanbul. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Cartagena the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 43% lower in Cartagena. 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 $591 in Cartagena. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Cartagena – a meal for two runs $55.0 versus $55.0 in Istanbul. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,550 per month in Istanbul versus $1,427 in Cartagena – a 9% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,427 in Cartagena versus $1,550 in Istanbul, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Cartagena but tight or insufficient in Istanbul. The gap between the two cities makes Cartagena the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Cartagena delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,427 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Cartagena hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Istanbul and Cartagena 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 Cartagena gentler on the wallet – expenses run 9% less than in Istanbul. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.