Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Catania

For one person, living costs are similar in Istanbul and in Catania: $1,526 and $1,512 a month, rent and utilities included.

74

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Catania
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Catania Living Index

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Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,526

/mo nomad

Catania

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,512

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Catania

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,526 in Istanbul versus $1,512 in Catania.

Istanbul $1,526
Catania $1,512

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,399 in Istanbul versus $2,354 in Catania.

Istanbul $2,399
Catania $2,354

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,272 in Istanbul versus $3,197 in Catania.

Istanbul $3,272
Catania $3,197

Living in Istanbul is roughly 1% more expensive than in Catania, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Istanbul 14% above, Catania 13% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.88 ₺585

$16.57 €14.79

-28.30%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.1 ₺2,714

$56.1 €50.0

-1.71%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.14 ₺450

$11.02 €9.84

-17.06%

Cappuccino

$4.24 ₺209

$2.21 €1.97

91.86%

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

$1.75 ₺86.0

$2.93 €2.62

-40.27%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.54 ₺26.83

$1.90 €1.70

-71.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.69 ₺231

$6.91 €6.17

-32.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.97 ₺294

$4.32 €3.85

38.19%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.26 ₺62.1

$1.22 €1.09

3.28%

White Bread (500g)

$0.95 ₺46.81

$1.67 €1.49

-43.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.31 ₺114

$2.64 €2.36

-12.50%

Eggs

$2.47 ₺122

$3.58 €3.20

-31.01%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.55 ₺520

$11.18 €9.98

-5.64%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.60 ₺276

$11.75 €10.49

-52.34%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.21 ₺1,045

$15.53 €13.86

36.57%

Apples (1kg)

$1.93 ₺95.1

$2.02 €1.80

-4.46%

Banana (1kg)

$2.29 ₺113

$1.74 €1.56

31.61%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.1

$1.56 €1.39

-17.95%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.84 ₺90.8

$3.00 €2.68

-38.67%

Potato (1kg)

$0.67 ₺32.86

$1.76 €1.57

-61.93%

Onion (1kg)

$0.59 ₺29.31

$1.30 €1.16

-54.62%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.33 ₺65.4

$1.24 €1.11

7.26%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₺29.10

$0.47 €0.42

25.53%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.36 ₺116

$6.55 €5.85

-63.97%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.47 ₺664

$7.87 €7.03

71.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.42 ₺119

$1.76 €1.57

37.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.54 ₺174

$1.60 €1.43

121.25%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.83 ₺40.64

$1.60 €1.43

-48.13%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.5 ₺3,273

$36.34 €32.43

82.86%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.35 ₺66.6

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 ₺42.05

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.86 ₺535

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ₺72.3

$2.16 €1.93

-31.94%

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

$51.6K ₺2.5M

$36.1K €32.2K

42.93%

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

$44.4K ₺2.2M

$36.0K €32.1K

23.41%

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

$89.2 ₺4,395

$312 €279

-71.44%

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

$11.60 ₺572

$10.27 €9.16

12.95%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.10 ₺793

$35.53 €31.71

-54.69%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.3 ₺3,805

$61.1 €54.6

26.37%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.66 ₺1,116

$14.21 €12.68

59.47%

Cinema Ticket

$8.34 ₺411

$9.56 €8.53

-12.76%

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

$974 ₺48.0K

$444 €396

119.26%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.8K ₺1.3M

$6,653 €5,937

287.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.7 ₺2,597

$85.5 €76.3

-38.32%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.16 ₺1,929

$33.16 €29.59

18.09%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 ₺5,083

$86.2 €77.0

19.67%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.6 ₺4,759

$126 €113

-23.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$994 ₺49.0K

$609 €543

63.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$629 ₺31.0K

$370 €330

70.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,024 ₺99.7K

$1,083 €966

86.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,155 ₺56.9K

$755 €674

53.00%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,160 ₺155.7K

$2,302 €2,054

37.27%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,838 ₺90.5K

$1,503 €1,341

22.28%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,203 ₺59.3K

$1,772 €1,582

-32.09%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

41.09

3.55

1057.46%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 3, 2026

Last update for Catania: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$629 41.2%

Catania

$370 24.1% 41.2% $259

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$264 17.3%

Catania

$281 18.3% 6.4% $17

Eating Out

Istanbul

$218 14.3%

Catania

$255 16.6% 16.9% $37

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$131 8.6%

Catania

$149 9.7% 13.5% $18

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$117 7.7%

Catania

$358 23.3% 206% $241

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$94 6.1%

Catania

$80 5.2% 14.6% $14

Getting Around

Istanbul

$75 4.9%

Catania

$43 * 2.8% 43.3% $33

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 $994 in Istanbul and $609 in Catania. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Catania pays 47% 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 $56.0 in Catania for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $264 vs $281 per month, with Istanbul cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇮🇹 Catania

🕒 Local time

11:33 11:33 AM

10:33 10:33 AM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

298,037

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 2.03 USD

100 TRY = 1.81 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 49.26 TRY (100 TRY = 2.03 USD). 1 EUR = 55.25 TRY (100 TRY = 1.81 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Istanbul Catania 1,260 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Catania

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 Catania: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Catania is cheaper overall, especially in leisure and transport. The 1% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 47% lower in Catania. 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: $994 in Istanbul versus $609 in Catania. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,526 per month in Istanbul versus $1,512 in Catania – a 1% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Catania runs roughly 83% less than in Istanbul. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,512 in Catania versus $1,526 in Istanbul, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Catania but tight or insufficient in Istanbul. The gap between the two cities makes Catania the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Catania is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Istanbul, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Istanbul and Catania 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 Catania gentler on the wallet – expenses run 1% less than in Istanbul. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.