Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Cavan

For one person, living is cheaper in Istanbul: $1,550 a month against $2,462 in Cavan, rent and utilities included – about $10,900 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

75

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index
120

Cost of Living Index in Cavan
Learn more

Cavan Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

Cavan

🇮🇪 Ireland

$2,462

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Cavan

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,550 in Istanbul versus $2,462 in Cavan.

Istanbul $1,550
Cavan $2,462

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,415 in Istanbul versus $3,757 in Cavan.

Istanbul $2,415
Cavan $3,757

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,281 in Istanbul versus $5,052 in Cavan.

Istanbul $3,281
Cavan $5,052

Living in Istanbul costs roughly 37% less than in Cavan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Istanbul 15% above, Cavan 82% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.30 ₺609

$16.46 €14.64

-25.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.7 ₺2,708

$88.9 €79.1

-38.48%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.22 ₺456

$16.94 €15.06

-45.57%

Cappuccino

$4.40 ₺218

$3.38 €3.01

30.18%

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

$1.68 ₺83.1

$3.26 €2.90

-48.47%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₺29.40

$1.97 €1.75

-70.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.70 ₺233

$6.12 €5.44

-23.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.91 ₺292

$6.70 €5.96

-11.79%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 ₺60.0

$1.20 €1.07

0.83%

White Bread (500g)

$0.89 ₺44.10

$2.19 €1.95

-59.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.19 ₺108

$1.58 €1.40

38.61%

Eggs

$2.35 ₺116

$4.29 €3.82

-45.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.42 ₺516

$13.36 €11.88

-22.01%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.65 ₺280

$15.58 €13.86

-63.74%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.94 ₺1,037

$10.23 €9.10

104.69%

Apples (1kg)

$1.90 ₺94.1

$5.62 €5.00

-66.19%

Banana (1kg)

$2.31 ₺114

$2.69 €2.39

-14.13%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.1

$6.85 €6.09

-81.31%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺89.0

$4.76 €4.24

-62.18%

Potato (1kg)

$0.65 ₺32.16

$2.76 €2.46

-76.45%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺31.91

$1.15 €1.02

-44.35%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 ₺62.1

$1.21 €1.08

3.31%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.58

$1.10 €0.98

-49.09%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.37 ₺118

$18.22 €16.21

-86.99%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.42 ₺664

$13.32 €11.85

0.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₺119

$4.56 €4.05

-47.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 ₺172

$5.71 €5.08

-39.05%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.89 ₺43.84

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.4 ₺3,338

$311 €277

-78.33%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.29 ₺64.1

$5.73 €5.10

-77.49%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 ₺45.70

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.96 ₺542

$11.38 €10.12

-3.69%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ₺72.9

$2.06 €1.83

-28.64%

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

$50.8K ₺2.5M

$37.3K €33.1K

36.31%

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

$44.5K ₺2.2M

$36.0K €32.0K

23.71%

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

$88.6 ₺4,387

$241 €214

-63.17%

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

$11.59 ₺574

$22.48 €20.00

-48.44%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.81 ₺783

$48.06 €42.75

-67.10%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.2 ₺3,820

$113 €100

-31.66%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.74 ₺1,126

$33.42 €29.73

-31.96%

Cinema Ticket

$8.14 ₺403

$22.14 €19.69

-63.23%

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

$1,008 ₺49.9K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.6K ₺1.3M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.0 ₺2,671

$90.4 €80.4

-40.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.83 ₺2,021

$28.24 €25.12

44.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.9 ₺4,895

$89.2 €79.3

10.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.6 ₺4,783

$34.06 €30.29

183.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$985 ₺48.7K

$1,163 €1,034

-15.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$650 ₺32.2K

$889 €791

-26.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,983 ₺98.2K

$2,077 €1,848

-4.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,180 ₺58.4K

$1,587 €1,412

-25.63%

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

$2,996 €2,665

-59.76%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.92

4.05

910.37%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 13, 2026

Last update for Cavan: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$650 41.9%

Cavan

$889 36.1% 36.8% $239

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$260 16.8%

Cavan

$391 15.9% 50.5% $131

Eating Out

Istanbul

$223 14.4%

Cavan

$288 11.7% 29% $65

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$131 8.4%

Cavan

$109 4.4% 16.7% $22

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$116 7.5%

Cavan

$311 12.6% 168% $195

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$93 6%

Cavan

$157 6.4% 68.2% $64

Getting Around

Istanbul

$77 5%

Cavan

$317 * 12.9% 312% $240

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 $1,163 in Cavan. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cavan pays 149% 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 $89.0 in Cavan for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $260 vs $391 per month, with Istanbul cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇮🇪 Cavan

🕒 Local time

17:38 5:38 PM

15:38 3:38 PM

2 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

11,000

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Istanbul Cavan 3,040 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Cavan

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 Cavan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Istanbul and Cavan differ by about 59% in total monthly costs ($1,550 vs $2,462 including rent). Istanbul is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 149% lower in Cavan. 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 $1,163 in Cavan. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 51% higher in Cavan. 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 $2,462 in Cavan – a 59% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,550 in Istanbul versus $2,462 in Cavan, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Istanbul but tight or insufficient in Cavan. 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 Cavan 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 59% less than in Cavan. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.