Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Cazin

For one person, living is cheaper in Cazin: $818 a month against $1,550 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $8,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

75

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index
40

Cost of Living Index in Cazin
Learn more

Cazin Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

Cazin

🇧🇦 Bosnia and Herzegovina

$818

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Cazin

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,550 in Istanbul versus $818 in Cazin.

Istanbul $1,550
Cazin $818

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,415 in Istanbul versus $1,239 in Cazin.

Istanbul $2,415
Cazin $1,239

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,281 in Istanbul versus $1,660 in Cazin.

Istanbul $3,281
Cazin $1,660

Living in Istanbul is roughly 89% more expensive than in Cazin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Istanbul is 15% above, Cazin is 39% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.30 ₺609

$4.45 BAM 7.74

176.40%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.7 ₺2,708

$23.11 BAM 40.19

136.69%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.22 ₺456

$8.48 BAM 14.74

8.73%

Cappuccino

$4.40 ₺218

$1.13 BAM 1.96

289.38%

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

$1.68 ₺83.1

$1.76 BAM 3.06

-4.55%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₺29.40

$1.22 BAM 2.12

-51.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.70 ₺233

$1.54 BAM 2.67

205.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.91 ₺292

$2.65 BAM 4.60

123.02%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 ₺60.0

$1.17 BAM 2.03

3.42%

White Bread (500g)

$0.89 ₺44.10

$1.15 BAM 1.99

-22.61%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.19 ₺108

$2.18 BAM 3.80

0.46%

Eggs

$2.35 ₺116

$2.13 BAM 3.70

10.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.42 ₺516

$10.07 BAM 17.50

3.48%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.65 ₺280

$7.13 BAM 12.40

-20.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.94 ₺1,037

$14.42 BAM 25.07

45.21%

Apples (1kg)

$1.90 ₺94.1

$1.43 BAM 2.48

32.87%

Banana (1kg)

$2.31 ₺114

$1.71 BAM 2.97

35.09%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.1

$1.50 BAM 2.60

-14.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺89.0

$1.73 BAM 3.01

4.05%

Potato (1kg)

$0.65 ₺32.16

$1.00 BAM 1.74

-35.00%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺31.91

$1.10 BAM 1.91

-41.82%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 ₺62.1

$1.07 BAM 1.86

16.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.58

$0.68 BAM 1.19

-17.65%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.37 ₺118

$3.93 BAM 6.83

-39.69%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.42 ₺664

$7.11 BAM 12.37

88.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₺119

$0.90 BAM 1.56

166.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 ₺172

$1.13 BAM 1.97

207.96%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.89 ₺43.84

$1.72 BAM 2.99

-48.26%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.4 ₺3,338

$36.29 BAM 63.1

85.81%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.29 ₺64.1

$1.67 BAM 2.90

-22.75%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 ₺45.70

$0.87 BAM 1.50

5.75%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.96 ₺542

$8.55 BAM 14.87

28.19%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ₺72.9

$1.51 BAM 2.63

-2.65%

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

$50.8K ₺2.5M

$23.2K BAM 40.3K

118.92%

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

$44.5K ₺2.2M

$23.5K BAM 40.8K

89.76%

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

$88.6 ₺4,387

$114 BAM 197

-21.94%

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

$11.59 ₺574

$14.28 BAM 24.84

-18.84%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.81 ₺783

$28.08 BAM 48.82

-43.70%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.2 ₺3,820

$24.41 BAM 42.46

216.10%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.74 ₺1,126

$28.07 BAM 48.81

-18.99%

Cinema Ticket

$8.14 ₺403

$4.38 BAM 7.62

85.84%

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

$1,008 ₺49.9K

$210 BAM 365

379.76%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.6K ₺1.3M

$3,833 BAM 6,665

566.87%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.0 ₺2,671

$39.58 BAM 68.8

36.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.83 ₺2,021

$28.83 BAM 50.1

41.62%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.9 ₺4,895

$49.22 BAM 85.6

100.89%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.6 ₺4,783

$78.7 BAM 137

22.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$985 ₺48.7K

$233 BAM 405

323.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$650 ₺32.2K

$172 BAM 299

277.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,983 ₺98.2K

$351 BAM 610

465.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,180 ₺58.4K

$275 BAM 478

329.58%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,138 ₺155.4K

$1,286 BAM 2,236

143.99%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,780 ₺88.1K

$1,112 BAM 1,934

60.02%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,205 ₺59.7K

$694 BAM 1,207

73.72%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.92

4.08

902.94%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 13, 2026

Last update for Cazin: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$650 41.9%

Cazin

$172 21% 73.5% $478

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$260 16.8%

Cazin

$220 26.9% 15.2% $40

Eating Out

Istanbul

$223 14.4%

Cazin

$99 12.2% 55.5% $124

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$131 8.4%

Cazin

$88 10.8% 32.4% $42

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$116 7.5%

Cazin

$156 19.1% 34.4% $40

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$93 6%

Cazin

$33 4.1% 64.5% $60

Getting Around

Istanbul

$77 5%

Cazin

$49 6% 36% $28

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $985 in Istanbul and $233 in Cazin. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Istanbul pays 74% 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 $23.00 in Cazin for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $260 vs $220 per month, with Cazin cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇧🇦 Cazin

🕒 Local time

08:56 8:56 AM

07:56 7:56 AM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

13,863

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Bosnia and Herzegovina Convertible Mark BAM KM

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 2.02 USD

100 TRY = 1.8 EUR

1 BAM = 0.575 USD

1 BAM = 0.512 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BAM, USD, EUR 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).

Bosnia and Herzegovina Convertible Mark exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 1.74 BAM (1 BAM = 0.575 USD). 1 EUR = 1.95 BAM (1 BAM = 0.512 EUR).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Istanbul Cazin 1,150 km ≈ 2 h 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 Cazin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Istanbul and Cazin differ by about 89% in total monthly costs ($1,550 vs $818 including rent). Cazin is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 74% higher in Istanbul, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $985 in Istanbul versus $233 in Cazin. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Cazin – a meal for two runs $23.00 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 $818 in Cazin – a 89% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $818 in Cazin versus $1,550 in Istanbul, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Cazin but tight or insufficient in Istanbul. The gap between the two cities makes Cazin 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 Cazin 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 Cazin gentler on the wallet – expenses run 89% less than in Istanbul. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.