Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Cesis

For one person, living is cheaper in Cesis: $1,101 a month against $1,519 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $5,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

73

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index
53

Cost of Living Index in Cesis
Learn more

Cesis Living Index

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Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,519

/mo nomad

Cesis

🇱🇻 Latvia

$1,101

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Cesis

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,519 in Istanbul versus $1,101 in Cesis.

Istanbul $1,519
Cesis $1,101

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,365 in Istanbul versus $1,825 in Cesis.

Istanbul $2,365
Cesis $1,825

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,212 in Istanbul versus $2,548 in Cesis.

Istanbul $3,212
Cesis $2,548

Living in Istanbul is roughly 38% more expensive than in Cesis, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

The two cities straddle the global median: Istanbul is 12% above, Cesis is 19% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.81 ₺592

$16.66 €14.84

-29.11%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.9 ₺2,754

$66.0 €58.8

-16.80%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.26 ₺465

$9.08 €8.08

1.98%

Cappuccino

$4.30 ₺216

$3.68 €3.28

16.85%

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

$1.77 ₺89.0

$1.65 €1.47

7.27%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺28.32

$1.16 €1.04

-51.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.69 ₺235

$5.50 €4.90

-14.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.12 ₺357

$4.90 €4.36

45.31%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 ₺62.7

$1.21 €1.08

3.31%

White Bread (500g)

$0.88 ₺44.17

$1.49 €1.32

-40.94%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 ₺111

$2.53 €2.25

-13.04%

Eggs

$2.43 ₺122

$2.63 €2.34

-7.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.48 ₺526

$10.26 €9.14

2.14%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.31 ₺267

$8.55 €7.61

-37.89%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.10 ₺1,058

$13.78 €12.27

53.12%

Apples (1kg)

$1.86 ₺93.1

$2.08 €1.85

-10.58%

Banana (1kg)

$2.30 ₺115

$1.76 €1.57

30.68%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.22 ₺61.0

$2.48 €2.21

-50.81%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺90.2

$2.85 €2.54

-36.84%

Potato (1kg)

$0.69 ₺34.83

$0.87 €0.78

-20.69%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺32.16

$0.89 €0.79

-28.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.36 ₺68.0

$1.73 €1.54

-21.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 ₺28.94

$0.92 €0.82

-36.96%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.34 ₺117

$6.63 €5.91

-64.71%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.03 ₺653

$7.74 €6.89

68.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.36 ₺118

$1.70 €1.52

38.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.32 ₺166

$2.11 €1.88

57.35%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.88 ₺44.07

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.1 ₺3,316

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 ₺64.4

$3.34 €2.97

-61.68%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 ₺42.80

$1.02 €0.91

-16.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.09 ₺556

$17.94 €15.97

-38.18%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 ₺74.0

$2.03 €1.81

-27.09%

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

$48.6K ₺2.4M

$27.4K €24.4K

77.55%

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

$42.0K ₺2.1M

$29.9K €26.7K

40.16%

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

$92.7 ₺4,650

$366 €326

-74.65%

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

$11.20 ₺562

$19.72 €17.55

-43.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.89 ₺797

$20.09 €17.89

-20.91%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.7 ₺3,745

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.95 ₺1,151

Cinema Ticket

$8.05 ₺404

$10.60 €9.44

-24.06%

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

$948 ₺47.6K

$720 €641

31.72%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.9K ₺1.9M

$18.1K €16.2K

103.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₺2,702

$70.0 €62.3

-23.00%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.49 ₺2,081

$49.58 €44.15

-16.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 ₺5,060

$87.1 €77.6

15.79%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.3 ₺4,580

$136 €122

-33.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,014 ₺50.8K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$625 ₺31.3K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,005 ₺100.6K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,126 ₺56.5K

$278 €248

304.97%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,988 ₺149.8K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,730 ₺86.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,136 ₺57.0K

$1,126 €1,003

0.91%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.42

4.77

747.38%

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

Last update for Istanbul: November 2, 2026

Last update for Cesis: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$625 41.1%

Cesis

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$258 17%

Cesis

$258 23.5% 0% $0

Eating Out

Istanbul

$221 14.6%

Cesis

$253 23% 14.7% $32

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$129 8.5%

Cesis

$154 14% 19.3% $25

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$120 7.9%

Cesis

$406 36.8% 239% $286

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$91 6%

Cesis

$21 * 1.9% 76.6% $70

Getting Around

Istanbul

$75 5%

Cesis

$8.5 * 0.8% 88.8% $67

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $55 in Istanbul vs $66 in Cesis for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $258 vs $258 per month, with Istanbul cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇱🇻 Cesis

🕒 Local time

07:10 7:10 AM

06:10 6:10 AM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

17,673

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 1.99 USD

100 TRY = 1.78 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 November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 50.15 TRY (100 TRY = 1.99 USD). 1 EUR = 56.3 TRY (100 TRY = 1.78 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 0.89 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Istanbul Cesis 1,830 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Cesis

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 Cesis: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cesis is about 27% cheaper overall, especially in leisure and transport. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $2,278 in Istanbul and $1,652 in Cesis to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Dining out is cheaper in Istanbul – a meal for two runs $55 versus $66 in Cesis. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Childcare runs $948 in Istanbul versus $720 in Cesis. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,101 in Cesis versus $1,519 in Istanbul, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cesis but tight or insufficient in Istanbul. The gap between the two cities makes Cesis 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 Cesis are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.