Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Chios

For one person, living is cheaper in Chios: $1,453 a month against $1,519 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $790 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Istanbul outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

73

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index
70

Cost of Living Index in Chios
Learn more

Chios Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,519

/mo nomad

Chios

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,453

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Chios

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

A single person spends $1,519 per month in Istanbul vs $1,453 in Chios, rent included.

Istanbul $1,519
Chios $1,453

A couple spends around $2,365 per month in Istanbul vs $2,179 in Chios, rent included.

Istanbul $2,365
Chios $2,179

A family of three spends $3,212 per month in Istanbul vs $2,905 in Chios, rent included.

Istanbul $3,212
Chios $2,905

Istanbul costs about 5% more than Chios, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both Istanbul and Chios sit above the global median – Istanbul by 12%, Chios by 7%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.81 ₺592

$13.73 €12.22

-13.98%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.9 ₺2,754

$44.37 €39.51

23.75%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.26 ₺465

$14.11 €12.57

-34.37%

Cappuccino

$4.30 ₺216

$3.72 €3.31

15.59%

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

$1.77 ₺89.0

$2.36 €2.10

-25.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺28.32

$0.97 €0.87

-42.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.69 ₺235

$4.54 €4.04

3.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.12 ₺357

$4.42 €3.93

61.09%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 ₺62.7

$1.61 €1.43

-22.36%

White Bread (500g)

$0.88 ₺44.17

$1.46 €1.30

-39.73%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 ₺111

$2.71 €2.41

-18.82%

Eggs

$2.43 ₺122

$4.52 €4.03

-46.24%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.48 ₺526

$13.44 €11.97

-22.02%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.31 ₺267

$10.02 €8.92

-47.01%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.10 ₺1,058

$14.98 €13.34

40.85%

Apples (1kg)

$1.86 ₺93.1

$2.22 €1.98

-16.22%

Banana (1kg)

$2.30 ₺115

$2.06 €1.84

11.65%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.22 ₺61.0

$1.36 €1.21

-10.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺90.2

$2.12 €1.89

-15.09%

Potato (1kg)

$0.69 ₺34.83

$1.18 €1.05

-41.53%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺32.16

$1.09 €0.97

-41.28%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.36 ₺68.0

$1.08 €0.96

25.93%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 ₺28.94

$0.80 €0.71

-27.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.34 ₺117

$5.21 €4.64

-55.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.03 ₺653

$7.28 €6.48

78.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.36 ₺118

$2.08 €1.85

13.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.32 ₺166

$2.50 €2.23

32.80%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.88 ₺44.07

$1.40 €1.24

-37.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.1 ₺3,316

$49.56 €44.13

33.41%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 ₺64.4

$4.24 €3.78

-69.81%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 ₺42.80

$1.09 €0.97

-22.02%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.09 ₺556

$16.99 €15.13

-34.73%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 ₺74.0

$2.07 €1.84

-28.50%

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

$48.6K ₺2.4M

$27.9K €24.8K

74.32%

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

$42.0K ₺2.1M

$25.8K €22.9K

63.00%

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

$92.7 ₺4,650

$201 €179

-53.88%

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

$11.20 ₺562

$22.65 €20.16

-50.55%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.89 ₺797

$30.64 €27.28

-48.14%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.7 ₺3,745

$51.1 €45.52

46.06%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.95 ₺1,151

$24.74 €22.03

-7.24%

Cinema Ticket

$8.05 ₺404

$8.81 €7.85

-8.63%

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

$948 ₺47.6K

$413 €368

129.63%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.9K ₺1.9M

$8,939 €7,959

313.00%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₺2,702

$90.1 €80.2

-40.20%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.49 ₺2,081

$39.75 €35.39

4.38%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 ₺5,060

$94.2 €83.9

7.09%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.3 ₺4,580

$124 €111

-26.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,014 ₺50.8K

$487 €433

108.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$625 ₺31.3K

$382 €341

63.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,005 ₺100.6K

$745 €663

169.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,126 ₺56.5K

$617 €549

82.62%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,988 ₺149.8K

$2,496 €2,223

19.69%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,730 ₺86.8K

$1,940 €1,727

-10.81%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,136 ₺57.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.42

4.48

802.23%

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

Last update for Istanbul: November 2, 2026

Last update for Chios: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$625 41.1%

Chios

$382 26.3% 38.8% $242

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$258 17%

Chios

$284 19.6% 10% $26

Eating Out

Istanbul

$221 14.6%

Chios

$242 16.6% 9.3% $21

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$129 8.5%

Chios

$157 10.8% 21.2% $27

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$120 7.9%

Chios

$254 17.5% 112% $135

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$91 6%

Chios

$69 4.7% 24.3% $22

Getting Around

Istanbul

$75 5%

Chios

$65 4.5% 13.7% $10

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,014 in Istanbul versus $487 in Chios. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55 in Istanbul versus $44 in Chios. Groceries tell a different story – $258 in Istanbul vs $284 in Chios – so Istanbul wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇬🇷 Chios

🕒 Local time

04:26 4:26 AM

03:26 3:26 AM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

53,408

💱 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 Chios 380 km

From you

Istanbul
Chios

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 Chios: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Istanbul costs about 5% more than Chios, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from leisure. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,278 per month in Istanbul and $2,179 in Chios. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Chios, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $487 there versus $1,014 in Istanbul.

Kindergarten costs $948 per month in Istanbul and $413 in Chios. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 9% cheaper in Istanbul – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,519 in Istanbul and $1,453 in Chios. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Chios – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.