Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Cimislia

For one person, living is cheaper in Cimislia: $786 a month against $1,519 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $8,800 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

73

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index
38

Cost of Living Index in Cimislia
Learn more

Cimislia Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,519

/mo nomad

Cimislia

🇲🇩 Moldova

$786

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Cimislia

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,519 in Istanbul versus $786 in Cimislia.

Istanbul $1,519
Cimislia $786

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,365 in Istanbul versus $1,121 in Cimislia.

Istanbul $2,365
Cimislia $1,121

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,212 in Istanbul versus $1,457 in Cimislia.

Istanbul $3,212
Cimislia $1,457

Living in Istanbul is roughly 93% more expensive than in Cimislia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Istanbul is 12% above, Cimislia is 42% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.81 ₺592

$6.57 MDL 116

79.76%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.9 ₺2,754

$22.27 MDL 394

146.56%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.26 ₺465

$10.35 MDL 183

-10.53%

Cappuccino

$4.30 ₺216

$1.64 MDL 28.96

162.20%

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

$1.77 ₺89.0

$1.06 MDL 18.78

66.98%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺28.32

$0.70 MDL 12.43

-20.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.69 ₺235

$1.12 MDL 19.85

318.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.12 ₺357

$2.27 MDL 40.11

213.66%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 ₺62.7

$0.98 MDL 17.39

27.55%

White Bread (500g)

$0.88 ₺44.17

$0.40 MDL 7.14

120.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 ₺111

$1.59 MDL 28.16

38.36%

Eggs

$2.43 ₺122

$1.95 MDL 34.56

24.62%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.48 ₺526

$6.78 MDL 120

54.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.31 ₺267

$3.99 MDL 70.6

33.08%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.10 ₺1,058

$6.28 MDL 111

235.99%

Apples (1kg)

$1.86 ₺93.1

$0.57 MDL 10.13

226.32%

Banana (1kg)

$2.30 ₺115

$2.28 MDL 40.30

0.88%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.22 ₺61.0

$1.42 MDL 25.14

-14.08%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺90.2

$2.00 MDL 35.44

-10.00%

Potato (1kg)

$0.69 ₺34.83

$0.58 MDL 10.17

18.97%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺32.16

$0.49 MDL 8.60

30.61%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.36 ₺68.0

$0.43 MDL 7.59

216.28%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 ₺28.94

$0.59 MDL 10.37

-1.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.34 ₺117

$3.42 MDL 60.4

-31.58%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.03 ₺653

$4.38 MDL 77.5

197.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.36 ₺118

$1.13 MDL 20.06

108.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.32 ₺166

$2.00 MDL 35.35

66.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.88 ₺44.07

$0.29 MDL 5.14

203.45%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.1 ₺3,316

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 ₺64.4

$2.83 MDL 50.1

-54.77%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 ₺42.80

$0.24 MDL 4.23

254.17%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.09 ₺556

$5.55 MDL 98.1

99.82%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 ₺74.0

$1.41 MDL 24.89

4.96%

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

$48.6K ₺2.4M

$33.7K MDL 596.4K

44.20%

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

$42.0K ₺2.1M

$23.8K MDL 421.2K

76.19%

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

$92.7 ₺4,650

$225 MDL 3,975

-58.76%

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

$11.20 ₺562

$7.99 MDL 141

40.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.89 ₺797

$11.31 MDL 200

40.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.7 ₺3,745

$16.79 MDL 297

344.79%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.95 ₺1,151

Cinema Ticket

$8.05 ₺404

$7.68 MDL 136

4.82%

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

$948 ₺47.6K

$113 MDL 1,991

742.38%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.9K ₺1.9M

$5,228 MDL 92.4K

606.16%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₺2,702

$45.30 MDL 801

18.94%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.49 ₺2,081

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 ₺5,060

$56.5 MDL 999

78.66%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.3 ₺4,580

$49.88 MDL 882

83.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,014 ₺50.8K

$224 MDL 3,952

353.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$625 ₺31.3K

$166 MDL 2,938

275.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,005 ₺100.6K

$336 MDL 5,945

496.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,126 ₺56.5K

$282 MDL 4,983

299.56%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,988 ₺149.8K

$732 MDL 13.0K

307.95%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,730 ₺86.8K

$669 MDL 11.8K

158.79%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,136 ₺57.0K

$429 MDL 7,591

164.70%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.42

405.25%

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

Last update for Istanbul: November 2, 2026

Last update for Cimislia: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$625 41.1%

Cimislia

$166 21.2% 73.4% $458

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$258 17%

Cimislia

$149 19% 42.2% $109

Eating Out

Istanbul

$221 14.6%

Cimislia

$120 15.3% 45.5% $100

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$129 8.5%

Cimislia

$68 * 8.7% 47.3% $61

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$120 7.9%

Cimislia

$244 31.1% 104% $124

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$91 6%

Cimislia

$32 4.1% 64.6% $59

Getting Around

Istanbul

$75 5%

Cimislia

$5.2 * 0.7% 93.1% $70

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 $1,014 in Istanbul and $224 in Cimislia. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Istanbul pays about 2.6 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $55 in Istanbul vs $22 in Cimislia for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $258 vs $149 per month, with Cimislia cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇲🇩 Cimislia

🕒 Local time

13:27 1:27 PM

12:27 12:27 PM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

16,100

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Moldovan Leu MDL L

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 1.99 USD

100 TRY = 1.78 EUR

100 MDL = 5.66 USD

100 MDL = 5.04 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MDL, USD, EUR 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 = 56.33 TRY (100 TRY = 1.78 EUR).

Moldovan Leu exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 17.68 MDL (100 MDL = 5.66 USD). 1 EUR = 19.86 MDL (100 MDL = 5.04 EUR).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Istanbul Cimislia 610 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Cimislia

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 Cimislia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cimislia wins on cost – living expenses run 48% lower than in Istanbul. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Cimislia the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay in Istanbul is about 2.6 times higher, 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: $1,014 in Istanbul versus $224 in Cimislia. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 73% higher in Istanbul. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $1,519 per month in Istanbul versus $786 in Cimislia – Cimislia is about 48% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

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 Cimislia are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Cimislia wins on affordability, Istanbul on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.