Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Constanta

For one person, living is cheaper in Constanta: $1,335 a month against $1,519 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $2,200 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

73

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index
63

Cost of Living Index in Constanta
Learn more

Constanta Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,519

/mo nomad

Constanta

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,335

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Constanta

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,519 in Istanbul versus $1,335 in Constanta.

Istanbul $1,519
Constanta $1,335

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,365 in Istanbul versus $1,971 in Constanta.

Istanbul $2,365
Constanta $1,971

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,212 in Istanbul versus $2,608 in Constanta.

Istanbul $3,212
Constanta $2,608

Living in Istanbul is roughly 14% more expensive than in Constanta, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.81 ₺592

$13.72 RON 65.2

-13.92%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.9 ₺2,754

$62.9 RON 299

-12.74%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.26 ₺465

$7.53 RON 35.76

22.97%

Cappuccino

$4.30 ₺216

$3.33 RON 15.83

29.13%

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

$1.77 ₺89.0

$1.87 RON 8.88

-5.35%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺28.32

$1.35 RON 6.40

-58.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.69 ₺235

$2.19 RON 10.40

114.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.12 ₺357

$3.09 RON 14.70

130.42%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 ₺62.7

$1.64 RON 7.79

-23.78%

White Bread (500g)

$0.88 ₺44.17

$1.18 RON 5.61

-25.42%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 ₺111

$1.70 RON 8.07

29.41%

Eggs

$2.43 ₺122

$3.00 RON 14.27

-19.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.48 ₺526

$8.46 RON 40.21

23.88%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.31 ₺267

$5.79 RON 27.50

-8.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.10 ₺1,058

$9.06 RON 43.06

132.89%

Apples (1kg)

$1.86 ₺93.1

$1.31 RON 6.20

41.98%

Banana (1kg)

$2.30 ₺115

$1.63 RON 7.73

41.10%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.22 ₺61.0

$1.55 RON 7.35

-21.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺90.2

$2.65 RON 12.59

-32.08%

Potato (1kg)

$0.69 ₺34.83

$0.91 RON 4.32

-24.18%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺32.16

$1.00 RON 4.77

-36.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.36 ₺68.0

$1.03 RON 4.88

32.04%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 ₺28.94

$0.86 RON 4.07

-32.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.34 ₺117

$6.12 RON 29.06

-61.76%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.03 ₺653

$6.27 RON 29.80

107.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.36 ₺118

$1.06 RON 5.06

122.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.32 ₺166

$1.75 RON 8.32

89.71%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.88 ₺44.07

$0.60 RON 2.87

46.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.1 ₺3,316

$18.59 RON 88.3

255.68%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 ₺64.4

$0.83 RON 3.94

54.22%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 ₺42.80

$0.76 RON 3.62

11.84%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.09 ₺556

$7.18 RON 34.11

54.46%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 ₺74.0

$1.84 RON 8.76

-19.57%

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

$48.6K ₺2.4M

$29.0K RON 137.6K

68.01%

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

$42.0K ₺2.1M

$25.4K RON 120.8K

65.15%

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

$92.7 ₺4,650

$167 RON 792

-44.41%

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

$11.20 ₺562

$7.62 RON 36.18

46.98%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.89 ₺797

$7.79 RON 37.00

103.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.7 ₺3,745

$51.8 RON 246

44.06%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.95 ₺1,151

$13.74 RON 65.3

67.03%

Cinema Ticket

$8.05 ₺404

$6.78 RON 32.20

18.73%

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

$948 ₺47.6K

$558 RON 2,650

70.03%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.9K ₺1.9M

$9,617 RON 45.7K

283.85%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₺2,702

$65.1 RON 309

-17.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.49 ₺2,081

$46.07 RON 219

-9.94%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 ₺5,060

$89.7 RON 426

12.45%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.3 ₺4,580

$86.9 RON 413

5.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,014 ₺50.8K

$694 RON 3,296

46.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$625 ₺31.3K

$525 RON 2,494

18.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,005 ₺100.6K

$1,041 RON 4,946

92.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,126 ₺56.5K

$727 RON 3,452

54.96%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,988 ₺149.8K

$2,635 RON 12.5K

13.40%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,730 ₺86.8K

$1,996 RON 9,483

-13.31%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,136 ₺57.0K

$978 RON 4,645

16.25%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.42

6.99

478.25%

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

Last update for Istanbul: November 2, 2026

Last update for Constanta: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$625 41.1%

Constanta

$525 39.3% 16% $100

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$258 17%

Constanta

$205 15.3% 20.7% $54

Eating Out

Istanbul

$221 14.6%

Constanta

$202 15.2% 8.4% $19

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$129 8.5%

Constanta

$130 9.7% 0.1% $0.1

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$120 7.9%

Constanta

$182 13.7% 52.1% $62

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$91 6%

Constanta

$65 4.9% 28% $25

Getting Around

Istanbul

$75 5%

Constanta

$26 1.9% 65.9% $50

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,014 in Istanbul and $694 in Constanta. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Istanbul pays 16% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $55 in Istanbul vs $63 in Constanta. Groceries flip the comparison at $258 vs $205, with Constanta cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇷🇴 Constanta

🕒 Local time

07:44 7:44 AM

06:44 6:44 AM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

283,872

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 1.99 USD

100 TRY = 1.78 EUR

1 RON = 0.21 USD

1 RON = 0.187 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RON, 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 = 56.3 TRY (100 TRY = 1.78 EUR).

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 4.75 RON (1 RON = 0.21 USD). 1 EUR = 5.33 RON (1 RON = 0.187 EUR).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Istanbul Constanta 350 km

From you

Istanbul
Constanta

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 Constanta: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Constanta is about 12% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, transport, and leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 16% 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: $1,014 in Istanbul versus $694 in Constanta. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Istanbul – a meal for two runs $55 versus $63 in Constanta. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $1,519 per month in Istanbul versus $1,335 in Constanta – Constanta is about 12% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $1,335 in Constanta versus $1,519 in Istanbul, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Constanta but tight or insufficient in Istanbul. The gap between the two cities makes Constanta 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 Constanta are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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