Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Dabas

For one person, living is cheaper in Dabas: $1,292 a month against $1,550 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $3,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

75

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index
63

Cost of Living Index in Dabas
Learn more

Dabas Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

Dabas

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,292

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Dabas

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,550 in Istanbul versus $1,292 in Dabas.

Istanbul $1,550
Dabas $1,292

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,415 in Istanbul versus $1,972 in Dabas.

Istanbul $2,415
Dabas $1,972

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,281 in Istanbul versus $2,653 in Dabas.

Istanbul $3,281
Dabas $2,653

Living in Istanbul is roughly 20% more expensive than in Dabas, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Istanbul is 15% above, Dabas is 4% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.30 ₺609

$11.57 Ft 3,737

6.31%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.7 ₺2,708

$36.39 Ft 11.8K

50.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.22 ₺456

$9.16 Ft 2,958

0.66%

Cappuccino

$4.40 ₺218

$1.50 Ft 485

193.33%

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

$1.68 ₺83.1

$1.35 Ft 437

24.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₺29.40

$0.48 Ft 155

22.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.70 ₺233

$1.69 Ft 547

178.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.91 ₺292

$1.55 Ft 499

281.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 ₺60.0

$1.23 Ft 398

-1.63%

White Bread (500g)

$0.89 ₺44.10

$1.57 Ft 506

-43.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.19 ₺108

$2.42 Ft 781

-9.50%

Eggs

$2.35 ₺116

$3.18 Ft 1,028

-26.10%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.42 ₺516

$10.27 Ft 3,318

1.46%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.65 ₺280

$6.88 Ft 2,224

-17.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.94 ₺1,037

$16.14 Ft 5,216

29.74%

Apples (1kg)

$1.90 ₺94.1

$2.43 Ft 784

-21.81%

Banana (1kg)

$2.31 ₺114

$2.31 Ft 745

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.1

$2.64 Ft 852

-51.52%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺89.0

$3.85 Ft 1,244

-53.25%

Potato (1kg)

$0.65 ₺32.16

$1.09 Ft 353

-40.37%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺31.91

$1.42 Ft 459

-54.93%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 ₺62.1

$1.86 Ft 600

-32.80%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.58

$0.58 Ft 188

-3.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.37 ₺118

$7.70 Ft 2,489

-69.22%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.42 ₺664

$4.53 Ft 1,464

196.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₺119

$1.37 Ft 443

75.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 ₺172

$2.59 Ft 837

34.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.89 ₺43.84

$1.26 Ft 406

-29.37%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.4 ₺3,338

$27.69 Ft 8,947

143.52%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.29 ₺64.1

$3.46 Ft 1,118

-62.72%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 ₺45.70

$1.38 Ft 447

-33.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.96 ₺542

$24.17 Ft 7,809

-54.65%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ₺72.9

$1.57 Ft 508

-6.37%

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

$50.8K ₺2.5M

$31.0K Ft 10.0M

63.86%

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

$44.5K ₺2.2M

$36.3K Ft 11.7M

22.76%

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

$88.6 ₺4,387

$166 Ft 53.7K

-46.64%

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

$11.59 ₺574

$20.87 Ft 6,742

-44.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.81 ₺783

$20.72 Ft 6,693

-23.70%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.2 ₺3,820

$49.15 Ft 15.9K

56.99%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.74 ₺1,126

$18.00 Ft 5,814

26.33%

Cinema Ticket

$8.14 ₺403

$8.86 Ft 2,862

-8.13%

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

$1,008 ₺49.9K

$436 Ft 140.8K

131.34%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.6K ₺1.3M

$7,678 Ft 2.5M

232.89%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.0 ₺2,671

$100.0 Ft 32.3K

-46.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.83 ₺2,021

$51.1 Ft 16.5K

-20.04%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.9 ₺4,895

$95.2 Ft 30.7K

3.92%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.6 ₺4,783

$112 Ft 36.3K

-13.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$985 ₺48.7K

$512 Ft 165.3K

92.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$650 ₺32.2K

$395 Ft 127.5K

64.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,983 ₺98.2K

$860 Ft 277.8K

130.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,180 ₺58.4K

$702 Ft 226.7K

68.15%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,138 ₺155.4K

$2,623 Ft 847.3K

19.66%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,780 ₺88.1K

$2,942 Ft 950.4K

-39.50%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,205 ₺59.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.92

411.50%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 13, 2026

Last update for Dabas: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$650 41.9%

Dabas

$395 30.5% 39.3% $255

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$260 16.8%

Dabas

$261 20.2% 0.7% $1.8

Eating Out

Istanbul

$223 14.4%

Dabas

$157 12.2% 29.7% $66

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$131 8.4%

Dabas

$161 12.5% 23.5% $31

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$116 7.5%

Dabas

$208 16.1% 79% $92

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$93 6%

Dabas

$67 5.2% 28.4% $27

Getting Around

Istanbul

$77 5%

Dabas

$43 3.3% 43.9% $34

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $985 in Istanbul and $512 in Dabas. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $55.0 in Istanbul vs $36.00 in Dabas. Groceries flip the comparison at $260 vs $261, with Istanbul cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇭🇺 Dabas

🕒 Local time

23:27 11:27 PM

22:27 10:27 PM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

17,542

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 2.02 USD

100 TRY = 1.8 EUR

1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

HUF, USD, EUR to TRY – Turkish Lira Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇷 Turkish Lira (₺)

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 49.51 TRY (100 TRY = 2.02 USD). 1 EUR = 55.67 TRY (100 TRY = 1.8 EUR).

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 323 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 363 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Istanbul Dabas 1,030 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Dabas

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 Dabas: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Dabas wins on cost – living expenses run 20% lower than in Istanbul. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Dabas the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $2,325 in Istanbul and $1,938 in Dabas 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $985 in Istanbul versus $512 in Dabas. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Dabas runs roughly 144% less than in Istanbul. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $1,008 in Istanbul versus $436 in Dabas. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,292 in Dabas versus $1,550 in Istanbul, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Dabas but tight or insufficient in Istanbul. The gap between the two cities makes Dabas the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Dabas delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,292 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Dabas hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Istanbul and Dabas 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 Dabas gentler on the wallet – expenses run 20% less than in Istanbul. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.