Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Dali

For one person, living is cheaper in Istanbul: $1,519 a month against $1,675 in Dali, rent and utilities included – about $1,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

73

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index
80

Cost of Living Index in Dali
Learn more

Dali Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,519

/mo nomad

Dali

🇨🇾 Cyprus

$1,675

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Dali

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

A single person spends $1,519 per month in Istanbul vs $1,675 in Dali, rent included.

Istanbul $1,519
Dali $1,675

A couple spends around $2,365 per month in Istanbul vs $2,582 in Dali, rent included.

Istanbul $2,365
Dali $2,582

A family of three spends $3,212 per month in Istanbul vs $3,489 in Dali, rent included.

Istanbul $3,212
Dali $3,489

Istanbul is about 9% cheaper than Dali, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both Istanbul and Dali sit above the global median – Istanbul by 12%, Dali by 24%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.81 ₺591

$13.39 €11.93

-11.80%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.9 ₺2,748

$53.9 €47.98

1.93%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.26 ₺463

$7.74 €6.90

19.64%

Cappuccino

$4.30 ₺215

$3.66 €3.26

17.49%

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

$1.77 ₺88.8

$1.66 €1.47

6.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺28.26

$1.10 €0.98

-49.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.69 ₺234

$4.44 €3.96

5.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.12 ₺356

$3.97 €3.54

79.35%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 ₺62.6

$1.62 €1.45

-22.84%

White Bread (500g)

$0.88 ₺44.07

$1.49 €1.33

-40.94%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 ₺110

$2.33 €2.08

-5.58%

Eggs

$2.43 ₺122

$4.17 €3.71

-41.73%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.48 ₺524

$13.51 €12.03

-22.43%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.31 ₺266

$8.55 €7.61

-37.89%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.10 ₺1,056

$11.79 €10.50

78.97%

Apples (1kg)

$1.86 ₺92.9

$2.61 €2.32

-28.74%

Banana (1kg)

$2.30 ₺115

$1.76 €1.57

30.68%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.22 ₺60.8

$1.68 €1.49

-27.38%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺90.0

$2.60 €2.32

-30.77%

Potato (1kg)

$0.69 ₺34.75

$1.37 €1.22

-49.64%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺32.09

$1.18 €1.05

-45.76%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.36 ₺67.8

$0.63 €0.56

115.87%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 ₺28.88

$1.01 €0.90

-42.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.34 ₺117

$5.66 €5.04

-58.66%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.03 ₺652

$6.76 €6.02

92.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.36 ₺118

$1.75 €1.56

34.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.32 ₺166

$1.97 €1.75

68.53%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.88 ₺43.97

$2.20 €1.96

-60.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.1 ₺3,309

$50.6 €45.03

30.80%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 ₺64.3

$7.29 €6.49

-82.44%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 ₺42.70

$2.14 €1.91

-60.28%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.09 ₺555

$22.27 €19.84

-50.20%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 ₺73.9

$1.66 €1.48

-10.84%

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

$48.6K ₺2.4M

$31.0K €27.6K

56.82%

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

$42.0K ₺2.1M

$32.1K €28.6K

30.90%

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

$92.7 ₺4,639

$185 €165

-49.87%

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

$11.20 ₺560

$18.53 €16.51

-39.56%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.89 ₺795

$30.60 €27.26

-48.07%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.7 ₺3,737

$67.5 €60.1

10.72%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.95 ₺1,149

$25.01 €22.28

-8.24%

Cinema Ticket

$8.05 ₺403

$10.98 €9.78

-26.68%

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

$948 ₺47.5K

$387 €345

144.77%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.9K ₺1.8M

$6,645 €5,920

455.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₺2,696

$65.2 €58.1

-17.35%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.49 ₺2,076

$32.68 €29.11

26.96%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 ₺5,049

$68.4 €60.9

47.52%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.3 ₺4,570

$89.1 €79.3

2.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,014 ₺50.7K

$774 €689

31.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$625 ₺31.3K

$678 €604

-7.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,005 ₺100.4K

$1,655 €1,475

21.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,126 ₺56.3K

$1,289 €1,148

-12.62%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,988 ₺149.5K

$3,655 €3,256

-18.25%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,730 ₺86.6K

$2,430 €2,164

-28.79%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,136 ₺56.9K

$1,093 €974

3.93%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.42

3.31

1121.15%

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

Last update for Istanbul: November 2, 2026

Last update for Dali: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$625 41.1%

Dali

$678 40.5% 8.5% $53

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$258 17%

Dali

$266 15.9% 3.2% $8.1

Eating Out

Istanbul

$221 14.6%

Dali

$215 12.9% 2.5% $5.4

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$129 8.5%

Dali

$115 6.9% 11.2% $15

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$120 7.9%

Dali

$234 14% 95.4% $114

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$91 6%

Dali

$89 5.3% 1.5% $1.4

Getting Around

Istanbul

$75 5%

Dali

$77 4.6% 2.9% $2.1

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,014 in Istanbul versus $774 in Dali. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 4% higher in Istanbul, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55 in Istanbul versus $54 in Dali. Groceries tell a different story – $258 in Istanbul vs $266 in Dali – so Istanbul wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇨🇾 Dali

🕒 Local time

01:58 1:58 AM

00:58 12:58 AM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

10,000

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 2 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 5, 2026: 1 USD = 50.04 TRY (100 TRY = 2 USD). 1 EUR = 56.18 TRY (100 TRY = 1.78 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 0.891 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Istanbul Dali 770 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Dali

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 Dali: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,519 in Istanbul, $1,675 in Dali – Istanbul comes out roughly 9% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in utilities.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,278 per month in Istanbul and $2,513 in Dali. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Dali, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $774 there versus $1,014 in Istanbul.

Public transport costs about 24% less in Dali. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Groceries cost about 3% more in Dali, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$1,500 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,519 in Istanbul and $1,675 in Dali. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Istanbul has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,519 in Istanbul to $1,675 in Dali. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.