Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Dalyan

For one person, living is cheaper in Dalyan: $1,036 a month against $1,516 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $5,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

73

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index
50

Cost of Living Index in Dalyan
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Dalyan Living Index

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Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,516

/mo nomad

Dalyan

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,036

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Dalyan

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,516 in Istanbul versus $1,036 in Dalyan.

Istanbul $1,516
Dalyan $1,036

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,356 in Istanbul versus $1,623 in Dalyan.

Istanbul $2,356
Dalyan $1,623

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,197 in Istanbul versus $2,209 in Dalyan.

Istanbul $3,197
Dalyan $2,209

Living in Istanbul is roughly 46% more expensive than in Dalyan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

The two cities straddle the global median: Istanbul is 11% above, Dalyan is 24% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.59 ₺577

$10.03 ₺500

15.55%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.7 ₺2,723

$35.78 ₺1,782

52.82%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.39 ₺468

$8.60 ₺428

9.19%

Cappuccino

$4.23 ₺211

$3.70 ₺184

14.32%

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

$1.72 ₺85.6

$1.51 ₺75.4

13.91%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.57 ₺28.24

$0.57 ₺28.52

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.65 ₺232

$3.52 ₺175

32.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.84 ₺341

$5.03 ₺250

35.98%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.20 ₺59.9

$1.13 ₺56.2

6.19%

White Bread (500g)

$0.94 ₺46.94

$1.06 ₺52.9

-11.32%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.24 ₺112

$2.39 ₺119

-6.28%

Eggs

$2.42 ₺120

$2.52 ₺125

-3.97%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.24 ₺510

$9.23 ₺460

10.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.38 ₺268

$5.13 ₺255

4.87%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.19 ₺1,055

$21.16 ₺1,054

0.14%

Apples (1kg)

$1.89 ₺94.2

$2.03 ₺101

-6.90%

Banana (1kg)

$2.22 ₺111

$2.18 ₺109

1.83%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.26 ₺62.7

$1.06 ₺52.6

18.87%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.81 ₺89.9

$1.39 ₺69.4

30.22%

Potato (1kg)

$0.70 ₺34.82

$0.54 ₺27.14

29.63%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺32.11

$0.42 ₺20.75

52.38%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.22 ₺60.8

$1.11 ₺55.4

9.91%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ₺27.34

$0.76 ₺37.75

-27.63%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.32 ₺116

$2.25 ₺112

3.11%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.31 ₺663

$11.27 ₺561

18.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.33 ₺116

$2.01 ₺100.0

15.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 ₺172

$3.00 ₺149

15.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.91 ₺45.15

$0.68 ₺33.82

33.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.3 ₺3,304

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.29 ₺64.1

$1.19 ₺59.0

8.40%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.86 ₺42.63

$1.02 ₺50.7

-15.69%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.09 ₺552

$5.44 ₺271

103.86%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.42 ₺70.7

$1.35 ₺67.3

5.19%

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

$49.2K ₺2.4M

$47.0K ₺2.3M

4.68%

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

$42.8K ₺2.1M

$43.3K ₺2.2M

-1.09%

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

$87.7 ₺4,370

$84.6 ₺4,215

3.66%

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

$11.28 ₺562

$10.50 ₺523

7.43%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.89 ₺791

$15.99 ₺796

-0.63%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$75.9 ₺3,780

$52.8 ₺2,629

43.78%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.04 ₺1,147

Cinema Ticket

$8.20 ₺408

$8.03 ₺400

2.12%

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

$1,028 ₺51.2K

$687 ₺34.2K

49.67%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$26.0K ₺1.3M

$14.3K ₺713.3K

81.27%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.3 ₺2,656

$46.20 ₺2,301

15.43%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.69 ₺1,977

$37.35 ₺1,860

6.27%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.8 ₺4,969

$91.1 ₺4,536

9.54%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.5 ₺4,658

$81.2 ₺4,044

15.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,003 ₺50.0K

$414 ₺20.6K

142.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$628 ₺31.3K

$299 ₺14.9K

110.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,963 ₺97.7K

$776 ₺38.7K

152.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,122 ₺55.9K

$551 ₺27.4K

103.63%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,075 ₺153.1K

$1,410 ₺70.2K

118.06%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,753 ₺87.3K

$1,031 ₺51.3K

70.03%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,180 ₺58.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.69

42.33

-3.87%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 27, 2026

Last update for Dalyan: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$628 41.5%

Dalyan

$299 28.8% 52.5% $330

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$258 17%

Dalyan

$247 23.9% 4.2% $11

Eating Out

Istanbul

$218 14.4%

Dalyan

$186 18% 14.4% $31

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$129 8.5%

Dalyan

$115 11.1% 10.6% $14

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$115 7.6%

Dalyan

$111 10.7% 3.3% $3.8

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$92 6.1%

Dalyan

$69 6.6% 25.4% $23

Getting Around

Istanbul

$76 5%

Dalyan

$9 * 0.9% 88.1% $67

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 $1,003 in Istanbul and $414 in Dalyan. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $55 in Istanbul vs $36 in Dalyan for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $258 vs $247 per month, with Dalyan cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇹🇷 Dalyan

🕒 Local time

14:33 2:33 PM

Same time as Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

5,000

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 2.01 USD

100 TRY = 1.8 EUR

100 TRY = 2.01 USD

100 TRY = 1.8 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Istanbul Dalyan 460 km

From you

Istanbul
Dalyan

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 Dalyan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Dalyan is about 32% cheaper overall, especially in transport, eating out, and leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $2,274 in Istanbul and $1,555 in Dalyan 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: $1,003 in Istanbul versus $414 in Dalyan. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 4% higher in Istanbul. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $1,516 per month in Istanbul versus $1,036 in Dalyan – Dalyan is about 32% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $1,036 in Dalyan versus $1,516 in Istanbul, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Dalyan but tight or insufficient in Istanbul. The gap between the two cities makes Dalyan 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 Dalyan are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.