Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Dealu

For one person, living is cheaper in Dealu: $1,044 a month against $1,519 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $5,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

73

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index
51

Cost of Living Index in Dealu
Learn more

Dealu Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,519

/mo nomad

Dealu

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,044

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Dealu

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,519 in Istanbul versus $1,044 in Dealu.

Istanbul $1,519
Dealu $1,044

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,365 in Istanbul versus $1,760 in Dealu.

Istanbul $2,365
Dealu $1,760

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,212 in Istanbul versus $2,477 in Dealu.

Istanbul $3,212
Dealu $2,477

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

The two cities straddle the global median: Istanbul is 12% above, Dealu is 23% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.81 ₺592

$14.08 RON 67.3

-16.12%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.9 ₺2,754

$85.0 RON 406

-35.38%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.26 ₺465

$8.55 RON 40.88

8.30%

Cappuccino

$4.30 ₺216

$2.03 RON 9.73

111.82%

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

$1.77 ₺89.0

$1.98 RON 9.47

-10.61%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺28.32

$1.89 RON 9.05

-70.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.69 ₺235

$2.55 RON 12.20

83.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.12 ₺357

$3.26 RON 15.59

118.40%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 ₺62.7

$1.76 RON 8.41

-28.98%

White Bread (500g)

$0.88 ₺44.17

$1.35 RON 6.44

-34.81%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 ₺111

$1.71 RON 8.19

28.65%

Eggs

$2.43 ₺122

$4.66 RON 22.30

-47.85%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.48 ₺526

$8.31 RON 39.74

26.11%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.31 ₺267

$5.48 RON 26.21

-3.10%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.10 ₺1,058

$9.94 RON 47.53

112.27%

Apples (1kg)

$1.86 ₺93.1

$1.14 RON 5.45

63.16%

Banana (1kg)

$2.30 ₺115

$1.44 RON 6.88

59.72%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.22 ₺61.0

$1.56 RON 7.48

-21.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺90.2

$2.57 RON 12.28

-29.96%

Potato (1kg)

$0.69 ₺34.83

$0.72 RON 3.44

-4.17%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺32.16

$0.69 RON 3.29

-7.25%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.36 ₺68.0

$0.70 RON 3.36

94.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 ₺28.94

$0.85 RON 4.07

-31.76%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.34 ₺117

$5.33 RON 25.46

-56.10%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.03 ₺653

$6.11 RON 29.19

113.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.36 ₺118

$1.50 RON 7.15

57.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.32 ₺166

$1.86 RON 8.87

78.49%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.88 ₺44.07

$0.79 RON 3.76

11.39%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.1 ₺3,316

$20.95 RON 100

215.61%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 ₺64.4

$0.67 RON 3.23

91.04%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 ₺42.80

$0.72 RON 3.42

18.06%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.09 ₺556

$8.43 RON 40.28

31.55%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 ₺74.0

$1.86 RON 8.88

-20.43%

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

$48.6K ₺2.4M

$28.0K RON 133.7K

73.85%

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

$42.0K ₺2.1M

$28.3K RON 135.1K

48.50%

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

$92.7 ₺4,650

$105 RON 501

-11.60%

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

$11.20 ₺562

$10.63 RON 50.8

5.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.89 ₺797

$4.60 RON 21.97

245.43%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.7 ₺3,745

$35.49 RON 170

110.43%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.95 ₺1,151

$19.55 RON 93.5

17.39%

Cinema Ticket

$8.05 ₺404

$10.42 RON 49.80

-22.74%

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

$948 ₺47.6K

$593 RON 2,835

59.90%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.9K ₺1.9M

$8,827 RON 42.2K

318.25%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₺2,702

$57.2 RON 273

-5.79%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.49 ₺2,081

$51.4 RON 246

-19.31%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 ₺5,060

$125 RON 596

-19.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.3 ₺4,580

$106 RON 506

-13.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,014 ₺50.8K

$366 RON 1,750

176.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$625 ₺31.3K

$276 RON 1,321

125.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,005 ₺100.6K

$702 RON 3,358

185.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,126 ₺56.5K

$493 RON 2,354

128.59%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,988 ₺149.8K

$2,110 RON 10.1K

41.60%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,730 ₺86.8K

$1,293 RON 6,182

33.77%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,136 ₺57.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.42

6.97

479.91%

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

Last update for Istanbul: November 2, 2026

Last update for Dealu: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$625 41.1%

Dealu

$276 26.5% 55.7% $348

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$258 17%

Dealu

$212 20.3% 17.8% $46

Eating Out

Istanbul

$221 14.6%

Dealu

$198 18.9% 10.6% $23

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$129 8.5%

Dealu

$153 14.6% 17.9% $23

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$120 7.9%

Dealu

$120 11.5% 0.3% $0.3

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$91 6%

Dealu

$56 5.4% 37.9% $34

Getting Around

Istanbul

$75 5%

Dealu

$28 2.7% 62.3% $47

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,014 in Istanbul and $366 in Dealu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $55 in Istanbul vs $85 in Dealu. Groceries flip the comparison at $258 vs $212, with Dealu cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇷🇴 Dealu

🕒 Local time

20:13 8:13 PM

19:13 7:13 PM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

3,800

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 1.99 USD

100 TRY = 1.78 EUR

1 RON = 0.209 USD

1 RON = 0.186 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 = 56.33 TRY (100 TRY = 1.78 EUR).

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 4.78 RON (1 RON = 0.209 USD). 1 EUR = 5.37 RON (1 RON = 0.186 EUR).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Istanbul Dealu 670 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Dealu

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 Dealu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Dealu is about 31% cheaper overall, especially in transport, groceries, and leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $2,278 in Istanbul and $1,565 in Dealu 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: $1,014 in Istanbul versus $366 in Dealu. 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 $85 in Dealu. 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 $1,044 in Dealu – Dealu is about 31% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $1,044 in Dealu versus $1,519 in Istanbul, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Dealu but tight or insufficient in Istanbul. The gap between the two cities makes Dealu 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 Dealu are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.