Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Delcevo

For one person, living is cheaper in Delcevo: $974 a month against $1,526 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $6,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

74

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index
47

Cost of Living Index in Delcevo
Learn more

Delcevo Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,526

/mo nomad

Delcevo

🇲🇰 North Macedonia

$974

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Delcevo

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

A single person spends $1,526 per month in Istanbul vs $974 in Delcevo, rent included.

Istanbul $1,526
Delcevo $974

A couple spends around $2,399 per month in Istanbul vs $1,413 in Delcevo, rent included.

Istanbul $2,399
Delcevo $1,413

A family of three spends $3,272 per month in Istanbul vs $1,852 in Delcevo, rent included.

Istanbul $3,272
Delcevo $1,852

Istanbul costs about 57% more than Delcevo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Istanbul sits 14% above the global median, while Delcevo is 27% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.88 ₺585

$9.28 MKD 509

28.02%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.1 ₺2,714

$11.94 MKD 654

361.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.14 ₺450

$6.41 MKD 351

42.59%

Cappuccino

$4.24 ₺209

$2.19 MKD 120

93.61%

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

$1.75 ₺86.0

$1.87 MKD 102

-6.42%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.54 ₺26.83

$1.34 MKD 73.6

-59.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.69 ₺231

$1.83 MKD 100

156.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.97 ₺294

$3.14 MKD 172

90.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.26 ₺62.1

$1.27 MKD 69.3

-0.79%

White Bread (500g)

$0.95 ₺46.81

$0.80 MKD 43.66

18.75%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.31 ₺114

$1.79 MKD 98.3

29.05%

Eggs

$2.47 ₺122

$2.53 MKD 139

-2.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.55 ₺520

$8.43 MKD 462

25.15%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.60 ₺276

$7.34 MKD 402

-23.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.21 ₺1,045

$14.71 MKD 806

44.19%

Apples (1kg)

$1.93 ₺95.1

$1.43 MKD 78.6

34.97%

Banana (1kg)

$2.29 ₺113

$1.45 MKD 79.3

57.93%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.1

$1.34 MKD 73.6

-4.48%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.84 ₺90.8

$2.09 MKD 115

-11.96%

Potato (1kg)

$0.67 ₺32.86

$0.89 MKD 48.67

-24.72%

Onion (1kg)

$0.59 ₺29.31

$0.85 MKD 46.75

-30.59%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.33 ₺65.4

$0.64 MKD 34.80

107.81%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₺29.10

$0.61 MKD 33.24

-3.28%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.36 ₺116

$3.45 MKD 189

-31.59%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.47 ₺664

$7.19 MKD 394

87.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.42 ₺119

$1.07 MKD 58.7

126.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.54 ₺174

$1.50 MKD 82.5

136.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.83 ₺40.64

$0.76 MKD 41.66

9.21%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.5 ₺3,273

$23.71 MKD 1,299

180.26%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.35 ₺66.6

$1.09 MKD 59.9

23.85%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 ₺42.05

$0.57 MKD 31.30

49.12%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.86 ₺535

$7.83 MKD 429

38.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ₺72.3

$1.43 MKD 78.5

2.80%

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

$51.6K ₺2.5M

$35.5K MKD 1.9M

45.62%

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

$44.4K ₺2.2M

$28.2K MKD 1.5M

57.52%

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

$89.2 ₺4,395

$161 MKD 8,835

-44.66%

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

$11.60 ₺572

$18.89 MKD 1,035

-38.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.10 ₺793

$19.20 MKD 1,052

-16.15%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.3 ₺3,805

$22.36 MKD 1,225

245.48%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.66 ₺1,116

$17.31 MKD 949

30.91%

Cinema Ticket

$8.34 ₺411

$7.45 MKD 408

11.95%

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

$974 ₺48.0K

$367 MKD 20.1K

165.53%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.8K ₺1.3M

$5,687 MKD 311.6K

353.24%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.7 ₺2,597

$84.2 MKD 4,615

-37.41%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.16 ₺1,929

$37.77 MKD 2,070

3.68%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 ₺5,083

$102 MKD 5,581

1.32%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.6 ₺4,759

$113 MKD 6,186

-14.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$994 ₺49.0K

$282 MKD 15.5K

252.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$629 ₺31.0K

$195 MKD 10.7K

222.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,024 ₺99.7K

$501 MKD 27.5K

303.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,155 ₺56.9K

$299 MKD 16.4K

285.99%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,160 ₺155.7K

$1,561 MKD 85.5K

102.47%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,838 ₺90.5K

$1,175 MKD 64.4K

56.43%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,203 ₺59.3K

$458 MKD 25.1K

162.81%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

41.09

4.23

871.39%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 3, 2026

Last update for Delcevo: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$629 41.2%

Delcevo

$195 20% 69% $434

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$264 17.3%

Delcevo

$213 21.8% 19.4% $51

Eating Out

Istanbul

$218 14.3%

Delcevo

$148 15.2% 32% $70

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$131 8.6%

Delcevo

$152 15.5% 15.4% $20

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$117 7.7%

Delcevo

$199 20.4% 70.5% $82

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$94 6.1%

Delcevo

$37 3.8% 60.3% $57

Getting Around

Istanbul

$75 4.9%

Delcevo

$31 3.2% 59.3% $45

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $994 in Istanbul versus $282 in Delcevo. 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 163% higher in Istanbul, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55.0 in Istanbul versus $12.00 in Delcevo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $264 vs $213 – making Delcevo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇲🇰 Delcevo

🕒 Local time

09:30 9:30 AM

08:30 8:30 AM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

17,505

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

North Macedonian Denar MKD ден

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 2.03 USD

100 TRY = 1.81 EUR

100 MKD = 1.82 USD

100 MKD = 1.63 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MKD, USD, EUR to TRY – Turkish Lira Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇷 Turkish Lira (₺)

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 49.26 TRY (100 TRY = 2.03 USD). 1 EUR = 55.25 TRY (100 TRY = 1.81 EUR).

North Macedonian Denar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 54.8 MKD (100 MKD = 1.82 USD). 1 EUR = 61.46 MKD (100 MKD = 1.63 EUR).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Istanbul Delcevo 530 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Delcevo

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 Delcevo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Istanbul costs about 57% more than Delcevo, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,289 per month in Istanbul and $1,461 in Delcevo. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Delcevo, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 180% less in Delcevo. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $974 per month in Istanbul and $367 in Delcevo. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Delcevo, where all-in costs run around $974, than in Istanbul at $1,526. In Delcevo it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Delcevo costs $974 versus $1,526 in Istanbul. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Delcevo. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Istanbul makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.