Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Deva

For one person, living is cheaper in Deva: $859 a month against $1,519 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $7,900 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
41

Cost of Living Index in Deva
Learn more

Deva Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,519

/mo nomad

Deva

🇷🇴 Romania

$859

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Deva

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

A single person spends $1,519 per month in Istanbul vs $859 in Deva, rent included.

Istanbul $1,519
Deva $859

A couple spends around $2,365 per month in Istanbul vs $1,335 in Deva, rent included.

Istanbul $2,365
Deva $1,335

A family of three spends $3,212 per month in Istanbul vs $1,811 in Deva, rent included.

Istanbul $3,212
Deva $1,811

Istanbul costs about 77% more than Deva, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Istanbul sits 12% above the global median, while Deva is 36% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.81 ₺591

$6.62 RON 31.48

78.40%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.9 ₺2,748

$21.00 RON 99.9

161.48%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.26 ₺463

$7.22 RON 34.35

28.25%

Cappuccino

$4.30 ₺215

$1.73 RON 8.22

148.55%

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

$1.77 ₺88.8

$2.15 RON 10.22

-17.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺28.26

$1.21 RON 5.78

-53.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.69 ₺234

$1.29 RON 6.15

263.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.12 ₺356

$2.05 RON 9.77

247.32%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 ₺62.6

$1.63 RON 7.77

-23.31%

White Bread (500g)

$0.88 ₺44.07

$1.33 RON 6.31

-33.83%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 ₺110

$1.10 RON 5.23

100.00%

Eggs

$2.43 ₺122

$3.06 RON 14.54

-20.59%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.48 ₺524

$7.73 RON 36.79

35.58%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.31 ₺266

$5.05 RON 24.04

5.15%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.10 ₺1,056

$8.55 RON 40.66

146.78%

Apples (1kg)

$1.86 ₺92.9

$1.39 RON 6.62

33.81%

Banana (1kg)

$2.30 ₺115

$1.36 RON 6.49

69.12%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.22 ₺60.8

$1.48 RON 7.06

-17.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺90.0

$2.18 RON 10.39

-17.43%

Potato (1kg)

$0.69 ₺34.75

$0.71 RON 3.39

-2.82%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺32.09

$0.94 RON 4.48

-31.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.36 ₺67.8

$0.91 RON 4.35

49.45%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 ₺28.88

$0.80 RON 3.80

-27.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.34 ₺117

$5.35 RON 25.45

-56.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.03 ₺652

$7.15 RON 34.03

82.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.36 ₺118

$1.02 RON 4.85

131.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.32 ₺166

$1.67 RON 7.96

98.80%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.88 ₺43.97

$0.57 RON 2.71

54.39%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.1 ₺3,309

$32.07 RON 153

106.17%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 ₺64.3

$0.78 RON 3.73

64.10%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 ₺42.70

$0.66 RON 3.14

28.79%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.09 ₺555

$8.53 RON 40.57

30.01%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 ₺73.9

$1.61 RON 7.67

-8.07%

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

$48.6K ₺2.4M

$28.8K RON 136.8K

69.10%

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

$42.0K ₺2.1M

$24.6K RON 116.8K

70.92%

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

$92.7 ₺4,639

$133 RON 632

-30.26%

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

$11.20 ₺560

$7.94 RON 37.76

41.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.89 ₺795

$9.59 RON 45.60

65.69%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.7 ₺3,737

$39.31 RON 187

89.98%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.95 ₺1,149

$53.2 RON 253

-56.89%

Cinema Ticket

$8.05 ₺403

$6.11 RON 29.08

31.75%

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

$948 ₺47.5K

$589 RON 2,801

61.10%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.9K ₺1.8M

$12.4K RON 59.1K

197.29%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₺2,696

$69.8 RON 332

-22.85%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.49 ₺2,076

$44.03 RON 209

-5.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 ₺5,049

$82.6 RON 393

22.17%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.3 ₺4,570

$74.2 RON 353

23.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,014 ₺50.7K

$230 RON 1,096

339.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$625 ₺31.3K

$185 RON 880

237.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,005 ₺100.4K

$396 RON 1,882

407.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,126 ₺56.3K

$359 RON 1,706

213.92%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,988 ₺149.5K

$4,725 RON 22.5K

-36.77%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,730 ₺86.6K

$3,363 RON 16.0K

-48.56%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,136 ₺56.9K

$1,129 RON 5,370

0.66%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.42

6.65

507.82%

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

Last update for Istanbul: November 2, 2026

Last update for Deva: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$625 41.1%

Deva

$185 21.5% 70.4% $440

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$258 17%

Deva

$192 22.4% 25.5% $66

Eating Out

Istanbul

$221 14.6%

Deva

$119 13.9% 46% $102

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$129 8.5%

Deva

$122 14.2% 5.9% $7.6

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$120 7.9%

Deva

$150 17.5% 25.6% $31

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$91 6%

Deva

$52 6% 43.2% $39

Getting Around

Istanbul

$75 5%

Deva

$38 4.5% 48.9% $37

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,014 in Istanbul versus $230 in Deva. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55 in Istanbul versus $21 in Deva. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $192 – making Deva the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇷🇴 Deva

🕒 Local time

21:16 9:16 PM

20:16 8:16 PM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

61,123

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 2 USD

100 TRY = 1.78 EUR

1 RON = 0.21 USD

1 RON = 0.187 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 5, 2026: 1 USD = 50.04 TRY (100 TRY = 2 USD). 1 EUR = 56.23 TRY (100 TRY = 1.78 EUR).

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 4.76 RON (1 RON = 0.21 USD). 1 EUR = 5.35 RON (1 RON = 0.187 EUR).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Istanbul Deva 730 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Deva

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 Deva: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,519 in Istanbul, $859 in Deva – Deva comes out roughly 43% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,278 per month in Istanbul and $1,288 in Deva. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Deva, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $230 there versus $1,014 in Istanbul.

Groceries cost about 34% more in Istanbul, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55 in Istanbul and $21 in Deva. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Deva, where all-in costs run around $859, than in Istanbul at $1,519. In Deva it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Deva – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

For expats, Deva is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 43% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.