Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Dornbirn

For one person, living is cheaper in Istanbul: $1,550 a month against $2,306 in Dornbirn, rent and utilities included – about $9,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Istanbul
🇹🇷 Turkey
$1,550
/mo nomad
Dornbirn
🇦🇹 Austria
$2,306
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Dornbirn

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

A single person spends $1,550 per month in Istanbul vs $2,306 in Dornbirn, rent included.

  • Istanbul $1,550
  • Dornbirn $2,306

A couple spends around $2,415 per month in Istanbul vs $3,431 in Dornbirn, rent included.

  • Istanbul $2,415
  • Dornbirn $3,431

A family of three spends $3,281 per month in Istanbul vs $4,556 in Dornbirn, rent included.

  • Istanbul $3,281
  • Dornbirn $4,556

Istanbul is about 33% cheaper than Dornbirn, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Istanbul and Dornbirn sit above the global median – Istanbul by 15%, Dornbirn by 71%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Istanbul
Dornbirn
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$12.30 ₺609
$18.06 €16.07
-31.89%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$54.7 ₺2,708
$78.2 €69.6
-30.06%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.22 ₺456
$11.06 €9.84
-16.64%
Cappuccino
$4.40 ₺218
$4.51 €4.01
-2.44%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.68 ₺83.1
$4.21 €3.74
-60.10%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.59 ₺29.40
$3.57 €3.17
-83.47%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$4.70 ₺233
$5.14 €4.58
-8.56%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.91 ₺292
$4.35 €3.87
35.86%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Istanbul
Dornbirn
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.21 ₺60.0
$1.66 €1.48
-27.11%
White Bread (500g)
$0.89 ₺44.10
$3.03 €2.70
-70.63%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.19 ₺108
$2.18 €1.94
0.46%
Eggs
$2.35 ₺116
$5.14 €4.57
-54.28%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.42 ₺516
$17.43 €15.50
-40.22%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$5.65 ₺280
$13.78 €12.26
-59.00%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$20.94 ₺1,037
$15.51 €13.79
35.01%
Apples (1kg)
$1.90 ₺94.1
$2.81 €2.50
-32.38%
Banana (1kg)
$2.31 ₺114
$2.36 €2.10
-2.12%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.28 ₺63.1
$3.89 €3.46
-67.10%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.80 ₺89.0
$3.94 €3.51
-54.31%
Potato (1kg)
$0.65 ₺32.16
$2.19 €1.94
-70.32%
Onion (1kg)
$0.64 ₺31.91
$2.36 €2.10
-72.88%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.25 ₺62.1
$1.93 €1.72
-35.23%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.56 ₺27.58
$1.02 €0.91
-45.10%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.37 ₺118
$7.31 €6.50
-67.58%
Wine (Bottle)
$13.42 ₺664
$10.23 €9.10
31.18%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.40 ₺119
$1.49 €1.32
61.07%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.48 ₺172
$1.88 €1.67
85.11%
🚌 Getting Around
Istanbul
Dornbirn
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.89 ₺43.84
$3.44 €3.06
-74.13%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$67.4 ₺3,338
$55.6 €49.49
21.19%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.29 ₺64.1
$5.07 €4.51
-74.56%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.92 ₺45.70
$2.19 €1.95
-57.99%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$10.96 ₺542
-
-
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.47 ₺72.9
$1.84 €1.63
-20.11%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$50.8K ₺2.5M
$29.1K €25.9K
74.27%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$44.5K ₺2.2M
$27.9K €24.8K
59.79%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Istanbul
Dornbirn
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$88.6 ₺4,387
$306 €272
-71.07%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$11.59 ₺574
$14.36 €12.77
-19.29%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$15.81 ₺783
$30.22 €26.88
-47.68%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Istanbul
Dornbirn
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$77.2 ₺3,820
$54.0 €48.03
42.89%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$22.74 ₺1,126
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$8.14 ₺403
$15.70 €13.97
-48.15%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Istanbul
Dornbirn
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,008 ₺49.9K
$435 €387
131.77%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$25.6K ₺1.3M
$32.9K €29.2K
-22.24%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Istanbul
Dornbirn
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$54.0 ₺2,671
$56.2 €49.95
-3.92%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$40.83 ₺2,021
$60.7 €54.0
-32.75%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$98.9 ₺4,895
$44.72 €39.78
121.11%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$96.6 ₺4,783
$44.23 €39.34
118.40%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Istanbul
Dornbirn
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$985 ₺48.7K
$1,210 €1,076
-18.64%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$650 ₺32.2K
$1,024 €911
-36.54%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,983 ₺98.2K
$1,902 €1,692
4.27%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,180 ₺58.4K
$1,780 €1,583
-33.70%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,138 ₺155.4K
$8,841 €7,865
-64.51%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,780 ₺88.1K
$7,270 €6,467
-75.52%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Istanbul
Dornbirn
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,205 ₺59.7K
$2,823 €2,511
-57.31%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
40.92
3.61
1033.52%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 13, 2026

Last update for Dornbirn: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Istanbul
$650
Dornbirn
$1K 57.6% $374
Groceries & Markets
Istanbul
$260
Dornbirn
$370 42.6% $111
Eating Out
Istanbul
$223
Dornbirn
$297 33.2% $74
Clothing & Footwear
Istanbul
$131
Dornbirn
$93 29.1% $38
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Istanbul
$116
Dornbirn
$351 202% $235
Sport & Entertainment
Istanbul
$93
Dornbirn
$85 8.6% $8
Getting Around
Istanbul
$77
Dornbirn
$85 11.1% $8.5

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $985 in Istanbul versus $1,210 in Dornbirn. 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 134% higher in Dornbirn, 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 $78.0 in Dornbirn. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $260 vs $370 – making Istanbul the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇹🇷 Istanbul
🇦🇹 Dornbirn
🕒 Local time
08:11 8:11 AM
07:11 7:11 AM
1 h behind Istanbul
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
15,701,602
51,222
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to TRY – Turkish Lira Converter

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 49.51 TRY (100 TRY = 2.02 USD). 1 EUR = 55.66 TRY (100 TRY = 1.8 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

On the map
Between locations
  • Istanbul Dornbirn 1,680 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Istanbul
  • Dornbirn

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 Dornbirn: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Istanbul or Dornbirn?
Dornbirn costs about 49% more than Istanbul, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Istanbul and in Dornbirn?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,325 per month in Istanbul and $3,459 in Dornbirn. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, Istanbul or Dornbirn?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Istanbul, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
How do dining costs compare in Istanbul and in Dornbirn?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $55.0 in Istanbul and $78.0 in Dornbirn. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
How much does it cost to live in Istanbul compared to Dornbirn?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,550 in Istanbul and $2,306 in Dornbirn. That's a gap of about 49%.
Can you live on $1,500/month in Istanbul or in Dornbirn?
A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Istanbul, where all-in costs run around $1,550, than in Dornbirn at $2,306. In Istanbul it covers expenses comfortably, while in Dornbirn it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Which city is better for digital nomads, Istanbul or Dornbirn?
For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Istanbul costs $1,550 versus $2,306 in Dornbirn. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.
How safe is Istanbul compared to Dornbirn?
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.
Should I move to Istanbul or to Dornbirn?
If budget matters most, go with Istanbul. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Dornbirn makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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