Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Drobeta-Turnu Severin

For one person, living is cheaper in Drobeta-Turnu Severin: $885 a month against $1,519 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $7,600 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
42

Cost of Living Index in Drobeta-Turnu Severin
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Drobeta-Turnu Severin Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,519

/mo nomad

Drobeta-Turnu Severin

🇷🇴 Romania

$885

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Drobeta-Turnu Severin

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 Drobeta-Turnu Severin actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,519 in Istanbul versus $885 in Drobeta-Turnu Severin.

Istanbul $1,519
Drobeta-Turnu Severin $885

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,365 in Istanbul versus $1,483 in Drobeta-Turnu Severin.

Istanbul $2,365
Drobeta-Turnu Severin $1,483

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,212 in Istanbul versus $2,081 in Drobeta-Turnu Severin.

Istanbul $3,212
Drobeta-Turnu Severin $2,081

Living in Istanbul is roughly 72% more expensive than in Drobeta-Turnu Severin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Istanbul is 12% above, Drobeta-Turnu Severin is 35% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.81 ₺592

$8.34 RON 39.87

41.61%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.9 ₺2,754

$41.68 RON 199

31.74%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.26 ₺465

$7.24 RON 34.61

27.90%

Cappuccino

$4.30 ₺216

$3.20 RON 15.29

34.37%

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

$1.77 ₺89.0

$2.09 RON 10.01

-15.31%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺28.32

$1.80 RON 8.60

-68.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.69 ₺235

$3.07 RON 14.67

52.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.12 ₺357

$3.92 RON 18.73

81.63%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 ₺62.7

$1.37 RON 6.55

-8.76%

White Bread (500g)

$0.88 ₺44.17

$1.11 RON 5.31

-20.72%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 ₺111

$1.38 RON 6.59

59.42%

Eggs

$2.43 ₺122

$3.47 RON 16.61

-29.97%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.48 ₺526

$7.98 RON 38.14

31.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.31 ₺267

$5.80 RON 27.72

-8.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.10 ₺1,058

$7.80 RON 37.30

170.51%

Apples (1kg)

$1.86 ₺93.1

$1.19 RON 5.68

56.30%

Banana (1kg)

$2.30 ₺115

$1.56 RON 7.47

47.44%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.22 ₺61.0

$1.48 RON 7.08

-17.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺90.2

$2.53 RON 12.10

-28.85%

Potato (1kg)

$0.69 ₺34.83

$0.71 RON 3.40

-2.82%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺32.16

$0.61 RON 2.89

4.92%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.36 ₺68.0

$1.04 RON 4.95

30.77%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 ₺28.94

$0.87 RON 4.17

-33.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.34 ₺117

$6.02 RON 28.77

-61.13%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.03 ₺653

$7.16 RON 34.22

81.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.36 ₺118

$0.91 RON 4.37

159.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.32 ₺166

$1.38 RON 6.59

140.58%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.88 ₺44.07

$0.63 RON 2.99

39.68%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.1 ₺3,316

$22.28 RON 106

196.77%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 ₺64.4

$0.89 RON 4.27

43.82%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 ₺42.80

$0.87 RON 4.18

-2.30%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.09 ₺556

$9.31 RON 44.48

19.12%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 ₺74.0

$1.88 RON 8.97

-21.28%

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

$48.6K ₺2.4M

$28.6K RON 136.7K

70.07%

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

$42.0K ₺2.1M

$25.3K RON 120.9K

65.93%

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

$92.7 ₺4,650

$116 RON 554

-20.06%

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

$11.20 ₺562

$8.90 RON 42.55

25.84%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.89 ₺797

$12.27 RON 58.6

29.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.7 ₺3,745

$32.17 RON 154

132.14%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.95 ₺1,151

$21.19 RON 101

8.31%

Cinema Ticket

$8.05 ₺404

$6.66 RON 31.82

20.87%

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

$948 ₺47.6K

$435 RON 2,080

117.97%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.9K ₺1.9M

$10.2K RON 48.9K

260.57%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₺2,702

$101 RON 481

-46.51%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.49 ₺2,081

$38.50 RON 184

7.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 ₺5,060

$86.8 RON 415

16.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.3 ₺4,580

$89.8 RON 429

1.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,014 ₺50.8K

$385 RON 1,840

163.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$625 ₺31.3K

$170 RON 813

267.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,005 ₺100.6K

$603 RON 2,880

232.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,126 ₺56.5K

$458 RON 2,191

145.63%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,988 ₺149.8K

$1,630 RON 7,791

83.31%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,730 ₺86.8K

$1,544 RON 7,378

12.09%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,136 ₺57.0K

$914 RON 4,368

24.37%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.42

7.02

475.78%

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

Last update for Istanbul: November 2, 2026

Last update for Drobeta-Turnu Severin: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$625 41.1%

Drobeta-Turnu Severin

$170 19.2% 72.8% $454

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$258 17%

Drobeta-Turnu Severin

$194 21.9% 24.8% $64

Eating Out

Istanbul

$221 14.6%

Drobeta-Turnu Severin

$166 18.7% 25.1% $55

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$129 8.5%

Drobeta-Turnu Severin

$142 16.1% 9.8% $13

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$120 7.9%

Drobeta-Turnu Severin

$137 15.5% 14.5% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$91 6%

Drobeta-Turnu Severin

$45 5.1% 49.9% $45

Getting Around

Istanbul

$75 5%

Drobeta-Turnu Severin

$30 3.4% 60% $45

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,014 in Istanbul and $385 in Drobeta-Turnu Severin. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Istanbul pays 24% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $55 in Istanbul vs $42 in Drobeta-Turnu Severin for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $258 vs $194 per month, with Drobeta-Turnu Severin cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇷🇴 Drobeta-Turnu Severin

🕒 Local time

18:10 6:10 PM

17:10 5:10 PM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

92,617

💱 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

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Highest

Between locations

Istanbul Drobeta-Turnu Severin 650 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Drobeta-Turnu Severin

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 Drobeta-Turnu Severin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Drobeta-Turnu Severin is about 42% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 24% higher in Istanbul, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,014 in Istanbul versus $385 in Drobeta-Turnu Severin. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Drobeta-Turnu Severin runs roughly 66% less than in Istanbul. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $948 in Istanbul versus $435 in Drobeta-Turnu Severin. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $885 in Drobeta-Turnu Severin versus $1,519 in Istanbul, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Drobeta-Turnu Severin but tight or insufficient in Istanbul. The gap between the two cities makes Drobeta-Turnu Severin 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 Drobeta-Turnu Severin are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Drobeta-Turnu Severin gentler on the wallet – expenses run 42% less than in Istanbul. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.