Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Dubasari

For one person, living is cheaper in Dubasari: $643 a month against $1,519 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $10,500 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
31

Cost of Living Index in Dubasari
Learn more

Dubasari Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,519

/mo nomad

Dubasari

🇲🇩 Moldova

$643

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Dubasari

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,519 in Istanbul versus $643 in Dubasari.

Istanbul $1,519
Dubasari $643

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,365 in Istanbul versus $954 in Dubasari.

Istanbul $2,365
Dubasari $954

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,212 in Istanbul versus $1,266 in Dubasari.

Istanbul $3,212
Dubasari $1,266

Living in Istanbul is roughly 136% more expensive than in Dubasari, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Istanbul is 12% above, Dubasari is 52% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.81 ₺592

$8.28 MDL 146

42.63%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.9 ₺2,754

$29.43 MDL 520

86.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.26 ₺465

$10.51 MDL 186

-11.89%

Cappuccino

$4.30 ₺216

$1.77 MDL 31.29

142.94%

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

$1.77 ₺89.0

$1.05 MDL 18.58

68.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺28.32

$0.69 MDL 12.17

-18.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.69 ₺235

$1.96 MDL 34.67

139.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.12 ₺357

$2.27 MDL 40.10

213.66%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 ₺62.7

$1.26 MDL 22.32

-0.79%

White Bread (500g)

$0.88 ₺44.17

$0.49 MDL 8.72

79.59%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 ₺111

$1.58 MDL 27.86

39.24%

Eggs

$2.43 ₺122

$2.18 MDL 38.59

11.47%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.48 ₺526

$6.60 MDL 117

58.79%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.31 ₺267

$4.60 MDL 81.4

15.43%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.10 ₺1,058

$6.27 MDL 111

236.52%

Apples (1kg)

$1.86 ₺93.1

$0.98 MDL 17.34

89.80%

Banana (1kg)

$2.30 ₺115

$2.18 MDL 38.61

5.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.22 ₺61.0

$1.86 MDL 32.87

-34.41%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺90.2

$2.38 MDL 42.01

-24.37%

Potato (1kg)

$0.69 ₺34.83

$0.70 MDL 12.45

-1.43%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺32.16

$0.49 MDL 8.60

30.61%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.36 ₺68.0

$0.44 MDL 7.73

209.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 ₺28.94

$0.58 MDL 10.19

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.34 ₺117

$3.28 MDL 57.9

-28.66%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.03 ₺653

$4.52 MDL 80.0

188.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.36 ₺118

$1.36 MDL 24.06

73.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.32 ₺166

$1.98 MDL 35.05

67.68%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.88 ₺44.07

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.1 ₺3,316

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 ₺64.4

$2.75 MDL 48.56

-53.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 ₺42.80

$0.24 MDL 4.23

254.17%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.09 ₺556

$5.44 MDL 96.2

103.86%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 ₺74.0

$1.54 MDL 27.22

-3.90%

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

$48.6K ₺2.4M

$33.0K MDL 583.8K

47.32%

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

$42.0K ₺2.1M

$24.4K MDL 430.6K

72.36%

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

$92.7 ₺4,650

$224 MDL 3,953

-58.53%

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

$11.20 ₺562

$7.63 MDL 135

46.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.89 ₺797

$11.02 MDL 195

44.19%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.7 ₺3,745

$11.25 MDL 199

563.82%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.95 ₺1,151

Cinema Ticket

$8.05 ₺404

$7.48 MDL 132

7.62%

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

$948 ₺47.6K

$109 MDL 1,933

767.82%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.9K ₺1.9M

$5,136 MDL 90.8K

618.82%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₺2,702

$43.86 MDL 776

22.85%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.49 ₺2,081

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 ₺5,060

$56.3 MDL 996

79.20%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.3 ₺4,580

$49.40 MDL 874

84.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,014 ₺50.8K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$625 ₺31.3K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,005 ₺100.6K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,126 ₺56.5K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,988 ₺149.8K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,730 ₺86.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,136 ₺57.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.42

405.25%

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

Last update for Istanbul: November 2, 2026

Last update for Dubasari: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$625 41.1%

Dubasari

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$258 17%

Dubasari

$163 25.4% 36.9% $95

Eating Out

Istanbul

$221 14.6%

Dubasari

$140 21.8% 36.5% $81

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$129 8.5%

Dubasari

$67 * 10.5% 48% $62

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$120 7.9%

Dubasari

$242 37.7% 102% $122

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$91 6%

Dubasari

$26 4.1% 71.1% $65

Getting Around

Istanbul

$75 5%

Dubasari

$3.9 * 0.6% 94.8% $71

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $55 in Istanbul vs $29 in Dubasari for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $258 vs $163 per month, with Dubasari cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇲🇩 Dubasari

🕒 Local time

10:57 10:57 AM

09:57 9:57 AM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

23,254

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Moldovan Leu MDL L

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 1.99 USD

100 TRY = 1.78 EUR

100 MDL = 5.66 USD

100 MDL = 5.04 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MDL, 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).

Moldovan Leu exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 17.68 MDL (100 MDL = 5.66 USD). 1 EUR = 19.86 MDL (100 MDL = 5.04 EUR).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Istanbul Dubasari 700 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Dubasari

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 Dubasari: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Dubasari is about 58% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and transport. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $2,278 in Istanbul and $965 in Dubasari 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.

Supermarket bills run roughly 58% higher in Istanbul. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $1,519 per month in Istanbul versus $643 in Dubasari – Dubasari is about 58% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $643 in Dubasari versus $1,519 in Istanbul, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Dubasari but tight or insufficient in Istanbul. The gap between the two cities makes Dubasari 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 Dubasari are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.