Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Edessa

For one person, living costs are similar in Istanbul and in Edessa: $1,525 and $1,457 a month, rent and utilities included.

74

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index
70

Cost of Living Index in Edessa
Learn more

Edessa Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,525

/mo nomad

Edessa

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,457

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Edessa

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,525 in Istanbul versus $1,457 in Edessa.

Istanbul $1,525
Edessa $1,457

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,390 in Istanbul versus $2,146 in Edessa.

Istanbul $2,390
Edessa $2,146

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,256 in Istanbul versus $2,834 in Edessa.

Istanbul $3,256
Edessa $2,834

Living in Istanbul is roughly 5% more expensive than in Edessa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Istanbul 13% above, Edessa 8% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.96 ₺594

$17.04 €15.20

-29.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$57.2 ₺2,844

$53.5 €47.73

7.01%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.51 ₺473

$9.95 €8.88

-4.42%

Cappuccino

$4.40 ₺219

$3.33 €2.98

32.13%

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

$1.75 ₺86.9

$1.87 €1.67

-6.42%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.67

$0.54 €0.48

3.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.71 ₺234

$3.87 €3.45

21.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.14 ₺305

$4.47 €3.99

37.36%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.24 ₺61.9

$1.58 €1.41

-21.52%

White Bread (500g)

$0.95 ₺47.42

$1.24 €1.11

-23.39%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.28 ₺113

$1.91 €1.71

19.37%

Eggs

$2.45 ₺122

$4.46 €3.98

-45.07%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.56 ₺525

$13.81 €12.32

-23.53%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.50 ₺273

$8.35 €7.45

-34.13%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.65 ₺1,076

$12.95 €11.56

67.18%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 ₺90.9

$2.14 €1.91

-14.49%

Banana (1kg)

$2.29 ₺114

$1.99 €1.77

15.08%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.6

$1.75 €1.56

-26.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.82 ₺90.4

$2.27 €2.03

-19.82%

Potato (1kg)

$0.66 ₺32.86

$1.17 €1.04

-43.59%

Onion (1kg)

$0.63 ₺31.25

$1.21 €1.08

-47.93%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.27 ₺63.0

$0.93 €0.83

36.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.72

$0.80 €0.72

-30.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.36 ₺117

$5.66 €5.05

-58.30%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.98 ₺645

$7.45 €6.65

74.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.48 ₺123

$1.71 €1.53

45.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.50 ₺174

$2.64 €2.36

32.58%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.82 ₺40.92

$1.36 €1.21

-39.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.2 ₺3,240

$44.83 €40.01

45.44%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.33 ₺66.0

$4.22 €3.77

-68.48%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.90 ₺44.77

$1.09 €0.98

-17.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.91 ₺542

$17.00 €15.17

-35.82%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.43 ₺71.0

$2.21 €1.97

-35.29%

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

$49.6K ₺2.5M

$27.5K €24.6K

80.01%

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

$43.2K ₺2.1M

$29.1K €26.0K

48.46%

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

$88.8 ₺4,411

$260 €232

-65.82%

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

$11.69 ₺581

$26.26 €23.44

-55.48%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.09 ₺800

$35.31 €31.51

-54.43%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$76.3 ₺3,789

$48.90 €43.64

55.95%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.72 ₺1,129

$27.83 €24.84

-18.36%

Cinema Ticket

$8.26 ₺411

$8.73 €7.79

-5.38%

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

$1,015 ₺50.4K

$435 €388

133.26%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.8K ₺1.3M

$8,317 €7,423

210.68%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.3 ₺2,646

$90.7 €81.0

-41.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.55 ₺2,015

$40.55 €36.19

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100 ₺4,974

$91.5 €81.7

9.42%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.5 ₺4,647

$123 €109

-23.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$977 ₺48.5K

$349 €312

179.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$627 ₺31.2K

$346 €308

81.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,980 ₺98.4K

$603 €538

228.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,147 ₺57.0K

$468 €418

144.98%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,095 ₺153.8K

$1,358 €1,212

127.90%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,787 ₺88.8K

$2,006 €1,790

-10.90%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,213 ₺60.3K

$778 €694

55.90%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.69

4.47

810.29%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 19, 2026

Last update for Edessa: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$627 41.1%

Edessa

$346 23.7% 44.9% $281

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$263 17.2%

Edessa

$265 18.2% 0.8% $2.2

Eating Out

Istanbul

$222 14.6%

Edessa

$244 16.8% 9.9% $22

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$129 8.5%

Edessa

$155 10.7% 20.1% $26

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$117 7.6%

Edessa

$321 22% 176% $205

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$93 6.1%

Edessa

$66 4.6% 28.5% $26

Getting Around

Istanbul

$74 4.9%

Edessa

$60 4.1% 19.3% $14

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $977 in Istanbul and $349 in Edessa. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Istanbul pays 56% 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: $57.0 in Istanbul vs $53.0 in Edessa. Groceries flip the comparison at $263 vs $265, with Istanbul cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇬🇷 Edessa

🕒 Local time

16:16 4:16 PM

15:16 3:16 PM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

18,253

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 2.01 USD

100 TRY = 1.79 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to TRY – Turkish Lira Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇷 Turkish Lira (₺)

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of October 25, 2026: 1 USD = 49.69 TRY (100 TRY = 2.01 USD). 1 EUR = 55.86 TRY (100 TRY = 1.79 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 25, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Istanbul Edessa 580 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Edessa

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 Edessa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Istanbul and Edessa differ by about 5% in total monthly costs ($1,525 vs $1,457 including rent). Edessa is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 56% 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: $977 in Istanbul versus $349 in Edessa. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Edessa runs roughly 45% less than in Istanbul. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $1,015 in Istanbul versus $435 in Edessa. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,457 in Edessa versus $1,525 in Istanbul, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Edessa but tight or insufficient in Istanbul. The gap between the two cities makes Edessa 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 Edessa are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Edessa gentler on the wallet – expenses run 5% less than in Istanbul. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.