Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Eger

For one person, living is cheaper in Eger: $1,230 a month against $1,550 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $3,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

75

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index
60

Cost of Living Index in Eger
Learn more

Eger Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

Eger

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,230

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Eger

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,550 in Istanbul versus $1,230 in Eger.

Istanbul $1,550
Eger $1,230

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,415 in Istanbul versus $1,822 in Eger.

Istanbul $2,415
Eger $1,822

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,281 in Istanbul versus $2,415 in Eger.

Istanbul $3,281
Eger $2,415

Living in Istanbul is roughly 26% more expensive than in Eger, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Istanbul is 15% above, Eger is 9% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.30 ₺609

$9.03 Ft 2,918

36.21%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.7 ₺2,708

$37.30 Ft 12.1K

46.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.22 ₺456

$6.80 Ft 2,197

35.59%

Cappuccino

$4.40 ₺218

$2.46 Ft 795

78.86%

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

$1.68 ₺83.1

$1.06 Ft 341

58.49%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₺29.40

$0.68 Ft 219

-13.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.70 ₺233

$2.25 Ft 727

108.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.91 ₺292

$1.84 Ft 595

221.20%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 ₺60.0

$1.23 Ft 398

-1.63%

White Bread (500g)

$0.89 ₺44.10

$1.34 Ft 433

-33.58%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.19 ₺108

$2.49 Ft 805

-12.05%

Eggs

$2.35 ₺116

$3.52 Ft 1,139

-33.24%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.42 ₺516

$9.77 Ft 3,158

6.65%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.65 ₺280

$6.33 Ft 2,045

-10.74%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.94 ₺1,037

$13.12 Ft 4,237

59.60%

Apples (1kg)

$1.90 ₺94.1

$2.24 Ft 723

-15.18%

Banana (1kg)

$2.31 ₺114

$2.22 Ft 717

4.05%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.1

$2.04 Ft 661

-37.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺89.0

$3.47 Ft 1,122

-48.13%

Potato (1kg)

$0.65 ₺32.16

$1.03 Ft 332

-36.89%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺31.91

$1.05 Ft 341

-39.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 ₺62.1

$1.46 Ft 472

-14.38%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.58

$0.51 Ft 163

9.80%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.37 ₺118

$8.01 Ft 2,587

-70.41%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.42 ₺664

$5.31 Ft 1,715

152.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₺119

$1.22 Ft 393

96.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 ₺172

$1.96 Ft 634

77.55%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.89 ₺43.84

$1.23 Ft 398

-27.64%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.4 ₺3,338

$30.69 Ft 9,916

119.71%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.29 ₺64.1

$2.91 Ft 940

-55.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 ₺45.70

$1.54 Ft 498

-40.26%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.96 ₺542

$18.44 Ft 5,959

-40.56%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ₺72.9

$1.80 Ft 581

-18.33%

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

$50.8K ₺2.5M

$27.3K Ft 8.8M

86.24%

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

$44.5K ₺2.2M

$37.3K Ft 12.0M

19.45%

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

$88.6 ₺4,387

$125 Ft 40.5K

-29.34%

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

$11.59 ₺574

$21.37 Ft 6,904

-45.77%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.81 ₺783

$20.34 Ft 6,571

-22.27%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.2 ₺3,820

$72.7 Ft 23.5K

6.13%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.74 ₺1,126

$19.24 Ft 6,216

18.19%

Cinema Ticket

$8.14 ₺403

$8.62 Ft 2,786

-5.57%

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

$1,008 ₺49.9K

$249 Ft 80.3K

305.37%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.6K ₺1.3M

$6,787 Ft 2.2M

276.59%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.0 ₺2,671

$82.8 Ft 26.8K

-34.87%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.83 ₺2,021

$26.82 Ft 8,665

52.24%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.9 ₺4,895

$75.0 Ft 24.2K

31.89%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.6 ₺4,783

$81.4 Ft 26.3K

18.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$985 ₺48.7K

$540 Ft 174.5K

82.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$650 ₺32.2K

$425 Ft 137.2K

53.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,983 ₺98.2K

$700 Ft 226.2K

183.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,180 ₺58.4K

$625 Ft 201.9K

88.80%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,138 ₺155.4K

$3,450 Ft 1.1M

-9.05%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,780 ₺88.1K

$2,710 Ft 875.6K

-34.33%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,205 ₺59.7K

$1,500 Ft 484.6K

-19.63%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.92

8.38

388.31%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 13, 2026

Last update for Eger: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$650 41.9%

Eger

$425 34.5% 34.6% $225

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$260 16.8%

Eger

$238 19.4% 8.4% $22

Eating Out

Istanbul

$223 14.4%

Eger

$144 11.7% 35.5% $79

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$131 8.4%

Eger

$120 9.7% 8.3% $11

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$116 7.5%

Eger

$167 13.6% 44% $51

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$93 6%

Eger

$90 7.3% 3.7% $3.5

Getting Around

Istanbul

$77 5%

Eger

$46 3.8% 39.9% $31

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $985 in Istanbul and $540 in Eger. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Eger pays 24% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $55.0 in Istanbul vs $37.00 in Eger for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $260 vs $238 per month, with Eger cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇭🇺 Eger

🕒 Local time

23:00 11:00 PM

22:00 10:00 PM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

49,499

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 2.02 USD

100 TRY = 1.8 EUR

1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

HUF, USD, EUR to TRY – Turkish Lira Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇷 Turkish Lira (₺)

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 49.51 TRY (100 TRY = 2.02 USD). 1 EUR = 55.67 TRY (100 TRY = 1.8 EUR).

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 323 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 363 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Istanbul Eger 1,030 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Eger

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 Eger: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Istanbul and Eger differ by about 26% in total monthly costs ($1,550 vs $1,230 including rent). Eger is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 24% lower in Eger. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $985 in Istanbul versus $540 in Eger. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,008 in Istanbul versus $249 in Eger. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 9% higher in Istanbul. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,230 in Eger versus $1,550 in Istanbul, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Eger but tight or insufficient in Istanbul. The gap between the two cities makes Eger 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 Eger 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 Eger gentler on the wallet – expenses run 26% less than in Istanbul. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.