Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Eilat

For one person, living is cheaper in Istanbul: $1,519 a month against $2,946 in Eilat, rent and utilities included – about $17,100 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
141

Cost of Living Index in Eilat
Learn more

Eilat Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,519

/mo nomad

Eilat

🇮🇱 Israel

$2,946

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Eilat

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,519 in Istanbul versus $2,946 in Eilat.

Istanbul $1,519
Eilat $2,946

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,365 in Istanbul versus $4,413 in Eilat.

Istanbul $2,365
Eilat $4,413

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,212 in Istanbul versus $5,881 in Eilat.

Istanbul $3,212
Eilat $5,881

Living in Istanbul costs roughly 48% less than in Eilat, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Istanbul 12% above, Eilat 118% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.81 ₺591

$25.79 ₪81.6

-54.21%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.9 ₺2,748

$126 ₪398

-56.36%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.26 ₺463

$19.69 ₪62.3

-52.97%

Cappuccino

$4.30 ₺215

$5.29 ₪16.73

-18.71%

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

$1.77 ₺88.8

$3.89 ₪12.30

-54.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺28.26

$3.00 ₪9.50

-81.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.69 ₺234

$10.61 ₪33.57

-55.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.12 ₺356

$10.38 ₪32.82

-31.41%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 ₺62.6

$2.53 ₪8.00

-50.59%

White Bread (500g)

$0.88 ₺44.07

$4.52 ₪14.29

-80.53%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 ₺110

$3.71 ₪11.75

-40.70%

Eggs

$2.43 ₺122

$3.91 ₪12.36

-37.85%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.48 ₺524

$21.54 ₪68.1

-51.35%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.31 ₺266

$16.23 ₪51.3

-67.28%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.10 ₺1,056

$24.61 ₪77.8

-14.26%

Apples (1kg)

$1.86 ₺92.9

$3.60 ₪11.40

-48.33%

Banana (1kg)

$2.30 ₺115

$1.87 ₪5.93

22.99%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.22 ₺60.8

$1.63 ₪5.16

-25.15%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺90.0

$1.89 ₪5.98

-4.76%

Potato (1kg)

$0.69 ₺34.75

$1.51 ₪4.78

-54.30%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺32.09

$1.57 ₪4.97

-59.24%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.36 ₺67.8

$2.59 ₪8.19

-47.49%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 ₺28.88

$2.60 ₪8.21

-77.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.34 ₺117

$14.17 ₪44.83

-83.49%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.03 ₺652

$10.93 ₪34.58

19.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.36 ₺118

$2.24 ₪7.10

5.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.32 ₺166

$1.23 ₪3.90

169.92%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.88 ₺43.97

$2.22 ₪7.03

-60.36%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.1 ₺3,309

$112 ₪353

-40.71%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 ₺64.3

$4.07 ₪12.87

-68.55%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 ₺42.70

$0.71 ₪2.24

19.72%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.09 ₺555

$37.51 ₪119

-70.43%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 ₺73.9

$2.64 ₪8.35

-43.94%

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

$48.6K ₺2.4M

$54.4K ₪172.2K

-10.65%

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

$42.0K ₺2.1M

$52.5K ₪166.2K

-20.09%

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

$92.7 ₺4,639

$431 ₪1,365

-78.51%

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

$11.20 ₺560

$11.08 ₪35.06

1.08%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.89 ₺795

$34.78 ₪110

-54.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.7 ₺3,737

$87.7 ₪278

-14.88%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.95 ₺1,149

Cinema Ticket

$8.05 ₺403

$15.43 ₪48.80

-47.83%

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

$948 ₺47.5K

$1,681 ₪5,317

-43.58%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.9K ₺1.8M

$25.3K ₪80.0K

46.00%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₺2,696

$121 ₪381

-55.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.49 ₺2,076

$83.3 ₪264

-50.21%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 ₺5,049

$113 ₪359

-10.98%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.3 ₺4,570

$189 ₪598

-51.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,014 ₺50.7K

$1,565 ₪4,952

-35.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$625 ₺31.3K

$1,113 ₪3,522

-43.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,005 ₺100.4K

$2,406 ₪7,612

-16.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,126 ₺56.3K

$1,860 ₪5,885

-39.47%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,988 ₺149.5K

$10.2K ₪32.2K

-70.61%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,730 ₺86.6K

$8,455 ₪26.7K

-79.54%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,136 ₺56.9K

$2,685 ₪8,493

-57.67%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.42

5.03

703.58%

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

Last update for Istanbul: November 2, 2026

Last update for Eilat: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$625 41.1%

Eilat

$1.1K 37.8% 78.3% $489

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$258 17%

Eilat

$450 15.3% 74.4% $192

Eating Out

Istanbul

$221 14.6%

Eilat

$430 14.6% 94.8% $209

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$129 8.5%

Eilat

$228 7.7% 76% $98

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$120 7.9%

Eilat

$477 16.2% 298% $357

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$91 6%

Eilat

$119 4% 30.6% $28

Getting Around

Istanbul

$75 5%

Eilat

$128 4.4% 70.3% $53

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,014 in Istanbul and $1,565 in Eilat. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Eilat pays about 2.4 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $55 in Istanbul vs $126 in Eilat for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $258 vs $450 per month, with Istanbul cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇮🇱 Eilat

🕒 Local time

02:47 2:47 AM

01:47 1:47 AM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

66,618

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Israeli New Shekel ILS ₪

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 2 USD

100 TRY = 1.78 EUR

1 ILS = 0.316 USD

1 ILS = 0.282 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ILS, USD, EUR to TRY – Turkish Lira Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇷 Turkish Lira (₺)

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 50.04 TRY (100 TRY = 2 USD). 1 EUR = 56.18 TRY (100 TRY = 1.78 EUR).

Israeli New Shekel exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 3.16 ILS (1 ILS = 0.316 USD). 1 EUR = 3.55 ILS (1 ILS = 0.282 EUR).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Istanbul Eilat 1,380 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Eilat

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 Eilat: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,519 in Istanbul and $2,946 in Eilat, so Istanbul is about 48% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 58% lower in Istanbul. 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: $1,014 in Istanbul versus $1,565 in Eilat. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Istanbul runs roughly 41% less than in Eilat. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $948 in Istanbul versus $1,681 in Eilat. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,500. Istanbul is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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 Eilat are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Istanbul gentler on the wallet – expenses run 48% less than in Eilat. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.