Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and El Medano

Name: El Medano
Address: El Medano, ES

For one person, living is cheaper in El Medano: $1,447 a month against $1,550 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $1,200 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Istanbul outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

75

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index
71

Cost of Living Index in El Medano
Learn more

El Medano Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

El Medano

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,447

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in El Medano

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

A single person spends $1,550 per month in Istanbul vs $1,447 in El Medano, rent included.

Istanbul $1,550
El Medano $1,447

A couple spends around $2,415 per month in Istanbul vs $2,394 in El Medano, rent included.

Istanbul $2,415
El Medano $2,394

A family of three spends $3,281 per month in Istanbul vs $3,342 in El Medano, rent included.

Istanbul $3,281
El Medano $3,342

Istanbul costs about 7% more than El Medano, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Istanbul and El Medano sit above the global median – Istanbul by 15%, El Medano by 7%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.30 ₺609

$20.37 €18.12

-39.62%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.7 ₺2,708

$61.7 €54.9

-11.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.22 ₺456

$11.38 €10.13

-18.98%

Cappuccino

$4.40 ₺218

$1.99 €1.77

121.11%

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

$1.68 ₺83.1

$1.90 €1.69

-11.58%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₺29.40

$1.30 €1.16

-54.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.70 ₺233

$2.76 €2.45

70.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.91 ₺292

$3.28 €2.91

80.18%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 ₺60.0

$1.32 €1.18

-8.33%

White Bread (500g)

$0.89 ₺44.10

$2.41 €2.14

-63.07%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.19 ₺108

$1.59 €1.41

37.74%

Eggs

$2.35 ₺116

$4.18 €3.72

-43.78%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.42 ₺516

$14.57 €12.96

-28.48%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.65 ₺280

$9.25 €8.23

-38.92%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.94 ₺1,037

$17.98 €15.99

16.46%

Apples (1kg)

$1.90 ₺94.1

$2.48 €2.21

-23.39%

Banana (1kg)

$2.31 ₺114

$2.28 €2.03

1.32%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.1

$2.25 €2.00

-43.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺89.0

$2.53 €2.25

-28.85%

Potato (1kg)

$0.65 ₺32.16

$2.10 €1.87

-69.05%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺31.91

$1.93 €1.72

-66.84%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 ₺62.1

$1.64 €1.46

-23.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.58

$0.98 €0.87

-42.86%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.37 ₺118

$5.52 €4.91

-57.07%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.42 ₺664

$7.73 €6.88

73.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₺119

$1.68 €1.50

42.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 ₺172

$1.38 €1.23

152.17%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.89 ₺43.84

$1.67 €1.49

-46.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.4 ₺3,338

$25.49 €22.67

164.54%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.29 ₺64.1

$4.08 €3.63

-68.38%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 ₺45.70

$1.73 €1.54

-46.82%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.96 ₺542

$16.58 €14.75

-33.90%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ₺72.9

$1.25 €1.11

17.60%

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

$50.8K ₺2.5M

$27.1K €24.1K

87.13%

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

$44.5K ₺2.2M

$28.8K €25.7K

54.36%

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

$88.6 ₺4,387

$98.8 €87.9

-10.30%

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

$11.59 ₺574

$22.46 €19.98

-48.40%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.81 ₺783

$35.17 €31.28

-55.05%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.2 ₺3,820

$44.58 €39.66

73.08%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.74 ₺1,126

$15.75 €14.01

44.38%

Cinema Ticket

$8.14 ₺403

$9.90 €8.81

-17.78%

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

$1,008 ₺49.9K

$407 €362

147.90%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.6K ₺1.3M

$5,118 €4,553

399.39%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.0 ₺2,671

$92.2 €82.0

-41.47%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.83 ₺2,021

$41.86 €37.24

-2.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.9 ₺4,895

$90.2 €80.3

9.57%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.6 ₺4,783

$114 €102

-15.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$985 ₺48.7K

$895 €796

9.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$650 ₺32.2K

$468 €416

38.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,983 ₺98.2K

$1,354 €1,205

46.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,180 ₺58.4K

$1,027 €913

14.91%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,138 ₺155.4K

$3,258 €2,898

-3.68%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,780 ₺88.1K

$2,228 €1,982

-20.13%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,205 ₺59.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.92

3.56

1049.44%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 13, 2026

Last update for El Medano: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$650 41.9%

El Medano

$468 32.3% 28% $182

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$260 16.8%

El Medano

$307 21.2% 18.2% $47

Eating Out

Istanbul

$223 14.4%

El Medano

$254 17.6% 13.8% $31

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$131 8.4%

El Medano

$152 10.5% 16.7% $22

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$116 7.5%

El Medano

$156 10.8% 34.8% $40

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$93 6%

El Medano

$64 4.5% 31.1% $29

Getting Around

Istanbul

$77 5%

El Medano

$45 3.1% 41.6% $32

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $985 in Istanbul versus $895 in El Medano. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55.0 in Istanbul versus $62.0 in El Medano. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $260 vs $307 – making Istanbul the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇪🇸 El Medano

🕒 Local time

04:32 4:32 AM

02:32 2:32 AM

2 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

2,500

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 2.02 USD

100 TRY = 1.8 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 19, 2026: 1 USD = 49.51 TRY (100 TRY = 2.02 USD). 1 EUR = 55.66 TRY (100 TRY = 1.8 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Istanbul El Medano 4,360 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
El Medano

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 El Medano: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,550 in Istanbul, $1,447 in El Medano – roughly 7% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,325 per month in Istanbul and $2,171 in El Medano. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in El Medano, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $1,008 per month in Istanbul and $407 in El Medano. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 18% cheaper in Istanbul – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in El Medano, where all-in costs run around $1,447, than in Istanbul at $1,550. In El Medano it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Istanbul has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,447 in El Medano to $1,550 in Istanbul. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with El Medano. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Istanbul makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.