Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Esenyurt

For one person, living is cheaper in Esenyurt: $1,218 a month against $1,519 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $3,600 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

73

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Esenyurt
Learn more

Esenyurt Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,519

/mo nomad

Esenyurt

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,218

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Esenyurt

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,519 in Istanbul versus $1,218 in Esenyurt.

Istanbul $1,519
Esenyurt $1,218

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,365 in Istanbul versus $1,633 in Esenyurt.

Istanbul $2,365
Esenyurt $1,633

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,212 in Istanbul versus $2,048 in Esenyurt.

Istanbul $3,212
Esenyurt $2,048

Living in Istanbul is roughly 25% more expensive than in Esenyurt, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Istanbul is 12% above, Esenyurt is 10% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.81 ₺591

$7.32 ₺366

61.34%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.9 ₺2,747

$30.33 ₺1,517

81.04%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.26 ₺463

$7.15 ₺358

29.51%

Cappuccino

$4.30 ₺215

$3.90 ₺195

10.26%

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

$1.77 ₺88.7

$0.92 ₺45.92

92.39%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺28.24

$0.40 ₺19.78

40.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.69 ₺234

$1.77 ₺88.5

164.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.12 ₺356

$2.34 ₺117

204.27%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 ₺62.6

$0.93 ₺46.60

34.41%

White Bread (500g)

$0.88 ₺44.05

$0.87 ₺43.43

1.15%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 ₺110

$2.13 ₺106

3.29%

Eggs

$2.43 ₺122

$2.44 ₺122

-0.41%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.48 ₺524

$8.89 ₺445

17.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.31 ₺266

$2.78 ₺139

91.01%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.10 ₺1,056

$18.06 ₺903

16.83%

Apples (1kg)

$1.86 ₺92.8

$1.81 ₺90.6

2.76%

Banana (1kg)

$2.30 ₺115

$1.95 ₺97.4

17.95%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.22 ₺60.8

$0.83 ₺41.33

46.99%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺89.9

$1.59 ₺79.3

13.21%

Potato (1kg)

$0.69 ₺34.73

$0.58 ₺29.25

18.97%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺32.08

$0.30 ₺15.01

113.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.36 ₺67.8

$0.77 ₺38.65

76.62%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 ₺28.87

$0.61 ₺30.57

-4.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.34 ₺117

$1.94 ₺97.2

20.62%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.03 ₺652

$12.97 ₺649

0.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.36 ₺118

$2.39 ₺120

-1.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.32 ₺166

$3.39 ₺170

-2.06%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.88 ₺43.95

$0.73 ₺36.71

20.55%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.1 ₺3,307

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 ₺64.3

$1.02 ₺51.1

25.49%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 ₺42.68

$0.89 ₺44.54

-4.49%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.09 ₺555

$10.82 ₺541

2.50%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 ₺73.8

$1.46 ₺73.1

1.37%

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

$48.6K ₺2.4M

$49.5K ₺2.5M

-1.76%

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

$42.0K ₺2.1M

$42.7K ₺2.1M

-1.79%

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

$92.7 ₺4,637

$90.5 ₺4,528

2.41%

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

$11.20 ₺560

$10.12 ₺506

10.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.89 ₺795

$13.79 ₺690

15.23%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.7 ₺3,735

$54.5 ₺2,725

37.08%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.95 ₺1,148

$12.14 ₺607

89.04%

Cinema Ticket

$8.05 ₺403

$7.80 ₺390

3.21%

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

$948 ₺47.4K

$595 ₺29.7K

59.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.9K ₺1.8M

$11.5K ₺572.8K

222.35%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₺2,695

$38.00 ₺1,900

41.79%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.49 ₺2,075

$41.99 ₺2,100

-1.19%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 ₺5,046

$94.9 ₺4,746

6.33%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.3 ₺4,567

$71.3 ₺3,565

28.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,014 ₺50.7K

$429 ₺21.5K

136.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$625 ₺31.2K

$548 ₺27.4K

13.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,005 ₺100.3K

$775 ₺38.8K

158.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,126 ₺56.3K

$562 ₺28.1K

100.34%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,988 ₺149.4K

$1,307 ₺65.4K

128.60%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,730 ₺86.5K

$1,036 ₺51.8K

67.05%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,136 ₺56.8K

$1,316 ₺65.8K

-13.64%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.42

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

Last update for Istanbul: November 2, 2026

Last update for Esenyurt: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$625 41.1%

Esenyurt

$548 45% 12.2% $76

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$258 17%

Esenyurt

$220 18.1% 14.7% $38

Eating Out

Istanbul

$221 14.6%

Esenyurt

$146 12% 34.1% $75

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$129 8.5%

Esenyurt

$111 9.1% 14.4% $19

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$120 7.9%

Esenyurt

$114 9.4% 4.5% $5.4

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$91 6%

Esenyurt

$70 5.8% 22.8% $21

Getting Around

Istanbul

$75 5%

Esenyurt

$8.4 * 0.7% 88.8% $67

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,014 in Istanbul and $429 in Esenyurt. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Esenyurt pays 16% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $55 in Istanbul vs $30 in Esenyurt for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $258 vs $220 per month, with Esenyurt cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇹🇷 Esenyurt

🕒 Local time

12:41 12:41 PM

Same time as Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

978,007

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 2 USD

100 TRY = 1.78 EUR

100 TRY = 2 USD

100 TRY = 1.78 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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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 Esenyurt: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,519 in Istanbul and $1,218 in Esenyurt, so Esenyurt is about 20% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 14% 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 $429 in Esenyurt. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 17% 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 $1,218 in Esenyurt – Esenyurt is about 20% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Either city works on $2,000 a month, though Esenyurt gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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