Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Famagusta

For one person, living is cheaper in Istanbul: $1,519 a month against $1,635 in Famagusta, rent and utilities included – about $1,400 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
78

Cost of Living Index in Famagusta
Learn more

Famagusta Living Index

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Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,519

/mo nomad

Famagusta

🇨🇾 Cyprus

$1,635

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Famagusta

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,519 in Istanbul versus $1,635 in Famagusta.

Istanbul $1,519
Famagusta $1,635

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,365 in Istanbul versus $2,346 in Famagusta.

Istanbul $2,365
Famagusta $2,346

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,212 in Istanbul versus $3,058 in Famagusta.

Istanbul $3,212
Famagusta $3,058

Living in Istanbul costs roughly 7% less than in Famagusta, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Istanbul 12% above, Famagusta 21% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.81 ₺592

$16.56 €14.74

-28.68%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.9 ₺2,754

$56.0 €49.85

-1.91%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.26 ₺465

$9.03 €8.04

2.55%

Cappuccino

$4.30 ₺216

$3.58 €3.19

20.11%

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

$1.77 ₺89.0

$1.15 €1.03

53.91%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺28.32

$1.18 €1.05

-52.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.69 ₺235

$4.42 €3.94

6.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.12 ₺357

$4.02 €3.58

77.11%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 ₺62.7

$1.95 €1.73

-35.90%

White Bread (500g)

$0.88 ₺44.17

$1.47 €1.31

-40.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 ₺111

$2.16 €1.92

1.85%

Eggs

$2.43 ₺122

$4.47 €3.98

-45.64%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.48 ₺526

$9.38 €8.35

11.73%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.31 ₺267

$8.79 €7.83

-39.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.10 ₺1,058

$12.58 €11.20

67.73%

Apples (1kg)

$1.86 ₺93.1

$3.25 €2.89

-42.77%

Banana (1kg)

$2.30 ₺115

$1.83 €1.63

25.68%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.22 ₺61.0

$2.13 €1.90

-42.72%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺90.2

$2.95 €2.63

-38.98%

Potato (1kg)

$0.69 ₺34.83

$1.46 €1.30

-52.74%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺32.16

$1.14 €1.01

-43.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.36 ₺68.0

$0.58 €0.52

134.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 ₺28.94

$1.00 €0.89

-42.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.34 ₺117

$5.64 €5.03

-58.51%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.03 ₺653

$6.73 €5.99

93.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.36 ₺118

$1.73 €1.54

36.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.32 ₺166

$2.07 €1.84

60.39%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.88 ₺44.07

$2.27 €2.02

-61.23%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.1 ₺3,316

$50.6 €45.08

30.59%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 ₺64.4

$5.57 €4.96

-77.02%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 ₺42.80

$2.07 €1.85

-58.94%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.09 ₺556

$22.03 €19.61

-49.66%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 ₺74.0

$1.74 €1.55

-14.94%

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

$48.6K ₺2.4M

$27.0K €24.1K

80.03%

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

$42.0K ₺2.1M

$23.7K €21.1K

76.90%

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

$92.7 ₺4,650

$187 €166

-50.29%

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

$11.20 ₺562

$24.31 €21.65

-53.93%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.89 ₺797

$32.47 €28.91

-51.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.7 ₺3,745

$44.85 €39.93

66.51%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.95 ₺1,151

$17.02 €15.16

34.84%

Cinema Ticket

$8.05 ₺404

$11.16 €9.94

-27.87%

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

$948 ₺47.6K

$476 €424

99.05%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.9K ₺1.9M

$2,944 €2,621

1154.06%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₺2,702

$51.3 €45.67

5.05%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.49 ₺2,081

$32.74 €29.15

26.73%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 ₺5,060

$94.7 €84.3

6.59%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.3 ₺4,580

$90.1 €80.2

1.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,014 ₺50.8K

$669 €596

51.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$625 ₺31.3K

$617 €550

1.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,005 ₺100.6K

$942 €839

112.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,126 ₺56.5K

$807 €719

39.46%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,988 ₺149.8K

$3,707 €3,301

-19.41%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,730 ₺86.8K

$2,289 €2,038

-24.40%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,136 ₺57.0K

$901 €802

26.09%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.42

3.31

1121.15%

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

Last update for Istanbul: November 2, 2026

Last update for Famagusta: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$625 41.1%

Famagusta

$617 37.8% 1.2% $7.3

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$258 17%

Famagusta

$268 16.4% 3.9% $10

Eating Out

Istanbul

$221 14.6%

Famagusta

$242 14.8% 9.6% $21

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$129 8.5%

Famagusta

$121 7.4% 6.5% $8.5

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$120 7.9%

Famagusta

$243 14.9% 103% $123

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$91 6%

Famagusta

$67 4.1% 26% $24

Getting Around

Istanbul

$75 5%

Famagusta

$76 4.6% 0.6% $0.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,014 in Istanbul and $669 in Famagusta. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Istanbul pays 26% 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 $56 in Famagusta for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $258 vs $268 per month, with Istanbul cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇨🇾 Famagusta

🕒 Local time

15:52 3:52 PM

14:52 2:52 PM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

42,526

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 1.99 USD

100 TRY = 1.78 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 November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 50.15 TRY (100 TRY = 1.99 USD). 1 EUR = 56.33 TRY (100 TRY = 1.78 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 0.89 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Istanbul Famagusta 790 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Famagusta

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 Famagusta: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Istanbul wins on cost – living expenses run 7% lower than in Famagusta. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Istanbul the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 26% 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: $1,014 in Istanbul versus $669 in Famagusta. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 4% higher in Famagusta. 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 $1,635 in Famagusta – Istanbul is about 7% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

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.