Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Foca

For one person, living is cheaper in Foca: $952 a month against $1,550 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $7,200 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
46

Cost of Living Index in Foca
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Foca Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

Foca

🇧🇦 Bosnia and Herzegovina

$952

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Foca

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,550 in Istanbul versus $952 in Foca.

Istanbul $1,550
Foca $952

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,415 in Istanbul versus $1,369 in Foca.

Istanbul $2,415
Foca $1,369

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,281 in Istanbul versus $1,786 in Foca.

Istanbul $3,281
Foca $1,786

Living in Istanbul is roughly 63% more expensive than in Foca, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Istanbul is 15% above, Foca is 29% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.30 ₺609

$5.40 BAM 9.39

127.78%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.7 ₺2,708

$21.90 BAM 38.08

149.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.22 ₺456

$4.68 BAM 8.14

97.01%

Cappuccino

$4.40 ₺218

$1.53 BAM 2.66

187.58%

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

$1.68 ₺83.1

$1.36 BAM 2.37

23.53%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₺29.40

$0.78 BAM 1.36

-24.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.70 ₺233

$1.75 BAM 3.04

168.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.91 ₺292

$2.26 BAM 3.92

161.50%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 ₺60.0

$1.16 BAM 2.03

4.31%

White Bread (500g)

$0.89 ₺44.10

$1.11 BAM 1.94

-19.82%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.19 ₺108

$1.62 BAM 2.82

35.19%

Eggs

$2.35 ₺116

$2.11 BAM 3.67

11.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.42 ₺516

$6.89 BAM 11.99

51.23%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.65 ₺280

$6.45 BAM 11.22

-12.40%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.94 ₺1,037

$10.11 BAM 17.59

107.12%

Apples (1kg)

$1.90 ₺94.1

$0.88 BAM 1.54

115.91%

Banana (1kg)

$2.31 ₺114

$1.74 BAM 3.02

32.76%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.1

$2.24 BAM 3.90

-42.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺89.0

$1.73 BAM 3.01

4.05%

Potato (1kg)

$0.65 ₺32.16

$1.02 BAM 1.77

-36.27%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺31.91

$1.34 BAM 2.34

-52.24%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 ₺62.1

$1.17 BAM 2.03

6.84%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.58

$0.86 BAM 1.50

-34.88%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.37 ₺118

$3.43 BAM 5.96

-30.90%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.42 ₺664

$7.93 BAM 13.79

69.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₺119

$0.82 BAM 1.43

192.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 ₺172

$1.11 BAM 1.93

213.51%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.89 ₺43.84

$1.28 BAM 2.22

-30.47%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.4 ₺3,338

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.29 ₺64.1

$1.66 BAM 2.89

-22.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 ₺45.70

$0.59 BAM 1.03

55.93%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.96 ₺542

$17.47 BAM 30.37

-37.26%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ₺72.9

$1.48 BAM 2.57

-0.68%

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

$50.8K ₺2.5M

$30.3K BAM 52.6K

67.77%

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

$44.5K ₺2.2M

$21.2K BAM 36.8K

110.13%

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

$88.6 ₺4,387

$157 BAM 274

-43.68%

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

$11.59 ₺574

$16.59 BAM 28.85

-30.14%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.81 ₺783

$33.72 BAM 58.6

-53.11%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.2 ₺3,820

$29.19 BAM 50.8

164.34%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.74 ₺1,126

Cinema Ticket

$8.14 ₺403

$5.76 BAM 10.02

41.32%

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

$1,008 ₺49.9K

$289 BAM 503

248.43%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.6K ₺1.3M

$3,628 BAM 6,308

604.62%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.0 ₺2,671

$84.9 BAM 148

-36.42%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.83 ₺2,021

$36.14 BAM 62.9

12.98%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.9 ₺4,895

$68.8 BAM 120

43.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.6 ₺4,783

$142 BAM 246

-31.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$985 ₺48.7K

$155 BAM 269

536.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$650 ₺32.2K

$251 BAM 437

158.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,983 ₺98.2K

$515 BAM 896

284.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,180 ₺58.4K

$368 BAM 641

220.36%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,138 ₺155.4K

$2,431 BAM 4,228

29.06%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,780 ₺88.1K

$1,663 BAM 2,892

7.02%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,205 ₺59.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.92

4.44

821.62%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 13, 2026

Last update for Foca: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$650 41.9%

Foca

$251 26.4% 61.3% $399

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$260 16.8%

Foca

$196 20.6% 24.4% $63

Eating Out

Istanbul

$223 14.4%

Foca

$97 10.2% 56.4% $126

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$131 8.4%

Foca

$149 15.7% 14.2% $18

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$116 7.5%

Foca

$208 21.8% 79% $92

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$93 6%

Foca

$41 4.3% 56.4% $53

Getting Around

Istanbul

$77 5%

Foca

$9.7 * 1% 87.4% $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 $985 in Istanbul and $155 in Foca. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $55.0 in Istanbul vs $22.00 in Foca for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $260 vs $196 per month, with Foca cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇧🇦 Foca

🕒 Local time

08:26 8:26 AM

07:26 7:26 AM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

12,334

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Bosnia and Herzegovina Convertible Mark BAM KM

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 2.02 USD

100 TRY = 1.8 EUR

1 BAM = 0.575 USD

1 BAM = 0.512 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BAM, USD, EUR 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).

Bosnia and Herzegovina Convertible Mark exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 1.74 BAM (1 BAM = 0.575 USD). 1 EUR = 1.95 BAM (1 BAM = 0.512 EUR).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Istanbul Foca 880 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Foca

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 Foca: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Foca is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and leisure. The 63% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $2,325 in Istanbul and $1,428 in Foca to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $985 in Istanbul versus $155 in Foca. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,008 in Istanbul versus $289 in Foca. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Foca – a meal for two runs $22.00 versus $55.0 in Istanbul. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $952 in Foca versus $1,550 in Istanbul, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Foca but tight or insufficient in Istanbul. The gap between the two cities makes Foca the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Foca is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Istanbul, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Istanbul and Foca 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 Foca gentler on the wallet – expenses run 63% less than in Istanbul. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.