Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Focsani

For one person, living is cheaper in Focsani: $1,024 a month against $1,519 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $5,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

73

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index
49

Cost of Living Index in Focsani
Learn more

Focsani Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,519

/mo nomad

Focsani

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,024

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Focsani

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,519 in Istanbul versus $1,024 in Focsani.

Istanbul $1,519
Focsani $1,024

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,365 in Istanbul versus $1,663 in Focsani.

Istanbul $2,365
Focsani $1,663

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,212 in Istanbul versus $2,302 in Focsani.

Istanbul $3,212
Focsani $2,302

Living in Istanbul is roughly 48% more expensive than in Focsani, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Istanbul is 12% above, Focsani is 24% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.81 ₺592

$7.43 RON 35.49

58.95%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.9 ₺2,754

$41.94 RON 200

30.93%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.26 ₺465

$7.26 RON 34.72

27.55%

Cappuccino

$4.30 ₺216

$2.48 RON 11.88

73.39%

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

$1.77 ₺89.0

$1.85 RON 8.87

-4.32%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺28.32

$1.64 RON 7.83

-65.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.69 ₺235

$1.87 RON 8.94

150.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.12 ₺357

$2.58 RON 12.34

175.97%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 ₺62.7

$1.63 RON 7.80

-23.31%

White Bread (500g)

$0.88 ₺44.17

$1.14 RON 5.46

-22.81%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 ₺111

$1.29 RON 6.19

70.54%

Eggs

$2.43 ₺122

$3.26 RON 15.56

-25.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.48 ₺526

$9.18 RON 43.87

14.16%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.31 ₺267

$6.72 RON 32.11

-20.98%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.10 ₺1,058

$10.57 RON 50.6

99.62%

Apples (1kg)

$1.86 ₺93.1

$1.17 RON 5.59

58.97%

Banana (1kg)

$2.30 ₺115

$1.65 RON 7.86

39.39%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.22 ₺61.0

$1.49 RON 7.11

-18.12%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺90.2

$2.28 RON 10.92

-21.05%

Potato (1kg)

$0.69 ₺34.83

$0.86 RON 4.09

-19.77%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺32.16

$0.74 RON 3.56

-13.51%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.36 ₺68.0

$0.61 RON 2.91

122.95%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 ₺28.94

$0.75 RON 3.60

-22.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.34 ₺117

$5.71 RON 27.31

-59.02%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.03 ₺653

$4.08 RON 19.50

219.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.36 ₺118

$1.15 RON 5.49

105.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.32 ₺166

$1.51 RON 7.22

119.87%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.88 ₺44.07

$0.82 RON 3.93

7.32%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.1 ₺3,316

$15.51 RON 74.1

326.31%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 ₺64.4

$0.61 RON 2.93

109.84%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 ₺42.80

$0.62 RON 2.95

37.10%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.09 ₺556

$6.38 RON 30.48

73.82%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 ₺74.0

$1.87 RON 8.92

-20.86%

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

$48.6K ₺2.4M

$25.2K RON 120.2K

93.35%

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

$42.0K ₺2.1M

$24.3K RON 116.3K

72.54%

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

$92.7 ₺4,650

$171 RON 817

-45.73%

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

$11.20 ₺562

$8.45 RON 40.38

32.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.89 ₺797

$9.22 RON 44.09

72.34%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.7 ₺3,745

$28.04 RON 134

166.33%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.95 ₺1,151

$36.84 RON 176

-37.70%

Cinema Ticket

$8.05 ₺404

$8.62 RON 41.18

-6.61%

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

$948 ₺47.6K

$316 RON 1,512

199.86%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.9K ₺1.9M

$18.7K RON 89.3K

97.69%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₺2,702

$92.2 RON 441

-41.58%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.49 ₺2,081

$38.80 RON 185

6.93%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 ₺5,060

$79.8 RON 382

26.41%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.3 ₺4,580

$92.5 RON 442

-1.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,014 ₺50.8K

$373 RON 1,781

172.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$625 ₺31.3K

$288 RON 1,376

116.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,005 ₺100.6K

$929 RON 4,442

115.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,126 ₺56.5K

$658 RON 3,143

71.24%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,988 ₺149.8K

$1,075 RON 5,138

177.96%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,730 ₺86.8K

$875 RON 4,184

97.65%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,136 ₺57.0K

$690 RON 3,300

64.59%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.42

6.75

498.81%

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

Last update for Istanbul: November 2, 2026

Last update for Focsani: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$625 41.1%

Focsani

$288 28.1% 53.9% $337

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$258 17%

Focsani

$204 19.9% 20.9% $54

Eating Out

Istanbul

$221 14.6%

Focsani

$140 13.6% 36.9% $81

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$129 8.5%

Focsani

$137 13.3% 5.5% $7.1

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$120 7.9%

Focsani

$188 18.4% 57.4% $69

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$91 6%

Focsani

$45 4.4% 50.1% $46

Getting Around

Istanbul

$75 5%

Focsani

$22 2.2% 70.1% $53

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,014 in Istanbul and $373 in Focsani. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Istanbul pays 65% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $55 in Istanbul vs $42 in Focsani for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $258 vs $204 per month, with Focsani cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇷🇴 Focsani

🕒 Local time

17:08 5:08 PM

16:08 4:08 PM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

97,186

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 1.99 USD

100 TRY = 1.78 EUR

1 RON = 0.209 USD

1 RON = 0.186 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RON, USD, EUR 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).

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 4.78 RON (1 RON = 0.209 USD). 1 EUR = 5.37 RON (1 RON = 0.186 EUR).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Istanbul Focsani 540 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Focsani

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 Focsani: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Focsani wins on cost – living expenses run 33% lower than in Istanbul. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Focsani the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 65% 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 $373 in Focsani. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Focsani – a meal for two runs $42 versus $55 in Istanbul. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $1,519 per month in Istanbul versus $1,024 in Focsani – Focsani is about 33% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Focsani 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.

Expats usually find Focsani gentler on the wallet – expenses run 33% less than in Istanbul. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.