Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Gallarate

For one person, living is cheaper in Istanbul: $1,550 a month against $1,903 in Gallarate, rent and utilities included – about $4,200 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

75

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index
92

Cost of Living Index in Gallarate
Learn more

Gallarate Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

Gallarate

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,903

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Gallarate

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,550 in Istanbul versus $1,903 in Gallarate.

Istanbul $1,550
Gallarate $1,903

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,415 in Istanbul versus $2,932 in Gallarate.

Istanbul $2,415
Gallarate $2,932

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,281 in Istanbul versus $3,962 in Gallarate.

Istanbul $3,281
Gallarate $3,962

Living in Istanbul costs roughly 19% less than in Gallarate, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Istanbul 15% above, Gallarate 41% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.30 ₺609

$22.51 €20.02

-45.36%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.7 ₺2,708

$88.5 €78.7

-38.16%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.22 ₺456

$11.10 €9.87

-16.94%

Cappuccino

$4.40 ₺218

$1.86 €1.66

136.56%

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

$1.68 ₺83.1

$3.40 €3.03

-50.59%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₺29.40

$1.65 €1.46

-64.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.70 ₺233

$6.12 €5.44

-23.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.91 ₺292

$6.55 €5.82

-9.77%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 ₺60.0

$1.36 €1.21

-11.03%

White Bread (500g)

$0.89 ₺44.10

$2.21 €1.97

-59.73%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.19 ₺108

$3.51 €3.12

-37.61%

Eggs

$2.35 ₺116

$2.98 €2.65

-21.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.42 ₺516

$15.26 €13.57

-31.72%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.65 ₺280

$14.04 €12.48

-59.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.94 ₺1,037

$27.43 €24.40

-23.66%

Apples (1kg)

$1.90 ₺94.1

$2.84 €2.53

-33.10%

Banana (1kg)

$2.31 ₺114

$2.15 €1.91

7.44%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.1

$2.37 €2.11

-45.99%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺89.0

$2.34 €2.08

-23.08%

Potato (1kg)

$0.65 ₺32.16

$1.50 €1.33

-56.67%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺31.91

$1.67 €1.48

-61.68%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 ₺62.1

$1.70 €1.51

-26.47%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.58

$0.59 €0.53

-5.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.37 ₺118

$6.72 €5.98

-64.73%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.42 ₺664

$6.76 €6.01

98.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₺119

$1.31 €1.17

83.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 ₺172

$1.65 €1.47

110.91%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.89 ₺43.84

$1.70 €1.51

-47.65%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.4 ₺3,338

$43.39 €38.60

55.40%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.29 ₺64.1

$5.69 €5.06

-77.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 ₺45.70

$1.71 €1.52

-46.20%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.96 ₺542

$33.83 €30.09

-67.60%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ₺72.9

$2.06 €1.83

-28.64%

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

$50.8K ₺2.5M

$35.9K €31.9K

41.66%

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

$44.5K ₺2.2M

$35.7K €31.8K

24.56%

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

$88.6 ₺4,387

$218 €194

-59.29%

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

$11.59 ₺574

$12.82 €11.41

-9.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.81 ₺783

$29.53 €26.27

-46.46%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.2 ₺3,820

$60.3 €53.7

27.90%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.74 ₺1,126

$23.01 €20.46

-1.17%

Cinema Ticket

$8.14 ₺403

$12.61 €11.22

-35.45%

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

$1,008 ₺49.9K

$564 €502

78.74%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.6K ₺1.3M

$8,472 €7,535

201.72%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.0 ₺2,671

$89.2 €79.4

-39.53%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.83 ₺2,021

$44.61 €39.68

-8.47%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.9 ₺4,895

$108 €96.5

-8.82%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.6 ₺4,783

$165 €147

-41.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$985 ₺48.7K

$792 €704

24.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$650 ₺32.2K

$657 €584

-1.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,983 ₺98.2K

$1,357 €1,207

46.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,180 ₺58.4K

$1,060 €943

11.32%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,138 ₺155.4K

$2,590 €2,304

21.16%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,780 ₺88.1K

$2,063 €1,835

-13.72%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,205 ₺59.7K

$2,104 €1,872

-42.71%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.92

3.73

997.05%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 13, 2026

Last update for Gallarate: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$650 41.9%

Gallarate

$657 34.5% 1% $6.8

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$260 16.8%

Gallarate

$353 18.6% 36.1% $94

Eating Out

Istanbul

$223 14.4%

Gallarate

$300 15.8% 34.2% $76

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$131 8.4%

Gallarate

$183 9.6% 40.3% $53

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$116 7.5%

Gallarate

$260 13.7% 124% $144

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$93 6%

Gallarate

$86 4.5% 8.4% $7.9

Getting Around

Istanbul

$77 5%

Gallarate

$64 3.4% 16.2% $12

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $985 in Istanbul and $792 in Gallarate. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Gallarate pays 75% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $55.0 in Istanbul vs $88.0 in Gallarate for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $260 vs $353 per month, with Istanbul cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇮🇹 Gallarate

🕒 Local time

21:08 9:08 PM

20:08 8:08 PM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

46,361

💱 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 17, 2026: 1 USD = 49.51 TRY (100 TRY = 2.02 USD). 1 EUR = 55.67 TRY (100 TRY = 1.8 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Istanbul Gallarate 1,710 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Gallarate

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 Gallarate: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Istanbul wins on cost – living expenses run 23% lower than in Gallarate. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Istanbul the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 75% lower in Gallarate. 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: $985 in Istanbul versus $792 in Gallarate. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Istanbul – a meal for two runs $55.0 versus $88.0 in Gallarate. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,550 per month in Istanbul versus $1,903 in Gallarate – a 23% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,550 in Istanbul versus $1,903 in Gallarate, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Istanbul but tight or insufficient in Gallarate. The gap between the two cities makes Istanbul the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Istanbul delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,550 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Istanbul hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Istanbul and Gallarate 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 Istanbul gentler on the wallet – expenses run 23% less than in Gallarate. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.