Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Galway

For one person, living is cheaper in Istanbul: $1,526 a month against $3,331 in Galway, rent and utilities included – about $21,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

74

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index
161

Cost of Living Index in Galway
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Galway Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,526

/mo nomad

Galway

🇮🇪 Ireland

$3,331

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Galway

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,526 in Istanbul versus $3,331 in Galway.

Istanbul $1,526
Galway $3,331

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,399 in Istanbul versus $4,673 in Galway.

Istanbul $2,399
Galway $4,673

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,272 in Istanbul versus $6,015 in Galway.

Istanbul $3,272
Galway $6,015

Living in Istanbul costs roughly 54% less than in Galway, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Istanbul 14% above, Galway 149% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.88 ₺585

$22.88 €20.40

-48.08%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.1 ₺2,715

$112 €100

-50.97%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.14 ₺450

$16.51 €14.72

-44.64%

Cappuccino

$4.24 ₺209

$4.98 €4.44

-14.86%

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

$1.75 ₺86.0

$2.99 €2.66

-41.47%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.54 ₺26.84

$2.31 €2.06

-76.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.69 ₺231

$7.85 €7.00

-40.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.97 ₺294

$6.91 €6.16

-13.60%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.26 ₺62.1

$1.65 €1.47

-23.64%

White Bread (500g)

$0.95 ₺46.82

$2.39 €2.13

-60.25%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.31 ₺114

$2.19 €1.95

5.48%

Eggs

$2.47 ₺122

$4.26 €3.79

-42.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.55 ₺520

$17.01 €15.17

-37.98%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.60 ₺276

$11.11 €9.91

-49.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.21 ₺1,045

$13.55 €12.08

56.53%

Apples (1kg)

$1.93 ₺95.1

$3.12 €2.78

-38.14%

Banana (1kg)

$2.29 ₺113

$2.18 €1.95

5.05%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.1

$3.13 €2.79

-59.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.84 ₺90.8

$4.18 €3.73

-55.98%

Potato (1kg)

$0.67 ₺32.87

$2.05 €1.82

-67.32%

Onion (1kg)

$0.59 ₺29.31

$1.49 €1.32

-60.40%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.33 ₺65.4

$1.32 €1.18

0.76%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₺29.11

$1.91 €1.71

-69.11%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.36 ₺116

$20.25 €18.06

-88.35%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.47 ₺664

$13.99 €12.47

-3.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.42 ₺119

$4.07 €3.63

-40.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.54 ₺174

$4.47 €3.99

-20.81%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.83 ₺40.65

$2.15 €1.92

-61.40%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.5 ₺3,274

$62.4 €55.6

6.51%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.35 ₺66.6

$5.29 €4.72

-74.48%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 ₺42.06

$1.48 €1.32

-42.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.86 ₺535

$55.5 €49.52

-80.45%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ₺72.3

$2.09 €1.87

-29.67%

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

$51.6K ₺2.5M

$39.5K €35.2K

30.76%

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

$44.4K ₺2.2M

$37.4K €33.4K

18.76%

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

$89.2 ₺4,396

$246 €219

-63.67%

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

$11.60 ₺572

$21.02 €18.74

-44.81%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.10 ₺793

$51.8 €46.16

-68.91%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.3 ₺3,806

$44.53 €39.71

73.48%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.66 ₺1,116

$22.10 €19.71

2.53%

Cinema Ticket

$8.34 ₺411

$16.91 €15.07

-50.68%

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

$974 ₺48.0K

$1,019 €908

-4.42%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.8K ₺1.3M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.7 ₺2,597

$102 €90.7

-48.17%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.16 ₺1,930

$48.56 €43.30

-19.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 ₺5,084

$111 €99.4

-7.41%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.6 ₺4,760

$114 €102

-15.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$994 ₺49.0K

$2,243 €2,000

-55.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$629 ₺31.0K

$1,910 €1,703

-67.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,024 ₺99.7K

$3,652 €3,256

-44.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,155 ₺56.9K

$2,678 €2,388

-56.88%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,160 ₺155.7K

$5,985 €5,336

-47.19%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,838 ₺90.5K

$4,556 €4,062

-59.67%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,203 ₺59.3K

$2,943 €2,624

-59.11%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

41.09

3.68

1016.58%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 3, 2026

Last update for Galway: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$629 41.2%

Galway

$1.9K 57.9% 204% $1.3K

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$264 17.3%

Galway

$370 11.2% 40.3% $106

Eating Out

Istanbul

$218 14.3%

Galway

$367 11.1% 68.2% $149

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$131 8.6%

Galway

$169 5.1% 28.8% $38

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$117 7.7%

Galway

$318 9.7% 172% $201

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$94 6.1%

Galway

$78 2.4% 16.6% $16

Getting Around

Istanbul

$75 4.9%

Galway

$84 2.5% 11% $8.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $994 in Istanbul and $2,243 in Galway. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Galway pays 145% 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 $112 in Galway for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $264 vs $370 per month, with Istanbul cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇮🇪 Galway

🕒 Local time

05:52 5:52 AM

03:52 3:52 AM

2 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

75,529

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 2.03 USD

100 TRY = 1.81 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 49.27 TRY (100 TRY = 2.03 USD). 1 EUR = 55.26 TRY (100 TRY = 1.81 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Istanbul Galway 3,130 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Galway

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 Galway: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Istanbul is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 118% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 145% lower in Galway. 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: $994 in Istanbul versus $2,243 in Galway. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 40% higher in Galway. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Istanbul – a meal for two runs $55.0 versus $112 in Galway. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,526 in Istanbul versus $3,331 in Galway, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Istanbul but tight or insufficient in Galway. The gap between the two cities makes Istanbul the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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

Safety-wise, Istanbul and Galway 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 118% less than in Galway. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.