Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Gdansk

For one person, living is cheaper in Istanbul: $1,526 a month against $1,752 in Gdansk, rent and utilities included – about $2,700 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Gdansk outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

74

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index
86

Cost of Living Index in Gdansk
Learn more

Gdansk Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,526

/mo nomad

Gdansk

🇵🇱 Poland

$1,752

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Gdansk

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

A single person spends $1,526 per month in Istanbul vs $1,752 in Gdansk, rent included.

Istanbul $1,526
Gdansk $1,752

A couple spends around $2,399 per month in Istanbul vs $2,523 in Gdansk, rent included.

Istanbul $2,399
Gdansk $2,523

A family of three spends $3,272 per month in Istanbul vs $3,294 in Gdansk, rent included.

Istanbul $3,272
Gdansk $3,294

Istanbul is about 13% cheaper than Gdansk, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Istanbul and Gdansk sit above the global median – Istanbul by 14%, Gdansk by 31%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.88 ₺585

$11.44 zł 44.71

3.85%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.1 ₺2,714

$57.9 zł 226

-4.80%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.14 ₺450

$8.79 zł 34.37

3.98%

Cappuccino

$4.24 ₺209

$4.10 zł 16.02

3.41%

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

$1.75 ₺86.0

$2.33 zł 9.12

-24.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.54 ₺26.83

$1.65 zł 6.45

-67.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.69 ₺231

$3.77 zł 14.72

24.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.97 ₺294

$3.81 zł 14.90

56.69%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.26 ₺62.1

$1.00 zł 3.93

26.00%

White Bread (500g)

$0.95 ₺46.81

$1.29 zł 5.04

-26.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.31 ₺114

$1.72 zł 6.74

34.30%

Eggs

$2.47 ₺122

$3.89 zł 15.22

-36.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.55 ₺520

$8.47 zł 33.11

24.56%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.60 ₺276

$6.77 zł 26.47

-17.28%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.21 ₺1,045

$13.76 zł 53.8

54.14%

Apples (1kg)

$1.93 ₺95.1

$1.25 zł 4.90

54.40%

Banana (1kg)

$2.29 ₺113

$1.81 zł 7.09

26.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.1

$2.10 zł 8.21

-39.05%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.84 ₺90.8

$3.12 zł 12.20

-41.03%

Potato (1kg)

$0.67 ₺32.86

$0.79 zł 3.09

-15.19%

Onion (1kg)

$0.59 ₺29.31

$1.06 zł 4.14

-44.34%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.33 ₺65.4

$1.31 zł 5.14

1.53%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₺29.10

$0.69 zł 2.70

-14.49%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.36 ₺116

$5.92 zł 23.13

-60.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.47 ₺664

$6.62 zł 25.89

103.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.42 ₺119

$1.23 zł 4.83

96.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.54 ₺174

$1.80 zł 7.03

96.67%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.83 ₺40.64

$1.20 zł 4.71

-30.83%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.5 ₺3,273

$30.95 zł 121

114.70%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.35 ₺66.6

$2.03 zł 7.92

-33.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 ₺42.05

$1.03 zł 4.04

-17.48%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.86 ₺535

$12.55 zł 49.06

-13.47%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ₺72.3

$1.62 zł 6.32

-9.26%

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

$51.6K ₺2.5M

$30.2K zł 118.1K

70.88%

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

$44.4K ₺2.2M

$28.6K zł 111.9K

55.20%

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

$89.2 ₺4,395

$296 zł 1,157

-69.85%

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

$11.60 ₺572

$11.78 zł 46.06

-1.53%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.10 ₺793

$20.47 zł 80.0

-21.35%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.3 ₺3,805

$44.71 zł 175

72.78%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.66 ₺1,116

$29.31 zł 115

-22.69%

Cinema Ticket

$8.34 ₺411

$7.84 zł 30.63

6.38%

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

$974 ₺48.0K

$537 zł 2,098

81.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.8K ₺1.3M

$7,897 zł 30.9K

226.37%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.7 ₺2,597

$89.3 zł 349

-40.98%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.16 ₺1,929

$48.46 zł 189

-19.19%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 ₺5,083

$93.7 zł 366

10.16%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.6 ₺4,759

$106 zł 415

-8.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$994 ₺49.0K

$999 zł 3,906

-0.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$629 ₺31.0K

$742 zł 2,900

-15.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,024 ₺99.7K

$1,670 zł 6,526

21.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,155 ₺56.9K

$1,099 zł 4,295

5.10%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,160 ₺155.7K

$5,429 zł 21.2K

-41.79%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,838 ₺90.5K

$3,001 zł 11.7K

-38.77%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,203 ₺59.3K

$1,991 zł 7,782

-39.55%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

41.09

6.67

516.04%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 3, 2026

Last update for Gdansk: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$629 41.2%

Gdansk

$742 42.1% 17.9% $113

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$264 17.3%

Gdansk

$228 12.9% 13.6% $36

Eating Out

Istanbul

$218 14.3%

Gdansk

$209 11.9% 3.9% $8.4

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$131 8.6%

Gdansk

$152 8.6% 15.7% $21

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$117 7.7%

Gdansk

$328 18.6% 181% $211

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$94 6.1%

Gdansk

$60 3.4% 35.7% $34

Getting Around

Istanbul

$75 4.9%

Gdansk

$43 2.4% 43% $32

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $994 in Istanbul versus $999 in Gdansk. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 65% higher in Gdansk, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55.0 in Istanbul versus $58.0 in Gdansk. Groceries tell a different story – $264 in Istanbul vs $228 in Gdansk – so Gdansk wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇵🇱 Gdansk

🕒 Local time

14:21 2:21 PM

13:21 1:21 PM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

470,633

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Polish Złoty PLN zł

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 2.03 USD

100 TRY = 1.81 EUR

1 PLN = 0.256 USD

1 PLN = 0.228 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PLN, USD, EUR to TRY – Turkish Lira Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇷 Turkish Lira (₺)

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 49.26 TRY (100 TRY = 2.03 USD). 1 EUR = 55.2 TRY (100 TRY = 1.81 EUR).

Polish Złoty exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3.91 PLN (1 PLN = 0.256 USD). 1 EUR = 4.38 PLN (1 PLN = 0.228 EUR).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Istanbul Gdansk 1,670 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Gdansk

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 Gdansk: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,526 in Istanbul, $1,752 in Gdansk – roughly 15% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,289 per month in Istanbul and $2,628 in Gdansk. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Istanbul, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $974 per month in Istanbul and $537 in Gdansk. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 16% cheaper in Gdansk – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Istanbul, where all-in costs run around $1,526, than in Gdansk at $1,752. In Istanbul it covers expenses comfortably, while in Gdansk it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Gdansk has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,526 in Istanbul to $1,752 in Gdansk. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Istanbul. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Gdansk makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.