Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Gela

For one person, living is cheaper in Gela: $1,235 a month against $1,550 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $3,800 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
60

Cost of Living Index in Gela
Learn more

Gela Living Index

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Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

Gela

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,235

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Gela

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,550 in Istanbul versus $1,235 in Gela.

Istanbul $1,550
Gela $1,235

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,415 in Istanbul versus $1,975 in Gela.

Istanbul $2,415
Gela $1,975

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,281 in Istanbul versus $2,714 in Gela.

Istanbul $3,281
Gela $2,714

Living in Istanbul is roughly 25% more expensive than in Gela, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Istanbul is 15% above, Gela is 9% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.30 ₺609

$11.32 €10.07

8.66%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.7 ₺2,708

$55.3 €49.22

-1.14%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.22 ₺456

$9.30 €8.28

-0.86%

Cappuccino

$4.40 ₺218

$1.75 €1.56

151.43%

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

$1.68 ₺83.1

$2.34 €2.08

-28.21%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₺29.40

$1.26 €1.12

-53.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.70 ₺233

$4.00 €3.56

17.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.91 ₺292

$3.87 €3.44

52.71%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 ₺60.0

$1.25 €1.11

-3.20%

White Bread (500g)

$0.89 ₺44.10

$1.74 €1.55

-48.85%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.19 ₺108

$2.29 €2.03

-4.37%

Eggs

$2.35 ₺116

$2.93 €2.61

-19.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.42 ₺516

$14.62 €13.01

-28.73%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.65 ₺280

$11.93 €10.62

-52.64%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.94 ₺1,037

$16.87 €15.01

24.13%

Apples (1kg)

$1.90 ₺94.1

$2.98 €2.65

-36.24%

Banana (1kg)

$2.31 ₺114

$2.19 €1.94

5.48%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.1

$2.13 €1.90

-39.91%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺89.0

$2.24 €2.00

-19.64%

Potato (1kg)

$0.65 ₺32.16

$1.72 €1.53

-62.21%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺31.91

$2.84 €2.53

-77.46%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 ₺62.1

$1.26 €1.12

-0.79%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.58

$0.40 €0.35

40.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.37 ₺118

$6.87 €6.11

-65.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.42 ₺664

$7.69 €6.84

74.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₺119

$1.98 €1.76

21.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 ₺172

$2.22 €1.97

56.76%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.89 ₺43.84

$1.41 €1.26

-36.88%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.4 ₺3,338

$42.44 €37.75

58.88%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.29 ₺64.1

$5.64 €5.02

-77.13%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 ₺45.70

$2.20 €1.96

-58.18%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.96 ₺542

$32.81 €29.18

-66.60%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ₺72.9

$1.97 €1.75

-25.38%

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

$50.8K ₺2.5M

$36.3K €32.3K

39.90%

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

$44.5K ₺2.2M

$35.5K €31.6K

25.28%

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

$88.6 ₺4,387

$169 €150

-47.62%

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

$11.59 ₺574

$9.98 €8.88

16.13%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.81 ₺783

$27.12 €24.12

-41.70%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.2 ₺3,820

$50.5 €44.94

52.73%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.74 ₺1,126

$24.05 €21.39

-5.45%

Cinema Ticket

$8.14 ₺403

$8.70 €7.74

-6.44%

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

$1,008 ₺49.9K

$451 €401

123.50%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.6K ₺1.3M

$5,478 €4,873

366.61%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.0 ₺2,671

$70.1 €62.4

-23.07%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.83 ₺2,021

$30.53 €27.16

33.74%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.9 ₺4,895

$87.3 €77.6

13.30%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.6 ₺4,783

$125 €111

-22.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$985 ₺48.7K

$305 €271

222.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$650 ₺32.2K

$271 €241

139.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,983 ₺98.2K

$499 €444

297.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,180 ₺58.4K

$538 €479

119.20%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,138 ₺155.4K

$2,158 €1,920

45.40%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,780 ₺88.1K

$998 €887

78.39%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,205 ₺59.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.92

3.39

1107.08%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 13, 2026

Last update for Gela: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$650 41.9%

Gela

$271 21.9% 58.3% $379

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$260 16.8%

Gela

$303 24.5% 16.7% $43

Eating Out

Istanbul

$223 14.4%

Gela

$182 14.7% 18.6% $42

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$131 8.4%

Gela

$141 11.4% 7.7% $10

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$116 7.5%

Gela

$206 16.7% 77.8% $90

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$93 6%

Gela

$68 5.5% 27.3% $26

Getting Around

Istanbul

$77 5%

Gela

$65 5.2% 15.8% $12

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $985 in Istanbul and $305 in Gela. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $55.0 in Istanbul vs $55.0 in Gela for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $260 vs $303 per month, with Istanbul cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇮🇹 Gela

🕒 Local time

12:29 12:29 PM

11:29 11:29 AM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

70,735

💱 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 18, 2026: 1 USD = 49.51 TRY (100 TRY = 2.02 USD). 1 EUR = 55.66 TRY (100 TRY = 1.8 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Istanbul Gela 1,340 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Gela

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 Gela: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Gela is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, leisure, and transport. The 25% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $2,325 in Istanbul and $1,853 in Gela 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 $305 in Gela. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,008 in Istanbul versus $451 in Gela. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Istanbul pay roughly 17% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,235 in Gela versus $1,550 in Istanbul, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Gela but tight or insufficient in Istanbul. The gap between the two cities makes Gela the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Gela 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 Gela 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 Gela gentler on the wallet – expenses run 25% less than in Istanbul. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.