Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Gence

For one person, living is cheaper in Gence: $711 a month against $1,526 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $9,800 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
35

Cost of Living Index in Gence
Learn more

Gence Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,526

/mo nomad

Gence

🇦🇿 Azerbaijan

$711

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Gence

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

A single person spends $1,526 per month in Istanbul vs $711 in Gence, rent included.

Istanbul $1,526
Gence $711

A couple spends around $2,399 per month in Istanbul vs $1,175 in Gence, rent included.

Istanbul $2,399
Gence $1,175

A family of three spends $3,272 per month in Istanbul vs $1,640 in Gence, rent included.

Istanbul $3,272
Gence $1,640

Istanbul costs about 115% more than Gence, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Istanbul sits 14% above the global median, while Gence is 47% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.88 ₺585

$6.95 ₼11.81

70.94%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.1 ₺2,714

$29.24 ₼49.69

88.41%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.14 ₺450

$8.30 ₼14.11

10.12%

Cappuccino

$4.24 ₺209

$2.65 ₼4.50

60.00%

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

$1.75 ₺86.0

$0.84 ₼1.44

108.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.54 ₺26.83

$0.49 ₼0.83

10.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.69 ₺231

$1.21 ₼2.05

287.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.97 ₺294

$2.38 ₼4.05

150.84%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.26 ₺62.1

$1.33 ₼2.27

-5.26%

White Bread (500g)

$0.95 ₺46.81

$0.35 ₼0.60

171.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.31 ₺114

$1.74 ₼2.95

32.76%

Eggs

$2.47 ₺122

$1.14 ₼1.94

116.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.55 ₺520

$2.83 ₼4.81

272.79%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.60 ₺276

$3.51 ₼5.96

59.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.21 ₺1,045

$7.59 ₼12.90

179.45%

Apples (1kg)

$1.93 ₺95.1

$0.62 ₼1.06

211.29%

Banana (1kg)

$2.29 ₺113

$1.31 ₼2.22

74.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.1

$1.38 ₼2.34

-7.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.84 ₺90.8

$1.06 ₼1.80

73.58%

Potato (1kg)

$0.67 ₺32.86

$0.63 ₼1.07

6.35%

Onion (1kg)

$0.59 ₺29.31

$0.51 ₼0.87

15.69%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.33 ₺65.4

$0.44 ₼0.74

202.27%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₺29.10

$0.43 ₼0.73

37.21%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.36 ₺116

$3.61 ₼6.13

-34.63%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.47 ₺664

$1.40 ₼2.38

862.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.42 ₺119

$0.92 ₼1.56

163.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.54 ₺174

$1.78 ₼3.03

98.88%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.83 ₺40.64

$0.30 ₼0.51

176.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.5 ₺3,273

$14.81 ₼25.18

348.68%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.35 ₺66.6

$1.74 ₼2.95

-22.41%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 ₺42.05

$0.28 ₼0.47

203.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.86 ₺535

$2.30 ₼3.91

372.17%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ₺72.3

$0.69 ₼1.17

113.04%

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

$51.6K ₺2.5M

$20.8K ₼35.3K

148.71%

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

$44.4K ₺2.2M

$22.7K ₼38.5K

96.22%

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

$89.2 ₺4,395

$33.78 ₼57.4

164.12%

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

$11.60 ₺572

$12.58 ₼21.39

-7.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.10 ₺793

$14.89 ₼25.31

8.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.3 ₺3,805

$20.99 ₼35.67

268.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.66 ₺1,116

$23.26 ₼39.53

-2.58%

Cinema Ticket

$8.34 ₺411

$5.95 ₼10.10

40.17%

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

$974 ₺48.0K

$231 ₼392

322.28%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.8K ₺1.3M

$5,803 ₼9,863

344.12%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.7 ₺2,597

$89.2 ₼152

-40.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.16 ₺1,929

$59.1 ₼100

-33.71%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 ₺5,083

$125 ₼213

-17.67%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.6 ₺4,759

$118 ₼200

-17.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$994 ₺49.0K

$353 ₼599

181.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$629 ₺31.0K

$179 ₼303

252.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,024 ₺99.7K

$579 ₼984

249.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,155 ₺56.9K

$349 ₼594

230.56%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,160 ₺155.7K

$815 ₼1,385

287.73%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,838 ₺90.5K

$473 ₼803

288.72%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,203 ₺59.3K

$294 ₼500

309.37%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

41.09

413.63%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 3, 2026

Last update for Gence: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$629 41.2%

Gence

$179 24.9% 71.6% $451

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$264 17.3%

Gence

$120 16.7% 54.7% $144

Eating Out

Istanbul

$218 14.3%

Gence

$128 17.9% 41.1% $89

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$131 8.6%

Gence

$176 24.6% 34.1% $45

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$117 7.7%

Gence

$61 8.6% 47.6% $56

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$94 6.1%

Gence

$33 4.6% 65% $61

Getting Around

Istanbul

$75 4.9%

Gence

$19 2.7% 74.6% $56

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $994 in Istanbul versus $353 in Gence. 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 309% higher in Istanbul, 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 $29.00 in Gence. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $264 vs $120 – making Gence the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇦🇿 Gence

🕒 Local time

10:08 10:08 AM

11:08 11:08 AM

1 h ahead of Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

335,800

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Azerbaijani Manat AZN ₼

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 2.03 USD

100 TRY = 1.81 EUR

1 AZN = 0.588 USD

1 AZN = 0.525 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AZN, 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 = 55.25 TRY (100 TRY = 1.81 EUR).

Azerbaijani Manat exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.7 AZN (1 AZN = 0.588 USD). 1 EUR = 1.91 AZN (1 AZN = 0.525 EUR).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Istanbul Gence 1,460 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Gence

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 Gence: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 115%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,289 per month in Istanbul and $1,067 in Gence. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Gence, 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 $231 in Gence. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 121% more in Istanbul, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Gence, where all-in costs run around $711, than in Istanbul at $1,526. In Gence it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Gence – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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