Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Giessen

For one person, living is cheaper in Istanbul: $1,550 a month against $2,261 in Giessen, rent and utilities included – about $8,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

75

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index
110

Cost of Living Index in Giessen
Learn more

Giessen Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

Giessen

🇩🇪 Germany

$2,261

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Giessen

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

A single person spends $1,550 per month in Istanbul vs $2,261 in Giessen, rent included.

Istanbul $1,550
Giessen $2,261

A couple spends around $2,415 per month in Istanbul vs $3,142 in Giessen, rent included.

Istanbul $2,415
Giessen $3,142

A family of three spends $3,281 per month in Istanbul vs $4,024 in Giessen, rent included.

Istanbul $3,281
Giessen $4,024

Istanbul is about 31% cheaper than Giessen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Istanbul and Giessen sit above the global median – Istanbul by 15%, Giessen by 67%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.30 ₺609

$21.47 €19.10

-42.71%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.7 ₺2,708

$65.7 €58.4

-16.72%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.22 ₺456

$13.65 €12.14

-32.45%

Cappuccino

$4.40 ₺218

$3.82 €3.40

15.18%

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

$1.68 ₺83.1

$2.43 €2.16

-30.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₺29.40

$1.98 €1.76

-70.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.70 ₺233

$4.85 €4.31

-3.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.91 ₺292

$5.60 €4.98

5.54%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 ₺60.0

$1.31 €1.16

-7.63%

White Bread (500g)

$0.89 ₺44.10

$2.16 €1.92

-58.80%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.19 ₺108

$3.66 €3.25

-40.16%

Eggs

$2.35 ₺116

$3.77 €3.35

-37.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.42 ₺516

$14.13 €12.57

-26.26%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.65 ₺280

$10.62 €9.45

-46.80%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.94 ₺1,037

$18.56 €16.51

12.82%

Apples (1kg)

$1.90 ₺94.1

$2.89 €2.57

-34.26%

Banana (1kg)

$2.31 ₺114

$1.72 €1.53

34.30%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.1

$2.17 €1.93

-41.01%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺89.0

$4.10 €3.64

-56.10%

Potato (1kg)

$0.65 ₺32.16

$1.14 €1.02

-42.98%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺31.91

$1.13 €1.01

-43.36%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 ₺62.1

$1.51 €1.34

-17.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.58

$1.23 €1.10

-54.47%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.37 ₺118

$9.98 €8.87

-76.25%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.42 ₺664

$5.66 €5.03

137.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₺119

$1.02 €0.91

135.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 ₺172

$1.50 €1.34

132.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.89 ₺43.84

$3.94 €3.51

-77.41%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.4 ₺3,338

$67.5 €60.1

-0.15%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.29 ₺64.1

$5.42 €4.82

-76.20%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 ₺45.70

$2.25 €2.00

-59.11%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.96 ₺542

$38.00 €33.80

-71.16%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ₺72.9

$1.99 €1.77

-26.13%

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

$50.8K ₺2.5M

$30.2K €26.9K

68.00%

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

$44.5K ₺2.2M

$37.3K €33.2K

19.35%

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

$88.6 ₺4,387

$340 €302

-73.90%

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

$11.59 ₺574

$32.63 €29.02

-64.48%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.81 ₺783

$51.7 €46.01

-69.43%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.2 ₺3,820

$39.04 €34.73

97.64%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.74 ₺1,126

Cinema Ticket

$8.14 ₺403

$10.40 €9.25

-21.73%

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

$1,008 ₺49.9K

$1,083 €964

-6.94%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.6K ₺1.3M

$44.0K €39.1K

-41.90%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.0 ₺2,671

$45.18 €40.19

19.41%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.83 ₺2,021

$22.68 €20.17

80.03%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.9 ₺4,895

$113 €100

-12.19%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.6 ₺4,783

$146 €130

-33.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$985 ₺48.7K

$717 €638

37.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$650 ₺32.2K

$903 €803

-28.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,983 ₺98.2K

$1,470 €1,307

34.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,180 ₺58.4K

$1,206 €1,072

-2.12%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,138 ₺155.4K

$5,593 €4,975

-43.89%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,780 ₺88.1K

$2,817 €2,506

-36.83%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,205 ₺59.7K

$2,737 €2,435

-55.96%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.92

3.96

933.33%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 13, 2026

Last update for Giessen: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$650 41.9%

Giessen

$903 39.9% 38.9% $253

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$260 16.8%

Giessen

$315 14% 21.5% $56

Eating Out

Istanbul

$223 14.4%

Giessen

$312 13.8% 39.6% $88

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$131 8.4%

Giessen

$147 6.5% 12.6% $16

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$116 7.5%

Giessen

$424 18.8% 265% $308

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$93 6%

Giessen

$60 2.7% 35.9% $34

Getting Around

Istanbul

$77 5%

Giessen

$100 4.4% 30% $23

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $985 in Istanbul versus $717 in Giessen. 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 127% higher in Giessen, 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 $66.0 in Giessen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $260 vs $315 – making Istanbul the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇩🇪 Giessen

🕒 Local time

01:29 1:29 AM

00:29 12:29 AM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

89,179

💱 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 = 55.66 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Istanbul Giessen 1,890 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Giessen

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 Giessen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,550 in Istanbul, $2,261 in Giessen – roughly 46% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,325 per month in Istanbul and $3,391 in Giessen. 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55.0 in Istanbul and $66.0 in Giessen. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,550 in Istanbul and $2,261 in Giessen. That's a gap of about 46%.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Istanbul, where all-in costs run around $1,550, than in Giessen at $2,261. In Istanbul it covers expenses comfortably, while in Giessen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Istanbul has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,550 in Istanbul to $2,261 in Giessen. 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, Giessen makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.