Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Gijon

For one person, living is cheaper in Istanbul: $1,526 a month against $1,744 in Gijon, rent and utilities included – about $2,600 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
84

Cost of Living Index in Gijon
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Gijon Living Index

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Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,526

/mo nomad

Gijon

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,744

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Gijon

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,526 in Istanbul versus $1,744 in Gijon.

Istanbul $1,526
Gijon $1,744

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,399 in Istanbul versus $2,544 in Gijon.

Istanbul $2,399
Gijon $2,544

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,272 in Istanbul versus $3,344 in Gijon.

Istanbul $3,272
Gijon $3,344

Living in Istanbul costs roughly 12% less than in Gijon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Istanbul 14% above, Gijon 30% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.88 ₺585

$16.66 €14.87

-28.69%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.1 ₺2,714

$68.4 €61.1

-19.48%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.14 ₺450

$15.75 €14.06

-41.97%

Cappuccino

$4.24 ₺209

$2.51 €2.24

68.92%

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

$1.75 ₺86.0

$2.91 €2.60

-39.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.54 ₺26.83

$2.33 €2.08

-76.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.69 ₺231

$3.98 €3.55

17.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.97 ₺294

$5.95 €5.31

0.34%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.26 ₺62.1

$1.20 €1.07

5.00%

White Bread (500g)

$0.95 ₺46.81

$1.78 €1.59

-46.63%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.31 ₺114

$1.39 €1.24

66.19%

Eggs

$2.47 ₺122

$4.40 €3.93

-43.86%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.55 ₺520

$12.46 €11.12

-15.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.60 ₺276

$7.78 €6.94

-28.02%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.21 ₺1,045

$13.43 €11.98

57.93%

Apples (1kg)

$1.93 ₺95.1

$3.76 €3.36

-48.67%

Banana (1kg)

$2.29 ₺113

$1.50 €1.33

52.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.1

$1.82 €1.62

-29.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.84 ₺90.8

$3.69 €3.29

-50.14%

Potato (1kg)

$0.67 ₺32.86

$2.26 €2.02

-70.35%

Onion (1kg)

$0.59 ₺29.31

$2.21 €1.97

-73.30%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.33 ₺65.4

$1.32 €1.18

0.76%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₺29.10

$0.80 €0.71

-26.25%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.36 ₺116

$6.65 €5.94

-64.51%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.47 ₺664

$9.95 €8.88

35.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.42 ₺119

$1.51 €1.35

60.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.54 ₺174

$2.03 €1.81

74.38%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.83 ₺40.64

$1.48 €1.32

-43.92%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.5 ₺3,273

$33.88 €30.24

96.13%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.35 ₺66.6

$5.48 €4.89

-75.36%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 ₺42.05

$1.26 €1.12

-32.54%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.86 ₺535

$29.15 €26.01

-62.74%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ₺72.3

$1.76 €1.57

-16.48%

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

$51.6K ₺2.5M

$36.8K €32.8K

40.43%

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

$44.4K ₺2.2M

$28.9K €25.8K

53.77%

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

$89.2 ₺4,395

$148 €132

-39.67%

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

$11.60 ₺572

$17.99 €16.05

-35.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.10 ₺793

$25.60 €22.84

-37.11%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.3 ₺3,805

$52.1 €46.46

48.39%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.66 ₺1,116

$9.39 €8.38

141.32%

Cinema Ticket

$8.34 ₺411

$9.35 €8.34

-10.80%

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

$974 ₺48.0K

$483 €431

101.59%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.8K ₺1.3M

$10.1K €9,008

155.32%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.7 ₺2,597

$95.9 €85.6

-45.05%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.16 ₺1,929

$31.80 €28.38

23.14%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 ₺5,083

$110 €98.5

-6.51%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.6 ₺4,759

$119 €106

-18.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$994 ₺49.0K

$890 €794

11.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$629 ₺31.0K

$716 €639

-12.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,024 ₺99.7K

$1,432 €1,278

41.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,155 ₺56.9K

$1,059 €945

9.09%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,160 ₺155.7K

$3,639 €3,248

-13.17%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,838 ₺90.5K

$2,102 €1,876

-12.57%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,203 ₺59.3K

$1,822 €1,626

-33.94%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

41.09

3.43

1097.96%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 3, 2026

Last update for Gijon: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$629 41.2%

Gijon

$716 41.3% 13.7% $86

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$264 17.3%

Gijon

$281 16.2% 6.3% $17

Eating Out

Istanbul

$218 14.3%

Gijon

$263 15.2% 20.9% $45

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$131 8.6%

Gijon

$160 9.3% 22.3% $29

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$117 7.7%

Gijon

$191 11% 63.8% $75

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$94 6.1%

Gijon

$71 4.1% 24.7% $23

Getting Around

Istanbul

$75 4.9%

Gijon

$52 3% 31.6% $24

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $994 in Istanbul and $890 in Gijon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Gijon pays 51% 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 $68.0 in Gijon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $264 vs $281 per month, with Istanbul cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇪🇸 Gijon

🕒 Local time

10:26 10:26 AM

09:26 9:26 AM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

268,313

💱 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 = 49.26 TRY (100 TRY = 2.03 USD). 1 EUR = 55.25 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 →

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Istanbul Gijon 2,840 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Gijon

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 Gijon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Istanbul is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 14% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 51% lower in Gijon. 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 $890 in Gijon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,526 per month in Istanbul versus $1,744 in Gijon – a 14% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Istanbul runs roughly 96% less than in Gijon. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,526 in Istanbul versus $1,744 in Gijon, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Istanbul but tight or insufficient in Gijon. 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 Gijon, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Istanbul and Gijon 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 14% less than in Gijon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.