Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Girona

For one person, living is cheaper in Istanbul: $1,550 a month against $1,844 in Girona, rent and utilities included – about $3,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

75

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Girona
Learn more

Girona Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

Girona

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,844

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Girona

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

A single person spends $1,550 per month in Istanbul vs $1,844 in Girona, rent included.

Istanbul $1,550
Girona $1,844

A couple spends around $2,415 per month in Istanbul vs $2,700 in Girona, rent included.

Istanbul $2,415
Girona $2,700

A family of three spends $3,281 per month in Istanbul vs $3,555 in Girona, rent included.

Istanbul $3,281
Girona $3,555

Istanbul is about 16% cheaper than Girona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both Istanbul and Girona sit above the global median – Istanbul by 15%, Girona by 37%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.30 ₺609

$17.88 €15.91

-31.21%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.7 ₺2,708

$61.2 €54.5

-10.68%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.22 ₺456

$8.86 €7.88

4.06%

Cappuccino

$4.40 ₺218

$2.48 €2.21

77.42%

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

$1.68 ₺83.1

$2.10 €1.87

-20.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₺29.40

$1.99 €1.77

-70.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.70 ₺233

$4.18 €3.72

12.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.91 ₺292

$4.34 €3.86

36.18%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 ₺60.0

$1.25 €1.12

-3.20%

White Bread (500g)

$0.89 ₺44.10

$1.17 €1.04

-23.93%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.19 ₺108

$1.40 €1.24

56.43%

Eggs

$2.35 ₺116

$2.99 €2.66

-21.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.42 ₺516

$10.97 €9.76

-5.01%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.65 ₺280

$8.02 €7.14

-29.55%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.94 ₺1,037

$14.78 €13.15

41.68%

Apples (1kg)

$1.90 ₺94.1

$2.41 €2.14

-21.16%

Banana (1kg)

$2.31 ₺114

$2.07 €1.84

11.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.1

$2.14 €1.91

-40.19%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺89.0

$2.54 €2.26

-29.13%

Potato (1kg)

$0.65 ₺32.16

$1.60 €1.43

-59.38%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺31.91

$2.00 €1.78

-68.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 ₺62.1

$1.31 €1.16

-4.58%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.58

$0.63 €0.56

-11.11%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.37 ₺118

$6.85 €6.09

-65.40%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.42 ₺664

$6.61 €5.88

103.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₺119

$1.69 €1.51

42.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 ₺172

$1.80 €1.60

93.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.89 ₺43.84

$1.85 €1.64

-51.89%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.4 ₺3,338

$35.60 €31.66

89.41%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.29 ₺64.1

$2.69 €2.39

-52.04%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 ₺45.70

$1.85 €1.65

-50.27%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.96 ₺542

$22.08 €19.64

-50.36%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ₺72.9

$1.79 €1.59

-17.88%

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

$50.8K ₺2.5M

$34.5K €30.7K

47.19%

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

$44.5K ₺2.2M

$30.2K €26.8K

47.62%

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

$88.6 ₺4,387

$127 €113

-30.39%

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

$11.59 ₺574

$23.73 €21.11

-51.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.81 ₺783

$34.06 €30.29

-53.58%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.2 ₺3,820

$52.1 €46.37

47.99%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.74 ₺1,126

$22.24 €19.79

2.25%

Cinema Ticket

$8.14 ₺403

$9.19 €8.18

-11.43%

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

$1,008 ₺49.9K

$670 €596

50.46%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.6K ₺1.3M

$9,374 €8,338

172.69%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.0 ₺2,671

$75.7 €67.3

-28.70%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.83 ₺2,021

$43.35 €38.56

-5.81%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.9 ₺4,895

$79.6 €70.8

24.16%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.6 ₺4,783

$120 €107

-19.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$985 ₺48.7K

$1,232 €1,096

-20.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$650 ₺32.2K

$893 €794

-27.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,983 ₺98.2K

$2,065 €1,837

-3.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,180 ₺58.4K

$1,348 €1,199

-12.45%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,138 ₺155.4K

$5,150 €4,581

-39.06%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,780 ₺88.1K

$3,686 €3,278

-51.71%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,205 ₺59.7K

$1,786 €1,589

-32.52%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.92

3.02

1254.97%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 13, 2026

Last update for Girona: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$650 41.9%

Girona

$893 48.4% 37.4% $243

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$260 16.8%

Girona

$252 13.7% 3% $7.9

Eating Out

Istanbul

$223 14.4%

Girona

$245 13.3% 9.9% $22

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$131 8.4%

Girona

$143 7.8% 9.8% $13

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$116 7.5%

Girona

$185 10% 59.5% $69

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$93 6%

Girona

$71 3.8% 24.5% $23

Getting Around

Istanbul

$77 5%

Girona

$55 3% 28.5% $22

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $985 in Istanbul versus $1,232 in Girona. 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 48% higher in Girona, 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 $61.0 in Girona. Groceries tell a different story – $260 in Istanbul vs $252 in Girona – so Girona wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇪🇸 Girona

🕒 Local time

00:46 12:46 AM

23:46 11:46 PM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

104,320

💱 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 Girona 2,170 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Girona

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 Girona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Girona costs about 19% more than Istanbul, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from utilities. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,325 per month in Istanbul and $2,766 in Girona. 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.

Interestingly, groceries are about 3% cheaper in Girona – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55.0 in Istanbul and $61.0 in Girona. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Istanbul, where all-in costs run around $1,550, than in Girona at $1,844. In Istanbul it covers expenses comfortably, while in Girona it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Istanbul costs $1,550 versus $1,844 in Girona. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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, Girona makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.