Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Gjilan

For one person, living is cheaper in Gjilan: $774 a month against $1,526 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $9,000 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
38

Cost of Living Index in Gjilan
Learn more

Gjilan Living Index

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Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,526

/mo nomad

Gjilan

🇽🇰 Kosovo

$774

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Gjilan

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,526 in Istanbul versus $774 in Gjilan.

Istanbul $1,526
Gjilan $774

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,399 in Istanbul versus $1,140 in Gjilan.

Istanbul $2,399
Gjilan $1,140

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,272 in Istanbul versus $1,507 in Gjilan.

Istanbul $3,272
Gjilan $1,507

Living in Istanbul is roughly 97% more expensive than in Gjilan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Istanbul is 14% above, Gjilan is 42% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.88 ₺585

$4.13 €3.69

187.65%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.1 ₺2,714

$22.81 €20.35

141.52%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.14 ₺450

$5.77 €5.15

58.41%

Cappuccino

$4.24 ₺209

$1.36 €1.21

211.76%

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

$1.75 ₺86.0

$1.09 €0.97

60.55%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.54 ₺26.83

$0.88 €0.78

-38.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.69 ₺231

$1.66 €1.48

182.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.97 ₺294

$1.32 €1.18

352.27%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.26 ₺62.1

$1.25 €1.11

0.80%

White Bread (500g)

$0.95 ₺46.81

$0.46 €0.41

106.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.31 ₺114

$1.29 €1.15

79.07%

Eggs

$2.47 ₺122

$1.86 €1.66

32.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.55 ₺520

$7.81 €6.97

35.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.60 ₺276

$6.67 €5.95

-16.04%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.21 ₺1,045

$12.67 €11.31

67.40%

Apples (1kg)

$1.93 ₺95.1

$1.57 €1.40

22.93%

Banana (1kg)

$2.29 ₺113

$1.58 €1.41

44.94%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.1

$1.69 €1.51

-24.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.84 ₺90.8

$1.65 €1.47

11.52%

Potato (1kg)

$0.67 ₺32.86

$0.96 €0.85

-30.21%

Onion (1kg)

$0.59 ₺29.31

$0.86 €0.77

-31.40%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.33 ₺65.4

$0.84 €0.75

58.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₺29.10

$0.49 €0.44

20.41%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.36 ₺116

$3.41 €3.04

-30.79%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.47 ₺664

$5.69 €5.07

136.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.42 ₺119

$1.00 €0.89

142.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.54 ₺174

$1.26 €1.13

180.95%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.83 ₺40.64

$0.58 €0.52

43.10%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.5 ₺3,273

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.35 ₺66.6

$2.19 €1.96

-38.36%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 ₺42.05

$0.59 €0.52

44.07%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.86 ₺535

$3.30 €2.95

229.09%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ₺72.3

$1.43 €1.28

2.80%

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

$51.6K ₺2.5M

$22.2K €19.8K

132.43%

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

$44.4K ₺2.2M

$25.6K €22.9K

73.33%

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

$89.2 ₺4,395

$107 €95.2

-16.32%

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

$11.60 ₺572

$11.27 €10.06

2.93%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.10 ₺793

$23.50 €20.97

-31.49%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.3 ₺3,805

$19.87 €17.73

288.78%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.66 ₺1,116

Cinema Ticket

$8.34 ₺411

$4.57 €4.08

82.49%

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

$974 ₺48.0K

$166 €148

487.58%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.8K ₺1.3M

$1,466 €1,308

1657.88%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.7 ₺2,597

$42.41 €37.85

24.29%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.16 ₺1,929

$31.57 €28.17

24.04%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 ₺5,083

$63.2 €56.4

63.28%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.6 ₺4,759

$79.9 €71.3

20.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$994 ₺49.0K

$278 €248

257.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$629 ₺31.0K

$228 €204

175.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,024 ₺99.7K

$479 €428

322.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,155 ₺56.9K

$360 €321

220.80%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,160 ₺155.7K

$911 €813

246.88%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,838 ₺90.5K

$700 €624

162.68%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,203 ₺59.3K

$441 €394

172.70%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

41.09

4.5

813.11%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 3, 2026

Last update for Gjilan: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$629 41.2%

Gjilan

$228 29.3% 63.8% $401

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$264 17.3%

Gjilan

$190 24.3% 28.2% $74

Eating Out

Istanbul

$218 14.3%

Gjilan

$85 11% 60.8% $132

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$131 8.6%

Gjilan

$98 12.5% 25.6% $34

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$117 7.7%

Gjilan

$141 18.2% 20.9% $24

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$94 6.1%

Gjilan

$29 3.7% 69.1% $65

Getting Around

Istanbul

$75 4.9%

Gjilan

$7.5 * 1% 90.1% $68

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $994 in Istanbul and $278 in Gjilan. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Istanbul pays 173% 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 $23.00 in Gjilan for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $264 vs $190 per month, with Gjilan cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇽🇰 Gjilan

🕒 Local time

10:31 10:31 AM

09:31 9:31 AM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

54,239

💱 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 →

On the map

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Between locations

Istanbul Gjilan 640 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Gjilan

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 Gjilan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Istanbul and Gjilan differ by about 97% in total monthly costs ($1,526 vs $774 including rent). Gjilan is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 173% higher in Istanbul, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $994 in Istanbul versus $278 in Gjilan. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 39% higher in Istanbul. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,526 per month in Istanbul versus $774 in Gjilan – a 97% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $774 in Gjilan versus $1,526 in Istanbul, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Gjilan but tight or insufficient in Istanbul. The gap between the two cities makes Gjilan the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Istanbul and Gjilan 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 Gjilan gentler on the wallet – expenses run 97% less than in Istanbul. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.