Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Gran Canaria, Canary Islands

For one person, living costs are similar in Istanbul and in Gran Canaria, Canary Islands: $1,526 and $1,600 a month, rent and utilities included.

74

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Gran Canaria, Canary Islands
Learn more

Gran Canaria, Canary Islands Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,526

/mo nomad

Gran Canaria, Canary Islands

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,600

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Gran Canaria, Canary Islands

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 Gran Canaria, Canary Islands actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,526 per month in Istanbul vs $1,600 in Gran Canaria, Canary Islands, rent included.

Istanbul $1,526
Gran Canaria, Canary Islands $1,600

A couple spends around $2,399 per month in Istanbul vs $2,345 in Gran Canaria, Canary Islands, rent included.

Istanbul $2,399
Gran Canaria, Canary Islands $2,345

A family of three spends $3,272 per month in Istanbul vs $3,090 in Gran Canaria, Canary Islands, rent included.

Istanbul $3,272
Gran Canaria, Canary Islands $3,090

Istanbul is about 5% cheaper than Gran Canaria, Canary Islands, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both Istanbul and Gran Canaria, Canary Islands sit above the global median – Istanbul by 14%, Gran Canaria, Canary Islands by 19%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.88 ₺586

$15.29 €13.70

-22.30%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.1 ₺2,717

$57.5 €51.5

-4.16%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.14 ₺451

$10.40 €9.32

-12.12%

Cappuccino

$4.24 ₺209

$2.13 €1.91

99.06%

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

$1.75 ₺86.1

$2.41 €2.16

-27.39%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.54 ₺26.86

$1.71 €1.54

-68.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.69 ₺231

$3.23 €2.90

45.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.97 ₺295

$3.38 €3.03

76.63%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.26 ₺62.2

$1.20 €1.08

5.00%

White Bread (500g)

$0.95 ₺46.87

$1.35 €1.21

-29.63%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.31 ₺114

$1.62 €1.45

42.59%

Eggs

$2.47 ₺122

$2.80 €2.51

-11.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.55 ₺521

$13.71 €12.28

-23.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.60 ₺276

$8.26 €7.40

-32.20%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.21 ₺1,046

$15.30 €13.71

38.63%

Apples (1kg)

$1.93 ₺95.2

$2.46 €2.21

-21.54%

Banana (1kg)

$2.29 ₺113

$1.97 €1.76

16.24%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.2

$1.98 €1.77

-35.35%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.84 ₺90.9

$2.56 €2.29

-28.13%

Potato (1kg)

$0.67 ₺32.91

$1.71 €1.53

-60.82%

Onion (1kg)

$0.59 ₺29.35

$2.05 €1.84

-71.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.33 ₺65.5

$1.31 €1.17

1.53%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₺29.14

$0.76 €0.68

-22.37%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.36 ₺116

$6.27 €5.61

-62.36%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.47 ₺665

$5.68 €5.09

137.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.42 ₺119

$1.25 €1.12

93.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.54 ₺174

$2.04 €1.83

73.53%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.83 ₺40.69

$1.70 €1.52

-51.18%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.5 ₺3,277

$34.53 €30.93

92.44%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.35 ₺66.7

$4.00 €3.58

-66.25%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 ₺42.10

$1.24 €1.11

-31.45%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.86 ₺536

$24.63 €22.06

-55.91%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ₺72.4

$1.80 €1.61

-18.33%

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

$51.6K ₺2.5M

$38.4K €34.4K

34.54%

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

$44.4K ₺2.2M

$30.4K €27.3K

46.10%

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

$89.2 ₺4,400

$133 €119

-32.98%

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

$11.60 ₺572

$21.10 €18.90

-45.02%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.10 ₺794

$30.91 €27.69

-47.91%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.3 ₺3,810

$47.28 €42.36

63.39%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.66 ₺1,117

$15.31 €13.72

48.01%

Cinema Ticket

$8.34 ₺411

$9.19 €8.23

-9.25%

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

$974 ₺48.0K

$409 €366

138.32%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.8K ₺1.3M

$8,292 €7,428

210.81%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.7 ₺2,600

$85.1 €76.2

-38.05%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.16 ₺1,932

$35.30 €31.62

10.93%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 ₺5,090

$89.1 €79.8

15.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.6 ₺4,765

$108 €96.6

-10.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$994 ₺49.0K

$843 €755

17.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$629 ₺31.0K

$689 €618

-8.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,024 ₺99.8K

$1,304 €1,168

55.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,155 ₺57.0K

$995 €891

16.09%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,160 ₺155.9K

$3,345 €2,996

-5.51%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,838 ₺90.6K

$2,308 €2,068

-20.39%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,203 ₺59.4K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

41.09

3.5

1074.00%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 3, 2026

Last update for Gran Canaria, Canary Islands: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$629 41.2%

Gran Canaria, Canary Islands

$689 42.7% 9.5% $60

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$264 17.3%

Gran Canaria, Canary Islands

$262 16.2% 0.9% $2.3

Eating Out

Istanbul

$218 14.3%

Gran Canaria, Canary Islands

$218 13.5% 0.3% $0.6

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$131 8.6%

Gran Canaria, Canary Islands

$143 8.8% 8.8% $12

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$117 7.7%

Gran Canaria, Canary Islands

$185 11.5% 58.3% $68

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$94 6.1%

Gran Canaria, Canary Islands

$66 4.1% 30.1% $28

Getting Around

Istanbul

$75 4.9%

Gran Canaria, Canary Islands

$52 3.2% 31.6% $24

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $994 in Istanbul versus $843 in Gran Canaria, Canary Islands. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55.0 in Istanbul versus $57.0 in Gran Canaria, Canary Islands. Groceries tell a different story – $264 in Istanbul vs $262 in Gran Canaria, Canary Islands – so Gran Canaria, Canary Islands wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇪🇸 Gran Canaria, Canary Islands

🕒 Local time

11:44 11:44 AM

09:44 9:44 AM

2 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

862,893

💱 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 13, 2026: 1 USD = 49.32 TRY (100 TRY = 2.03 USD). 1 EUR = 55.28 TRY (100 TRY = 1.81 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 13, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Istanbul Gran Canaria, Canary Islands 4,280 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Gran Canaria, Canary Islands

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 Gran Canaria, Canary Islands: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Gran Canaria, Canary Islands is pricier by about 5%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in leisure.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,289 per month in Istanbul and $2,401 in Gran Canaria, Canary Islands. 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.

Kindergarten costs $974 per month in Istanbul and $409 in Gran Canaria, Canary Islands. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 1% cheaper in Gran Canaria, Canary Islands – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Istanbul, where all-in costs run around $1,526, than in Gran Canaria, Canary Islands at $1,600. In Istanbul it covers expenses comfortably, while in Gran Canaria, Canary Islands it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Istanbul – 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 Istanbul. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Gran Canaria, Canary Islands makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.