Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Gulbene

For one person, living is cheaper in Gulbene: $1,280 a month against $1,519 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $2,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

73

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index
61

Cost of Living Index in Gulbene
Learn more

Gulbene Living Index

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Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,519

/mo nomad

Gulbene

🇱🇻 Latvia

$1,280

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Gulbene

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

A single person spends $1,519 per month in Istanbul vs $1,280 in Gulbene, rent included.

Istanbul $1,519
Gulbene $1,280

A couple spends around $2,365 per month in Istanbul vs $1,955 in Gulbene, rent included.

Istanbul $2,365
Gulbene $1,955

A family of three spends $3,212 per month in Istanbul vs $2,631 in Gulbene, rent included.

Istanbul $3,212
Gulbene $2,631

Istanbul costs about 19% more than Gulbene, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Istanbul sits 12% above the global median, while Gulbene is 5% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.81 ₺591

$16.89 €15.05

-30.08%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.9 ₺2,748

$66.3 €59.1

-17.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.26 ₺463

$9.46 €8.43

-2.11%

Cappuccino

$4.30 ₺215

$3.66 €3.26

17.49%

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

$1.77 ₺88.8

$1.50 €1.34

18.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺28.26

$1.26 €1.12

-55.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.69 ₺234

$5.71 €5.09

-17.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.12 ₺356

$4.89 €4.36

45.60%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 ₺62.6

$1.16 €1.03

7.76%

White Bread (500g)

$0.88 ₺44.07

$1.45 €1.29

-39.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 ₺110

$2.52 €2.24

-12.70%

Eggs

$2.43 ₺122

$3.56 €3.17

-31.74%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.48 ₺524

$10.22 €9.11

2.54%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.31 ₺266

$8.33 €7.42

-36.25%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.10 ₺1,056

$13.81 €12.30

52.79%

Apples (1kg)

$1.86 ₺92.9

$2.06 €1.84

-9.71%

Banana (1kg)

$2.30 ₺115

$1.83 €1.63

25.68%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.22 ₺60.8

$2.52 €2.25

-51.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺90.0

$3.26 €2.90

-44.79%

Potato (1kg)

$0.69 ₺34.75

$0.81 €0.72

-14.81%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺32.09

$0.96 €0.85

-33.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.36 ₺67.8

$1.70 €1.52

-20.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 ₺28.88

$0.93 €0.82

-37.63%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.34 ₺117

$6.84 €6.09

-65.79%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.03 ₺652

$7.98 €7.11

63.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.36 ₺118

$1.98 €1.76

19.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.32 ₺166

$2.09 €1.86

58.85%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.88 ₺43.97

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.1 ₺3,309

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 ₺64.3

$3.39 €3.02

-62.24%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 ₺42.70

$1.04 €0.92

-18.27%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.09 ₺555

$17.73 €15.79

-37.45%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 ₺73.9

$2.04 €1.81

-27.45%

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

$48.6K ₺2.4M

$27.4K €24.4K

77.46%

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

$42.0K ₺2.1M

$29.0K €25.8K

44.89%

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

$92.7 ₺4,639

$368 €328

-74.80%

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

$11.20 ₺560

$19.76 €17.60

-43.32%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.89 ₺795

$19.23 €17.13

-17.37%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.7 ₺3,737

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.95 ₺1,149

Cinema Ticket

$8.05 ₺403

$10.95 €9.75

-26.48%

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

$948 ₺47.5K

$748 €667

26.76%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.9K ₺1.8M

$22.6K €20.2K

63.16%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₺2,696

$69.1 €61.5

-21.97%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.49 ₺2,076

$49.83 €44.39

-16.74%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 ₺5,049

$84.9 €75.6

18.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.3 ₺4,570

$139 €124

-34.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,014 ₺50.7K

$191 €170

431.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$625 ₺31.3K

$167 €149

273.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,005 ₺100.4K

$356 €317

463.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,126 ₺56.3K

$335 €298

236.10%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,988 ₺149.5K

$672 €599

344.58%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,730 ₺86.6K

$552 €491

213.71%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,136 ₺56.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.42

4.42

814.48%

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

Last update for Istanbul: November 2, 2026

Last update for Gulbene: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$625 41.1%

Gulbene

$167 13.1% 73.2% $457

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$258 17%

Gulbene

$264 20.6% 2.3% $5.9

Eating Out

Istanbul

$221 14.6%

Gulbene

$257 20.1% 16.3% $36

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$129 8.5%

Gulbene

$154 12.1% 19.2% $25

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$120 7.9%

Gulbene

$407 31.8% 240% $287

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$91 6%

Gulbene

$22 * 1.7% 75.9% $69

Getting Around

Istanbul

$75 5%

Gulbene

$8.6 * 0.7% 88.6% $67

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,014 in Istanbul versus $191 in Gulbene. 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 in Istanbul versus $66 in Gulbene. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $264 – making Istanbul the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇱🇻 Gulbene

🕒 Local time

10:01 10:01 AM

09:01 9:01 AM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

7,500

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 2 USD

100 TRY = 1.78 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 November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 50.04 TRY (100 TRY = 2 USD). 1 EUR = 56.18 TRY (100 TRY = 1.78 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 0.891 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Istanbul Gulbene 1,810 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Gulbene

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 Gulbene: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,519 in Istanbul, $1,280 in Gulbene – Gulbene comes out roughly 16% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in leisure.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,278 per month in Istanbul and $1,920 in Gulbene. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Gulbene, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $191 there versus $1,014 in Istanbul.

Kindergarten costs $948 per month in Istanbul and $748 in Gulbene. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,519 in Istanbul and $1,280 in Gulbene. That makes Gulbene about 16% cheaper.

$2,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,519 in Istanbul and $1,280 in Gulbene, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Gulbene – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.