Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Heraklion

For one person, living is cheaper in Istanbul: $1,519 a month against $1,629 in Heraklion, rent and utilities included – about $1,300 less a year. The total is higher in Heraklion despite lower rent and utilities.

73

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Heraklion
Learn more

Heraklion Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,519

/mo nomad

Heraklion

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,629

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Heraklion

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,519 in Istanbul versus $1,629 in Heraklion.

Istanbul $1,519
Heraklion $1,629

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,365 in Istanbul versus $2,534 in Heraklion.

Istanbul $2,365
Heraklion $2,534

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,212 in Istanbul versus $3,438 in Heraklion.

Istanbul $3,212
Heraklion $3,438

Living in Istanbul costs roughly 7% less than in Heraklion, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Istanbul 12% above, Heraklion 21% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.81 ₺592

$12.71 €11.38

-7.08%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.9 ₺2,754

$56.6 €50.7

-3.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.26 ₺465

$9.92 €8.88

-6.65%

Cappuccino

$4.30 ₺216

$3.87 €3.46

11.11%

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

$1.77 ₺89.0

$2.46 €2.20

-28.05%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺28.32

$0.78 €0.70

-28.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.69 ₺235

$5.64 €5.04

-16.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.12 ₺357

$5.42 €4.85

31.37%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 ₺62.7

$1.77 €1.58

-29.38%

White Bread (500g)

$0.88 ₺44.17

$1.45 €1.30

-39.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 ₺111

$2.71 €2.42

-18.82%

Eggs

$2.43 ₺122

$4.57 €4.09

-46.83%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.48 ₺526

$15.74 €14.08

-33.42%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.31 ₺267

$10.71 €9.58

-50.42%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.10 ₺1,058

$15.41 €13.79

36.92%

Apples (1kg)

$1.86 ₺93.1

$2.15 €1.93

-13.49%

Banana (1kg)

$2.30 ₺115

$2.13 €1.91

7.98%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.22 ₺61.0

$1.36 €1.21

-10.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺90.2

$1.69 €1.51

6.51%

Potato (1kg)

$0.69 ₺34.83

$1.18 €1.05

-41.53%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺32.16

$1.22 €1.09

-47.54%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.36 ₺68.0

$0.96 €0.85

41.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 ₺28.94

$0.71 €0.64

-18.31%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.34 ₺117

$4.99 €4.47

-53.11%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.03 ₺653

$7.60 €6.80

71.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.36 ₺118

$2.26 €2.02

4.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.32 ₺166

$2.96 €2.65

12.16%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.88 ₺44.07

$1.48 €1.32

-40.54%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.1 ₺3,316

$70.7 €63.2

-6.45%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 ₺64.4

$4.40 €3.94

-70.91%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 ₺42.80

$0.99 €0.88

-14.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.09 ₺556

$22.23 €19.89

-50.11%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 ₺74.0

$2.17 €1.95

-31.80%

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

$48.6K ₺2.4M

$27.8K €24.9K

75.05%

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

$42.0K ₺2.1M

$23.7K €21.2K

76.79%

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

$92.7 ₺4,650

$195 €174

-52.41%

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

$11.20 ₺562

$30.56 €27.34

-63.35%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.89 ₺797

$38.91 €34.82

-59.16%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.7 ₺3,745

$54.1 €48.43

37.99%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.95 ₺1,151

$38.86 €34.77

-40.94%

Cinema Ticket

$8.05 ₺404

$8.94 €8.00

-9.96%

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

$948 ₺47.6K

$411 €368

130.52%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.9K ₺1.9M

$1,367 €1,223

2600.32%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₺2,702

$88.5 €79.2

-39.13%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.49 ₺2,081

$43.01 €38.49

-3.53%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 ₺5,060

$84.6 €75.7

19.21%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.3 ₺4,580

$137 €122

-33.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,014 ₺50.8K

$653 €585

55.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$625 ₺31.3K

$522 €467

19.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,005 ₺100.6K

$1,177 €1,053

70.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,126 ₺56.5K

$996 €891

13.01%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,988 ₺149.8K

$3,589 €3,211

-16.75%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,730 ₺86.8K

$2,458 €2,199

-29.60%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,136 ₺57.0K

$1,111 €994

2.28%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.42

4.44

810.36%

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

Last update for Istanbul: November 2, 2026

Last update for Heraklion: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$625 41.1%

Heraklion

$522 32% 16.4% $103

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$258 17%

Heraklion

$296 18.2% 14.8% $38

Eating Out

Istanbul

$221 14.6%

Heraklion

$230 14.1% 4.1% $9

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$129 8.5%

Heraklion

$159 9.8% 22.8% $29

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$120 7.9%

Heraklion

$264 16.2% 121% $144

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$91 6%

Heraklion

$72 4.4% 20.7% $19

Getting Around

Istanbul

$75 5%

Heraklion

$86 5.3% 14.3% $11

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,014 in Istanbul and $653 in Heraklion. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $55 in Istanbul vs $57 in Heraklion for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $258 vs $296 per month, with Istanbul cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇬🇷 Heraklion

🕒 Local time

20:56 8:56 PM

19:56 7:56 PM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

140,730

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 1.99 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 = 50.15 TRY (100 TRY = 1.99 USD). 1 EUR = 56.33 TRY (100 TRY = 1.78 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 0.895 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Istanbul Heraklion 710 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Heraklion

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 Heraklion: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Istanbul is about 7% cheaper overall, especially in utilities, groceries, and clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $2,278 in Istanbul and $2,444 in Heraklion to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,014 in Istanbul versus $653 in Heraklion. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $948 in Istanbul versus $411 in Heraklion. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 15% higher in Heraklion. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,500. Istanbul is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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 Heraklion are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.