Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Horishni Plavni

For one person, living is cheaper in Horishni Plavni: $795 a month against $1,519 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $8,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

73

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index
38

Cost of Living Index in Horishni Plavni
Learn more

Horishni Plavni Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,519

/mo nomad

Horishni Plavni

🇺🇦 Ukraine

$795

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Horishni Plavni

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,519 in Istanbul versus $795 in Horishni Plavni.

Istanbul $1,519
Horishni Plavni $795

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,365 in Istanbul versus $1,180 in Horishni Plavni.

Istanbul $2,365
Horishni Plavni $1,180

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,212 in Istanbul versus $1,565 in Horishni Plavni.

Istanbul $3,212
Horishni Plavni $1,565

Living in Istanbul is roughly 91% more expensive than in Horishni Plavni, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Istanbul is 12% above, Horishni Plavni is 41% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.81 ₺592

$8.68 ₴394

36.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.9 ₺2,753

$25.81 ₴1,173

112.75%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.26 ₺464

$5.53 ₴251

67.45%

Cappuccino

$4.30 ₺216

$0.69 ₴31.38

523.19%

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

$1.77 ₺89.0

$0.42 ₴19.31

321.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺28.31

$0.27 ₴12.28

107.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.69 ₺235

$0.65 ₴29.35

621.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.12 ₺357

$1.29 ₴58.6

451.94%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 ₺62.7

$1.12 ₴50.9

11.61%

White Bread (500g)

$0.88 ₺44.15

$0.67 ₴30.53

31.34%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 ₺111

$1.43 ₴65.0

53.85%

Eggs

$2.43 ₺122

$1.88 ₴85.4

29.26%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.48 ₺525

$9.55 ₴434

9.74%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.31 ₺266

$5.19 ₴236

2.31%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.10 ₺1,058

$8.68 ₴395

143.09%

Apples (1kg)

$1.86 ₺93.0

$0.76 ₴34.53

144.74%

Banana (1kg)

$2.30 ₺115

$1.59 ₴72.4

44.65%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.22 ₺60.9

$1.85 ₴84.2

-34.05%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺90.1

$2.93 ₴133

-38.57%

Potato (1kg)

$0.69 ₺34.81

$0.62 ₴28.06

11.29%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺32.15

$0.44 ₴19.83

45.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.36 ₺67.9

$1.43 ₴65.2

-4.90%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 ₺28.93

$0.61 ₴27.64

-4.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.34 ₺117

$3.51 ₴160

-33.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.03 ₺653

$5.45 ₴248

139.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.36 ₺118

$0.92 ₴41.80

156.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.32 ₺166

$1.38 ₴62.8

140.58%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.88 ₺44.05

$0.40 ₴18.19

120.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.1 ₺3,315

$12.41 ₴564

432.80%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 ₺64.4

$2.23 ₴101

-42.60%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 ₺42.78

$0.49 ₴22.48

73.47%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.09 ₺556

$4.65 ₴211

138.49%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 ₺74.0

$1.29 ₴58.5

14.73%

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

$48.6K ₺2.4M

$30.2K ₴1.4M

61.14%

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

$42.0K ₺2.1M

$25.9K ₴1.2M

62.04%

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

$92.7 ₺4,648

$99.6 ₴4,524

-6.88%

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

$11.20 ₺561

$5.28 ₴240

112.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.89 ₺797

$4.35 ₴198

265.29%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.7 ₺3,744

$26.53 ₴1,205

181.49%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.95 ₺1,151

$15.22 ₴692

50.79%

Cinema Ticket

$8.05 ₺404

$3.22 ₴146

150.00%

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

$948 ₺47.5K

$425 ₴19.3K

123.15%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.9K ₺1.9M

$4,054 ₴184.2K

810.55%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₺2,701

$72.6 ₴3,300

-25.80%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.49 ₺2,080

$40.07 ₴1,821

3.54%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 ₺5,058

$93.7 ₴4,256

7.72%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.3 ₺4,578

$119 ₴5,425

-23.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,014 ₺50.8K

$282 ₴12.8K

259.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$625 ₺31.3K

$203 ₴9,230

207.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,005 ₺100.5K

$541 ₴24.6K

270.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,126 ₺56.4K

$241 ₴10.9K

367.91%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,988 ₺149.8K

$1,185 ₴53.9K

152.09%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,730 ₺86.7K

$749 ₴34.0K

131.09%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,136 ₺57.0K

$331 ₴15.0K

243.28%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.42

17.83

126.70%

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

Last update for Istanbul: November 2, 2026

Last update for Horishni Plavni: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$625 41.1%

Horishni Plavni

$203 25.6% 67.5% $421

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$258 17%

Horishni Plavni

$181 22.8% 29.8% $77

Eating Out

Istanbul

$221 14.6%

Horishni Plavni

$103 13% 53.4% $118

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$129 8.5%

Horishni Plavni

$147 18.4% 13.3% $17

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$120 7.9%

Horishni Plavni

$109 13.7% 8.9% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$91 6%

Horishni Plavni

$33 4.2% 63.7% $58

Getting Around

Istanbul

$75 5%

Horishni Plavni

$19 2.4% 75.1% $56

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,014 in Istanbul and $282 in Horishni Plavni. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Istanbul pays about 3.4 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $55 in Istanbul vs $26 in Horishni Plavni for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $258 vs $181 per month, with Horishni Plavni cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇺🇦 Horishni Plavni

🕒 Local time

03:07 3:07 AM

02:07 2:07 AM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

49,854

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Ukrainian Hryvnia UAH ₴

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 1.99 USD

100 TRY = 1.78 EUR

100 UAH = 2.2 USD

100 UAH = 1.97 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

UAH, USD, EUR to TRY – Turkish Lira Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇷 Turkish Lira (₺)

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of November 7, 2026: 1 USD = 50.13 TRY (100 TRY = 1.99 USD). 1 EUR = 56.03 TRY (100 TRY = 1.78 EUR).

Ukrainian Hryvnia exchange rates as of November 7, 2026: 1 USD = 45.44 UAH (100 UAH = 2.2 USD). 1 EUR = 50.79 UAH (100 UAH = 1.97 EUR).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Istanbul Horishni Plavni 960 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Horishni Plavni

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 Horishni Plavni: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,519 in Istanbul and $795 in Horishni Plavni, so Horishni Plavni is about 48% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Istanbul is about 3.4 times higher, 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: $1,014 in Istanbul versus $282 in Horishni Plavni. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 42% higher in Istanbul. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Horishni Plavni – a meal for two runs $26 versus $55 in Istanbul. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $795 in Horishni Plavni versus $1,519 in Istanbul, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Horishni Plavni but tight or insufficient in Istanbul. The gap between the two cities makes Horishni Plavni 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 Horishni Plavni are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Horishni Plavni gentler on the wallet – expenses run 48% less than in Istanbul. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.