Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Hsinchu

For one person, living is cheaper in Hsinchu: $1,140 a month against $1,516 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $4,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

73

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index
55

Cost of Living Index in Hsinchu
Learn more

Hsinchu Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,516

/mo nomad

Hsinchu

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$1,140

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Hsinchu

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

A single person spends $1,516 per month in Istanbul vs $1,140 in Hsinchu, rent included.

Istanbul $1,516
Hsinchu $1,140

A couple spends around $2,356 per month in Istanbul vs $1,917 in Hsinchu, rent included.

Istanbul $2,356
Hsinchu $1,917

A family of three spends $3,197 per month in Istanbul vs $2,693 in Hsinchu, rent included.

Istanbul $3,197
Hsinchu $2,693

Istanbul costs about 33% more than Hsinchu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Istanbul sits 11% above the global median, while Hsinchu is 16% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.59 ₺579

$3.67 NT$120

215.80%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.7 ₺2,730

$27.83 NT$907

96.48%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.39 ₺469

$4.75 NT$155

97.68%

Cappuccino

$4.23 ₺211

$2.99 NT$97.3

41.47%

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

$1.72 ₺85.8

$0.90 NT$29.37

91.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.57 ₺28.31

$0.66 NT$21.37

-13.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.65 ₺232

$1.89 NT$61.7

146.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.84 ₺341

$2.24 NT$73.1

205.36%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.20 ₺60.1

$2.75 NT$89.7

-56.36%

White Bread (500g)

$0.94 ₺47.06

$1.62 NT$52.9

-41.98%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.24 ₺112

$4.35 NT$142

-48.51%

Eggs

$2.42 ₺121

$2.76 NT$90.1

-12.32%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.24 ₺511

$35.37 NT$1,153

-71.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.38 ₺268

$6.92 NT$226

-22.25%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.19 ₺1,058

$20.54 NT$670

3.16%

Apples (1kg)

$1.89 ₺94.4

$2.60 NT$84.7

-27.31%

Banana (1kg)

$2.22 ₺111

$2.43 NT$79.2

-8.64%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.26 ₺62.8

$3.24 NT$106

-61.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.81 ₺90.2

$3.10 NT$101

-41.61%

Potato (1kg)

$0.70 ₺34.91

$2.36 NT$76.9

-70.34%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺32.19

$2.31 NT$75.4

-72.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.22 ₺61.0

$1.96 NT$63.9

-37.76%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ₺27.41

$1.36 NT$44.32

-59.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.32 ₺116

$3.90 NT$127

-40.51%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.31 ₺665

$12.08 NT$394

10.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.33 ₺116

$1.88 NT$61.4

23.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 ₺173

$2.29 NT$74.6

51.09%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.91 ₺45.27

$0.51 NT$16.76

78.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.3 ₺3,312

$38.54 NT$1,257

72.13%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.29 ₺64.3

$2.99 NT$97.6

-56.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.86 ₺42.74

$0.30 NT$9.64

186.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.09 ₺554

$9.82 NT$320

12.93%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.42 ₺70.9

$1.01 NT$32.98

40.59%

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

$49.2K ₺2.5M

$34.7K NT$1.1M

41.64%

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

$42.8K ₺2.1M

$23.6K NT$769.1K

81.46%

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

$87.7 ₺4,381

$102 NT$3,315

-13.72%

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

$11.28 ₺563

$19.11 NT$623

-40.97%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.89 ₺793

$20.66 NT$674

-23.09%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$75.9 ₺3,790

$51.0 NT$1,664

48.77%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.04 ₺1,150

Cinema Ticket

$8.20 ₺410

$10.28 NT$335

-20.23%

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

$1,028 ₺51.3K

$735 NT$24.0K

39.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$26.0K ₺1.3M

$16.3K NT$531.6K

59.24%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.3 ₺2,663

$56.1 NT$1,829

-4.92%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.69 ₺1,982

$34.95 NT$1,140

13.56%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.8 ₺4,982

$75.7 NT$2,467

31.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.5 ₺4,670

$103 NT$3,352

-9.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,003 ₺50.1K

$418 NT$13.6K

139.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$628 ₺31.4K

$257 NT$8,377

144.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,963 ₺98.0K

$1,100 NT$35.9K

78.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,122 ₺56.0K

$756 NT$24.7K

48.30%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,075 ₺153.5K

$6,930 NT$226.0K

-55.63%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,753 ₺87.5K

$4,621 NT$150.7K

-62.07%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,180 ₺58.9K

$2,398 NT$78.2K

-50.81%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.69

2.13

1810.33%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 27, 2026

Last update for Hsinchu: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$628 41.5%

Hsinchu

$257 22.5% 59.1% $371

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$258 17%

Hsinchu

$405 35.5% 56.7% $146

Eating Out

Istanbul

$218 14.4%

Hsinchu

$100 8.7% 54.3% $118

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$129 8.5%

Hsinchu

$121 10.6% 5.9% $7.5

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$115 7.6%

Hsinchu

$141 12.4% 23.1% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$92 6.1%

Hsinchu

$72 6.3% 22.4% $21

Getting Around

Istanbul

$76 5%

Hsinchu

$45 4% 40.3% $30

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,003 in Istanbul versus $418 in Hsinchu. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Hsinchu are about 2 times higher, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55 in Istanbul versus $28 in Hsinchu. Groceries tell a different story – $258 in Istanbul vs $405 in Hsinchu – so Istanbul wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇹🇼 Hsinchu

🕒 Local time

01:14 1:14 AM

06:14 6:14 AM

5 h ahead of Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

453,120

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

New Taiwan Dollar TWD NT$

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 2 USD

100 TRY = 1.79 EUR

100 TWD = 3.07 USD

100 TWD = 2.75 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TWD, USD, EUR to TRY – Turkish Lira Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇷 Turkish Lira (₺)

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 49.93 TRY (100 TRY = 2 USD). 1 EUR = 55.75 TRY (100 TRY = 1.79 EUR).

New Taiwan Dollar exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 32.61 TWD (100 TWD = 3.07 USD). 1 EUR = 36.41 TWD (100 TWD = 2.75 EUR).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Istanbul Hsinchu 8,390 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Hsinchu

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 Hsinchu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Istanbul costs about 33% more than Hsinchu, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,274 per month in Istanbul and $1,711 in Hsinchu. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Hsinchu, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $418 there versus $1,003 in Istanbul.

Public transport costs about 42% less in Hsinchu. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $1,028 per month in Istanbul and $735 in Hsinchu. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,516 in Istanbul and $1,140 in Hsinchu. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Hsinchu – 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.