Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Iernut

For one person, living is cheaper in Iernut: $931 a month against $1,519 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $7,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

73

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index
44

Cost of Living Index in Iernut
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Iernut Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,519

/mo nomad

Iernut

🇷🇴 Romania

$931

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Iernut

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,519 in Istanbul versus $931 in Iernut.

Istanbul $1,519
Iernut $931

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,365 in Istanbul versus $1,426 in Iernut.

Istanbul $2,365
Iernut $1,426

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,212 in Istanbul versus $1,921 in Iernut.

Istanbul $3,212
Iernut $1,921

Living in Istanbul is roughly 63% more expensive than in Iernut, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Istanbul is 12% above, Iernut is 31% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.81 ₺591

$8.20 RON 39.03

44.02%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.9 ₺2,748

$42.06 RON 200

30.55%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.26 ₺463

$7.36 RON 35.01

25.82%

Cappuccino

$4.30 ₺215

$2.21 RON 10.52

94.57%

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

$1.77 ₺88.8

$1.57 RON 7.49

12.74%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺28.26

$1.19 RON 5.67

-52.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.69 ₺234

$2.15 RON 10.23

118.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.12 ₺356

$2.34 RON 11.15

204.27%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 ₺62.6

$1.34 RON 6.37

-6.72%

White Bread (500g)

$0.88 ₺44.07

$1.11 RON 5.28

-20.72%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 ₺110

$1.39 RON 6.61

58.27%

Eggs

$2.43 ₺122

$2.88 RON 13.69

-15.62%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.48 ₺524

$8.14 RON 38.74

28.75%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.31 ₺266

$6.03 RON 28.68

-11.94%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.10 ₺1,056

$10.11 RON 48.10

108.70%

Apples (1kg)

$1.86 ₺92.9

$0.95 RON 4.51

95.79%

Banana (1kg)

$2.30 ₺115

$1.25 RON 5.96

84.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.22 ₺60.8

$1.40 RON 6.65

-12.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺90.0

$1.77 RON 8.42

1.69%

Potato (1kg)

$0.69 ₺34.75

$0.71 RON 3.36

-2.82%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺32.09

$0.54 RON 2.58

18.52%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.36 ₺67.8

$0.81 RON 3.87

67.90%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 ₺28.88

$0.71 RON 3.39

-18.31%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.34 ₺117

$5.96 RON 28.36

-60.74%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.03 ₺652

$7.20 RON 34.26

80.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.36 ₺118

$1.07 RON 5.10

120.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.32 ₺166

$1.56 RON 7.41

112.82%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.88 ₺43.97

$0.82 RON 3.92

7.32%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.1 ₺3,309

$23.54 RON 112

180.88%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 ₺64.3

$0.63 RON 3.01

103.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 ₺42.70

$0.67 RON 3.19

26.87%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.09 ₺555

$6.67 RON 31.71

66.27%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 ₺73.9

$1.84 RON 8.76

-19.57%

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

$48.6K ₺2.4M

$28.3K RON 134.8K

71.68%

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

$42.0K ₺2.1M

$25.2K RON 119.6K

66.89%

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

$92.7 ₺4,639

$98.8 RON 470

-6.14%

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

$11.20 ₺560

$7.37 RON 35.06

51.97%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.89 ₺795

$7.91 RON 37.62

100.88%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.7 ₺3,737

$36.76 RON 175

103.16%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.95 ₺1,149

$20.46 RON 97.3

12.17%

Cinema Ticket

$8.05 ₺403

$6.40 RON 30.44

25.78%

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

$948 ₺47.5K

$420 RON 1,996

126.02%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.9K ₺1.8M

$7,611 RON 36.2K

385.04%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₺2,696

$51.6 RON 246

4.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.49 ₺2,076

$29.93 RON 142

38.62%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 ₺5,049

$74.1 RON 352

36.15%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.3 ₺4,570

$78.3 RON 372

16.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,014 ₺50.7K

$377 RON 1,791

169.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$625 ₺31.3K

$300 RON 1,426

108.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,005 ₺100.4K

$617 RON 2,936

224.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,126 ₺56.3K

$448 RON 2,129

151.58%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,988 ₺149.5K

$1,786 RON 8,493

67.33%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,730 ₺86.6K

$1,223 RON 5,815

41.52%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,136 ₺56.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.42

7.23

459.06%

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

Last update for Istanbul: November 2, 2026

Last update for Iernut: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$625 41.1%

Iernut

$300 32.2% 52% $325

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$258 17%

Iernut

$191 20.5% 26% $67

Eating Out

Istanbul

$221 14.6%

Iernut

$141 15.1% 36.3% $80

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$129 8.5%

Iernut

$105 11.3% 18.6% $24

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$120 7.9%

Iernut

$114 12.3% 4.8% $5.7

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$91 6%

Iernut

$50 5.3% 45.4% $41

Getting Around

Istanbul

$75 5%

Iernut

$31 3.3% 59% $44

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,014 in Istanbul and $377 in Iernut. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $55 in Istanbul vs $42 in Iernut for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $258 vs $191 per month, with Iernut cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇷🇴 Iernut

🕒 Local time

02:14 2:14 AM

01:14 1:14 AM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

9,000

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 2 USD

100 TRY = 1.78 EUR

1 RON = 0.21 USD

1 RON = 0.187 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RON, USD, EUR to TRY – Turkish Lira Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇷 Turkish Lira (₺)

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 50.04 TRY (100 TRY = 2 USD). 1 EUR = 56.18 TRY (100 TRY = 1.78 EUR).

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 4.76 RON (1 RON = 0.21 USD). 1 EUR = 5.34 RON (1 RON = 0.187 EUR).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Istanbul Iernut 720 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Iernut

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 Iernut: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Iernut is about 39% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and transport. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $2,278 in Istanbul and $1,397 in Iernut 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 $377 in Iernut. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Iernut – a meal for two runs $42 versus $55 in Istanbul. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $1,519 per month in Istanbul versus $931 in Iernut – Iernut is about 39% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

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.

Expats usually find Iernut gentler on the wallet – expenses run 39% less than in Istanbul. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.