Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Iglesias

For one person, living costs are similar in Istanbul and in Iglesias: $1,550 and $1,563 a month, rent and utilities included.

75

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index
77

Cost of Living Index in Iglesias
Learn more

Iglesias Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

Iglesias

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,563

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Iglesias

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,550 in Istanbul versus $1,563 in Iglesias.

Istanbul $1,550
Iglesias $1,563

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,415 in Istanbul versus $2,439 in Iglesias.

Istanbul $2,415
Iglesias $2,439

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,281 in Istanbul versus $3,316 in Iglesias.

Istanbul $3,281
Iglesias $3,316

Living in Istanbul costs roughly 1% less than in Iglesias, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Istanbul 15% above, Iglesias 16% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.30 ₺609

$21.87 €19.46

-43.76%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.7 ₺2,708

$67.0 €59.6

-18.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.22 ₺456

$10.99 €9.78

-16.11%

Cappuccino

$4.40 ₺218

$1.92 €1.71

129.17%

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

$1.68 ₺83.1

$2.77 €2.46

-39.35%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₺29.40

$1.09 €0.97

-45.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.70 ₺233

$5.53 €4.92

-15.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.91 ₺292

$5.11 €4.55

15.66%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 ₺60.0

$1.11 €0.99

9.01%

White Bread (500g)

$0.89 ₺44.10

$1.10 €0.98

-19.09%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.19 ₺108

$1.71 €1.52

28.07%

Eggs

$2.35 ₺116

$3.39 €3.01

-30.68%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.42 ₺516

$16.91 €15.04

-38.38%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.65 ₺280

$7.34 €6.53

-23.02%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.94 ₺1,037

$7.44 €6.62

181.45%

Apples (1kg)

$1.90 ₺94.1

$2.61 €2.32

-27.20%

Banana (1kg)

$2.31 ₺114

$1.78 €1.58

29.78%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.1

$2.24 €1.99

-42.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺89.0

$1.68 €1.50

7.14%

Potato (1kg)

$0.65 ₺32.16

$1.96 €1.74

-66.84%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺31.91

$2.22 €1.97

-71.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 ₺62.1

$1.48 €1.31

-15.54%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.58

$0.52 €0.47

7.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.37 ₺118

$6.33 €5.63

-62.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.42 ₺664

$5.07 €4.51

164.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₺119

$1.64 €1.46

46.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 ₺172

$1.82 €1.61

91.21%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.89 ₺43.84

$1.66 €1.47

-46.39%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.4 ₺3,338

$36.33 €32.32

85.60%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.29 ₺64.1

$9.50 €8.45

-86.42%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 ₺45.70

$1.50 €1.33

-38.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.96 ₺542

$31.17 €27.73

-64.84%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ₺72.9

$1.90 €1.69

-22.63%

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

$50.8K ₺2.5M

$33.2K €29.6K

52.75%

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

$44.5K ₺2.2M

$35.9K €31.9K

24.15%

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

$88.6 ₺4,387

$158 €140

-43.76%

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

$11.59 ₺574

$8.75 €7.78

32.46%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.81 ₺783

$29.46 €26.21

-46.33%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.2 ₺3,820

$49.85 €44.34

54.78%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.74 ₺1,126

$27.18 €24.18

-16.34%

Cinema Ticket

$8.14 ₺403

$8.92 €7.93

-8.74%

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

$1,008 ₺49.9K

$531 €472

89.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.6K ₺1.3M

$8,070 €7,178

216.75%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.0 ₺2,671

$95.0 €84.5

-43.18%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.83 ₺2,021

$42.76 €38.04

-4.51%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.9 ₺4,895

$93.7 €83.4

5.53%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.6 ₺4,783

$116 €103

-16.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$985 ₺48.7K

$712 €633

38.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$650 ₺32.2K

$561 €499

15.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,983 ₺98.2K

$1,170 €1,040

69.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,180 ₺58.4K

$1,002 €892

17.71%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,138 ₺155.4K

$2,712 €2,412

15.72%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,780 ₺88.1K

$1,767 €1,572

0.72%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,205 ₺59.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.92

3.27

1151.38%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 13, 2026

Last update for Iglesias: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$650 41.9%

Iglesias

$561 35.9% 13.7% $89

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$260 16.8%

Iglesias

$238 15.2% 8.4% $22

Eating Out

Istanbul

$223 14.4%

Iglesias

$284 18.2% 27.3% $61

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$131 8.4%

Iglesias

$156 10% 19.6% $26

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$116 7.5%

Iglesias

$196 12.5% 68.7% $80

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$93 6%

Iglesias

$68 4.3% 27.6% $26

Getting Around

Istanbul

$77 5%

Iglesias

$60 3.8% 22% $17

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $985 in Istanbul and $712 in Iglesias. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $55.0 in Istanbul vs $67.0 in Iglesias. Groceries flip the comparison at $260 vs $238, with Iglesias cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇮🇹 Iglesias

🕒 Local time

07:24 7:24 AM

06:24 6:24 AM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

28,170

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 2.02 USD

100 TRY = 1.8 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 October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 49.51 TRY (100 TRY = 2.02 USD). 1 EUR = 55.66 TRY (100 TRY = 1.8 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Istanbul Iglesias 1,740 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Iglesias

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 Iglesias: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Istanbul and Iglesias differ by about 1% in total monthly costs ($1,550 vs $1,563 including rent). Istanbul is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $2,325 in Istanbul and $2,344 in Iglesias 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: $985 in Istanbul versus $712 in Iglesias. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Iglesias pay roughly 9% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Dining out is cheaper in Istanbul – a meal for two runs $55.0 versus $67.0 in Iglesias. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,550 in Istanbul versus $1,563 in Iglesias, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Istanbul but tight or insufficient in Iglesias. The gap between the two cities makes Istanbul 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 Iglesias are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Istanbul gentler on the wallet – expenses run 1% less than in Iglesias. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.