Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Ilion

For one person, living is cheaper in Istanbul: $1,519 a month against $1,560 in Ilion, rent and utilities included – about $490 less a year. The total is higher in Ilion despite lower rent and utilities.

73

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index
75

Cost of Living Index in Ilion
Learn more

Ilion Living Index

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Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,519

/mo nomad

Ilion

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,560

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Ilion

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,519 in Istanbul versus $1,560 in Ilion.

Istanbul $1,519
Ilion $1,560

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,365 in Istanbul versus $2,452 in Ilion.

Istanbul $2,365
Ilion $2,452

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,212 in Istanbul versus $3,343 in Ilion.

Istanbul $3,212
Ilion $3,343

Living in Istanbul costs roughly 3% less than in Ilion, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Istanbul 12% above, Ilion 15% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.81 ₺592

$13.55 €12.07

-12.84%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.9 ₺2,754

$57.6 €51.3

-4.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.26 ₺465

$9.18 €8.17

0.87%

Cappuccino

$4.30 ₺216

$4.01 €3.57

7.23%

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

$1.77 ₺89.0

$2.38 €2.12

-25.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺28.32

$0.54 €0.48

3.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.69 ₺235

$5.73 €5.10

-18.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.12 ₺357

$5.62 €5.01

26.69%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 ₺62.7

$1.65 €1.47

-24.24%

White Bread (500g)

$0.88 ₺44.17

$1.40 €1.25

-37.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 ₺111

$2.69 €2.39

-18.22%

Eggs

$2.43 ₺122

$5.02 €4.47

-51.59%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.48 ₺526

$12.07 €10.75

-13.17%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.31 ₺267

$10.46 €9.32

-49.24%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.10 ₺1,058

$19.35 €17.23

9.04%

Apples (1kg)

$1.86 ₺93.1

$2.16 €1.92

-13.89%

Banana (1kg)

$2.30 ₺115

$2.00 €1.78

15.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.22 ₺61.0

$1.36 €1.21

-10.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺90.2

$2.07 €1.84

-13.04%

Potato (1kg)

$0.69 ₺34.83

$1.11 €0.99

-37.84%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺32.16

$1.14 €1.02

-43.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.36 ₺68.0

$0.91 €0.81

49.45%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 ₺28.94

$1.09 €0.97

-46.79%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.34 ₺117

$5.25 €4.67

-55.43%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.03 ₺653

$7.86 €7.00

65.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.36 ₺118

$1.74 €1.55

35.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.32 ₺166

$3.21 €2.86

3.43%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.88 ₺44.07

$1.34 €1.19

-34.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.1 ₺3,316

$49.69 €44.24

33.07%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 ₺64.4

$4.54 €4.04

-71.81%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 ₺42.80

$1.04 €0.92

-18.27%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.09 ₺556

$16.50 €14.69

-32.79%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 ₺74.0

$2.20 €1.95

-32.73%

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

$48.6K ₺2.4M

$27.9K €24.9K

74.21%

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

$42.0K ₺2.1M

$24.9K €22.2K

68.36%

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

$92.7 ₺4,650

$202 €180

-54.10%

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

$11.20 ₺562

$25.27 €22.50

-55.68%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.89 ₺797

$27.44 €24.43

-42.09%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.7 ₺3,745

$51.9 €46.18

44.00%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.95 ₺1,151

$25.26 €22.49

-9.14%

Cinema Ticket

$8.05 ₺404

$9.52 €8.48

-15.44%

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

$948 ₺47.6K

$477 €425

98.82%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.9K ₺1.9M

$4,697 €4,183

685.91%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₺2,702

$83.6 €74.4

-35.51%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.49 ₺2,081

$38.47 €34.26

7.85%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 ₺5,060

$105 €93.9

-4.33%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.3 ₺4,580

$109 €97.4

-16.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,014 ₺50.8K

$576 €513

75.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$625 ₺31.3K

$483 €430

29.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,005 ₺100.6K

$1,158 €1,031

73.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,126 ₺56.5K

$959 €854

17.39%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,988 ₺149.8K

$3,671 €3,269

-18.62%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,730 ₺86.8K

$2,936 €2,615

-41.08%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,136 ₺57.0K

$1,249 €1,112

-9.01%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.42

4.4

818.64%

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

Last update for Istanbul: November 2, 2026

Last update for Ilion: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$625 41.1%

Ilion

$483 31% 22.7% $142

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$258 17%

Ilion

$300 19.2% 16.1% $42

Eating Out

Istanbul

$221 14.6%

Ilion

$236 15.1% 6.7% $15

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$129 8.5%

Ilion

$152 9.7% 17.1% $22

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$120 7.9%

Ilion

$255 16.3% 113% $135

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$91 6%

Ilion

$71 4.5% 21.9% $20

Getting Around

Istanbul

$75 5%

Ilion

$65 4.2% 13.9% $10

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,014 in Istanbul and $576 in Ilion. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ilion pays 10% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $55 in Istanbul vs $58 in Ilion for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $258 vs $300 per month, with Istanbul cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇬🇷 Ilion

🕒 Local time

07:44 7:44 AM

06:44 6:44 AM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

84,793

💱 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 = 56.3 TRY (100 TRY = 1.78 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 0.89 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Istanbul Ilion 560 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Ilion

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 Ilion: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,519 in Istanbul and $1,560 in Ilion, so Istanbul is about 3% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 9% lower in Istanbul. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,014 in Istanbul versus $576 in Ilion. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $948 in Istanbul versus $477 in Ilion. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 16% higher in Ilion. 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 Ilion are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Istanbul wins on affordability, Ilion on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.