Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Imperia

For one person, living is cheaper in Istanbul: $1,525 a month against $1,701 in Imperia, rent and utilities included – about $2,100 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

74

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index
82

Cost of Living Index in Imperia
Learn more

Imperia Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,525

/mo nomad

Imperia

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,701

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Imperia

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,525 in Istanbul versus $1,701 in Imperia.

Istanbul $1,525
Imperia $1,701

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,390 in Istanbul versus $2,550 in Imperia.

Istanbul $2,390
Imperia $2,550

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,256 in Istanbul versus $3,400 in Imperia.

Istanbul $3,256
Imperia $3,400

Living in Istanbul costs roughly 10% less than in Imperia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Istanbul 13% above, Imperia 26% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.96 ₺592

$13.58 €12.08

-11.93%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$57.2 ₺2,834

$62.6 €55.7

-8.59%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.51 ₺471

$11.08 €9.85

-14.17%

Cappuccino

$4.40 ₺218

$1.67 €1.49

163.47%

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

$1.75 ₺86.6

$3.66 €3.26

-52.19%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.57

$1.44 €1.28

-61.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.71 ₺233

$5.78 €5.14

-18.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.14 ₺304

$5.39 €4.79

13.91%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.24 ₺61.6

$1.75 €1.55

-29.14%

White Bread (500g)

$0.95 ₺47.25

$2.12 €1.89

-55.19%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.28 ₺113

$3.52 €3.13

-35.23%

Eggs

$2.45 ₺121

$4.14 €3.68

-40.82%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.56 ₺523

$12.50 €11.12

-15.52%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.50 ₺272

$12.12 €10.78

-54.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.65 ₺1,072

$22.74 €20.23

-4.79%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 ₺90.6

$2.38 €2.12

-23.11%

Banana (1kg)

$2.29 ₺113

$2.31 €2.05

-0.87%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.4

$3.30 €2.94

-61.21%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.82 ₺90.1

$4.17 €3.71

-56.35%

Potato (1kg)

$0.66 ₺32.74

$2.40 €2.13

-72.50%

Onion (1kg)

$0.63 ₺31.14

$1.72 €1.53

-63.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.27 ₺62.8

$1.25 €1.11

1.60%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.62

$0.53 €0.47

5.66%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.36 ₺117

$7.38 €6.56

-68.02%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.98 ₺642

$4.65 €4.14

179.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.48 ₺123

$1.14 €1.02

117.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.50 ₺174

$2.52 €2.24

38.89%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.82 ₺40.77

$1.89 €1.68

-56.61%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.2 ₺3,228

$55.8 €49.60

16.93%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.33 ₺65.7

$7.80 €6.94

-82.95%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.90 ₺44.60

$2.18 €1.94

-58.72%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.91 ₺540

$64.9 €57.7

-83.19%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.43 ₺70.7

$2.20 €1.96

-35.00%

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

$49.6K ₺2.5M

$37.0K €32.9K

33.95%

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

$43.2K ₺2.1M

$37.0K €32.9K

16.73%

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

$88.8 ₺4,395

$136 €121

-34.49%

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

$11.69 ₺579

$10.10 €8.98

15.74%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.09 ₺797

$29.96 €26.65

-46.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$76.3 ₺3,776

$70.5 €62.7

8.23%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.72 ₺1,125

$25.55 €22.73

-11.08%

Cinema Ticket

$8.26 ₺409

$11.23 €9.99

-26.45%

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

$1,015 ₺50.2K

$836 €744

21.38%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.8K ₺1.3M

$18.5K €16.5K

39.63%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.3 ₺2,636

$91.1 €81.1

-41.56%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.55 ₺2,008

$39.73 €35.34

2.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100 ₺4,956

$105 €93.0

-4.21%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.5 ₺4,630

$128 €114

-26.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$977 ₺48.4K

$790 €702

23.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$627 ₺31.0K

$627 €558

-0.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,980 ₺98.0K

$1,690 €1,503

17.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,147 ₺56.8K

$910 €809

26.04%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,095 ₺153.2K

$2,799 €2,490

10.58%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,787 ₺88.5K

$2,030 €1,806

-11.99%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,213 ₺60.1K

$1,753 €1,559

-30.79%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.69

3.18

1179.56%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 19, 2026

Last update for Imperia: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$627 41.1%

Imperia

$627 36.9% 0.1% $0.4

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$263 17.2%

Imperia

$337 19.8% 28.5% $75

Eating Out

Istanbul

$222 14.6%

Imperia

$222 13.1% 0.1% $0.1

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$129 8.5%

Imperia

$163 9.6% 26.3% $34

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$117 7.6%

Imperia

$176 10.3% 50.6% $59

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$93 6.1%

Imperia

$93 5.5% 0.2% $0.1

Getting Around

Istanbul

$74 4.9%

Imperia

$82 4.8% 10.3% $7.7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $977 in Istanbul and $790 in Imperia. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Imperia pays 44% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $57.0 in Istanbul vs $63.0 in Imperia for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $263 vs $337 per month, with Istanbul cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇮🇹 Imperia

🕒 Local time

22:53 10:53 PM

21:53 9:53 PM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

41,999

💱 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 Imperia 1,740 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Imperia

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 Imperia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Istanbul is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and leisure. The 12% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 44% lower in Imperia. 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: $977 in Istanbul versus $790 in Imperia. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 29% higher in Imperia. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Istanbul – a meal for two runs $57.0 versus $63.0 in Imperia. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,525 in Istanbul versus $1,701 in Imperia, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Istanbul but tight or insufficient in Imperia. The gap between the two cities makes Istanbul the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Istanbul is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Imperia, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Istanbul and Imperia 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 12% less than in Imperia. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.