Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Ioannina

For one person, living is cheaper in Ioannina: $1,398 a month against $1,519 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $1,500 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Istanbul outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

73

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index
67

Cost of Living Index in Ioannina
Learn more

Ioannina Living Index

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Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,519

/mo nomad

Ioannina

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,398

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Ioannina

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,519 in Istanbul versus $1,398 in Ioannina.

Istanbul $1,519
Ioannina $1,398

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,365 in Istanbul versus $2,125 in Ioannina.

Istanbul $2,365
Ioannina $2,125

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,212 in Istanbul versus $2,853 in Ioannina.

Istanbul $3,212
Ioannina $2,853

Living in Istanbul is roughly 9% more expensive than in Ioannina, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Istanbul 12% above, Ioannina 3% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.81 ₺592

$17.01 €15.22

-30.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.9 ₺2,754

$33.73 €30.18

62.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.26 ₺465

$11.10 €9.93

-16.58%

Cappuccino

$4.30 ₺216

$4.08 €3.65

5.39%

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

$1.77 ₺89.0

$2.87 €2.57

-38.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺28.32

$0.57 €0.51

-1.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.69 ₺235

$4.55 €4.07

3.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.12 ₺357

$5.60 €5.01

27.14%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 ₺62.7

$1.75 €1.56

-28.57%

White Bread (500g)

$0.88 ₺44.17

$1.14 €1.02

-22.81%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 ₺111

$3.66 €3.28

-39.89%

Eggs

$2.43 ₺122

$3.58 €3.20

-32.12%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.48 ₺526

$10.82 €9.68

-3.14%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.31 ₺267

$9.18 €8.21

-42.16%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.10 ₺1,058

$12.12 €10.84

74.09%

Apples (1kg)

$1.86 ₺93.1

$2.43 €2.18

-23.46%

Banana (1kg)

$2.30 ₺115

$2.05 €1.84

12.20%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.22 ₺61.0

$1.22 €1.10

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺90.2

$2.59 €2.31

-30.50%

Potato (1kg)

$0.69 ₺34.83

$1.13 €1.01

-38.94%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺32.16

$1.06 €0.95

-39.62%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.36 ₺68.0

$0.99 €0.89

37.37%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 ₺28.94

$0.88 €0.78

-34.09%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.34 ₺117

$5.63 €5.04

-58.44%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.03 ₺653

$6.69 €5.99

94.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.36 ₺118

$1.99 €1.78

18.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.32 ₺166

$3.17 €2.84

4.73%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.88 ₺44.07

$1.42 €1.27

-38.03%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.1 ₺3,316

$49.82 €44.58

32.72%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 ₺64.4

$4.53 €4.05

-71.74%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 ₺42.80

$0.99 €0.89

-14.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.09 ₺556

$16.83 €15.06

-34.11%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 ₺74.0

$2.13 €1.91

-30.52%

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

$48.6K ₺2.4M

$28.5K €25.5K

70.62%

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

$42.0K ₺2.1M

$26.6K €23.8K

57.69%

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

$92.7 ₺4,650

$218 €195

-57.52%

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

$11.20 ₺562

$23.77 €21.27

-52.88%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.89 ₺797

$29.52 €26.42

-46.17%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.7 ₺3,745

$43.87 €39.25

70.23%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.95 ₺1,151

$45.59 €40.80

-49.66%

Cinema Ticket

$8.05 ₺404

$9.02 €8.07

-10.75%

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

$948 ₺47.6K

$340 €304

179.31%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.9K ₺1.9M

$8,851 €7,920

317.11%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₺2,702

$66.5 €59.5

-19.00%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.49 ₺2,081

$46.17 €41.31

-10.14%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 ₺5,060

$74.9 €67.0

34.72%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.3 ₺4,580

$135 €121

-32.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,014 ₺50.8K

$458 €410

121.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$625 ₺31.3K

$324 €290

92.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,005 ₺100.6K

$712 €637

181.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,126 ₺56.5K

$611 €546

84.39%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,988 ₺149.8K

$2,816 €2,520

6.09%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,730 ₺86.8K

$2,334 €2,088

-25.87%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,136 ₺57.0K

$1,065 €953

6.70%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.42

4.73

754.55%

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

Last update for Istanbul: November 2, 2026

Last update for Ioannina: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$625 41.1%

Ioannina

$324 23.2% 48.2% $301

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$258 17%

Ioannina

$264 18.9% 2.4% $6.2

Eating Out

Istanbul

$221 14.6%

Ioannina

$266 19% 20.4% $45

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$129 8.5%

Ioannina

$145 10.4% 12.3% $16

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$120 7.9%

Ioannina

$272 19.4% 127% $152

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$91 6%

Ioannina

$62 4.4% 31.8% $29

Getting Around

Istanbul

$75 5%

Ioannina

$65 4.7% 13.6% $10

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,014 in Istanbul and $458 in Ioannina. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Istanbul pays 7% 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: $55 in Istanbul vs $34 in Ioannina. Groceries flip the comparison at $258 vs $264, with Istanbul cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇬🇷 Ioannina

🕒 Local time

00:12 12:12 AM

23:12 11:12 PM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

89,061

💱 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 = 56.05 TRY (100 TRY = 1.78 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 0.895 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Istanbul Ioannina 700 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Ioannina

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 Ioannina: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,519 in Istanbul and $1,398 in Ioannina, so Ioannina is about 8% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 7% higher in Istanbul, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,014 in Istanbul versus $458 in Ioannina. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Ioannina runs roughly 25% less than in Istanbul. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

All in, you’ll spend $1,519 per month in Istanbul versus $1,398 in Ioannina – Ioannina is about 8% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Either city works on $2,000 a month, though Ioannina gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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 Ioannina are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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