Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Isernia

For one person, living is cheaper in Istanbul: $1,550 a month against $1,684 in Isernia, rent and utilities included – about $1,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

75

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index
80

Cost of Living Index in Isernia
Learn more

Isernia Living Index

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Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

Isernia

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,684

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Isernia

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,550 in Istanbul versus $1,684 in Isernia.

Istanbul $1,550
Isernia $1,684

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,415 in Istanbul versus $2,410 in Isernia.

Istanbul $2,415
Isernia $2,410

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,281 in Istanbul versus $3,137 in Isernia.

Istanbul $3,281
Isernia $3,137

Living in Istanbul costs roughly 8% less than in Isernia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Istanbul 15% above, Isernia 25% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.30 ₺609

$16.72 €14.87

-26.44%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.7 ₺2,708

$54.2 €48.21

0.92%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.22 ₺456

$7.66 €6.81

20.37%

Cappuccino

$4.40 ₺218

$1.31 €1.17

235.88%

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

$1.68 ₺83.1

$2.17 €1.93

-22.58%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₺29.40

$1.09 €0.97

-45.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.70 ₺233

$3.88 €3.45

21.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.91 ₺292

$3.44 €3.06

71.80%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 ₺60.0

$1.57 €1.40

-22.93%

White Bread (500g)

$0.89 ₺44.10

$1.75 €1.55

-49.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.19 ₺108

$2.91 €2.59

-24.74%

Eggs

$2.35 ₺116

$2.74 €2.44

-14.23%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.42 ₺516

$15.33 €13.63

-32.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.65 ₺280

$11.63 €10.35

-51.42%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.94 ₺1,037

$16.14 €14.36

29.74%

Apples (1kg)

$1.90 ₺94.1

$2.34 €2.08

-18.80%

Banana (1kg)

$2.31 ₺114

$1.94 €1.72

19.07%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.1

$2.04 €1.81

-37.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺89.0

$2.26 €2.01

-20.35%

Potato (1kg)

$0.65 ₺32.16

$1.62 €1.44

-59.88%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺31.91

$1.60 €1.42

-60.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 ₺62.1

$1.18 €1.05

5.93%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.58

$0.41 €0.37

36.59%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.37 ₺118

$6.77 €6.02

-64.99%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.42 ₺664

$7.27 €6.47

84.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₺119

$1.93 €1.72

24.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 ₺172

$2.28 €2.03

52.63%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.89 ₺43.84

$1.70 €1.51

-47.65%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.4 ₺3,338

$41.89 €37.26

60.97%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.29 ₺64.1

$5.55 €4.94

-76.76%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 ₺45.70

$2.24 €2.00

-58.93%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.96 ₺542

$23.69 €21.07

-53.74%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ₺72.9

$2.09 €1.86

-29.67%

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

$50.8K ₺2.5M

$36.3K €32.3K

40.02%

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

$44.5K ₺2.2M

$35.7K €31.8K

24.68%

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

$88.6 ₺4,387

$212 €188

-58.14%

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

$11.59 ₺574

$11.48 €10.21

0.96%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.81 ₺783

$30.18 €26.85

-47.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.2 ₺3,820

$59.9 €53.3

28.88%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.74 ₺1,126

$23.05 €20.50

-1.34%

Cinema Ticket

$8.14 ₺403

$8.46 €7.52

-3.78%

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

$1,008 ₺49.9K

$740 €658

36.31%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.6K ₺1.3M

$5,588 €4,970

357.44%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.0 ₺2,671

$83.7 €74.4

-35.52%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.83 ₺2,021

$46.67 €41.51

-12.51%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.9 ₺4,895

$107 €95.6

-8.01%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.6 ₺4,783

$144 €128

-32.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$985 ₺48.7K

$749 €666

31.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$650 ₺32.2K

$607 €540

7.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,983 ₺98.2K

$1,004 €893

97.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,180 ₺58.4K

$774 €689

52.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,138 ₺155.4K

$2,610 €2,322

20.23%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,780 ₺88.1K

$2,142 €1,905

-16.91%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,205 ₺59.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.92

3.92

943.88%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 13, 2026

Last update for Isernia: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$650 41.9%

Isernia

$607 36% 6.6% $43

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$260 16.8%

Isernia

$298 17.7% 14.6% $38

Eating Out

Istanbul

$223 14.4%

Isernia

$212 12.6% 5.1% $11

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$131 8.4%

Isernia

$172 10.2% 31.6% $41

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$116 7.5%

Isernia

$253 15% 118% $137

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$93 6%

Isernia

$77 4.6% 17.8% $17

Getting Around

Istanbul

$77 5%

Isernia

$65 3.9% 14.9% $11

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $985 in Istanbul and $749 in Isernia. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $55.0 in Istanbul vs $54.0 in Isernia. Groceries flip the comparison at $260 vs $298, with Istanbul cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇮🇹 Isernia

🕒 Local time

21:47 9:47 PM

20:47 8:47 PM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

20,000

💱 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 19, 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 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Istanbul Isernia 1,230 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Isernia

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 Isernia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Istanbul and Isernia differ by about 9% in total monthly costs ($1,550 vs $1,684 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 $2,526 in Isernia 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 $749 in Isernia. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,550 per month in Istanbul versus $1,684 in Isernia – a 9% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Istanbul runs roughly 61% less than in Isernia. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,550 in Istanbul versus $1,684 in Isernia, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Istanbul but tight or insufficient in Isernia. 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 Isernia 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 9% less than in Isernia. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.