Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and İzmit

For one person, living is cheaper in İzmit: $907 a month against $1,516 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $7,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

73

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index
44

Cost of Living Index in İzmit
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İzmit Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,516

/mo nomad

İzmit

🇹🇷 Turkey

$907

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in İzmit

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

A single person spends $1,516 per month in Istanbul vs $907 in İzmit, rent included.

Istanbul $1,516
İzmit $907

A couple spends around $2,356 per month in Istanbul vs $1,428 in İzmit, rent included.

Istanbul $2,356
İzmit $1,428

A family of three spends $3,197 per month in Istanbul vs $1,949 in İzmit, rent included.

Istanbul $3,197
İzmit $1,949

Istanbul costs about 67% more than İzmit, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Istanbul sits 11% above the global median, while İzmit is 33% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.59 ₺577

$7.00 ₺349

65.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.7 ₺2,723

$30.69 ₺1,528

78.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.39 ₺468

$7.81 ₺389

20.23%

Cappuccino

$4.23 ₺211

$3.54 ₺176

19.49%

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

$1.72 ₺85.6

$1.08 ₺54.0

59.26%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.57 ₺28.24

$0.29 ₺14.43

96.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.65 ₺232

$2.60 ₺129

78.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.84 ₺341

$2.89 ₺144

136.68%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.20 ₺59.9

$0.85 ₺42.12

41.18%

White Bread (500g)

$0.94 ₺46.94

$0.91 ₺45.42

3.30%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.24 ₺112

$2.35 ₺117

-4.68%

Eggs

$2.42 ₺120

$2.02 ₺101

19.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.24 ₺510

$7.82 ₺390

30.95%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.38 ₺268

$3.76 ₺187

43.09%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.19 ₺1,055

$19.09 ₺951

11.00%

Apples (1kg)

$1.89 ₺94.2

$1.66 ₺82.7

13.86%

Banana (1kg)

$2.22 ₺111

$1.85 ₺92.3

20.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.26 ₺62.7

$1.03 ₺51.3

22.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.81 ₺89.9

$1.17 ₺58.1

54.70%

Potato (1kg)

$0.70 ₺34.82

$0.49 ₺24.23

42.86%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺32.11

$0.35 ₺17.66

82.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.22 ₺60.8

$0.80 ₺39.71

52.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ₺27.34

$0.64 ₺31.92

-14.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.32 ₺116

$2.17 ₺108

6.91%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.31 ₺663

$7.84 ₺391

69.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.33 ₺116

$1.93 ₺96.3

20.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 ₺172

$2.17 ₺108

59.45%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.91 ₺45.15

$0.74 ₺36.68

22.97%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.3 ₺3,304

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.29 ₺64.1

$1.03 ₺51.4

25.24%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.86 ₺42.63

$1.10 ₺54.7

-21.82%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.09 ₺552

$4.20 ₺209

164.05%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.42 ₺70.7

$1.26 ₺62.8

12.70%

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

$49.2K ₺2.4M

$40.6K ₺2.0M

21.17%

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

$42.8K ₺2.1M

$38.7K ₺1.9M

10.48%

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

$87.7 ₺4,370

$44.77 ₺2,229

95.98%

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

$11.28 ₺562

$11.68 ₺582

-3.42%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.89 ₺791

$12.73 ₺634

24.82%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$75.9 ₺3,780

$51.9 ₺2,586

46.19%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.04 ₺1,147

Cinema Ticket

$8.20 ₺408

$5.08 ₺253

61.42%

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

$1,028 ₺51.2K

$448 ₺22.3K

129.27%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$26.0K ₺1.3M

$5,982 ₺297.9K

334.03%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.3 ₺2,656

$46.88 ₺2,335

13.76%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.69 ₺1,977

$43.12 ₺2,147

-7.95%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.8 ₺4,969

$84.9 ₺4,227

17.54%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.5 ₺4,658

$74.2 ₺3,693

26.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,003 ₺50.0K

$412 ₺20.5K

143.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$628 ₺31.3K

$302 ₺15.0K

108.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,963 ₺97.7K

$758 ₺37.8K

158.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,122 ₺55.9K

$551 ₺27.4K

103.70%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,075 ₺153.1K

$1,428 ₺71.1K

115.25%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,753 ₺87.3K

$1,042 ₺51.9K

68.13%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,180 ₺58.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.69

1.72%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 27, 2026

Last update for İzmit: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$628 41.5%

İzmit

$302 33.3% 52% $326

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$258 17%

İzmit

$207 22.8% 19.9% $51

Eating Out

Istanbul

$218 14.4%

İzmit

$146 16.1% 32.8% $72

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$129 8.5%

İzmit

$112 12.4% 13% $17

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$115 7.6%

İzmit

$69 7.6% 39.8% $46

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$92 6.1%

İzmit

$62 6.8% 32.7% $30

Getting Around

Istanbul

$76 5%

İzmit

$9.5 * 1% 87.5% $66

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,003 in Istanbul versus $412 in İzmit. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55 in Istanbul versus $31 in İzmit. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $207 – making İzmit the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇹🇷 İzmit

🕒 Local time

06:08 6:08 AM

Same time as Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

376,056

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 2.01 USD

100 TRY = 1.8 EUR

100 TRY = 2.01 USD

100 TRY = 1.8 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Istanbul İzmit 86 km

From you

Istanbul
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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 İzmit: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 67%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,274 per month in Istanbul and $1,361 in İzmit. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in İzmit, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $412 there versus $1,003 in Istanbul.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55 in Istanbul and $31 in İzmit. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 25% more in Istanbul, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in İzmit, where all-in costs run around $907, than in Istanbul at $1,516. In İzmit it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward İzmit – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.