Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Jekabpils

For one person, living is cheaper in Jekabpils: $1,181 a month against $1,519 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $4,100 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
57

Cost of Living Index in Jekabpils
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Jekabpils Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,519

/mo nomad

Jekabpils

🇱🇻 Latvia

$1,181

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Jekabpils

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

A single person spends $1,519 per month in Istanbul vs $1,181 in Jekabpils, rent included.

Istanbul $1,519
Jekabpils $1,181

A couple spends around $2,365 per month in Istanbul vs $1,777 in Jekabpils, rent included.

Istanbul $2,365
Jekabpils $1,777

A family of three spends $3,212 per month in Istanbul vs $2,373 in Jekabpils, rent included.

Istanbul $3,212
Jekabpils $2,373

Istanbul costs about 29% more than Jekabpils, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Istanbul sits 12% above the global median, while Jekabpils is 13% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.81 ₺592

$12.36 €11.01

-4.45%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.9 ₺2,754

$31.33 €27.89

75.26%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.26 ₺465

$9.33 €8.30

-0.75%

Cappuccino

$4.30 ₺216

$3.42 €3.05

25.73%

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

$1.77 ₺89.0

$0.99 €0.88

78.79%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺28.32

$0.97 €0.87

-42.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.69 ₺235

$5.44 €4.84

-13.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.12 ₺357

$4.97 €4.42

43.26%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 ₺62.7

$1.07 €0.95

16.82%

White Bread (500g)

$0.88 ₺44.17

$1.45 €1.29

-39.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 ₺111

$2.49 €2.22

-11.65%

Eggs

$2.43 ₺122

$2.26 €2.01

7.52%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.48 ₺526

$10.30 €9.17

1.75%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.31 ₺267

$6.49 €5.78

-18.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.10 ₺1,058

$13.77 €12.26

53.23%

Apples (1kg)

$1.86 ₺93.1

$1.60 €1.42

16.25%

Banana (1kg)

$2.30 ₺115

$1.69 €1.51

36.09%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.22 ₺61.0

$1.98 €1.76

-38.38%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺90.2

$3.21 €2.86

-43.93%

Potato (1kg)

$0.69 ₺34.83

$0.90 €0.80

-23.33%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺32.16

$0.93 €0.83

-31.18%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.36 ₺68.0

$1.67 €1.48

-18.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 ₺28.94

$0.80 €0.71

-27.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.34 ₺117

$5.44 €4.84

-56.99%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.03 ₺653

$6.77 €6.02

92.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.36 ₺118

$1.43 €1.27

65.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.32 ₺166

$1.71 €1.53

94.15%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.88 ₺44.07

$1.15 €1.02

-23.48%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.1 ₺3,316

$68.4 €60.9

-3.26%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 ₺64.4

$1.02 €0.91

25.49%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 ₺42.80

$0.41 €0.36

107.32%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.09 ₺556

$18.11 €16.13

-38.76%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 ₺74.0

$1.79 €1.59

-17.32%

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

$48.6K ₺2.4M

$26.8K €23.9K

81.53%

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

$42.0K ₺2.1M

$30.2K €26.9K

39.02%

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

$92.7 ₺4,650

$266 €237

-65.17%

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

$11.20 ₺562

$11.37 €10.13

-1.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.89 ₺797

$16.22 €14.44

-2.03%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.7 ₺3,745

$33.14 €29.51

125.35%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.95 ₺1,151

$13.21 €11.76

73.73%

Cinema Ticket

$8.05 ₺404

$10.53 €9.37

-23.55%

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

$948 ₺47.6K

$596 €531

59.08%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.9K ₺1.9M

$7,963 €7,090

363.60%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₺2,702

$69.1 €61.6

-22.07%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.49 ₺2,081

$27.58 €24.56

50.44%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 ₺5,060

$86.3 €76.9

16.89%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.3 ₺4,580

$137 €122

-33.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,014 ₺50.8K

$221 €197

359.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$625 ₺31.3K

$164 €146

279.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,005 ₺100.6K

$391 €348

412.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,126 ₺56.5K

$341 €304

229.96%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,988 ₺149.8K

$831 €740

259.56%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,730 ₺86.8K

$818 €728

111.50%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,136 ₺57.0K

$980 €872

16.00%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.42

4.77

747.38%

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

Last update for Istanbul: November 2, 2026

Last update for Jekabpils: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$625 41.1%

Jekabpils

$164 13.9% 73.7% $460

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$258 17%

Jekabpils

$236 20% 8.7% $22

Eating Out

Istanbul

$221 14.6%

Jekabpils

$213 18% 3.6% $8

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$129 8.5%

Jekabpils

$144 12.2% 11.3% $15

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$120 7.9%

Jekabpils

$294 24.9% 145% $174

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$91 6%

Jekabpils

$54 4.6% 40.3% $37

Getting Around

Istanbul

$75 5%

Jekabpils

$76 6.4% 1.1% $0.8

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,014 in Istanbul versus $221 in Jekabpils. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 16% higher in Istanbul, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55 in Istanbul versus $31 in Jekabpils. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $236 – making Jekabpils the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇱🇻 Jekabpils

🕒 Local time

14:57 2:57 PM

13:57 1:57 PM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

22,000

💱 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 = 56.33 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 Jekabpils 1,740 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Jekabpils

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 Jekabpils: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 29%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in leisure.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,278 per month in Istanbul and $1,772 in Jekabpils. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Jekabpils, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $221 there versus $1,014 in Istanbul.

Kindergarten costs $948 per month in Istanbul and $596 in Jekabpils. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 9% more in Istanbul, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$2,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,519 in Istanbul and $1,181 in Jekabpils, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Jekabpils – 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.

If budget matters most, go with Jekabpils. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Istanbul makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.