Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Jerusalem

For one person, living is cheaper in Istanbul: $1,519 a month against $2,964 in Jerusalem, rent and utilities included – about $17,300 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
143

Cost of Living Index in Jerusalem
Learn more

Jerusalem Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,519

/mo nomad

Jerusalem

🇮🇱 Israel

$2,964

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Jerusalem

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

A single person spends $1,519 per month in Istanbul vs $2,964 in Jerusalem, rent included.

Istanbul $1,519
Jerusalem $2,964

A couple spends around $2,365 per month in Istanbul vs $4,321 in Jerusalem, rent included.

Istanbul $2,365
Jerusalem $4,321

A family of three spends $3,212 per month in Istanbul vs $5,678 in Jerusalem, rent included.

Istanbul $3,212
Jerusalem $5,678

Istanbul is about 49% cheaper than Jerusalem, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Istanbul and Jerusalem sit above the global median – Istanbul by 12%, Jerusalem by 119%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.81 ₺591

$22.17 ₪70.2

-46.73%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.9 ₺2,748

$95.8 ₪303

-42.68%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.26 ₺463

$19.21 ₪60.8

-51.80%

Cappuccino

$4.30 ₺215

$4.84 ₪15.30

-11.16%

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

$1.77 ₺88.8

$3.37 ₪10.65

-47.48%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺28.26

$2.74 ₪8.66

-79.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.69 ₺234

$8.01 ₪25.35

-41.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.12 ₺356

$10.16 ₪32.15

-29.92%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 ₺62.6

$2.28 ₪7.22

-45.18%

White Bread (500g)

$0.88 ₺44.07

$3.16 ₪9.98

-72.15%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 ₺110

$3.55 ₪11.24

-38.03%

Eggs

$2.43 ₺122

$4.65 ₪14.71

-47.74%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.48 ₺524

$16.57 ₪52.4

-36.75%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.31 ₺266

$13.96 ₪44.15

-61.96%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.10 ₺1,056

$34.39 ₪109

-38.64%

Apples (1kg)

$1.86 ₺92.9

$4.21 ₪13.30

-55.82%

Banana (1kg)

$2.30 ₺115

$3.20 ₪10.12

-28.13%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.22 ₺60.8

$2.56 ₪8.11

-52.34%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺90.0

$2.31 ₪7.30

-22.08%

Potato (1kg)

$0.69 ₺34.75

$1.82 ₪5.76

-62.09%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺32.09

$1.62 ₪5.11

-60.49%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.36 ₺67.8

$1.92 ₪6.07

-29.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 ₺28.88

$1.87 ₪5.92

-68.98%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.34 ₺117

$13.46 ₪42.59

-82.62%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.03 ₺652

$14.72 ₪46.57

-11.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.36 ₺118

$4.40 ₪13.91

-46.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.32 ₺166

$4.16 ₪13.17

-20.19%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.88 ₺43.97

$2.57 ₪8.14

-65.76%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.1 ₺3,309

$101 ₪321

-34.75%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 ₺64.3

$3.95 ₪12.48

-67.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 ₺42.70

$1.21 ₪3.82

-29.75%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.09 ₺555

$36.56 ₪116

-69.67%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 ₺73.9

$2.62 ₪8.30

-43.51%

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

$48.6K ₺2.4M

$57.0K ₪180.4K

-14.69%

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

$42.0K ₺2.1M

$55.0K ₪173.9K

-23.66%

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

$92.7 ₺4,639

$280 ₪887

-66.93%

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

$11.20 ₺560

$11.92 ₪37.71

-6.04%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.89 ₺795

$40.84 ₪129

-61.09%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.7 ₺3,737

$74.4 ₪235

0.44%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.95 ₺1,149

$17.16 ₪54.3

33.74%

Cinema Ticket

$8.05 ₺403

$14.80 ₪46.80

-45.61%

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

$948 ₺47.5K

$1,394 ₪4,409

-31.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.9K ₺1.8M

$24.6K ₪77.8K

50.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₺2,696

$114 ₪361

-52.84%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.49 ₺2,076

$73.4 ₪232

-43.47%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 ₺5,049

$147 ₪465

-31.34%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.3 ₺4,570

$157 ₪496

-41.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,014 ₺50.7K

$1,875 ₪5,930

-45.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$625 ₺31.3K

$1,336 ₪4,225

-53.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,005 ₺100.4K

$3,638 ₪11.5K

-44.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,126 ₺56.3K

$2,046 ₪6,472

-44.96%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,988 ₺149.5K

$17.7K ₪55.9K

-83.10%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,730 ₺86.6K

$9,224 ₪29.2K

-81.24%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,136 ₺56.9K

$3,661 ₪11.6K

-68.96%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.42

4.99

710.02%

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

Last update for Istanbul: November 2, 2026

Last update for Jerusalem: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$625 41.1%

Jerusalem

$1.3K 45.1% 114% $711

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$258 17%

Jerusalem

$470 15.9% 82.2% $212

Eating Out

Istanbul

$221 14.6%

Jerusalem

$378 12.8% 71% $157

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$129 8.5%

Jerusalem

$221 7.5% 70.8% $92

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$120 7.9%

Jerusalem

$333 11.2% 178% $213

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$91 6%

Jerusalem

$104 3.5% 14.5% $13

Getting Around

Istanbul

$75 5%

Jerusalem

$122 4.1% 61.8% $46

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,014 in Istanbul versus $1,875 in Jerusalem. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Jerusalem are about 3.2 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55 in Istanbul versus $96 in Jerusalem. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $470 – making Istanbul the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇮🇱 Jerusalem

🕒 Local time

06:28 6:28 AM

05:28 5:28 AM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

882,652 Capital

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Israeli New Shekel ILS ₪

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 2 USD

100 TRY = 1.78 EUR

1 ILS = 0.316 USD

1 ILS = 0.282 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ILS, USD, EUR to TRY – Turkish Lira Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇷 Turkish Lira (₺)

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 50.04 TRY (100 TRY = 2 USD). 1 EUR = 56.18 TRY (100 TRY = 1.78 EUR).

Israeli New Shekel exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 3.16 ILS (1 ILS = 0.316 USD). 1 EUR = 3.55 ILS (1 ILS = 0.282 EUR).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Istanbul Jerusalem 1,170 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Jerusalem

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 Jerusalem: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Jerusalem is pricier by about 95%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,278 per month in Istanbul and $4,446 in Jerusalem. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Istanbul, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,014 there versus $1,875 in Jerusalem.

Kindergarten costs $948 per month in Istanbul and $1,394 in Jerusalem. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 82% more in Jerusalem, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$1,500 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,519 in Istanbul and $2,964 in Jerusalem. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Istanbul – 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 Istanbul. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Jerusalem makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.