Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Kalisz

For one person, living is cheaper in Kalisz: $1,136 a month against $1,550 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $5,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

75

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index
55

Cost of Living Index in Kalisz
Learn more

Kalisz Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

Kalisz

🇵🇱 Poland

$1,136

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Kalisz

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

A single person spends $1,550 per month in Istanbul vs $1,136 in Kalisz, rent included.

Istanbul $1,550
Kalisz $1,136

A couple spends around $2,415 per month in Istanbul vs $1,596 in Kalisz, rent included.

Istanbul $2,415
Kalisz $1,596

A family of three spends $3,281 per month in Istanbul vs $2,056 in Kalisz, rent included.

Istanbul $3,281
Kalisz $2,056

Istanbul costs about 36% more than Kalisz, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Istanbul sits 15% above the global median, while Kalisz is 16% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.30 ₺609

$8.73 zł 33.92

40.89%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.7 ₺2,708

$30.31 zł 118

80.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.22 ₺456

$8.87 zł 34.47

3.95%

Cappuccino

$4.40 ₺218

$3.08 zł 11.96

42.86%

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

$1.68 ₺83.1

$2.00 zł 7.76

-16.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₺29.40

$1.63 zł 6.33

-63.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.70 ₺233

$2.49 zł 9.68

88.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.91 ₺292

$2.59 zł 10.07

128.19%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 ₺60.0

$0.92 zł 3.59

31.52%

White Bread (500g)

$0.89 ₺44.10

$1.21 zł 4.71

-26.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.19 ₺108

$1.62 zł 6.29

35.19%

Eggs

$2.35 ₺116

$2.95 zł 11.44

-20.34%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.42 ₺516

$7.96 zł 30.91

30.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.65 ₺280

$4.34 zł 16.87

30.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.94 ₺1,037

$9.22 zł 35.82

127.11%

Apples (1kg)

$1.90 ₺94.1

$1.07 zł 4.15

77.57%

Banana (1kg)

$2.31 ₺114

$1.60 zł 6.22

44.38%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.1

$1.57 zł 6.12

-18.47%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺89.0

$3.10 zł 12.03

-41.94%

Potato (1kg)

$0.65 ₺32.16

$0.79 zł 3.06

-17.72%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺31.91

$1.01 zł 3.92

-36.63%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 ₺62.1

$1.30 zł 5.05

-3.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.58

$0.55 zł 2.16

1.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.37 ₺118

$4.68 zł 18.18

-49.36%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.42 ₺664

$6.98 zł 27.14

92.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₺119

$0.87 zł 3.39

175.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 ₺172

$1.39 zł 5.40

150.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.89 ₺43.84

$1.04 zł 4.04

-14.42%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.4 ₺3,338

$34.99 zł 136

92.71%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.29 ₺64.1

$2.00 zł 7.75

-35.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 ₺45.70

$1.05 zł 4.08

-12.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.96 ₺542

$6.51 zł 25.30

68.36%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ₺72.9

$1.57 zł 6.11

-6.37%

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

$50.8K ₺2.5M

$30.5K zł 118.5K

66.55%

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

$44.5K ₺2.2M

$27.4K zł 106.5K

62.45%

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

$88.6 ₺4,387

$186 zł 724

-52.47%

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

$11.59 ₺574

$10.06 zł 39.08

15.21%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.81 ₺783

$16.83 zł 65.4

-6.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.2 ₺3,820

$31.87 zł 124

142.11%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.74 ₺1,126

Cinema Ticket

$8.14 ₺403

$6.46 zł 25.11

26.01%

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

$1,008 ₺49.9K

$248 zł 964

306.27%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.6K ₺1.3M

$5,003 zł 19.4K

410.95%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.0 ₺2,671

$83.4 zł 324

-35.34%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.83 ₺2,021

$25.41 zł 98.7

60.68%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.9 ₺4,895

$79.2 zł 308

24.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.6 ₺4,783

$88.5 zł 344

9.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$985 ₺48.7K

$445 zł 1,730

121.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$650 ₺32.2K

$354 zł 1,376

83.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,983 ₺98.2K

$538 zł 2,092

268.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,180 ₺58.4K

$457 zł 1,774

158.42%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,138 ₺155.4K

$1,968 zł 7,648

59.42%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,780 ₺88.1K

$1,462 zł 5,679

21.76%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,205 ₺59.7K

$1,190 zł 4,622

1.33%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.92

6.21

558.94%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 13, 2026

Last update for Kalisz: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$650 41.9%

Kalisz

$354 31.2% 45.5% $296

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$260 16.8%

Kalisz

$187 16.5% 28% $73

Eating Out

Istanbul

$223 14.4%

Kalisz

$166 14.6% 25.9% $58

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$131 8.4%

Kalisz

$124 11% 4.7% $6.2

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$116 7.5%

Kalisz

$213 18.8% 83.9% $97

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$93 6%

Kalisz

$45 3.9% 52.1% $49

Getting Around

Istanbul

$77 5%

Kalisz

$46 4.1% 39.6% $30

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $985 in Istanbul versus $445 in Kalisz. 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 1% 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 $55.0 in Istanbul versus $30.00 in Kalisz. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $260 vs $187 – making Kalisz the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇵🇱 Kalisz

🕒 Local time

06:26 6:26 AM

05:26 5:26 AM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

103,997

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Polish Złoty PLN zł

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 2.02 USD

100 TRY = 1.8 EUR

1 PLN = 0.257 USD

1 PLN = 0.229 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PLN, USD, EUR to TRY – Turkish Lira Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇷 Turkish Lira (₺)

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 49.51 TRY (100 TRY = 2.02 USD). 1 EUR = 55.66 TRY (100 TRY = 1.8 EUR).

Polish Złoty exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 3.89 PLN (1 PLN = 0.257 USD). 1 EUR = 4.37 PLN (1 PLN = 0.229 EUR).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Istanbul Kalisz 1,450 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Kalisz

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 Kalisz: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 36%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,325 per month in Istanbul and $1,704 in Kalisz. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Kalisz, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $1,008 per month in Istanbul and $248 in Kalisz. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 39% more in Istanbul, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Kalisz, where all-in costs run around $1,136, than in Istanbul at $1,550. In Kalisz it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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