Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Karditsa

For one person, living is cheaper in Karditsa: $1,301 a month against $1,519 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $2,600 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
62

Cost of Living Index in Karditsa
Learn more

Karditsa Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,519

/mo nomad

Karditsa

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,301

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Karditsa

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

A single person spends $1,519 per month in Istanbul vs $1,301 in Karditsa, rent included.

Istanbul $1,519
Karditsa $1,301

A couple spends around $2,365 per month in Istanbul vs $1,980 in Karditsa, rent included.

Istanbul $2,365
Karditsa $1,980

A family of three spends $3,212 per month in Istanbul vs $2,659 in Karditsa, rent included.

Istanbul $3,212
Karditsa $2,659

Istanbul costs about 17% more than Karditsa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Istanbul sits 12% above the global median, while Karditsa is 4% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.81 ₺591

$11.07 €9.86

6.68%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.9 ₺2,748

$57.8 €51.5

-4.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.26 ₺463

$7.61 €6.78

21.68%

Cappuccino

$4.30 ₺215

$3.04 €2.71

41.45%

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

$1.77 ₺88.8

$1.99 €1.78

-11.06%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺28.26

$0.57 €0.51

-1.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.69 ₺234

$4.49 €4.00

4.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.12 ₺356

$5.08 €4.52

40.16%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 ₺62.6

$1.60 €1.42

-21.88%

White Bread (500g)

$0.88 ₺44.07

$1.37 €1.22

-35.77%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 ₺110

$1.24 €1.11

77.42%

Eggs

$2.43 ₺122

$3.29 €2.93

-26.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.48 ₺524

$11.22 €10.00

-6.60%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.31 ₺266

$9.97 €8.88

-46.74%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.10 ₺1,056

$14.79 €13.18

42.66%

Apples (1kg)

$1.86 ₺92.9

$1.59 €1.42

16.98%

Banana (1kg)

$2.30 ₺115

$1.99 €1.78

15.58%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.22 ₺60.8

$1.38 €1.23

-11.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺90.0

$0.86 €0.76

109.30%

Potato (1kg)

$0.69 ₺34.75

$0.85 €0.76

-18.82%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺32.09

$0.76 €0.68

-15.79%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.36 ₺67.8

$0.85 €0.75

60.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 ₺28.88

$0.98 €0.87

-40.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.34 ₺117

$5.35 €4.77

-56.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.03 ₺652

$7.07 €6.30

84.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.36 ₺118

$0.92 €0.82

156.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.32 ₺166

$0.90 €0.80

268.89%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.88 ₺43.97

$1.39 €1.24

-36.69%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.1 ₺3,309

$49.75 €44.32

32.90%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 ₺64.3

$2.20 €1.96

-41.82%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 ₺42.70

$1.09 €0.98

-22.02%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.09 ₺555

$16.64 €14.83

-33.35%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 ₺73.9

$2.23 €1.99

-33.63%

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

$48.6K ₺2.4M

$28.3K €25.2K

71.64%

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

$42.0K ₺2.1M

$24.0K €21.4K

74.89%

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

$92.7 ₺4,639

$168 €150

-44.78%

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

$11.20 ₺560

$25.33 €22.56

-55.78%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.89 ₺795

$27.93 €24.88

-43.11%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.7 ₺3,737

$37.90 €33.76

97.04%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.95 ₺1,149

$25.15 €22.41

-8.75%

Cinema Ticket

$8.05 ₺403

$7.80 €6.95

3.21%

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

$948 ₺47.5K

$480 €428

97.41%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.9K ₺1.8M

$4,674 €4,164

689.82%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₺2,696

$80.7 €71.9

-33.19%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.49 ₺2,076

$39.67 €35.34

4.59%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 ₺5,049

$81.1 €72.3

24.39%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.3 ₺4,570

$102 €90.9

-10.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,014 ₺50.7K

$490 €437

106.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$625 ₺31.3K

$391 €349

59.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,005 ₺100.4K

$739 €658

171.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,126 ₺56.3K

$597 €532

88.57%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,988 ₺149.5K

$2,462 €2,193

21.37%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,730 ₺86.6K

$1,960 €1,746

-11.73%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,136 ₺56.9K

$833 €742

36.38%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.42

4.38

822.83%

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

Last update for Istanbul: November 2, 2026

Last update for Karditsa: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$625 41.1%

Karditsa

$391 30.1% 37.3% $233

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$258 17%

Karditsa

$245 18.8% 5.1% $13

Eating Out

Istanbul

$221 14.6%

Karditsa

$191 14.7% 13.6% $30

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$129 8.5%

Karditsa

$137 10.5% 5.5% $7.2

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$120 7.9%

Karditsa

$221 17% 84.6% $101

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$91 6%

Karditsa

$54 4.1% 41.1% $37

Getting Around

Istanbul

$75 5%

Karditsa

$63 4.8% 16.2% $12

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,014 in Istanbul versus $490 in Karditsa. 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 36% higher in Istanbul. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55 in Istanbul versus $58 in Karditsa. Groceries tell a different story – $258 in Istanbul vs $245 in Karditsa – so Karditsa wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇬🇷 Karditsa

🕒 Local time

23:31 11:31 PM

22:31 10:31 PM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

38,554

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 2 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 5, 2026: 1 USD = 50.04 TRY (100 TRY = 2 USD). 1 EUR = 56.18 TRY (100 TRY = 1.78 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 0.891 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Istanbul Karditsa 630 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Karditsa

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 Karditsa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 17%, 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 $1,952 in Karditsa. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Karditsa, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $490 there versus $1,014 in Istanbul.

Kindergarten costs $948 per month in Istanbul and $480 in Karditsa. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 5% more in Istanbul, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Karditsa, where all-in costs run around $1,301, than in Istanbul at $1,519. In Karditsa it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

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