Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Kastoria

For one person, living is cheaper in Kastoria: $1,303 a month against $1,519 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $2,600 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Istanbul outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

73

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Kastoria
Learn more

Kastoria Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,519

/mo nomad

Kastoria

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,303

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Kastoria

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

A single person spends $1,519 per month in Istanbul vs $1,303 in Kastoria, rent included.

Istanbul $1,519
Kastoria $1,303

A couple spends around $2,365 per month in Istanbul vs $2,111 in Kastoria, rent included.

Istanbul $2,365
Kastoria $2,111

A family of three spends $3,212 per month in Istanbul vs $2,918 in Kastoria, rent included.

Istanbul $3,212
Kastoria $2,918

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

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.81 ₺592

$16.72 €14.96

-29.37%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.9 ₺2,754

$68.4 €61.2

-19.75%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.26 ₺465

$11.10 €9.93

-16.58%

Cappuccino

$4.30 ₺216

$3.93 €3.52

9.41%

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

$1.77 ₺89.0

$2.21 €1.98

-19.91%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺28.32

$0.75 €0.67

-25.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.69 ₺235

$3.96 €3.55

18.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.12 ₺357

$3.29 €2.94

116.41%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 ₺62.7

$1.76 €1.57

-28.98%

White Bread (500g)

$0.88 ₺44.17

$1.76 €1.58

-50.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 ₺111

$3.61 €3.23

-39.06%

Eggs

$2.43 ₺122

$5.49 €4.91

-55.74%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.48 ₺526

$14.33 €12.82

-26.87%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.31 ₺267

$11.15 €9.98

-52.38%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.10 ₺1,058

$18.50 €16.55

14.05%

Apples (1kg)

$1.86 ₺93.1

$2.56 €2.29

-27.34%

Banana (1kg)

$2.30 ₺115

$2.15 €1.92

6.98%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.22 ₺61.0

$2.09 €1.87

-41.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺90.2

$2.74 €2.45

-34.31%

Potato (1kg)

$0.69 ₺34.83

$1.22 €1.09

-43.44%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺32.16

$1.16 €1.04

-44.83%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.36 ₺68.0

$1.52 €1.36

-10.53%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 ₺28.94

$0.83 €0.74

-30.12%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.34 ₺117

$5.70 €5.10

-58.95%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.03 ₺653

$10.26 €9.18

27.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.36 ₺118

$2.06 €1.84

14.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.32 ₺166

$3.31 €2.96

0.30%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.88 ₺44.07

$0.75 €0.68

17.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.1 ₺3,316

$33.50 €29.98

97.37%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 ₺64.4

$4.50 €4.03

-71.56%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 ₺42.80

$1.14 €1.02

-25.44%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.09 ₺556

$17.02 €15.23

-34.84%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 ₺74.0

$2.02 €1.81

-26.73%

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

$48.6K ₺2.4M

$27.4K €24.5K

77.55%

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

$42.0K ₺2.1M

$27.9K €25.0K

50.29%

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

$92.7 ₺4,650

$223 €200

-58.46%

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

$11.20 ₺562

$23.47 €21.00

-52.28%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.89 ₺797

$31.61 €28.28

-49.73%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.7 ₺3,745

$32.24 €28.84

131.64%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.95 ₺1,151

Cinema Ticket

$8.05 ₺404

$6.82 €6.10

18.04%

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

$948 ₺47.6K

$477 €427

98.73%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.9K ₺1.9M

$11.5K €10.3K

219.66%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₺2,702

$96.5 €86.4

-44.18%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.49 ₺2,081

$45.09 €40.34

-7.98%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 ₺5,060

$127 €114

-20.52%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.3 ₺4,580

$132 €118

-30.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,014 ₺50.8K

$282 €252

259.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$625 ₺31.3K

$167 €149

274.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,005 ₺100.6K

$518 €464

287.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,126 ₺56.5K

$394 €352

185.89%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,988 ₺149.8K

$952 €852

213.70%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,730 ₺86.8K

$731 €654

136.62%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,136 ₺57.0K

$618 €553

84.00%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.42

5.34

656.93%

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

Last update for Istanbul: November 2, 2026

Last update for Kastoria: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$625 41.1%

Kastoria

$167 12.8% 73.3% $458

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$258 17%

Kastoria

$333 25.6% 28.9% $75

Eating Out

Istanbul

$221 14.6%

Kastoria

$253 19.4% 14.3% $32

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$129 8.5%

Kastoria

$180 13.8% 39.3% $51

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$120 7.9%

Kastoria

$278 21.4% 132% $158

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$91 6%

Kastoria

$46 3.5% 49.5% $45

Getting Around

Istanbul

$75 5%

Kastoria

$47 3.6% 37.9% $28

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,014 in Istanbul versus $282 in Kastoria. 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 84% higher in Istanbul. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55 in Istanbul versus $68 in Kastoria. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $333 – making Istanbul the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇬🇷 Kastoria

🕒 Local time

20:45 8:45 PM

19:45 7:45 PM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

13,387

💱 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 = 0.895 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Istanbul Kastoria 650 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Kastoria

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 Kastoria: 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 $1,955 in Kastoria. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Kastoria, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $282 there versus $1,014 in Istanbul.

Kindergarten costs $948 per month in Istanbul and $477 in Kastoria. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 22% cheaper in Istanbul – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,519 in Istanbul and $1,303 in Kastoria. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

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