Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Kefalonia

For one person, living is cheaper in Istanbul: $1,519 a month against $1,575 in Kefalonia, rent and utilities included – about $670 less a year. The total is higher in Kefalonia despite lower rent and utilities.

73

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index
75

Cost of Living Index in Kefalonia
Learn more

Kefalonia Living Index

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Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,519

/mo nomad

Kefalonia

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,575

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Kefalonia

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

A single person spends $1,519 per month in Istanbul vs $1,575 in Kefalonia, rent included.

Istanbul $1,519
Kefalonia $1,575

A couple spends around $2,365 per month in Istanbul vs $2,360 in Kefalonia, rent included.

Istanbul $2,365
Kefalonia $2,360

A family of three spends $3,212 per month in Istanbul vs $3,145 in Kefalonia, rent included.

Istanbul $3,212
Kefalonia $3,145

Istanbul is about 4% cheaper than Kefalonia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Istanbul and Kefalonia sit above the global median – Istanbul by 12%, Kefalonia by 17%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.81 ₺592

$14.93 €13.36

-20.90%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.9 ₺2,754

$38.50 €34.45

42.62%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.26 ₺465

$10.02 €8.97

-7.58%

Cappuccino

$4.30 ₺216

$3.11 €2.78

38.26%

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

$1.77 ₺89.0

$3.32 €2.97

-46.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺28.32

$0.61 €0.55

-8.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.69 ₺235

$4.76 €4.26

-1.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.12 ₺357

$5.29 €4.73

34.59%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 ₺62.7

$1.66 €1.48

-24.70%

White Bread (500g)

$0.88 ₺44.17

$1.46 €1.31

-39.73%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 ₺111

$2.60 €2.32

-15.38%

Eggs

$2.43 ₺122

$4.49 €4.02

-45.88%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.48 ₺526

$13.09 €11.71

-19.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.31 ₺267

$10.27 €9.19

-48.30%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.10 ₺1,058

$14.85 €13.29

42.09%

Apples (1kg)

$1.86 ₺93.1

$2.23 €1.99

-16.59%

Banana (1kg)

$2.30 ₺115

$2.01 €1.80

14.43%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.22 ₺61.0

$1.41 €1.26

-13.48%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺90.2

$2.09 €1.87

-13.88%

Potato (1kg)

$0.69 ₺34.83

$1.14 €1.02

-39.47%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺32.16

$1.15 €1.03

-44.35%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.36 ₺68.0

$1.08 €0.96

25.93%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 ₺28.94

$0.87 €0.78

-33.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.34 ₺117

$5.30 €4.75

-55.85%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.03 ₺653

$6.63 €5.93

96.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.36 ₺118

$2.47 €2.21

-4.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.32 ₺166

$2.51 €2.24

32.27%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.88 ₺44.07

$1.40 €1.26

-37.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.1 ₺3,316

$51.1 €45.71

29.44%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 ₺64.4

$4.14 €3.71

-69.08%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 ₺42.80

$1.09 €0.97

-22.02%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.09 ₺556

$16.77 €15.01

-33.87%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 ₺74.0

$1.98 €1.77

-25.25%

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

$48.6K ₺2.4M

$27.4K €24.5K

77.57%

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

$42.0K ₺2.1M

$25.7K €23.0K

63.11%

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

$92.7 ₺4,650

$280 €251

-66.89%

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

$11.20 ₺562

$22.62 €20.24

-50.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.89 ₺797

$30.67 €27.44

-48.19%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.7 ₺3,745

$51.7 €46.24

44.50%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.95 ₺1,151

$25.29 €22.63

-9.25%

Cinema Ticket

$8.05 ₺404

$8.90 €7.97

-9.55%

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

$948 ₺47.6K

$404 €361

134.82%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.9K ₺1.9M

$8,838 €7,909

317.69%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₺2,702

$88.3 €79.0

-39.01%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.49 ₺2,081

$39.69 €35.51

4.54%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 ₺5,060

$95.5 €85.4

5.66%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.3 ₺4,580

$124 €111

-26.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,014 ₺50.8K

$526 €471

92.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$625 ₺31.3K

$428 €383

45.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,005 ₺100.6K

$1,090 €976

83.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,126 ₺56.5K

$806 €721

39.71%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,988 ₺149.8K

$2,430 €2,174

22.97%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,730 ₺86.8K

$1,967 €1,760

-12.06%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,136 ₺57.0K

$1,101 €985

3.21%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.42

4.48

802.23%

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

Last update for Istanbul: November 2, 2026

Last update for Kefalonia: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$625 41.1%

Kefalonia

$428 27.2% 31.5% $197

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$258 17%

Kefalonia

$285 18.1% 10.4% $27

Eating Out

Istanbul

$221 14.6%

Kefalonia

$237 15% 7.2% $16

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$129 8.5%

Kefalonia

$156 9.9% 20.8% $27

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$120 7.9%

Kefalonia

$333 21.2% 178% $214

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$91 6%

Kefalonia

$69 4.4% 23.5% $21

Getting Around

Istanbul

$75 5%

Kefalonia

$66 4.2% 11.8% $8.9

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,014 in Istanbul versus $526 in Kefalonia. 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 3% higher in Istanbul, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55 in Istanbul versus $38 in Kefalonia. Groceries tell a different story – $258 in Istanbul vs $285 in Kefalonia – so Istanbul wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇬🇷 Kefalonia

🕒 Local time

01:28 1:28 AM

00:28 12:28 AM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

36,404

💱 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 = 56.05 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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Highest

Between locations

Istanbul Kefalonia 780 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Kefalonia

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 Kefalonia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Kefalonia is pricier by about 4%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,278 per month in Istanbul and $2,363 in Kefalonia. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Kefalonia, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $526 there versus $1,014 in Istanbul.

Kindergarten costs $948 per month in Istanbul and $404 in Kefalonia. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 10% more in Kefalonia, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$1,500 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,519 in Istanbul and $1,575 in Kefalonia. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Kefalonia has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,519 in Istanbul to $1,575 in Kefalonia. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.