Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Kefar Sava

For one person, living is cheaper in Istanbul: $1,519 a month against $2,960 in Kefar Sava, 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
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index
143

Cost of Living Index in Kefar Sava
Learn more

Kefar Sava Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,519

/mo nomad

Kefar Sava

🇮🇱 Israel

$2,960

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Kefar Sava

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

A single person spends $1,519 per month in Istanbul vs $2,960 in Kefar Sava, rent included.

Istanbul $1,519
Kefar Sava $2,960

A couple spends around $2,365 per month in Istanbul vs $4,330 in Kefar Sava, rent included.

Istanbul $2,365
Kefar Sava $4,330

A family of three spends $3,212 per month in Istanbul vs $5,700 in Kefar Sava, rent included.

Istanbul $3,212
Kefar Sava $5,700

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

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.81 ₺592

$25.26 ₪80.8

-53.25%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.9 ₺2,754

$130 ₪414

-57.62%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.26 ₺465

$19.66 ₪62.9

-52.90%

Cappuccino

$4.30 ₺216

$5.31 ₪16.97

-19.02%

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

$1.77 ₺89.0

$3.92 ₪12.54

-54.85%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺28.32

$2.99 ₪9.56

-81.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.69 ₺235

$8.82 ₪28.21

-46.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.12 ₺357

$7.76 ₪24.81

-8.25%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 ₺62.7

$2.42 ₪7.73

-48.35%

White Bread (500g)

$0.88 ₺44.17

$3.16 ₪10.10

-72.15%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 ₺111

$3.62 ₪11.58

-39.23%

Eggs

$2.43 ₺122

$4.47 ₪14.30

-45.64%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.48 ₺526

$20.97 ₪67.1

-50.02%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.31 ₺267

$14.17 ₪45.32

-62.53%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.10 ₺1,058

$24.60 ₪78.7

-14.23%

Apples (1kg)

$1.86 ₺93.1

$4.44 ₪14.20

-58.11%

Banana (1kg)

$2.30 ₺115

$3.69 ₪11.80

-37.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.22 ₺61.0

$2.40 ₪7.67

-49.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺90.2

$3.35 ₪10.70

-46.27%

Potato (1kg)

$0.69 ₺34.83

$1.86 ₪5.95

-62.90%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺32.16

$1.89 ₪6.04

-66.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.36 ₺68.0

$2.57 ₪8.21

-47.08%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 ₺28.94

$2.17 ₪6.94

-73.27%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.34 ₺117

$14.17 ₪45.31

-83.49%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.03 ₺653

$12.94 ₪41.37

0.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.36 ₺118

$3.62 ₪11.56

-34.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.32 ₺166

$3.92 ₪12.52

-15.31%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.88 ₺44.07

$2.88 ₪9.20

-69.44%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.1 ₺3,316

$89.6 ₪287

-26.22%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 ₺64.4

$4.06 ₪12.98

-68.47%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 ₺42.80

$0.76 ₪2.44

11.84%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.09 ₺556

$37.61 ₪120

-70.51%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 ₺74.0

$2.54 ₪8.13

-41.73%

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

$48.6K ₺2.4M

$54.6K ₪174.6K

-10.92%

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

$42.0K ₺2.1M

$53.1K ₪169.8K

-20.94%

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

$92.7 ₺4,650

$433 ₪1,386

-78.61%

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

$11.20 ₺562

$11.04 ₪35.29

1.45%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.89 ₺797

$35.34 ₪113

-55.04%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.7 ₺3,745

$80.8 ₪258

-7.59%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.95 ₺1,151

Cinema Ticket

$8.05 ₺404

$15.57 ₪49.78

-48.30%

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

$948 ₺47.6K

$1,656 ₪5,295

-42.73%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.9K ₺1.9M

$25.2K ₪80.5K

46.64%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₺2,702

$123 ₪394

-56.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.49 ₺2,081

$83.4 ₪267

-50.25%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 ₺5,060

$168 ₪537

-39.98%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.3 ₺4,580

$191 ₪609

-52.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,014 ₺50.8K

$1,736 ₪5,550

-41.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$625 ₺31.3K

$1,129 ₪3,611

-44.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,005 ₺100.6K

$2,707 ₪8,655

-25.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,126 ₺56.5K

$1,653 ₪5,284

-31.87%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,988 ₺149.8K

$10.3K ₪33.0K

-71.02%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,730 ₺86.8K

$6,873 ₪22.0K

-74.83%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,136 ₺57.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.42

5.03

703.58%

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

Last update for Istanbul: November 2, 2026

Last update for Kefar Sava: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$625 41.1%

Kefar Sava

$1.1K 38.2% 80.8% $505

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$258 17%

Kefar Sava

$464 15.7% 79.6% $206

Eating Out

Istanbul

$221 14.6%

Kefar Sava

$412 13.9% 86.5% $191

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$129 8.5%

Kefar Sava

$254 8.6% 96.6% $125

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$120 7.9%

Kefar Sava

$480 16.2% 301% $360

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$91 6%

Kefar Sava

$112 3.8% 23.3% $21

Getting Around

Istanbul

$75 5%

Kefar Sava

$109 3.7% 45% $34

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,014 in Istanbul versus $1,736 in Kefar Sava. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55 in Istanbul versus $130 in Kefar Sava. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $464 – making Istanbul the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇮🇱 Kefar Sava

🕒 Local time

19:01 7:01 PM

18:01 6:01 PM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

110,456

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Israeli New Shekel ILS ₪

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 1.99 USD

100 TRY = 1.78 EUR

1 ILS = 0.313 USD

1 ILS = 0.278 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 = 50.15 TRY (100 TRY = 1.99 USD). 1 EUR = 56.33 TRY (100 TRY = 1.78 EUR).

Israeli New Shekel exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 3.2 ILS (1 ILS = 0.313 USD). 1 EUR = 3.59 ILS (1 ILS = 0.278 EUR).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Istanbul Kefar Sava 1,110 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Kefar Sava

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 Kefar Sava: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Kefar Sava 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 $4,440 in Kefar Sava. 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 $1,736 in Kefar Sava.

Kindergarten costs $948 per month in Istanbul and $1,656 in Kefar Sava. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 80% more in Kefar Sava, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$1,500 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,519 in Istanbul and $2,960 in Kefar Sava. 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.

For expats, Istanbul is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 49% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.