Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Kfar Saba

For one person, living is cheaper in Istanbul: $1,519 a month against $2,127 in Kfar Saba, rent and utilities included – about $7,300 less a year. The total is higher in Kfar Saba despite lower rent and utilities.

73

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index
102

Cost of Living Index in Kfar Saba
Learn more

Kfar Saba Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,519

/mo nomad

Kfar Saba

🇮🇱 Israel

$2,127

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Kfar Saba

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

A single person spends $1,519 per month in Istanbul vs $2,127 in Kfar Saba, rent included.

Istanbul $1,519
Kfar Saba $2,127

A couple spends around $2,365 per month in Istanbul vs $3,359 in Kfar Saba, rent included.

Istanbul $2,365
Kfar Saba $3,359

A family of three spends $3,212 per month in Istanbul vs $4,591 in Kfar Saba, rent included.

Istanbul $3,212
Kfar Saba $4,591

Istanbul is about 29% cheaper than Kfar Saba, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Istanbul and Kfar Saba sit above the global median – Istanbul by 12%, Kfar Saba by 57%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.81 ₺592

$37.77 ₪121

-68.73%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.9 ₺2,754

$110 ₪352

-50.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.26 ₺465

$22.72 ₪72.8

-59.24%

Cappuccino

$4.30 ₺216

$5.46 ₪17.49

-21.25%

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

$1.77 ₺89.0

$4.19 ₪13.44

-57.76%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺28.32

$3.10 ₪9.93

-81.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.69 ₺235

$11.77 ₪37.71

-60.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.12 ₺357

$8.19 ₪26.24

-13.06%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 ₺62.7

$3.45 ₪11.07

-63.77%

White Bread (500g)

$0.88 ₺44.17

$2.29 ₪7.34

-61.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 ₺111

$3.17 ₪10.15

-30.60%

Eggs

$2.43 ₺122

$5.01 ₪16.07

-51.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.48 ₺526

$25.93 ₪83.1

-59.58%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.31 ₺267

$14.31 ₪45.87

-62.89%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.10 ₺1,058

$50.7 ₪162

-58.37%

Apples (1kg)

$1.86 ₺93.1

$4.26 ₪13.64

-56.34%

Banana (1kg)

$2.30 ₺115

$3.07 ₪9.83

-25.08%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.22 ₺61.0

$2.69 ₪8.63

-54.65%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺90.2

$4.49 ₪14.40

-59.91%

Potato (1kg)

$0.69 ₺34.83

$1.97 ₪6.30

-64.97%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺32.16

$1.35 ₪4.32

-52.59%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.36 ₺68.0

$3.40 ₪10.89

-60.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 ₺28.94

$1.65 ₪5.29

-64.85%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.34 ₺117

$14.09 ₪45.17

-83.39%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.03 ₺653

$14.30 ₪45.83

-8.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.36 ₺118

$3.10 ₪9.94

-23.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.32 ₺166

$3.12 ₪9.99

6.41%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.88 ₺44.07

$7.67 ₪24.57

-88.53%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.1 ₺3,316

$102 ₪328

-35.30%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 ₺64.4

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 ₺42.80

$2.25 ₪7.20

-62.22%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.09 ₺556

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 ₺74.0

$2.51 ₪8.04

-41.04%

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

$48.6K ₺2.4M

$56.1K ₪179.8K

-13.31%

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

$42.0K ₺2.1M

$60.1K ₪192.5K

-30.11%

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

$92.7 ₺4,650

$485 ₪1,553

-80.87%

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

$11.20 ₺562

$11.90 ₪38.13

-5.88%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.89 ₺797

$35.01 ₪112

-54.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.7 ₺3,745

$108 ₪346

-30.76%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.95 ₺1,151

$22.54 ₪72.3

1.82%

Cinema Ticket

$8.05 ₺404

$16.04 ₪51.4

-49.81%

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

$948 ₺47.6K

$1,635 ₪5,241

-42.00%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.9K ₺1.9M

$34.6K ₪111.0K

6.62%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₺2,702

$110 ₪353

-51.13%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.49 ₺2,081

$55.3 ₪177

-25.01%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 ₺5,060

$174 ₪556

-41.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.3 ₺4,580

$137 ₪439

-33.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,014 ₺50.8K

$1,453 ₪4,656

-30.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$625 ₺31.3K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,005 ₺100.6K

$2,589 ₪8,298

-22.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,126 ₺56.5K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,988 ₺149.8K

$10.0K ₪32.1K

-70.14%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,730 ₺86.8K

$7,506 ₪24.1K

-76.95%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,136 ₺57.0K

$4,244 ₪13.6K

-73.22%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.42

405.25%

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

Last update for Istanbul: November 2, 2026

Last update for Kfar Saba: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$625 41.1%

Kfar Saba

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$258 17%

Kfar Saba

$557 26.2% 116% $299

Eating Out

Istanbul

$221 14.6%

Kfar Saba

$540 25.4% 145% $319

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$129 8.5%

Kfar Saba

$214 10.1% 65.6% $85

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$120 7.9%

Kfar Saba

$531 25% 344% $412

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$91 6%

Kfar Saba

$140 6.6% 54.2% $49

Getting Around

Istanbul

$75 5%

Kfar Saba

$144 * 6.8% 91.7% $69

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,014 in Istanbul versus $1,453 in Kfar Saba. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Kfar Saba are about 3.7 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55 in Istanbul versus $110 in Kfar Saba. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $557 – making Istanbul the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇮🇱 Kfar Saba

🕒 Local time

11:03 11:03 AM

10:03 10:03 AM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

109,091

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Israeli New Shekel ILS ₪

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 1.99 USD

100 TRY = 1.78 EUR

1 ILS = 0.312 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 = 3.21 ILS (1 ILS = 0.312 USD). 1 EUR = 3.6 ILS (1 ILS = 0.278 EUR).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Istanbul Kfar Saba 1,110 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Kfar Saba

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 Kfar Saba: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Kfar Saba is pricier by about 40%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,278 per month in Istanbul and $3,190 in Kfar Saba. 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 $1,453 in Kfar Saba.

Kindergarten costs $948 per month in Istanbul and $1,635 in Kfar Saba. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 116% more in Kfar Saba, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$1,500 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,519 in Istanbul and $2,127 in Kfar Saba. 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.

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