Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Kilkis

For one person, living is cheaper in Kilkis: $1,457 a month against $1,519 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $740 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Istanbul outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

Istanbul, Turkey
Kilkis, Greece
Istanbul
🇹🇷 Turkey
$1,519
/mo nomad
Kilkis
🇬🇷 Greece
$1,457
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Kilkis

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

A single person spends $1,519 per month in Istanbul vs $1,457 in Kilkis, rent included.

  • Istanbul $1,519
  • Kilkis $1,457

A couple spends around $2,365 per month in Istanbul vs $2,067 in Kilkis, rent included.

  • Istanbul $2,365
  • Kilkis $2,067

A family of three spends $3,212 per month in Istanbul vs $2,677 in Kilkis, rent included.

  • Istanbul $3,212
  • Kilkis $2,677

Istanbul costs about 4% more than Kilkis, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Istanbul and Kilkis sit above the global median – Istanbul by 12%, Kilkis by 8%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Istanbul
Kilkis
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.81 ₺592
$14.18 €12.69
-16.71%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$54.9 ₺2,754
$22.14 €19.81
148.01%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.26 ₺465
$11.28 €10.10
-17.91%
Cappuccino
$4.30 ₺216
$3.75 €3.35
14.67%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.77 ₺89.0
$2.30 €2.05
-23.04%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.56 ₺28.32
$0.59 €0.52
-5.08%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$4.69 ₺235
$3.45 €3.09
35.94%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$7.12 ₺357
$5.66 €5.06
25.80%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Istanbul
Kilkis
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.25 ₺62.7
$1.83 €1.64
-31.69%
White Bread (500g)
$0.88 ₺44.17
$1.76 €1.58
-50.00%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.20 ₺111
$3.80 €3.40
-42.11%
Eggs
$2.43 ₺122
$5.71 €5.11
-57.44%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.48 ₺526
$14.58 €13.04
-28.12%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$5.31 ₺267
$11.04 €9.88
-51.90%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$21.10 ₺1,058
$19.01 €17.01
10.99%
Apples (1kg)
$1.86 ₺93.1
$2.58 €2.31
-27.91%
Banana (1kg)
$2.30 ₺115
$2.11 €1.89
9.00%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.22 ₺61.0
$2.08 €1.86
-41.35%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.80 ₺90.2
$2.72 €2.43
-33.82%
Potato (1kg)
$0.69 ₺34.83
$1.23 €1.10
-43.90%
Onion (1kg)
$0.64 ₺32.16
$1.22 €1.09
-47.54%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.36 ₺68.0
$1.53 €1.37
-11.11%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.58 ₺28.94
$0.87 €0.78
-33.33%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.34 ₺117
$5.43 €4.86
-56.91%
Wine (Bottle)
$13.03 ₺653
$10.16 €9.09
28.25%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.36 ₺118
$2.08 €1.86
13.46%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.32 ₺166
$3.32 €2.97
-
🚌 Getting Around
Istanbul
Kilkis
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.88 ₺44.07
$1.44 €1.29
-38.89%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$66.1 ₺3,316
$50.5 €45.18
30.96%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.28 ₺64.4
$4.56 €4.08
-71.93%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.85 ₺42.80
$1.14 €1.02
-25.44%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$11.09 ₺556
$16.48 €14.75
-32.71%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.48 ₺74.0
$2.34 €2.09
-36.75%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$48.6K ₺2.4M
$28.4K €25.4K
71.23%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$42.0K ₺2.1M
$28.5K €25.5K
47.26%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Istanbul
Kilkis
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$92.7 ₺4,650
$223 €200
-58.47%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$11.20 ₺562
$23.38 €20.92
-52.10%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$15.89 ₺797
$31.41 €28.10
-49.41%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Istanbul
Kilkis
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$74.7 ₺3,745
$50.1 €44.85
49.00%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$22.95 ₺1,151
$24.09 €21.56
-4.73%
Cinema Ticket
$8.05 ₺404
$10.68 €9.55
-24.63%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Istanbul
Kilkis
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$948 ₺47.6K
$467 €418
102.97%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$36.9K ₺1.9M
$11.6K €10.4K
218.89%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Istanbul
Kilkis
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$53.9 ₺2,702
$22.51 €20.14
139.36%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$41.49 ₺2,081
$27.52 €24.62
50.76%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$101 ₺5,060
$56.6 €50.6
78.28%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$91.3 ₺4,580
$45.33 €40.56
101.43%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Istanbul
Kilkis
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,014 ₺50.8K
$496 €444
104.38%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$625 ₺31.3K
$403 €361
54.97%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,005 ₺100.6K
$605 €541
231.63%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,126 ₺56.5K
$550 €492
104.64%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,988 ₺149.8K
$2,434 €2,178
22.74%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,730 ₺86.8K
$2,340 €2,094
-26.06%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Istanbul
Kilkis
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,136 ₺57.0K
-
-
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 Kilkis: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Istanbul
$625
Kilkis
$403 35.5% $222
Groceries & Markets
Istanbul
$258
Kilkis
$338 30.7% $79
Eating Out
Istanbul
$221
Kilkis
$232 5.2% $11
Clothing & Footwear
Istanbul
$129
Kilkis
$68 47.2% $61
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Istanbul
$120
Kilkis
$278 132% $158
Sport & Entertainment
Istanbul
$91
Kilkis
$71 21.3% $19
Getting Around
Istanbul
$75
Kilkis
$67 11.5% $8.7

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,014 in Istanbul versus $496 in Kilkis. 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 $22 in Kilkis. Groceries tell a different story – $258 in Istanbul vs $338 in Kilkis – so Istanbul wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇹🇷 Istanbul
🇬🇷 Kilkis
🕒 Local time
00:16 12:16 AM
23:16 11:16 PM
1 h behind Istanbul
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
15,701,602
17,430
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to TRY – Turkish Lira Converter

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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Istanbul Kilkis 510 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Istanbul
  • Kilkis

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 Kilkis: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Kilkis cheaper than Istanbul?
Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 4%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,278 per month in Istanbul and $2,186 in Kilkis. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Kilkis, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $496 there versus $1,014 in Istanbul.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Kindergarten costs $948 per month in Istanbul and $467 in Kilkis. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
How do food prices compare in Istanbul and in Kilkis?
Interestingly, groceries are about 23% cheaper in Istanbul – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.
Is $2,000 enough for either Istanbul or Kilkis?
$2,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,519 in Istanbul and $1,457 in Kilkis, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.
Is Istanbul or Kilkis more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Kilkis – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Which city is safer, Istanbul or Kilkis?
Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

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