Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Kisvarda

For one person, living is cheaper in Kisvarda: $1,316 a month against $1,516 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $2,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

73

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index
60

Cost of Living Index in Kisvarda
Learn more

Kisvarda Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,516

/mo nomad

Kisvarda

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,316

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Kisvarda

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

A single person spends $1,516 per month in Istanbul vs $1,316 in Kisvarda, rent included.

Istanbul $1,516
Kisvarda $1,316

A couple spends around $2,356 per month in Istanbul vs $1,974 in Kisvarda, rent included.

Istanbul $2,356
Kisvarda $1,974

A family of three spends $3,197 per month in Istanbul vs $2,632 in Kisvarda, rent included.

Istanbul $3,197
Kisvarda $2,632

Istanbul costs about 15% more than Kisvarda, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Istanbul sits 11% above the global median, while Kisvarda is 3% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.59 ₺577

$9.22 Ft 3,037

25.70%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.7 ₺2,722

$48.35 Ft 15.9K

13.09%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.39 ₺468

$9.67 Ft 3,186

-2.90%

Cappuccino

$4.23 ₺211

$2.16 Ft 712

95.83%

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

$1.72 ₺85.5

$1.24 Ft 408

38.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.57 ₺28.23

$0.95 Ft 312

-40.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.65 ₺232

$1.78 Ft 585

161.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.84 ₺340

$2.30 Ft 759

197.39%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.20 ₺59.9

$1.25 Ft 411

-4.00%

White Bread (500g)

$0.94 ₺46.92

$1.51 Ft 497

-37.75%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.24 ₺112

$2.47 Ft 814

-9.31%

Eggs

$2.42 ₺120

$3.67 Ft 1,208

-34.06%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.24 ₺510

$10.23 Ft 3,370

0.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.38 ₺268

$6.98 Ft 2,297

-22.92%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.19 ₺1,055

$15.25 Ft 5,023

38.95%

Apples (1kg)

$1.89 ₺94.2

$1.97 Ft 647

-4.06%

Banana (1kg)

$2.22 ₺111

$2.16 Ft 710

2.78%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.26 ₺62.6

$2.08 Ft 687

-39.42%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.81 ₺89.9

$3.55 Ft 1,169

-49.01%

Potato (1kg)

$0.70 ₺34.81

$0.89 Ft 295

-21.35%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺32.09

$1.27 Ft 417

-49.61%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.22 ₺60.8

$1.56 Ft 515

-21.79%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ₺27.33

$0.56 Ft 185

-1.79%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.32 ₺116

$6.93 Ft 2,281

-66.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.31 ₺663

$4.03 Ft 1,326

230.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.33 ₺116

$1.23 Ft 406

89.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 ₺172

$2.20 Ft 723

57.27%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.91 ₺45.13

$1.24 Ft 409

-26.61%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.3 ₺3,302

$29.35 Ft 9,666

126.03%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.29 ₺64.1

$3.28 Ft 1,080

-60.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.86 ₺42.61

$1.43 Ft 472

-39.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.09 ₺552

$12.10 Ft 3,986

-8.35%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.42 ₺70.7

$1.86 Ft 613

-23.66%

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

$49.2K ₺2.4M

$27.6K Ft 9.1M

78.11%

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

$42.8K ₺2.1M

$34.2K Ft 11.3M

25.20%

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

$87.7 ₺4,368

$156 Ft 51.3K

-43.67%

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

$11.28 ₺561

$26.70 Ft 8,794

-57.75%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.89 ₺791

$21.46 Ft 7,065

-25.96%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$75.9 ₺3,779

$57.4 Ft 18.9K

32.35%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.04 ₺1,147

$17.98 Ft 5,920

28.14%

Cinema Ticket

$8.20 ₺408

$9.48 Ft 3,123

-13.50%

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

$1,028 ₺51.2K

$407 Ft 134.2K

152.33%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$26.0K ₺1.3M

$10.7K Ft 3.5M

142.39%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.3 ₺2,655

$89.7 Ft 29.5K

-40.55%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.69 ₺1,976

$32.93 Ft 10.8K

20.53%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.8 ₺4,967

$86.8 Ft 28.6K

14.92%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.5 ₺4,656

$101 Ft 33.2K

-7.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,003 ₺50.0K

$511 Ft 168.3K

96.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$628 ₺31.3K

$451 Ft 148.6K

39.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,963 ₺97.7K

$832 Ft 273.9K

136.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,122 ₺55.8K

$691 Ft 227.4K

62.44%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,075 ₺153.1K

$3,073 Ft 1.0M

0.05%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,753 ₺87.3K

$2,133 Ft 702.5K

-17.84%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,180 ₺58.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.69

6.9

489.71%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 27, 2026

Last update for Kisvarda: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$628 41.5%

Kisvarda

$451 34.3% 28.2% $177

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$258 17%

Kisvarda

$249 18.9% 3.5% $9

Eating Out

Istanbul

$218 14.4%

Kisvarda

$151 11.5% 30.7% $67

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$129 8.5%

Kisvarda

$140 10.6% 8.4% $11

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$115 7.6%

Kisvarda

$204 15.5% 77.5% $89

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$92 6.1%

Kisvarda

$76 5.8% 17.3% $16

Getting Around

Istanbul

$76 5%

Kisvarda

$45 3.4% 40.7% $31

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,003 in Istanbul versus $511 in Kisvarda. 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 $48 in Kisvarda. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $249 – making Kisvarda the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇭🇺 Kisvarda

🕒 Local time

23:32 11:32 PM

21:32 9:32 PM

2 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

14,888

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 2.01 USD

100 TRY = 1.8 EUR

1,000 HUF = 3.04 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.72 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

HUF, USD, EUR to TRY – Turkish Lira Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇷 Turkish Lira (₺)

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of October 27, 2026: 1 USD = 49.78 TRY (100 TRY = 2.01 USD). 1 EUR = 55.5 TRY (100 TRY = 1.8 EUR).

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 27, 2026: 1 USD = 329 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.04 USD). 1 EUR = 367 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.72 EUR).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Istanbul Kisvarda 970 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Kisvarda

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 Kisvarda: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 15%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,274 per month in Istanbul and $1,974 in Kisvarda. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Kisvarda, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $511 there versus $1,003 in Istanbul.

Kindergarten costs $1,028 per month in Istanbul and $407 in Kisvarda. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 4% more in Istanbul, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

$2,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,516 in Istanbul and $1,316 in Kisvarda, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Kisvarda – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

For expats, Kisvarda is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and the 15% gap matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.