Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Kolin

For one person, living is cheaper in Istanbul: $1,550 a month against $2,268 in Kolin, rent and utilities included – about $8,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

75

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index
110

Cost of Living Index in Kolin
Learn more

Kolin Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

Kolin

🇨🇿 Czech Republic

$2,268

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Kolin

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

A single person spends $1,550 per month in Istanbul vs $2,268 in Kolin, rent included.

Istanbul $1,550
Kolin $2,268

A couple spends around $2,415 per month in Istanbul vs $3,091 in Kolin, rent included.

Istanbul $2,415
Kolin $3,091

A family of three spends $3,281 per month in Istanbul vs $3,913 in Kolin, rent included.

Istanbul $3,281
Kolin $3,913

Istanbul is about 32% cheaper than Kolin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both Istanbul and Kolin sit above the global median – Istanbul by 15%, Kolin by 68%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.30 ₺608

$11.34 Kč 246

8.47%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.7 ₺2,703

$51.3 Kč 1,115

6.57%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.22 ₺455

$8.93 Kč 194

3.25%

Cappuccino

$4.40 ₺218

$3.01 Kč 65.4

46.18%

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

$1.68 ₺82.9

$2.01 Kč 43.70

-16.42%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₺29.34

$1.73 Kč 37.64

-65.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.70 ₺232

$2.07 Kč 44.98

127.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.91 ₺292

$2.72 Kč 59.1

117.28%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 ₺59.9

$1.08 Kč 23.45

12.04%

White Bread (500g)

$0.89 ₺44.01

$1.66 Kč 36.12

-46.39%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.19 ₺108

$2.98 Kč 64.8

-26.51%

Eggs

$2.35 ₺116

$3.85 Kč 83.7

-38.96%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.42 ₺515

$13.88 Kč 301

-24.93%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.65 ₺279

$9.86 Kč 214

-42.70%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.94 ₺1,035

$15.93 Kč 346

31.45%

Apples (1kg)

$1.90 ₺93.9

$2.09 Kč 45.38

-9.09%

Banana (1kg)

$2.31 ₺114

$1.70 Kč 37.00

35.88%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.0

$2.23 Kč 48.54

-42.60%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺88.8

$3.40 Kč 73.9

-47.06%

Potato (1kg)

$0.65 ₺32.10

$1.23 Kč 26.69

-47.15%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺31.85

$1.22 Kč 26.43

-47.54%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 ₺62.0

$1.58 Kč 34.31

-20.89%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.53

$0.78 Kč 16.84

-28.21%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.37 ₺117

$6.97 Kč 151

-66.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.42 ₺663

$7.05 Kč 153

90.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₺119

$1.04 Kč 22.51

130.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 ₺172

$1.75 Kč 37.91

98.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.89 ₺43.75

$2.76 Kč 60.0

-67.75%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.4 ₺3,332

$22.62 Kč 491

198.10%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.29 ₺64.0

$2.05 Kč 44.45

-37.07%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 ₺45.61

$1.34 Kč 29.16

-31.34%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.96 ₺541

$13.96 Kč 303

-21.49%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ₺72.8

$1.83 Kč 39.86

-19.67%

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

$50.8K ₺2.5M

$25.6K Kč 556.4K

98.29%

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

$44.5K ₺2.2M

$29.8K Kč 648.1K

49.27%

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

$88.6 ₺4,379

$273 Kč 5,927

-67.52%

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

$11.59 ₺573

$17.04 Kč 370

-31.98%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.81 ₺781

$16.45 Kč 357

-3.89%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.2 ₺3,813

$125 Kč 2,715

-38.26%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.74 ₺1,124

$35.92 Kč 780

-36.69%

Cinema Ticket

$8.14 ₺402

$11.64 Kč 253

-30.07%

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

$1,008 ₺49.8K

$322 Kč 7,000

212.85%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.6K ₺1.3M

$10.6K Kč 230.7K

140.73%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.0 ₺2,666

$80.1 Kč 1,740

-32.66%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.83 ₺2,017

$42.52 Kč 924

-3.97%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.9 ₺4,886

$86.3 Kč 1,875

14.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.6 ₺4,773

$108 Kč 2,352

-10.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$985 ₺48.6K

$1,283 Kč 27.9K

-23.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$650 ₺32.1K

$1,160 Kč 25.2K

-43.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,983 ₺98.0K

$1,786 Kč 38.8K

11.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,180 ₺58.3K

$1,552 Kč 33.7K

-23.94%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,138 ₺155.1K

$7,655 Kč 166.3K

-59.01%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,780 ₺87.9K

$5,862 Kč 127.4K

-69.64%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,205 ₺59.6K

$1,334 Kč 29.0K

-9.61%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.92

4.8

752.50%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 13, 2026

Last update for Kolin: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$650 41.9%

Kolin

$1.2K 51.1% 78.5% $510

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$260 16.8%

Kolin

$285 12.6% 9.6% $25

Eating Out

Istanbul

$223 14.4%

Kolin

$184 8.1% 17.4% $39

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$131 8.4%

Kolin

$143 6.3% 9.3% $12

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$116 7.5%

Kolin

$306 13.5% 164% $190

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$93 6%

Kolin

$148 6.5% 58.7% $55

Getting Around

Istanbul

$77 5%

Kolin

$42 1.9% 44.8% $34

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $985 in Istanbul versus $1,283 in Kolin. 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 11% higher in Kolin, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55.0 in Istanbul versus $51.0 in Kolin. Groceries tell a different story – $260 in Istanbul vs $285 in Kolin – so Istanbul wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇨🇿 Kolin

🕒 Local time

17:34 5:34 PM

16:34 4:34 PM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

30,826

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Czech Koruna CZK Kč

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 2.02 USD

100 TRY = 1.81 EUR

100 CZK = 4.6 USD

100 CZK = 4.11 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CZK, USD, EUR to TRY – Turkish Lira Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇷 Turkish Lira (₺)

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 49.41 TRY (100 TRY = 2.02 USD). 1 EUR = 55.33 TRY (100 TRY = 1.81 EUR).

Czech Koruna exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 21.73 CZK (100 CZK = 4.6 USD). 1 EUR = 24.33 CZK (100 CZK = 4.11 EUR).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Istanbul Kolin 1,460 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Kolin

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 Kolin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Kolin is pricier by about 46%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in leisure.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,325 per month in Istanbul and $3,403 in Kolin. 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. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $1,008 per month in Istanbul and $322 in Kolin. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 10% more in Kolin, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Istanbul, where all-in costs run around $1,550, than in Kolin at $2,268. In Istanbul it covers expenses comfortably, while in Kolin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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 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.

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