Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Kosice

For one person, living is cheaper in Istanbul: $1,526 a month against $1,733 in Kosice, rent and utilities included – about $2,500 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Kosice outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

74

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index
86

Cost of Living Index in Kosice
Learn more

Kosice Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,526

/mo nomad

Kosice

🇸🇰 Slovakia

$1,733

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Kosice

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

A single person spends $1,526 per month in Istanbul vs $1,733 in Kosice, rent included.

Istanbul $1,526
Kosice $1,733

A couple spends around $2,399 per month in Istanbul vs $2,533 in Kosice, rent included.

Istanbul $2,399
Kosice $2,533

A family of three spends $3,272 per month in Istanbul vs $3,332 in Kosice, rent included.

Istanbul $3,272
Kosice $3,332

Istanbul is about 12% cheaper than Kosice, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Istanbul and Kosice sit above the global median – Istanbul by 14%, Kosice by 29%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.88 ₺585

$10.30 €9.19

15.34%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.1 ₺2,714

$55.4 €49.41

-0.51%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.14 ₺450

$9.11 €8.13

0.33%

Cappuccino

$4.24 ₺209

$3.46 €3.09

22.54%

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

$1.75 ₺86.0

$2.05 €1.83

-14.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.54 ₺26.83

$1.41 €1.25

-61.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.69 ₺231

$2.89 €2.58

62.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.97 ₺294

$2.25 €2.01

165.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.26 ₺62.1

$1.09 €0.97

15.60%

White Bread (500g)

$0.95 ₺46.81

$1.48 €1.32

-35.81%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.31 ₺114

$2.07 €1.85

11.59%

Eggs

$2.47 ₺122

$3.91 €3.49

-36.83%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.55 ₺520

$12.47 €11.13

-15.40%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.60 ₺276

$7.81 €6.97

-28.30%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.21 ₺1,045

$12.87 €11.49

64.80%

Apples (1kg)

$1.93 ₺95.1

$1.75 €1.56

10.29%

Banana (1kg)

$2.29 ₺113

$2.13 €1.90

7.51%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.1

$2.33 €2.08

-45.06%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.84 ₺90.8

$4.63 €4.13

-60.26%

Potato (1kg)

$0.67 ₺32.86

$1.31 €1.17

-48.85%

Onion (1kg)

$0.59 ₺29.31

$1.51 €1.35

-60.93%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.33 ₺65.4

$1.66 €1.48

-19.88%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₺29.10

$0.84 €0.75

-29.76%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.36 ₺116

$6.62 €5.91

-64.35%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.47 ₺664

$5.55 €4.95

142.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.42 ₺119

$0.93 €0.83

160.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.54 ₺174

$1.89 €1.69

87.30%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.83 ₺40.64

$1.25 €1.12

-33.60%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.5 ₺3,273

$33.64 €30.02

97.53%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.35 ₺66.6

$1.70 €1.52

-20.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 ₺42.05

$1.24 €1.11

-31.45%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.86 ₺535

$22.07 €19.70

-50.79%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ₺72.3

$1.98 €1.77

-25.76%

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

$51.6K ₺2.5M

$26.2K €23.4K

96.86%

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

$44.4K ₺2.2M

$24.2K €21.6K

84.04%

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

$89.2 ₺4,395

$333 €297

-73.22%

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

$11.60 ₺572

$19.60 €17.49

-40.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.10 ₺793

$20.43 €18.23

-21.19%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.3 ₺3,805

$50.6 €45.11

52.82%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.66 ₺1,116

$16.71 €14.91

35.61%

Cinema Ticket

$8.34 ₺411

$9.67 €8.63

-13.75%

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

$974 ₺48.0K

$401 €358

142.85%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.8K ₺1.3M

$10.6K €9,442

143.61%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.7 ₺2,597

$69.4 €61.9

-24.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.16 ₺1,929

$30.69 €27.39

27.60%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 ₺5,083

$81.7 €72.9

26.35%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.6 ₺4,759

$94.7 €84.5

2.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$994 ₺49.0K

$917 €819

8.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$629 ₺31.0K

$701 €625

-10.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,024 ₺99.7K

$1,698 €1,516

19.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,155 ₺56.9K

$1,157 €1,032

-0.16%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,160 ₺155.7K

$3,911 €3,490

-19.19%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,838 ₺90.5K

$2,849 €2,543

-35.50%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,203 ₺59.3K

$1,470 €1,312

-18.15%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

41.09

3.79

984.17%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 3, 2026

Last update for Kosice: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$629 41.2%

Kosice

$701 39.8% 11.3% $71

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$264 17.3%

Kosice

$262 14.9% 0.7% $1.9

Eating Out

Istanbul

$218 14.3%

Kosice

$184 10.5% 15.5% $34

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$131 8.6%

Kosice

$124 7.1% 5.2% $6.9

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$117 7.7%

Kosice

$373 21.2% 219% $256

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$94 6.1%

Kosice

$70 4% 25.6% $24

Getting Around

Istanbul

$75 4.9%

Kosice

$47 2.7% 38.2% $29

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $994 in Istanbul versus $917 in Kosice. 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 22% higher in Kosice, 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 $55.0 in Kosice. Groceries tell a different story – $264 in Istanbul vs $262 in Kosice – so Kosice wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇸🇰 Kosice

🕒 Local time

09:07 9:07 AM

08:07 8:07 AM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

238,593

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 2.03 USD

100 TRY = 1.81 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to TRY – Turkish Lira Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇷 Turkish Lira (₺)

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 49.26 TRY (100 TRY = 2.03 USD). 1 EUR = 55.25 TRY (100 TRY = 1.81 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Istanbul Kosice 1,050 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Kosice

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 Kosice: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Kosice is pricier by about 14%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,289 per month in Istanbul and $2,600 in Kosice. 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 $974 per month in Istanbul and $401 in Kosice. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 1% cheaper in Kosice – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Istanbul, where all-in costs run around $1,526, than in Kosice at $1,733. In Istanbul it covers expenses comfortably, while in Kosice 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, Kosice makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.