Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Kraljevo

For one person, living is cheaper in Kraljevo: $759 a month against $1,550 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $9,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

75

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index
37

Cost of Living Index in Kraljevo
Learn more

Kraljevo Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

Kraljevo

🇷🇸 Serbia

$759

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Kraljevo

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

A single person spends $1,550 per month in Istanbul vs $759 in Kraljevo, rent included.

Istanbul $1,550
Kraljevo $759

A couple spends around $2,415 per month in Istanbul vs $1,177 in Kraljevo, rent included.

Istanbul $2,415
Kraljevo $1,177

A family of three spends $3,281 per month in Istanbul vs $1,596 in Kraljevo, rent included.

Istanbul $3,281
Kraljevo $1,596

Istanbul costs about 104% more than Kraljevo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Istanbul sits 15% above the global median, while Kraljevo is 44% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.30 ₺609

$4.95 RSD 516

148.48%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.7 ₺2,708

$33.19 RSD 3,460

64.81%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.22 ₺456

$4.92 RSD 513

87.40%

Cappuccino

$4.40 ₺218

$1.59 RSD 166

176.73%

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

$1.68 ₺83.1

$2.03 RSD 211

-17.24%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₺29.40

$1.40 RSD 146

-57.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.70 ₺233

$1.78 RSD 185

164.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.91 ₺292

$2.25 RSD 235

162.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 ₺60.0

$0.83 RSD 86.3

45.78%

White Bread (500g)

$0.89 ₺44.10

$0.55 RSD 57.1

61.82%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.19 ₺108

$1.12 RSD 117

95.54%

Eggs

$2.35 ₺116

$1.74 RSD 182

35.06%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.42 ₺516

$7.83 RSD 816

33.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.65 ₺280

$4.92 RSD 513

14.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.94 ₺1,037

$8.42 RSD 877

148.69%

Apples (1kg)

$1.90 ₺94.1

$0.74 RSD 77.6

156.76%

Banana (1kg)

$2.31 ₺114

$0.89 RSD 92.8

159.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.1

$0.94 RSD 97.5

36.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺89.0

$0.99 RSD 103

81.82%

Potato (1kg)

$0.65 ₺32.16

$0.74 RSD 77.4

-12.16%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺31.91

$0.36 RSD 37.72

77.78%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 ₺62.1

$0.95 RSD 98.7

31.58%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.58

$0.64 RSD 66.8

-12.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.37 ₺118

$4.11 RSD 428

-42.34%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.42 ₺664

$2.90 RSD 302

362.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₺119

$0.67 RSD 69.8

258.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 ₺172

$0.95 RSD 98.6

266.32%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.89 ₺43.84

$0.84 RSD 87.3

5.95%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.4 ₺3,338

$9.37 RSD 976

619.64%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.29 ₺64.1

$1.46 RSD 153

-11.64%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 ₺45.70

$0.93 RSD 97.1

-1.08%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.96 ₺542

$10.44 RSD 1,088

4.98%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ₺72.9

$1.83 RSD 191

-19.67%

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

$50.8K ₺2.5M

$21.0K RSD 2.2M

141.57%

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

$44.5K ₺2.2M

$25.9K RSD 2.7M

71.83%

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

$88.6 ₺4,387

$129 RSD 13.5K

-31.56%

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

$11.59 ₺574

$12.03 RSD 1,254

-3.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.81 ₺783

$12.21 RSD 1,273

29.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.2 ₺3,820

$28.30 RSD 2,950

172.65%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.74 ₺1,126

$8.32 RSD 868

173.32%

Cinema Ticket

$8.14 ₺403

$3.60 RSD 375

126.11%

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

$1,008 ₺49.9K

$370 RSD 38.5K

172.63%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.6K ₺1.3M

$7,447 RSD 776.3K

243.24%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.0 ₺2,671

$120 RSD 12.5K

-55.12%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.83 ₺2,021

$43.28 RSD 4,511

-5.66%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.9 ₺4,895

$137 RSD 14.3K

-27.76%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.6 ₺4,783

$123 RSD 12.8K

-21.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$985 ₺48.7K

$239 RSD 24.9K

311.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$650 ₺32.2K

$118 RSD 12.3K

450.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,983 ₺98.2K

$286 RSD 29.9K

592.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,180 ₺58.4K

$194 RSD 20.2K

509.35%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,138 ₺155.4K

$3,162 RSD 329.6K

-0.76%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,780 ₺88.1K

$2,825 RSD 294.5K

-36.99%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,205 ₺59.7K

$788 RSD 82.2K

52.92%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.92

4.85

743.71%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 13, 2026

Last update for Kraljevo: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$650 41.9%

Kraljevo

$118 15.6% 81.8% $532

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$260 16.8%

Kraljevo

$142 18.7% 45.4% $118

Eating Out

Istanbul

$223 14.4%

Kraljevo

$101 13.3% 55% $123

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$131 8.4%

Kraljevo

$191 25.1% 45.9% $60

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$116 7.5%

Kraljevo

$154 20.3% 32.5% $38

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$93 6%

Kraljevo

$36 4.7% 62% $58

Getting Around

Istanbul

$77 5%

Kraljevo

$19 2.5% 75.5% $58

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $985 in Istanbul versus $239 in Kraljevo. 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 53% higher in Istanbul, 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 $33.00 in Kraljevo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $260 vs $142 – making Kraljevo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇷🇸 Kraljevo

🕒 Local time

01:07 1:07 AM

00:07 12:07 AM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

57,432

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Serbian Dinar RSD din

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 2.02 USD

100 TRY = 1.8 EUR

1,000 RSD = 9.59 USD

1,000 RSD = 8.53 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RSD, USD, EUR to TRY – Turkish Lira Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇷 Turkish Lira (₺)

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 49.51 TRY (100 TRY = 2.02 USD). 1 EUR = 55.66 TRY (100 TRY = 1.8 EUR).

Serbian Dinar exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 104 RSD (1,000 RSD = 9.59 USD). 1 EUR = 117 RSD (1,000 RSD = 8.53 EUR).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Istanbul Kraljevo 740 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Kraljevo

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 Kraljevo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 104%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,325 per month in Istanbul and $1,138 in Kraljevo. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Kraljevo, 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 $370 in Kraljevo. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 83% more in Istanbul, 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 Kraljevo, where all-in costs run around $759, than in Istanbul at $1,550. In Kraljevo it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Kraljevo – 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 Kraljevo. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Istanbul makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.