Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Kretinga

For one person, living is cheaper in Kretinga: $1,306 a month against $1,525 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $2,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

74

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Kretinga
Learn more

Kretinga Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,525

/mo nomad

Kretinga

🇱🇹 Lithuania

$1,306

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Kretinga

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

A single person spends $1,525 per month in Istanbul vs $1,306 in Kretinga, rent included.

Istanbul $1,525
Kretinga $1,306

A couple spends around $2,390 per month in Istanbul vs $1,945 in Kretinga, rent included.

Istanbul $2,390
Kretinga $1,945

A family of three spends $3,256 per month in Istanbul vs $2,584 in Kretinga, rent included.

Istanbul $3,256
Kretinga $2,584

Istanbul costs about 17% more than Kretinga, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Istanbul sits 13% above the global median, while Kretinga is 4% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.96 ₺592

$12.47 €11.09

-4.09%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$57.2 ₺2,834

$50.7 €45.11

12.86%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.51 ₺471

$6.69 €5.95

42.15%

Cappuccino

$4.40 ₺218

$3.20 €2.85

37.50%

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

$1.75 ₺86.6

$2.25 €2.00

-22.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.57

$1.90 €1.69

-70.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.71 ₺233

$5.54 €4.93

-14.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.14 ₺304

$5.00 €4.45

22.80%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.24 ₺61.6

$1.24 €1.11

White Bread (500g)

$0.95 ₺47.25

$1.46 €1.30

-34.93%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.28 ₺113

$1.82 €1.62

25.27%

Eggs

$2.45 ₺121

$2.89 €2.57

-15.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.56 ₺523

$9.98 €8.88

5.81%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.50 ₺272

$5.78 €5.14

-4.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.65 ₺1,072

$9.48 €8.43

128.38%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 ₺90.6

$1.69 €1.51

8.28%

Banana (1kg)

$2.29 ₺113

$1.43 €1.28

60.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.4

$1.66 €1.48

-22.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.82 ₺90.1

$2.98 €2.65

-38.93%

Potato (1kg)

$0.66 ₺32.74

$0.72 €0.64

-8.33%

Onion (1kg)

$0.63 ₺31.14

$0.85 €0.75

-25.88%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.27 ₺62.8

$1.46 €1.30

-13.01%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.62

$0.84 €0.75

-33.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.36 ₺117

$5.96 €5.30

-60.40%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.98 ₺642

$8.34 €7.42

55.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.48 ₺123

$1.61 €1.43

54.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.50 ₺174

$1.66 €1.48

110.84%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.82 ₺40.77

$0.98 €0.87

-16.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.2 ₺3,228

$29.77 €26.48

119.01%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.33 ₺65.7

$3.05 €2.71

-56.39%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.90 ₺44.60

$0.81 €0.72

11.11%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.91 ₺540

$13.54 €12.05

-19.42%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.43 ₺70.7

$1.89 €1.68

-24.34%

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

$49.6K ₺2.5M

$27.2K €24.2K

82.53%

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

$43.2K ₺2.1M

$27.3K €24.3K

58.20%

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

$88.8 ₺4,395

$203 €181

-56.31%

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

$11.69 ₺579

$13.65 €12.14

-14.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.09 ₺797

$14.10 €12.55

14.11%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$76.3 ₺3,776

$38.31 €34.08

99.06%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.72 ₺1,125

$23.19 €20.62

-2.03%

Cinema Ticket

$8.26 ₺409

$8.90 €7.91

-7.19%

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

$1,015 ₺50.2K

$476 €423

113.29%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.8K ₺1.3M

$9,312 €8,283

177.48%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.3 ₺2,636

$95.6 €85.1

-44.32%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.55 ₺2,008

$41.89 €37.26

-3.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100 ₺4,956

$80.0 €71.2

25.06%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.5 ₺4,630

$131 €117

-28.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$977 ₺48.4K

$583 €518

67.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$627 ₺31.0K

$389 €346

61.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,980 ₺98.0K

$778 €692

154.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,147 ₺56.8K

$590 €524

94.53%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,095 ₺153.2K

$2,787 €2,479

11.06%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,787 ₺88.5K

$1,995 €1,774

-10.42%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,213 ₺60.1K

$1,407 €1,251

-13.76%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.69

3.99

919.80%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 19, 2026

Last update for Kretinga: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$627 41.1%

Kretinga

$389 29.8% 37.9% $238

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$263 17.2%

Kretinga

$220 16.8% 16.4% $43

Eating Out

Istanbul

$222 14.6%

Kretinga

$213 16.3% 4.3% $9.6

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$129 8.5%

Kretinga

$157 12% 21.4% $28

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$117 7.6%

Kretinga

$231 17.7% 98.1% $114

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$93 6.1%

Kretinga

$56 4.3% 39.5% $37

Getting Around

Istanbul

$74 4.9%

Kretinga

$41 3.1% 45.1% $34

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $977 in Istanbul versus $583 in Kretinga. 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 16% higher in Kretinga, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $57.0 in Istanbul versus $51.0 in Kretinga. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $263 vs $220 – making Kretinga the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇱🇹 Kretinga

🕒 Local time

11:51 11:51 AM

10:51 10:51 AM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

19,010

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 2.02 USD

100 TRY = 1.8 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 25, 2026: 1 USD = 49.51 TRY (100 TRY = 2.02 USD). 1 EUR = 55.66 TRY (100 TRY = 1.8 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 25, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Istanbul Kretinga 1,750 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Kretinga

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 Kretinga: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 17%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,287 per month in Istanbul and $1,959 in Kretinga. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Kretinga, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $1,015 per month in Istanbul and $476 in Kretinga. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 20% 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 Kretinga, where all-in costs run around $1,306, than in Istanbul at $1,525. In Kretinga it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Kretinga – 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 Kretinga. 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.