Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Kumanovo

For one person, living is cheaper in Kumanovo: $793 a month against $1,550 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $9,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

75

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index
38

Cost of Living Index in Kumanovo
Learn more

Kumanovo Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

Kumanovo

🇲🇰 North Macedonia

$793

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Kumanovo

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

A single person spends $1,550 per month in Istanbul vs $793 in Kumanovo, rent included.

Istanbul $1,550
Kumanovo $793

A couple spends around $2,415 per month in Istanbul vs $1,162 in Kumanovo, rent included.

Istanbul $2,415
Kumanovo $1,162

A family of three spends $3,281 per month in Istanbul vs $1,532 in Kumanovo, rent included.

Istanbul $3,281
Kumanovo $1,532

Istanbul costs about 96% more than Kumanovo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Istanbul sits 15% above the global median, while Kumanovo is 41% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.30 ₺609

$6.53 MKD 356

88.36%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.7 ₺2,708

$27.26 MKD 1,487

100.66%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.22 ₺456

$6.61 MKD 361

39.49%

Cappuccino

$4.40 ₺218

$1.45 MKD 79.0

203.45%

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

$1.68 ₺83.1

$1.40 MKD 76.2

20.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₺29.40

$1.01 MKD 55.2

-41.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.70 ₺233

$1.56 MKD 85.1

201.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.91 ₺292

$1.69 MKD 92.0

249.70%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 ₺60.0

$1.23 MKD 66.9

-1.63%

White Bread (500g)

$0.89 ₺44.10

$0.73 MKD 40.01

21.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.19 ₺108

$1.77 MKD 96.4

23.73%

Eggs

$2.35 ₺116

$2.34 MKD 128

0.43%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.42 ₺516

$7.98 MKD 435

30.58%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.65 ₺280

$7.57 MKD 413

-25.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.94 ₺1,037

$11.49 MKD 627

82.25%

Apples (1kg)

$1.90 ₺94.1

$0.94 MKD 51.2

102.13%

Banana (1kg)

$2.31 ₺114

$1.44 MKD 78.6

60.42%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.1

$1.31 MKD 71.4

-2.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺89.0

$1.74 MKD 95.0

3.45%

Potato (1kg)

$0.65 ₺32.16

$0.85 MKD 46.29

-23.53%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺31.91

$0.80 MKD 43.60

-20.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 ₺62.1

$0.52 MKD 28.25

140.38%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.58

$0.59 MKD 32.11

-5.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.37 ₺118

$3.13 MKD 171

-24.28%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.42 ₺664

$7.13 MKD 389

88.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₺119

$1.05 MKD 57.5

128.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 ₺172

$1.04 MKD 57.0

234.62%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.89 ₺43.84

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.4 ₺3,338

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.29 ₺64.1

$1.12 MKD 61.0

15.18%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 ₺45.70

$0.62 MKD 33.68

48.39%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.96 ₺542

$5.72 MKD 312

91.61%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ₺72.9

$1.45 MKD 79.0

1.38%

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

$50.8K ₺2.5M

$35.5K MKD 1.9M

43.10%

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

$44.5K ₺2.2M

$27.1K MKD 1.5M

64.29%

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

$88.6 ₺4,387

$128 MKD 6,956

-30.51%

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

$11.59 ₺574

$16.68 MKD 910

-30.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.81 ₺783

$18.70 MKD 1,020

-15.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.2 ₺3,820

$27.77 MKD 1,515

177.85%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.74 ₺1,126

$18.35 MKD 1,001

23.92%

Cinema Ticket

$8.14 ₺403

$5.53 MKD 301

47.20%

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

$1,008 ₺49.9K

$356 MKD 19.4K

183.42%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.6K ₺1.3M

$5,659 MKD 308.7K

351.71%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.0 ₺2,671

$41.62 MKD 2,270

29.63%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.83 ₺2,021

$19.80 MKD 1,080

106.21%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.9 ₺4,895

$80.5 MKD 4,392

22.80%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.6 ₺4,783

$49.21 MKD 2,685

96.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$985 ₺48.7K

$241 MKD 13.1K

309.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$650 ₺32.2K

$196 MKD 10.7K

231.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,983 ₺98.2K

$410 MKD 22.4K

383.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,180 ₺58.4K

$247 MKD 13.4K

378.61%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,138 ₺155.4K

$1,610 MKD 87.8K

94.93%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,780 ₺88.1K

$1,434 MKD 78.2K

24.10%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,205 ₺59.7K

$554 MKD 30.2K

117.72%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.92

923.00%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 13, 2026

Last update for Kumanovo: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$650 41.9%

Kumanovo

$196 24.7% 69.9% $454

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$260 16.8%

Kumanovo

$194 24.5% 25.1% $65

Eating Out

Istanbul

$223 14.4%

Kumanovo

$110 13.9% 50.6% $113

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$131 8.4%

Kumanovo

$86 10.9% 34.1% $45

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$116 7.5%

Kumanovo

$163 20.6% 40.4% $47

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$93 6%

Kumanovo

$39 4.9% 58.5% $55

Getting Around

Istanbul

$77 5%

Kumanovo

$4.2 * 0.5% 94.5% $73

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $985 in Istanbul versus $241 in Kumanovo. 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 118% 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 $27.00 in Kumanovo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $260 vs $194 – making Kumanovo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇲🇰 Kumanovo

🕒 Local time

22:14 10:14 PM

21:14 9:14 PM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

75,051

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

North Macedonian Denar MKD ден

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 2.02 USD

100 TRY = 1.8 EUR

100 MKD = 1.83 USD

100 MKD = 1.63 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MKD, 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 = 55.67 TRY (100 TRY = 1.8 EUR).

North Macedonian Denar exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 54.55 MKD (100 MKD = 1.83 USD). 1 EUR = 61.33 MKD (100 MKD = 1.63 EUR).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Istanbul Kumanovo 620 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Kumanovo

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 Kumanovo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 96%, 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 $1,189 in Kumanovo. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55.0 in Istanbul and $27.00 in Kumanovo. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 34% 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 $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Kumanovo, where all-in costs run around $793, than in Istanbul at $1,550. In Kumanovo it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Kumanovo – 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 Kumanovo. 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.