Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Kuressaare

For one person, living costs are similar in Istanbul and in Kuressaare: $1,519 and $1,492 a month, rent and utilities included.

73

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index
71

Cost of Living Index in Kuressaare
Learn more

Kuressaare Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,519

/mo nomad

Kuressaare

🇪🇪 Estonia

$1,492

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Kuressaare

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

A single person spends $1,519 per month in Istanbul vs $1,492 in Kuressaare, rent included.

Istanbul $1,519
Kuressaare $1,492

A couple spends around $2,365 per month in Istanbul vs $2,208 in Kuressaare, rent included.

Istanbul $2,365
Kuressaare $2,208

A family of three spends $3,212 per month in Istanbul vs $2,925 in Kuressaare, rent included.

Istanbul $3,212
Kuressaare $2,925

Istanbul and Kuressaare have comparable living costs – the differences are in the details.

Both Istanbul and Kuressaare sit above the global median – Istanbul by 12%, Kuressaare by 10%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.81 ₺592

$13.51 €12.09

-12.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.9 ₺2,754

$66.4 €59.4

-17.30%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.26 ₺465

$8.72 €7.80

6.19%

Cappuccino

$4.30 ₺216

$4.00 €3.58

7.50%

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

$1.77 ₺89.0

$3.46 €3.10

-48.84%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺28.32

$2.80 €2.51

-80.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.69 ₺235

$6.40 €5.73

-26.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.12 ₺357

$5.61 €5.02

26.92%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 ₺62.7

$1.24 €1.11

0.81%

White Bread (500g)

$0.88 ₺44.17

$1.90 €1.70

-53.68%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 ₺111

$2.30 €2.06

-4.35%

Eggs

$2.43 ₺122

$2.98 €2.66

-18.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.48 ₺526

$12.49 €11.18

-16.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.31 ₺267

$8.59 €7.68

-38.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.10 ₺1,058

$15.04 €13.46

40.29%

Apples (1kg)

$1.86 ₺93.1

$1.76 €1.57

5.68%

Banana (1kg)

$2.30 ₺115

$1.44 €1.29

59.72%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.22 ₺61.0

$2.52 €2.26

-51.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺90.2

$2.97 €2.66

-39.39%

Potato (1kg)

$0.69 ₺34.83

$1.04 €0.93

-33.65%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺32.16

$0.89 €0.80

-28.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.36 ₺68.0

$1.87 €1.67

-27.27%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 ₺28.94

$1.20 €1.07

-51.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.34 ₺117

$6.62 €5.92

-64.65%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.03 ₺653

$10.14 €9.08

28.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.36 ₺118

$1.87 €1.67

26.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.32 ₺166

$2.16 €1.93

53.70%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.88 ₺44.07

$2.28 €2.04

-61.40%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.1 ₺3,316

$28.06 €25.11

135.64%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 ₺64.4

$3.66 €3.27

-65.03%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 ₺42.80

$0.99 €0.89

-14.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.09 ₺556

$27.01 €24.17

-58.94%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 ₺74.0

$2.00 €1.79

-26.00%

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

$48.6K ₺2.4M

$27.5K €24.6K

77.19%

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

$42.0K ₺2.1M

$29.3K €26.2K

43.24%

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

$92.7 ₺4,650

$310 €277

-70.09%

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

$11.20 ₺562

$11.33 €10.14

-1.15%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.89 ₺797

$36.43 €32.60

-56.38%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.7 ₺3,745

$33.12 €29.64

125.48%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.95 ₺1,151

Cinema Ticket

$8.05 ₺404

$11.54 €10.32

-30.24%

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

$948 ₺47.6K

$475 €425

99.72%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.9K ₺1.9M

$11.9K €10.7K

209.06%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₺2,702

$109 €97.3

-50.45%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.49 ₺2,081

$48.38 €43.29

-14.24%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 ₺5,060

$104 €93.4

-3.31%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.3 ₺4,580

$120 €107

-23.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,014 ₺50.8K

$511 €457

98.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$625 ₺31.3K

$329 €294

89.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,005 ₺100.6K

$657 €588

205.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,126 ₺56.5K

$495 €443

127.59%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,988 ₺149.8K

$4,044 €3,619

-26.12%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,730 ₺86.8K

$2,476 €2,215

-30.11%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,136 ₺57.0K

$1,280 €1,145

-11.19%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.42

3.93

928.50%

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

Last update for Istanbul: November 2, 2026

Last update for Kuressaare: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$625 41.1%

Kuressaare

$329 22.1% 47.3% $296

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$258 17%

Kuressaare

$281 18.8% 8.8% $23

Eating Out

Istanbul

$221 14.6%

Kuressaare

$251 16.8% 13.4% $30

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$129 8.5%

Kuressaare

$171 11.5% 32.5% $42

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$120 7.9%

Kuressaare

$358 24% 199% $238

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$91 6%

Kuressaare

$56 3.8% 38.1% $35

Getting Around

Istanbul

$75 5%

Kuressaare

$46 3.1% 39% $29

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,014 in Istanbul versus $511 in Kuressaare. 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 13% higher in Kuressaare. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55 in Istanbul versus $66 in Kuressaare. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $281 – making Istanbul the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇪🇪 Kuressaare

🕒 Local time

21:11 9:11 PM

20:11 8:11 PM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

15,170

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 1.99 USD

100 TRY = 1.78 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 November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 50.15 TRY (100 TRY = 1.99 USD). 1 EUR = 56.33 TRY (100 TRY = 1.78 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 0.895 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Istanbul Kuressaare 1,970 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Kuressaare

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 Kuressaare: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,278 per month in Istanbul and $2,238 in Kuressaare. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Kuressaare, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $511 there versus $1,014 in Istanbul.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55 in Istanbul and $66 in Kuressaare. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Public transport costs about 58% less in Kuressaare. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Families tend to lean toward Kuressaare – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.