Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Le Bardo

For one person, living is cheaper in Le Bardo: $696 a month against $1,550 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $10,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

75

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index
34

Cost of Living Index in Le Bardo
Learn more

Le Bardo Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

Le Bardo

🇹🇳 Tunisia

$696

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Le Bardo

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

A single person spends $1,550 per month in Istanbul vs $696 in Le Bardo, rent included.

Istanbul $1,550
Le Bardo $696

A couple spends around $2,415 per month in Istanbul vs $1,090 in Le Bardo, rent included.

Istanbul $2,415
Le Bardo $1,090

A family of three spends $3,281 per month in Istanbul vs $1,484 in Le Bardo, rent included.

Istanbul $3,281
Le Bardo $1,484

Istanbul costs about 123% more than Le Bardo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Istanbul sits 15% above the global median, while Le Bardo is 48% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.30 ₺609

$3.96 TND 11.87

210.61%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.7 ₺2,708

$22.90 TND 68.6

138.86%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.22 ₺456

$4.60 TND 13.79

100.43%

Cappuccino

$4.40 ₺218

$1.32 TND 3.95

233.33%

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

$1.68 ₺83.1

$0.66 TND 1.98

154.55%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₺29.40

$0.26 TND 0.77

126.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.70 ₺233

$1.70 TND 5.08

176.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.91 ₺292

$2.39 TND 7.16

147.28%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 ₺60.0

$0.52 TND 1.57

132.69%

White Bread (500g)

$0.89 ₺44.10

$0.19 TND 0.58

368.42%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.19 ₺108

$1.70 TND 5.08

28.82%

Eggs

$2.35 ₺116

$1.50 TND 4.50

56.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.42 ₺516

$10.34 TND 30.97

0.77%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.65 ₺280

$5.93 TND 17.76

-4.72%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.94 ₺1,037

$15.00 TND 44.93

39.60%

Apples (1kg)

$1.90 ₺94.1

$1.59 TND 4.76

19.50%

Banana (1kg)

$2.31 ₺114

$4.45 TND 13.32

-48.09%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.1

$1.12 TND 3.34

14.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺89.0

$0.93 TND 2.77

93.55%

Potato (1kg)

$0.65 ₺32.16

$0.96 TND 2.88

-32.29%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺31.91

$0.80 TND 2.38

-20.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 ₺62.1

$0.50 TND 1.48

150.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.58

$0.31 TND 0.92

80.65%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.37 ₺118

$3.42 TND 10.25

-30.70%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.42 ₺664

$5.00 TND 14.98

168.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₺119

$1.27 TND 3.80

88.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 ₺172

$1.38 TND 4.12

152.17%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.89 ₺43.84

$0.34 TND 1.03

161.76%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.4 ₺3,338

$9.89 TND 29.62

581.80%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.29 ₺64.1

$0.32 TND 0.96

303.13%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 ₺45.70

$0.33 TND 0.99

178.79%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.96 ₺542

$1.86 TND 5.58

489.25%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ₺72.9

$0.83 TND 2.48

77.11%

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

$50.8K ₺2.5M

$36.8K TND 110.3K

37.89%

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

$44.5K ₺2.2M

$35.7K TND 106.8K

24.86%

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

$88.6 ₺4,387

$61.1 TND 183

45.14%

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

$11.59 ₺574

$10.42 TND 31.22

11.23%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.81 ₺783

$20.51 TND 61.4

-22.92%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.2 ₺3,820

$41.66 TND 125

85.21%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.74 ₺1,126

$12.13 TND 36.34

87.47%

Cinema Ticket

$8.14 ₺403

$5.34 TND 16.00

52.43%

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

$1,008 ₺49.9K

$67.2 TND 201

1400.94%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.6K ₺1.3M

$2,799 TND 8,383

813.26%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.0 ₺2,671

$43.47 TND 130

24.11%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.83 ₺2,021

$36.88 TND 110

10.71%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.9 ₺4,895

$73.1 TND 219

35.19%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.6 ₺4,783

$87.7 TND 263

10.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$985 ₺48.7K

$245 TND 733

302.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$650 ₺32.2K

$153 TND 458

324.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,983 ₺98.2K

$396 TND 1,187

400.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,180 ₺58.4K

$252 TND 755

368.33%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,138 ₺155.4K

$961 TND 2,879

226.41%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,780 ₺88.1K

$616 TND 1,844

189.15%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,205 ₺59.7K

$382 TND 1,145

215.20%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.92

10.28

298.05%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 13, 2026

Last update for Le Bardo: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$650 41.9%

Le Bardo

$153 22% 76.4% $497

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$260 16.8%

Le Bardo

$199 28.5% 23.5% $61

Eating Out

Istanbul

$223 14.4%

Le Bardo

$78 11.3% 64.9% $145

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$131 8.4%

Le Bardo

$109 15.6% 16.9% $22

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$116 7.5%

Le Bardo

$92 13.2% 20.7% $24

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$93 6%

Le Bardo

$52 7.5% 44% $41

Getting Around

Istanbul

$77 5%

Le Bardo

$13 1.9% 82.8% $64

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $985 in Istanbul versus $245 in Le Bardo. 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 215% 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 $23.00 in Le Bardo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $260 vs $199 – making Le Bardo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇹🇳 Le Bardo

🕒 Local time

01:02 1:02 AM

23:02 11:02 PM

2 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

71,961

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Tunisian Dinar TND د.ت

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 2.02 USD

100 TRY = 1.8 EUR

1 TND = 0.334 USD

1 TND = 0.297 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TND, 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).

Tunisian Dinar exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 2.99 TND (1 TND = 0.334 USD). 1 EUR = 3.37 TND (1 TND = 0.297 EUR).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Istanbul Le Bardo 1,690 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Le Bardo

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 Le Bardo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 123%, 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 $1,044 in Le Bardo. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Le Bardo, 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 $67.2 in Le Bardo. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 31% 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 Le Bardo, where all-in costs run around $696, than in Istanbul at $1,550. In Le Bardo it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Le Bardo – 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 Le Bardo. 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.