Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Le Havre

For one person, living is cheaper in Le Havre: $1,404 a month against $1,525 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $1,500 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Istanbul outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

74

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index
68

Cost of Living Index in Le Havre
Learn more

Le Havre Living Index

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Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,525

/mo nomad

Le Havre

🇫🇷 France

$1,404

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,525 per month in Istanbul vs $1,404 in Le Havre, rent included.

Istanbul $1,525
Le Havre $1,404

A couple spends around $2,390 per month in Istanbul vs $2,147 in Le Havre, rent included.

Istanbul $2,390
Le Havre $2,147

A family of three spends $3,256 per month in Istanbul vs $2,889 in Le Havre, rent included.

Istanbul $3,256
Le Havre $2,889

Istanbul costs about 9% more than Le Havre, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Istanbul and Le Havre sit above the global median – Istanbul by 13%, Le Havre by 4%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.96 ₺592

$14.40 €12.81

-16.94%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$57.2 ₺2,834

$55.8 €49.62

2.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.51 ₺471

$13.53 €12.04

-29.71%

Cappuccino

$4.40 ₺218

$2.66 €2.36

65.41%

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

$1.75 ₺86.6

$2.41 €2.14

-27.39%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.57

$1.47 €1.31

-61.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.71 ₺233

$6.88 €6.12

-31.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.14 ₺304

$5.49 €4.88

11.84%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.24 ₺61.6

$1.08 €0.96

14.81%

White Bread (500g)

$0.95 ₺47.25

$1.72 €1.53

-44.77%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.28 ₺113

$1.72 €1.53

32.56%

Eggs

$2.45 ₺121

$3.68 €3.27

-33.42%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.56 ₺523

$16.97 €15.10

-37.77%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.50 ₺272

$12.18 €10.84

-54.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.65 ₺1,072

$24.29 €21.61

-10.87%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 ₺90.6

$2.36 €2.10

-22.46%

Banana (1kg)

$2.29 ₺113

$1.93 €1.71

18.65%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.4

$4.54 €4.04

-71.81%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.82 ₺90.1

$3.28 €2.92

-44.51%

Potato (1kg)

$0.66 ₺32.74

$0.76 €0.67

-13.16%

Onion (1kg)

$0.63 ₺31.14

$1.91 €1.70

-67.02%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.27 ₺62.8

$1.14 €1.01

11.40%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.62

$0.18 €0.16

211.11%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.36 ₺117

$11.08 €9.86

-78.70%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.98 ₺642

$6.59 €5.86

96.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.48 ₺123

$3.07 €2.73

-19.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.50 ₺174

$3.53 €3.14

-0.85%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.82 ₺40.77

$1.89 €1.68

-56.61%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.2 ₺3,228

$33.20 €29.53

96.39%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.33 ₺65.7

$6.61 €5.88

-79.88%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.90 ₺44.60

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.91 ₺540

$45.57 €40.54

-76.06%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.43 ₺70.7

$2.06 €1.83

-30.58%

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

$49.6K ₺2.5M

$24.6K €21.9K

101.68%

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

$43.2K ₺2.1M

$37.9K €33.7K

13.93%

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

$88.8 ₺4,395

$155 €138

-42.79%

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

$11.69 ₺579

$13.19 €11.74

-11.37%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.09 ₺797

$30.27 €26.93

-46.85%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$76.3 ₺3,776

$28.96 €25.76

163.33%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.72 ₺1,125

$8.77 €7.80

159.06%

Cinema Ticket

$8.26 ₺409

$12.20 €10.86

-32.30%

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

$1,015 ₺50.2K

$506 €450

100.60%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.8K ₺1.3M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.3 ₺2,636

$55.9 €49.70

-4.69%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.55 ₺2,008

$28.12 €25.02

44.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100 ₺4,956

$90.2 €80.2

11.04%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.5 ₺4,630

$49.79 €44.29

87.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$977 ₺48.4K

$497 €442

96.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$627 ₺31.0K

$415 €369

51.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,980 ₺98.0K

$958 €852

106.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,147 ₺56.8K

$660 €587

73.83%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,095 ₺153.2K

$2,824 €2,512

9.63%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,787 ₺88.5K

$1,740 €1,547

2.72%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,213 ₺60.1K

$2,339 €2,080

-48.13%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.69

3.77

979.31%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 19, 2026

Last update for Le Havre: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$627 41.1%

Le Havre

$415 29.6% 33.8% $212

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$263 17.2%

Le Havre

$341 24.3% 29.8% $78

Eating Out

Istanbul

$222 14.6%

Le Havre

$249 17.7% 11.9% $27

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$129 8.5%

Le Havre

$101 7.2% 22.1% $29

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$117 7.6%

Le Havre

$199 14.1% 70.4% $82

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$93 6.1%

Le Havre

$53 3.8% 42.5% $39

Getting Around

Istanbul

$74 4.9%

Le Havre

$47 * 3.4% 36.3% $27

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $977 in Istanbul versus $497 in Le Havre. 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 93% higher in Le Havre, 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 $56.0 in Le Havre. Groceries tell a different story – $263 in Istanbul vs $341 in Le Havre – so Istanbul wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇫🇷 Le Havre

🕒 Local time

00:46 12:46 AM

23:46 11:46 PM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

166,058

💱 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 20, 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 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Istanbul Le Havre 2,430 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Le Havre

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 Havre: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 9%, 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 $2,107 in Le Havre. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Le Havre, 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 $506 in Le Havre. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 30% cheaper in Istanbul – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Le Havre, where all-in costs run around $1,404, than in Istanbul at $1,525. In Le Havre it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Le Havre – 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 Havre. 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.