Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Macerata

For one person, living is cheaper in Macerata: $1,441 a month against $1,550 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $1,300 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Istanbul outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

75

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index
70

Cost of Living Index in Macerata
Learn more

Macerata Living Index

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Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

Macerata

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,441

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Macerata

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

A single person spends $1,550 per month in Istanbul vs $1,441 in Macerata, rent included.

Istanbul $1,550
Macerata $1,441

A couple spends around $2,415 per month in Istanbul vs $2,265 in Macerata, rent included.

Istanbul $2,415
Macerata $2,265

A family of three spends $3,281 per month in Istanbul vs $3,089 in Macerata, rent included.

Istanbul $3,281
Macerata $3,089

Istanbul costs about 8% more than Macerata, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Istanbul and Macerata sit above the global median – Istanbul by 15%, Macerata by 7%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.30 ₺609

$17.26 €15.36

-28.74%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.7 ₺2,708

$79.2 €70.5

-30.96%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.22 ₺456

$10.67 €9.49

-13.59%

Cappuccino

$4.40 ₺218

$1.71 €1.52

157.31%

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

$1.68 ₺83.1

$2.75 €2.45

-38.91%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₺29.40

$1.20 €1.07

-50.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.70 ₺233

$4.87 €4.33

-3.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.91 ₺292

$4.72 €4.20

25.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 ₺60.0

$1.35 €1.20

-10.37%

White Bread (500g)

$0.89 ₺44.10

$2.36 €2.10

-62.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.19 ₺108

$2.98 €2.65

-26.51%

Eggs

$2.35 ₺116

$3.86 €3.43

-39.12%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.42 ₺516

$18.67 €16.61

-44.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.65 ₺280

$12.52 €11.13

-54.87%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.94 ₺1,037

$20.62 €18.34

1.55%

Apples (1kg)

$1.90 ₺94.1

$2.27 €2.02

-16.30%

Banana (1kg)

$2.31 ₺114

$1.66 €1.48

39.16%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.1

$2.19 €1.94

-41.55%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺89.0

$2.20 €1.96

-18.18%

Potato (1kg)

$0.65 ₺32.16

$1.88 €1.67

-65.43%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺31.91

$1.72 €1.53

-62.79%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 ₺62.1

$0.57 €0.51

119.30%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.58

$0.40 €0.35

40.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.37 ₺118

$6.86 €6.10

-65.45%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.42 ₺664

$5.42 €4.82

147.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₺119

$1.91 €1.70

25.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 ₺172

$2.79 €2.48

24.73%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.89 ₺43.84

$1.55 €1.38

-42.58%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.4 ₺3,338

$33.09 €29.43

103.78%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.29 ₺64.1

$4.45 €3.96

-71.01%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 ₺45.70

$1.70 €1.52

-45.88%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.96 ₺542

$19.65 €17.48

-44.22%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ₺72.9

$2.07 €1.85

-28.99%

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

$50.8K ₺2.5M

$32.9K €29.3K

54.42%

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

$44.5K ₺2.2M

$36.2K €32.2K

23.02%

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

$88.6 ₺4,387

$223 €198

-60.21%

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

$11.59 ₺574

$8.53 €7.59

35.87%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.81 ₺783

$29.48 €26.22

-46.37%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.2 ₺3,820

$53.7 €47.75

43.74%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.74 ₺1,126

$27.50 €24.46

-17.31%

Cinema Ticket

$8.14 ₺403

$9.56 €8.51

-14.85%

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

$1,008 ₺49.9K

$774 €689

30.18%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.6K ₺1.3M

$7,903 €7,030

223.43%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.0 ₺2,671

$81.6 €72.6

-33.87%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.83 ₺2,021

$33.37 €29.68

22.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.9 ₺4,895

$70.7 €62.9

39.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.6 ₺4,783

$65.8 €58.6

46.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$985 ₺48.7K

$487 €433

102.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$650 ₺32.2K

$374 €332

73.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,983 ₺98.2K

$799 €710

148.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,180 ₺58.4K

$625 €556

88.86%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,138 ₺155.4K

$2,203 €1,960

42.43%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,780 ₺88.1K

$1,590 €1,414

11.95%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,205 ₺59.7K

$1,959 €1,743

-38.47%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.92

1264.00%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 13, 2026

Last update for Macerata: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$650 41.9%

Macerata

$374 26% 42.5% $276

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$260 16.8%

Macerata

$328 22.8% 26.3% $68

Eating Out

Istanbul

$223 14.4%

Macerata

$240 16.7% 7.6% $17

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$131 8.4%

Macerata

$113 7.9% 13.4% $17

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$116 7.5%

Macerata

$261 18.1% 125% $145

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$93 6%

Macerata

$73 5.1% 22.1% $21

Getting Around

Istanbul

$77 5%

Macerata

$52 3.6% 32% $25

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $985 in Istanbul versus $487 in Macerata. 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 63% higher in Macerata, 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 $55.0 in Istanbul versus $79.0 in Macerata. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $260 vs $328 – making Istanbul the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇮🇹 Macerata

🕒 Local time

03:07 3:07 AM

02:07 2:07 AM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

42,473

💱 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 Macerata 1,300 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Macerata

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 Macerata: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 8%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,325 per month in Istanbul and $2,161 in Macerata. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Macerata, 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 $774 in Macerata. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 26% 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 Macerata, where all-in costs run around $1,441, than in Istanbul at $1,550. In Macerata it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Macerata – 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 Macerata. 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.