Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Maglaj

For one person, living is cheaper in Maglaj: $910 a month against $1,550 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $7,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

75

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index
44

Cost of Living Index in Maglaj
Learn more

Maglaj Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

Maglaj

🇧🇦 Bosnia and Herzegovina

$910

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Maglaj

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

A single person spends $1,550 per month in Istanbul vs $910 in Maglaj, rent included.

Istanbul $1,550
Maglaj $910

A couple spends around $2,415 per month in Istanbul vs $1,371 in Maglaj, rent included.

Istanbul $2,415
Maglaj $1,371

A family of three spends $3,281 per month in Istanbul vs $1,833 in Maglaj, rent included.

Istanbul $3,281
Maglaj $1,833

Istanbul costs about 70% more than Maglaj, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Istanbul sits 15% above the global median, while Maglaj is 33% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.30 ₺607

$6.85 BAM 11.95

79.56%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.7 ₺2,700

$37.43 BAM 65.3

46.14%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.22 ₺455

$6.69 BAM 11.67

37.82%

Cappuccino

$4.40 ₺217

$1.63 BAM 2.85

169.94%

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

$1.68 ₺82.8

$1.82 BAM 3.18

-7.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₺29.31

$1.23 BAM 2.14

-52.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.70 ₺232

$2.23 BAM 3.90

110.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.91 ₺292

$2.26 BAM 3.95

161.50%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 ₺59.8

$1.46 BAM 2.55

-17.12%

White Bread (500g)

$0.89 ₺43.97

$0.92 BAM 1.61

-3.26%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.19 ₺108

$1.74 BAM 3.04

25.86%

Eggs

$2.35 ₺116

$2.81 BAM 4.90

-16.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.42 ₺514

$7.54 BAM 13.15

38.20%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.65 ₺279

$6.72 BAM 11.73

-15.92%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.94 ₺1,033

$9.84 BAM 17.18

112.80%

Apples (1kg)

$1.90 ₺93.8

$1.15 BAM 2.01

65.22%

Banana (1kg)

$2.31 ₺114

$1.67 BAM 2.91

38.32%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.0

$1.69 BAM 2.95

-24.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺88.7

$1.67 BAM 2.92

7.78%

Potato (1kg)

$0.65 ₺32.07

$1.16 BAM 2.03

-43.97%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺31.82

$1.12 BAM 1.96

-42.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 ₺61.9

$1.01 BAM 1.76

23.76%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.50

$0.83 BAM 1.44

-32.53%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.37 ₺117

$3.50 BAM 6.12

-32.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.42 ₺662

$6.74 BAM 11.77

99.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₺119

$1.17 BAM 2.04

105.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 ₺172

$1.15 BAM 2.01

202.61%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.89 ₺43.70

$1.40 BAM 2.44

-36.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.4 ₺3,328

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.29 ₺63.9

$1.68 BAM 2.93

-23.21%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 ₺45.56

$1.11 BAM 1.94

-17.12%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.96 ₺541

$10.37 BAM 18.10

5.69%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ₺72.7

$1.59 BAM 2.77

-7.55%

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

$50.8K ₺2.5M

$30.4K BAM 53.0K

67.15%

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

$44.5K ₺2.2M

$21.8K BAM 38.1K

104.01%

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

$88.6 ₺4,374

$91.9 BAM 160

-3.54%

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

$11.59 ₺572

$18.32 BAM 31.97

-36.74%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.81 ₺781

$28.27 BAM 49.35

-44.07%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.2 ₺3,809

$32.60 BAM 56.9

136.69%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.74 ₺1,122

Cinema Ticket

$8.14 ₺402

$4.67 BAM 8.15

74.30%

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

$1,008 ₺49.8K

$135 BAM 236

644.26%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.6K ₺1.3M

$3,932 BAM 6,863

550.06%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.0 ₺2,663

$57.2 BAM 99.9

-5.73%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.83 ₺2,015

$31.72 BAM 55.4

28.72%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.9 ₺4,881

$95.1 BAM 166

3.97%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.6 ₺4,768

$129 BAM 226

-25.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$985 ₺48.6K

$338 BAM 591

190.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$650 ₺32.1K

$253 BAM 442

156.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,983 ₺97.9K

$512 BAM 893

287.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,180 ₺58.2K

$356 BAM 621

231.87%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,138 ₺154.9K

$2,429 BAM 4,239

29.21%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,780 ₺87.9K

$1,764 BAM 3,079

0.90%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,205 ₺59.5K

$741 BAM 1,293

62.67%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.92

4.3

851.63%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 13, 2026

Last update for Maglaj: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$650 41.9%

Maglaj

$253 27.8% 61% $397

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$260 16.8%

Maglaj

$200 22% 23% $60

Eating Out

Istanbul

$223 14.4%

Maglaj

$122 13.5% 45.2% $101

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$131 8.4%

Maglaj

$141 15.5% 8% $10

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$116 7.5%

Maglaj

$138 15.2% 19.3% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$93 6%

Maglaj

$42 4.6% 55.1% $52

Getting Around

Istanbul

$77 5%

Maglaj

$13 * 1.4% 83.3% $64

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 $338 in Maglaj. 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 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 $37.00 in Maglaj. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $260 vs $200 – making Maglaj the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇧🇦 Maglaj

🕒 Local time

15:01 3:01 PM

14:01 2:01 PM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

7,000

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Bosnia and Herzegovina Convertible Mark BAM KM

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 2.03 USD

100 TRY = 1.81 EUR

1 BAM = 0.573 USD

1 BAM = 0.511 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BAM, USD, EUR to TRY – Turkish Lira Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇷 Turkish Lira (₺)

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of October 14, 2026: 1 USD = 49.36 TRY (100 TRY = 2.03 USD). 1 EUR = 55.31 TRY (100 TRY = 1.81 EUR).

Bosnia and Herzegovina Convertible Mark exchange rates as of October 14, 2026: 1 USD = 1.75 BAM (1 BAM = 0.573 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 BAM (1 BAM = 0.511 EUR).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Istanbul Maglaj 970 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Maglaj

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 Maglaj: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 70%, 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 $1,365 in Maglaj. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Maglaj, 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 $37.00 in Maglaj. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 30% 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 Maglaj, where all-in costs run around $910, than in Istanbul at $1,550. In Maglaj it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Maglaj – 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 Maglaj. 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.