Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Mariehamn

For one person, living is cheaper in Istanbul: $1,519 a month against $1,778 in Mariehamn, rent and utilities included – about $3,100 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

73

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index
85

Cost of Living Index in Mariehamn
Learn more

Mariehamn Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,519

/mo nomad

Mariehamn

🇦🇽 Aland Islands

$1,778

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Mariehamn

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

A single person spends $1,519 per month in Istanbul vs $1,778 in Mariehamn, rent included.

Istanbul $1,519
Mariehamn $1,778

A couple spends around $2,365 per month in Istanbul vs $2,594 in Mariehamn, rent included.

Istanbul $2,365
Mariehamn $2,594

A family of three spends $3,212 per month in Istanbul vs $3,411 in Mariehamn, rent included.

Istanbul $3,212
Mariehamn $3,411

Istanbul is about 15% cheaper than Mariehamn, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Istanbul and Mariehamn sit above the global median – Istanbul by 12%, Mariehamn by 32%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.81 ₺592

$15.09 €13.43

-21.74%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.9 ₺2,754

$84.2 €75.0

-34.82%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.26 ₺465

$11.61 €10.34

-20.24%

Cappuccino

$4.30 ₺216

$5.16 €4.59

-16.67%

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

$1.77 ₺89.0

$3.06 €2.72

-42.16%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺28.32

$2.59 €2.31

-78.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.69 ₺235

$9.77 €8.70

-52.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.12 ₺357

$9.13 €8.13

-22.02%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 ₺62.7

$1.26 €1.13

-0.79%

White Bread (500g)

$0.88 ₺44.17

$3.21 €2.86

-72.59%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 ₺111

$2.63 €2.34

-16.35%

Eggs

$2.43 ₺122

$3.11 €2.77

-21.86%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.48 ₺526

$11.70 €10.42

-10.43%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.31 ₺267

$9.90 €8.81

-46.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.10 ₺1,058

$15.42 €13.73

36.84%

Apples (1kg)

$1.86 ₺93.1

$2.61 €2.32

-28.74%

Banana (1kg)

$2.30 ₺115

$1.92 €1.71

19.79%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.22 ₺61.0

$2.47 €2.20

-50.61%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺90.2

$3.83 €3.41

-53.00%

Potato (1kg)

$0.69 ₺34.83

$1.37 €1.22

-49.64%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺32.16

$1.26 €1.12

-49.21%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.36 ₺68.0

$2.28 €2.03

-40.35%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 ₺28.94

$2.12 €1.89

-72.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.34 ₺117

$10.65 €9.48

-78.03%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.03 ₺653

$13.93 €12.40

-6.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.36 ₺118

$3.40 €3.03

-30.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.32 ₺166

$2.83 €2.52

17.31%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.88 ₺44.07

$2.16 €1.92

-59.26%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.1 ₺3,316

$75.4 €67.2

-12.33%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 ₺64.4

$7.92 €7.05

-83.84%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 ₺42.80

$2.77 €2.47

-69.31%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.09 ₺556

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 ₺74.0

$2.29 €2.04

-35.37%

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

$48.6K ₺2.4M

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

$42.0K ₺2.1M

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

$92.7 ₺4,650

$224 €199

-58.58%

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

$11.20 ₺562

$31.25 €27.82

-64.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.89 ₺797

$39.26 €34.96

-59.53%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.7 ₺3,745

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.95 ₺1,151

Cinema Ticket

$8.05 ₺404

$15.43 €13.74

-47.83%

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

$948 ₺47.6K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.9K ₺1.9M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₺2,702

$89.1 €79.3

-39.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.49 ₺2,081

$34.20 €30.45

21.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 ₺5,060

$110 €98.4

-8.67%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.3 ₺4,580

$78.5 €69.9

16.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,014 ₺50.8K

$657 €585

54.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$625 ₺31.3K

$556 €495

12.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,005 ₺100.6K

$996 €887

101.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,126 ₺56.5K

$700 €623

60.86%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,988 ₺149.8K

$2,590 €2,306

15.37%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,730 ₺86.8K

$1,469 €1,308

17.77%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,136 ₺57.0K

$2,715 €2,418

-58.15%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.42

4.35

829.20%

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

Last update for Istanbul: November 2, 2026

Last update for Mariehamn: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$625 41.1%

Mariehamn

$556 31.3% 11% $69

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$258 17%

Mariehamn

$344 19.3% 33.1% $86

Eating Out

Istanbul

$221 14.6%

Mariehamn

$307 17.3% 39% $86

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$129 8.5%

Mariehamn

$141 7.9% 8.6% $11

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$120 7.9%

Mariehamn

$294 16.6% 146% $175

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$91 6%

Mariehamn

$31 * 1.7% 66% $60

Getting Around

Istanbul

$75 5%

Mariehamn

$106 6% 40.8% $31

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,014 in Istanbul versus $657 in Mariehamn. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Mariehamn are about 2.4 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55 in Istanbul versus $84 in Mariehamn. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $344 – making Istanbul the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇦🇽 Mariehamn

🕒 Local time

18:19 6:19 PM

17:19 5:19 PM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

11,817 Capital

💱 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 = 0.89 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Istanbul Mariehamn 2,210 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Mariehamn

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 Mariehamn: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Mariehamn is pricier by about 17%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,278 per month in Istanbul and $2,667 in Mariehamn. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Mariehamn, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $657 there versus $1,014 in Istanbul.

Public transport costs about 12% less in Istanbul. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Groceries cost about 33% more in Mariehamn, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$1,500 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,519 in Istanbul and $1,778 in Mariehamn. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Istanbul has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,519 in Istanbul to $1,778 in Mariehamn. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Istanbul. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Mariehamn makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.