Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Matera

For one person, living is cheaper in Matera: $1,472 a month against $1,550 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $940 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
72

Cost of Living Index in Matera
Learn more

Matera Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

Matera

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,472

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Matera

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

A single person spends $1,550 per month in Istanbul vs $1,472 in Matera, rent included.

Istanbul $1,550
Matera $1,472

A couple spends around $2,415 per month in Istanbul vs $2,358 in Matera, rent included.

Istanbul $2,415
Matera $2,358

A family of three spends $3,281 per month in Istanbul vs $3,245 in Matera, rent included.

Istanbul $3,281
Matera $3,245

Istanbul costs about 5% more than Matera, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Istanbul and Matera sit above the global median – Istanbul by 15%, Matera by 9%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.30 ₺609

$14.87 €13.23

-17.28%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.7 ₺2,708

$62.0 €55.1

-11.73%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.22 ₺456

$11.08 €9.86

-16.79%

Cappuccino

$4.40 ₺218

$1.82 €1.62

141.76%

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

$1.68 ₺83.1

$2.21 €1.96

-23.98%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₺29.40

$1.13 €1.01

-47.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.70 ₺233

$5.49 €4.88

-14.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.91 ₺292

$3.27 €2.91

80.73%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 ₺60.0

$1.52 €1.35

-20.39%

White Bread (500g)

$0.89 ₺44.10

$1.62 €1.44

-45.06%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.19 ₺108

$3.26 €2.90

-32.82%

Eggs

$2.35 ₺116

$3.55 €3.16

-33.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.42 ₺516

$15.56 €13.84

-33.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.65 ₺280

$12.28 €10.92

-53.99%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.94 ₺1,037

$20.54 €18.27

1.95%

Apples (1kg)

$1.90 ₺94.1

$2.51 €2.23

-24.30%

Banana (1kg)

$2.31 ₺114

$2.09 €1.86

10.53%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.1

$1.10 €0.98

16.36%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺89.0

$3.72 €3.30

-51.61%

Potato (1kg)

$0.65 ₺32.16

$1.78 €1.58

-63.48%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺31.91

$1.69 €1.50

-62.13%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 ₺62.1

$1.48 €1.32

-15.54%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.58

$0.43 €0.38

30.23%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.37 ₺118

$6.77 €6.03

-64.99%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.42 ₺664

$6.15 €5.47

118.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₺119

$1.79 €1.59

34.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 ₺172

$3.04 €2.70

14.47%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.89 ₺43.84

$1.74 €1.55

-48.85%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.4 ₺3,338

$20.36 €18.11

231.19%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.29 ₺64.1

$4.41 €3.92

-70.75%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 ₺45.70

$1.26 €1.12

-26.98%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.96 ₺542

$23.36 €20.78

-53.08%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ₺72.9

$1.96 €1.75

-25.00%

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

$50.8K ₺2.5M

$36.3K €32.3K

40.06%

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

$44.5K ₺2.2M

$35.6K €31.7K

25.00%

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

$88.6 ₺4,387

$203 €180

-56.31%

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

$11.59 ₺574

$9.48 €8.43

22.26%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.81 ₺783

$31.11 €27.67

-49.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.2 ₺3,820

$54.8 €48.77

40.73%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.74 ₺1,126

$23.98 €21.33

-5.17%

Cinema Ticket

$8.14 ₺403

$11.19 €9.95

-27.26%

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

$1,008 ₺49.9K

$453 €403

122.48%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.6K ₺1.3M

$8,017 €7,131

218.84%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.0 ₺2,671

$67.0 €59.6

-19.44%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.83 ₺2,021

$42.36 €37.68

-3.61%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.9 ₺4,895

$103 €91.3

-3.67%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.6 ₺4,783

$134 €119

-27.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$985 ₺48.7K

$697 €620

41.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$650 ₺32.2K

$413 €367

57.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,983 ₺98.2K

$1,059 €942

87.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,180 ₺58.4K

$867 €771

36.08%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,138 ₺155.4K

$2,726 €2,425

15.10%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,780 ₺88.1K

$3,234 €2,877

-44.97%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,205 ₺59.7K

$1,759 €1,564

-31.46%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.92

3.08

1228.57%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 13, 2026

Last update for Matera: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$650 41.9%

Matera

$413 28% 36.5% $237

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$260 16.8%

Matera

$324 22% 24.6% $64

Eating Out

Istanbul

$223 14.4%

Matera

$221 15% 0.8% $1.8

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$131 8.4%

Matera

$156 10.6% 19.2% $25

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$116 7.5%

Matera

$243 16.5% 110% $127

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$93 6%

Matera

$77 5.3% 17.4% $16

Getting Around

Istanbul

$77 5%

Matera

$38 2.6% 50.5% $39

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $985 in Istanbul versus $697 in Matera. 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 46% higher in Matera, 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 $62.0 in Matera. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $260 vs $324 – making Istanbul the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇮🇹 Matera

🕒 Local time

04:24 4:24 AM

03:24 3:24 AM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

59,607

💱 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 19, 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 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Istanbul Matera 1,040 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Matera

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 Matera: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 5%, 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 $2,208 in Matera. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Matera, 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 $453 in Matera. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 25% 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 Matera, where all-in costs run around $1,472, than in Istanbul at $1,550. In Matera it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Matera – 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 Matera. 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.