Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Melissia

For one person, living is cheaper in Melissia: $1,452 a month against $1,519 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $800 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Istanbul outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

73

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index
69

Cost of Living Index in Melissia
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Melissia Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,519

/mo nomad

Melissia

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,452

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Melissia

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

A single person spends $1,519 per month in Istanbul vs $1,452 in Melissia, rent included.

Istanbul $1,519
Melissia $1,452

A couple spends around $2,365 per month in Istanbul vs $2,218 in Melissia, rent included.

Istanbul $2,365
Melissia $2,218

A family of three spends $3,212 per month in Istanbul vs $2,983 in Melissia, rent included.

Istanbul $3,212
Melissia $2,983

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

Both Istanbul and Melissia sit above the global median – Istanbul by 12%, Melissia by 7%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.81 ₺592

$11.39 €10.14

3.69%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.9 ₺2,754

$58.3 €51.9

-5.80%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.26 ₺465

$8.76 €7.80

5.71%

Cappuccino

$4.30 ₺216

$4.22 €3.75

1.90%

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

$1.77 ₺89.0

$2.31 €2.06

-23.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺28.32

$0.53 €0.48

5.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.69 ₺235

$4.53 €4.04

3.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.12 ₺357

$4.91 €4.37

45.01%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 ₺62.7

$1.91 €1.70

-34.55%

White Bread (500g)

$0.88 ₺44.17

$1.41 €1.25

-37.59%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 ₺111

$2.60 €2.32

-15.38%

Eggs

$2.43 ₺122

$5.21 €4.64

-53.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.48 ₺526

$12.37 €11.01

-15.28%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.31 ₺267

$10.22 €9.10

-48.04%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.10 ₺1,058

$19.09 €17.00

10.53%

Apples (1kg)

$1.86 ₺93.1

$2.14 €1.90

-13.08%

Banana (1kg)

$2.30 ₺115

$2.00 €1.78

15.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.22 ₺61.0

$1.36 €1.21

-10.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺90.2

$2.05 €1.83

-12.20%

Potato (1kg)

$0.69 ₺34.83

$1.10 €0.98

-37.27%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺32.16

$1.14 €1.01

-43.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.36 ₺68.0

$0.90 €0.80

51.11%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 ₺28.94

$1.15 €1.02

-49.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.34 ₺117

$5.74 €5.11

-59.23%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.03 ₺653

$9.96 €8.86

30.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.36 ₺118

$2.14 €1.90

10.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.32 ₺166

$2.38 €2.12

39.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.88 ₺44.07

$1.39 €1.24

-36.69%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.1 ₺3,316

$49.34 €43.93

34.01%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 ₺64.4

$4.38 €3.90

-70.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 ₺42.80

$0.98 €0.88

-13.27%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.09 ₺556

$16.54 €14.73

-32.95%

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

$28.2K €25.1K

72.58%

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

$42.0K ₺2.1M

$24.4K €21.7K

72.09%

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

$92.7 ₺4,650

$201 €179

-53.85%

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

$11.20 ₺562

$25.61 €22.80

-56.27%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.89 ₺797

$28.96 €25.78

-45.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.7 ₺3,745

$50.6 €45.01

47.73%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.95 ₺1,151

$25.53 €22.73

-10.11%

Cinema Ticket

$8.05 ₺404

$9.51 €8.47

-15.35%

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

$948 ₺47.6K

$468 €417

102.68%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.9K ₺1.9M

$4,695 €4,181

686.29%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₺2,702

$88.9 €79.2

-39.41%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.49 ₺2,081

$38.86 €34.60

6.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 ₺5,060

$100 €89.5

0.41%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.3 ₺4,580

$126 €112

-27.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,014 ₺50.8K

$492 €438

106.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$625 ₺31.3K

$385 €343

62.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,005 ₺100.6K

$741 €660

170.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,126 ₺56.5K

$619 €551

81.82%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,988 ₺149.8K

$2,432 €2,166

22.83%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,730 ₺86.8K

$1,923 €1,712

-10.02%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,136 ₺57.0K

$1,337 €1,191

-15.01%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.42

4.48

802.23%

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

Last update for Istanbul: November 2, 2026

Last update for Melissia: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$625 41.1%

Melissia

$385 26.5% 38.3% $239

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$258 17%

Melissia

$307 21.1% 18.7% $48

Eating Out

Istanbul

$221 14.6%

Melissia

$212 14.6% 4.1% $9.1

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$129 8.5%

Melissia

$159 11% 23% $30

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$120 7.9%

Melissia

$255 17.6% 113% $136

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$91 6%

Melissia

$70 4.8% 23.4% $21

Getting Around

Istanbul

$75 5%

Melissia

$64 4.4% 14.6% $11

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,014 in Istanbul versus $492 in Melissia. 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 18% higher in Melissia, 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 in Istanbul versus $58 in Melissia. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $307 – making Istanbul the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇬🇷 Melissia

🕒 Local time

12:24 12:24 PM

11:24 11:24 AM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

15,588

💱 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 Melissia 550 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Melissia

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 Melissia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 5%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in leisure.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,278 per month in Istanbul and $2,178 in Melissia. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Melissia, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $492 there versus $1,014 in Istanbul.

Kindergarten costs $948 per month in Istanbul and $468 in Melissia. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 16% cheaper in Istanbul – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,519 in Istanbul and $1,452 in Melissia. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Melissia – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.