Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Migdal HaEmek

For one person, living is cheaper in Istanbul: $1,519 a month against $2,744 in Migdal HaEmek, rent and utilities included – about $14,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

73

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index
131

Cost of Living Index in Migdal HaEmek
Learn more

Migdal HaEmek Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,519

/mo nomad

Migdal HaEmek

🇮🇱 Israel

$2,744

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Migdal HaEmek

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

A single person spends $1,519 per month in Istanbul vs $2,744 in Migdal HaEmek, rent included.

Istanbul $1,519
Migdal HaEmek $2,744

A couple spends around $2,365 per month in Istanbul vs $4,091 in Migdal HaEmek, rent included.

Istanbul $2,365
Migdal HaEmek $4,091

A family of three spends $3,212 per month in Istanbul vs $5,438 in Migdal HaEmek, rent included.

Istanbul $3,212
Migdal HaEmek $5,438

Istanbul is about 45% cheaper than Migdal HaEmek, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Istanbul and Migdal HaEmek sit above the global median – Istanbul by 12%, Migdal HaEmek by 103%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.81 ₺592

$26.42 ₪84.5

-55.30%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.9 ₺2,754

$89.9 ₪287

-38.89%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.26 ₺465

$19.18 ₪61.3

-51.72%

Cappuccino

$4.30 ₺216

$4.56 ₪14.57

-5.70%

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

$1.77 ₺89.0

$3.55 ₪11.35

-50.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺28.32

$2.76 ₪8.84

-79.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.69 ₺235

$9.94 ₪31.78

-52.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.12 ₺357

$9.93 ₪31.74

-28.30%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 ₺62.7

$2.51 ₪8.01

-50.20%

White Bread (500g)

$0.88 ₺44.17

$3.72 ₪11.88

-76.34%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 ₺111

$3.37 ₪10.77

-34.72%

Eggs

$2.43 ₺122

$4.54 ₪14.52

-46.48%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.48 ₺526

$13.16 ₪42.07

-20.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.31 ₺267

$12.91 ₪41.29

-58.87%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.10 ₺1,058

$23.90 ₪76.4

-11.72%

Apples (1kg)

$1.86 ₺93.1

$4.34 ₪13.89

-57.14%

Banana (1kg)

$2.30 ₺115

$2.88 ₪9.20

-20.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.22 ₺61.0

$2.31 ₪7.38

-47.19%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺90.2

$2.54 ₪8.13

-29.13%

Potato (1kg)

$0.69 ₺34.83

$2.01 ₪6.42

-65.67%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺32.16

$1.69 ₪5.40

-62.13%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.36 ₺68.0

$2.36 ₪7.54

-42.37%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 ₺28.94

$2.56 ₪8.18

-77.34%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.34 ₺117

$10.11 ₪32.33

-76.85%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.03 ₺653

$13.09 ₪41.85

-0.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.36 ₺118

$3.21 ₪10.27

-26.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.32 ₺166

$4.19 ₪13.38

-20.76%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.88 ₺44.07

$2.54 ₪8.13

-65.35%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.1 ₺3,316

$101 ₪324

-34.66%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 ₺64.4

$4.38 ₪14.00

-70.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 ₺42.80

$1.21 ₪3.87

-29.75%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.09 ₺556

$37.59 ₪120

-70.50%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 ₺74.0

$2.51 ₪8.01

-41.04%

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

$48.6K ₺2.4M

$54.7K ₪175.0K

-11.14%

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

$42.0K ₺2.1M

$53.0K ₪169.5K

-20.84%

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

$92.7 ₺4,650

$263 ₪840

-64.70%

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

$11.20 ₺562

$11.48 ₪36.70

-2.44%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.89 ₺797

$36.10 ₪115

-55.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.7 ₺3,745

$80.0 ₪256

-6.68%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.95 ₺1,151

Cinema Ticket

$8.05 ₺404

$15.61 ₪49.92

-48.43%

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

$948 ₺47.6K

$1,149 ₪3,675

-17.48%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.9K ₺1.9M

$29.3K ₪93.7K

25.91%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₺2,702

$104 ₪333

-48.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.49 ₺2,081

$66.0 ₪211

-37.09%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 ₺5,060

$133 ₪426

-24.22%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.3 ₺4,580

$158 ₪507

-42.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,014 ₺50.8K

$1,555 ₪4,972

-34.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$625 ₺31.3K

$1,144 ₪3,659

-45.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,005 ₺100.6K

$2,381 ₪7,611

-15.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,126 ₺56.5K

$1,905 ₪6,092

-40.91%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,988 ₺149.8K

$10.0K ₪32.0K

-70.17%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,730 ₺86.8K

$7,877 ₪25.2K

-78.04%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,136 ₺57.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.42

5.04

701.98%

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

Last update for Istanbul: November 2, 2026

Last update for Migdal HaEmek: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$625 41.1%

Migdal HaEmek

$1.1K 41.7% 83.2% $520

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$258 17%

Migdal HaEmek

$431 15.7% 66.7% $172

Eating Out

Istanbul

$221 14.6%

Migdal HaEmek

$418 15.2% 89.4% $197

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$129 8.5%

Migdal HaEmek

$208 7.6% 60.6% $78

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$120 7.9%

Migdal HaEmek

$310 11.3% 159% $190

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$91 6%

Migdal HaEmek

$111 4.1% 22.6% $20

Getting Around

Istanbul

$75 5%

Migdal HaEmek

$122 4.4% 62% $47

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,014 in Istanbul versus $1,555 in Migdal HaEmek. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55 in Istanbul versus $90 in Migdal HaEmek. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $431 – making Istanbul the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇮🇱 Migdal HaEmek

🕒 Local time

22:54 10:54 PM

21:54 9:54 PM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

24,700

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Israeli New Shekel ILS ₪

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 1.99 USD

100 TRY = 1.78 EUR

1 ILS = 0.313 USD

1 ILS = 0.28 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ILS, USD, EUR 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 = 56.05 TRY (100 TRY = 1.78 EUR).

Israeli New Shekel exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 3.2 ILS (1 ILS = 0.313 USD). 1 EUR = 3.57 ILS (1 ILS = 0.28 EUR).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Istanbul Migdal HaEmek 1,080 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Migdal HaEmek

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 Migdal HaEmek: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Migdal HaEmek is pricier by about 81%, 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 $4,117 in Migdal HaEmek. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Istanbul, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,014 there versus $1,555 in Migdal HaEmek.

Kindergarten costs $948 per month in Istanbul and $1,149 in Migdal HaEmek. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 67% more in Migdal HaEmek, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$1,500 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,519 in Istanbul and $2,744 in Migdal HaEmek. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Istanbul – 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.

For expats, Istanbul is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 45% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.