Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Montana

For one person, living is cheaper in Montana: $838 a month against $1,519 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $8,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

73

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index
40

Cost of Living Index in Montana
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Montana Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,519

/mo nomad

Montana

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$838

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Montana

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

A single person spends $1,519 per month in Istanbul vs $838 in Montana, rent included.

Istanbul $1,519
Montana $838

A couple spends around $2,365 per month in Istanbul vs $1,348 in Montana, rent included.

Istanbul $2,365
Montana $1,348

A family of three spends $3,212 per month in Istanbul vs $1,857 in Montana, rent included.

Istanbul $3,212
Montana $1,857

Istanbul costs about 81% more than Montana, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Istanbul sits 12% above the global median, while Montana is 38% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.81 ₺592

$9.11 BGN 15.85

29.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.9 ₺2,754

$36.30 BGN 63.2

51.27%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.26 ₺465

$9.33 BGN 16.24

-0.75%

Cappuccino

$4.30 ₺216

$1.44 BGN 2.50

198.61%

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

$1.77 ₺89.0

$1.35 BGN 2.35

31.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺28.32

$1.12 BGN 1.95

-50.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.69 ₺235

$1.29 BGN 2.25

263.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.12 ₺357

$1.05 BGN 1.83

578.10%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 ₺62.7

$1.69 BGN 2.93

-26.04%

White Bread (500g)

$0.88 ₺44.17

$1.04 BGN 1.81

-15.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 ₺111

$2.09 BGN 3.63

5.26%

Eggs

$2.43 ₺122

$2.69 BGN 4.67

-9.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.48 ₺526

$9.84 BGN 17.12

6.50%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.31 ₺267

$3.25 BGN 5.66

63.38%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.10 ₺1,058

$12.75 BGN 22.18

65.49%

Apples (1kg)

$1.86 ₺93.1

$1.27 BGN 2.20

46.46%

Banana (1kg)

$2.30 ₺115

$1.79 BGN 3.12

28.49%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.22 ₺61.0

$1.75 BGN 3.05

-30.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺90.2

$2.61 BGN 4.54

-31.03%

Potato (1kg)

$0.69 ₺34.83

$0.72 BGN 1.26

-4.17%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺32.16

$0.90 BGN 1.56

-28.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.36 ₺68.0

$0.93 BGN 1.62

46.24%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 ₺28.94

$0.52 BGN 0.91

11.54%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.34 ₺117

$3.67 BGN 6.39

-36.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.03 ₺653

$6.11 BGN 10.64

113.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.36 ₺118

$0.88 BGN 1.53

168.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.32 ₺166

$1.12 BGN 1.94

196.43%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.88 ₺44.07

$0.88 BGN 1.52

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.1 ₺3,316

$25.77 BGN 44.83

156.58%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 ₺64.4

$0.61 BGN 1.06

109.84%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 ₺42.80

$0.44 BGN 0.77

93.18%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.09 ₺556

$10.25 BGN 17.83

8.20%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 ₺74.0

$1.51 BGN 2.63

-1.99%

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

$48.6K ₺2.4M

$19.7K BGN 34.3K

146.39%

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

$42.0K ₺2.1M

$24.1K BGN 42.0K

73.93%

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

$92.7 ₺4,650

$100 BGN 174

-7.52%

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

$11.20 ₺562

$18.66 BGN 32.47

-39.98%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.89 ₺797

$8.63 BGN 15.02

84.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.7 ₺3,745

$32.49 BGN 56.5

129.86%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.95 ₺1,151

$17.19 BGN 29.92

33.51%

Cinema Ticket

$8.05 ₺404

$5.52 BGN 9.61

45.83%

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

$948 ₺47.6K

$497 BGN 865

90.77%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.9K ₺1.9M

$5,427 BGN 9,443

580.27%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₺2,702

$69.0 BGN 120

-21.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.49 ₺2,081

$41.57 BGN 72.3

-0.19%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 ₺5,060

$94.8 BGN 165

6.42%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.3 ₺4,580

$105 BGN 182

-12.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,014 ₺50.8K

$215 BGN 375

370.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$625 ₺31.3K

$159 BGN 276

293.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,005 ₺100.6K

$397 BGN 690

405.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,126 ₺56.5K

$301 BGN 525

273.47%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,988 ₺149.8K

$1,320 BGN 2,297

126.31%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,730 ₺86.8K

$1,092 BGN 1,901

58.39%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,136 ₺57.0K

$992 BGN 1,726

14.53%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.42

3.1

1203.87%

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

Last update for Istanbul: November 2, 2026

Last update for Montana: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$625 41.1%

Montana

$159 18.9% 74.6% $466

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$258 17%

Montana

$200 23.9% 22.4% $58

Eating Out

Istanbul

$221 14.6%

Montana

$137 16.3% 38.2% $84

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$129 8.5%

Montana

$140 16.6% 7.8% $10

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$120 7.9%

Montana

$128 15.2% 6.5% $7.8

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$91 6%

Montana

$44 5.2% 52% $47

Getting Around

Istanbul

$75 5%

Montana

$32 3.8% 57.3% $43

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,014 in Istanbul versus $215 in Montana. 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 15% 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 in Istanbul versus $36 in Montana. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $200 – making Montana the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇧🇬 Montana

🕒 Local time

00:42 12:42 AM

23:42 11:42 PM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

44,502

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 1.99 USD

100 TRY = 1.78 EUR

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.514 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BGN, 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).

Bulgarian Lev exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 1.74 BGN (1 BGN = 0.575 USD). 1 EUR = 1.94 BGN (1 BGN = 0.514 EUR).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Istanbul Montana 540 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Montana

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 Montana: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul 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 $1,258 in Montana. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Montana, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $215 there versus $1,014 in Istanbul.

Kindergarten costs $948 per month in Istanbul and $497 in Montana. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 29% more in Istanbul, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Montana, where all-in costs run around $838, than in Istanbul at $1,519. In Montana it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

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