Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Most

For one person, living costs are similar in Istanbul and in Most: $1,550 and $1,619 a month, rent and utilities included.

75

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Most
Learn more

Most Living Index

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Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

Most

🇨🇿 Czech Republic

$1,619

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Most

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

A single person spends $1,550 per month in Istanbul vs $1,619 in Most, rent included.

Istanbul $1,550
Most $1,619

A couple spends around $2,415 per month in Istanbul vs $2,321 in Most, rent included.

Istanbul $2,415
Most $2,321

A family of three spends $3,281 per month in Istanbul vs $3,023 in Most, rent included.

Istanbul $3,281
Most $3,023

Istanbul is about 4% cheaper than Most, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Istanbul and Most sit above the global median – Istanbul by 15%, Most by 20%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.30 ₺609

$9.41 Kč 203

30.71%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.7 ₺2,708

$45.58 Kč 986

20.01%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.22 ₺456

$9.11 Kč 197

1.21%

Cappuccino

$4.40 ₺218

$2.77 Kč 60.0

58.84%

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

$1.68 ₺83.1

$1.11 Kč 24.10

51.35%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₺29.40

$1.34 Kč 28.96

-55.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.70 ₺233

$1.34 Kč 28.87

250.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.91 ₺292

$2.74 Kč 59.2

115.69%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 ₺60.0

$1.06 Kč 23.01

14.15%

White Bread (500g)

$0.89 ₺44.10

$1.46 Kč 31.60

-39.04%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.19 ₺108

$2.22 Kč 48.07

-1.35%

Eggs

$2.35 ₺116

$3.62 Kč 78.3

-35.08%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.42 ₺516

$12.68 Kč 274

-17.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.65 ₺280

$9.20 Kč 199

-38.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.94 ₺1,037

$16.19 Kč 350

29.34%

Apples (1kg)

$1.90 ₺94.1

$1.88 Kč 40.65

1.06%

Banana (1kg)

$2.31 ₺114

$1.77 Kč 38.34

30.51%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.1

$2.12 Kč 45.93

-39.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺89.0

$1.97 Kč 42.70

-8.63%

Potato (1kg)

$0.65 ₺32.16

$1.02 Kč 22.09

-36.27%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺31.91

$1.09 Kč 23.63

-41.28%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 ₺62.1

$1.56 Kč 33.75

-19.87%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.58

$0.75 Kč 16.25

-25.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.37 ₺118

$6.76 Kč 146

-64.94%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.42 ₺664

$6.98 Kč 151

92.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₺119

$0.89 Kč 19.24

169.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 ₺172

$1.72 Kč 37.19

102.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.89 ₺43.84

$1.16 Kč 25.08

-23.28%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.4 ₺3,338

$24.78 Kč 536

172.11%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.29 ₺64.1

$2.80 Kč 60.6

-53.93%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 ₺45.70

$1.80 Kč 38.85

-48.89%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.96 ₺542

$16.42 Kč 355

-33.25%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ₺72.9

$1.64 Kč 35.53

-10.37%

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

$50.8K ₺2.5M

$31.4K Kč 679.4K

61.65%

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

$44.5K ₺2.2M

$29.2K Kč 631.7K

52.44%

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

$88.6 ₺4,387

$292 Kč 6,304

-69.60%

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

$11.59 ₺574

$22.52 Kč 487

-48.53%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.81 ₺783

$18.61 Kč 402

-15.05%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.2 ₺3,820

$55.0 Kč 1,189

40.34%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.74 ₺1,126

$17.37 Kč 376

30.92%

Cinema Ticket

$8.14 ₺403

$6.85 Kč 148

18.83%

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

$1,008 ₺49.9K

$741 Kč 16.0K

36.08%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.6K ₺1.3M

$11.7K Kč 252.5K

118.91%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.0 ₺2,671

$84.2 Kč 1,821

-35.93%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.83 ₺2,021

$37.39 Kč 809

9.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.9 ₺4,895

$101 Kč 2,173

-1.61%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.6 ₺4,783

$121 Kč 2,609

-19.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$985 ₺48.7K

$705 Kč 15.2K

39.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$650 ₺32.2K

$602 Kč 13.0K

7.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,983 ₺98.2K

$1,199 Kč 25.9K

65.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,180 ₺58.4K

$921 Kč 19.9K

28.17%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,138 ₺155.4K

$4,240 Kč 91.7K

-25.98%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,780 ₺88.1K

$3,428 Kč 74.1K

-48.07%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,205 ₺59.7K

$1,150 Kč 24.9K

4.83%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.92

4.67

776.23%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 13, 2026

Last update for Most: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$650 41.9%

Most

$602 37.2% 7.3% $47

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$260 16.8%

Most

$262 16.2% 0.9% $2.3

Eating Out

Istanbul

$223 14.4%

Most

$158 9.8% 29.3% $65

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$131 8.4%

Most

$154 9.5% 18.1% $24

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$116 7.5%

Most

$333 20.6% 187% $217

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$93 6%

Most

$69 4.2% 26.5% $25

Getting Around

Istanbul

$77 5%

Most

$41 2.5% 46.4% $36

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $985 in Istanbul versus $705 in Most. 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 5% higher in Istanbul, 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 $46.00 in Most. Groceries tell a different story – $260 in Istanbul vs $262 in Most – so Istanbul wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇨🇿 Most

🕒 Local time

08:48 8:48 AM

07:48 7:48 AM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

68,280

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Czech Koruna CZK Kč

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 2.02 USD

100 TRY = 1.8 EUR

100 CZK = 4.62 USD

100 CZK = 4.11 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CZK, USD, EUR to TRY – Turkish Lira Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇷 Turkish Lira (₺)

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 49.51 TRY (100 TRY = 2.02 USD). 1 EUR = 55.66 TRY (100 TRY = 1.8 EUR).

Czech Koruna exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 21.63 CZK (100 CZK = 4.62 USD). 1 EUR = 24.31 CZK (100 CZK = 4.11 EUR).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Istanbul Most 1,590 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Most

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 Most: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Most is pricier by about 4%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,325 per month in Istanbul and $2,428 in Most. 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. 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 $741 in Most. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 1% more in Most, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Istanbul, where all-in costs run around $1,550, than in Most at $1,619. In Istanbul it covers expenses comfortably, while in Most it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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 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 Istanbul. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Most makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.