Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Novara

For one person, living is cheaper in Novara: $1,475 a month against $1,550 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $900 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 Novara
Learn more

Novara Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

Novara

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,475

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Novara

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

A single person spends $1,550 per month in Istanbul vs $1,475 in Novara, rent included.

Istanbul $1,550
Novara $1,475

A couple spends around $2,415 per month in Istanbul vs $2,279 in Novara, rent included.

Istanbul $2,415
Novara $2,279

A family of three spends $3,281 per month in Istanbul vs $3,083 in Novara, rent included.

Istanbul $3,281
Novara $3,083

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

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.30 ₺609

$16.56 €14.73

-25.72%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.7 ₺2,708

$55.2 €49.09

-0.89%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.22 ₺456

$10.24 €9.11

-9.96%

Cappuccino

$4.40 ₺218

$1.75 €1.56

151.43%

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

$1.68 ₺83.1

$3.32 €2.95

-49.40%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₺29.40

$1.64 €1.46

-64.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.70 ₺233

$5.72 €5.09

-17.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.91 ₺292

$5.17 €4.60

14.31%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 ₺60.0

$1.39 €1.24

-12.95%

White Bread (500g)

$0.89 ₺44.10

$1.95 €1.74

-54.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.19 ₺108

$2.87 €2.55

-23.69%

Eggs

$2.35 ₺116

$3.19 €2.84

-26.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.42 ₺516

$11.10 €9.87

-6.13%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.65 ₺280

$8.87 €7.89

-36.30%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.94 ₺1,037

$13.44 €11.95

55.80%

Apples (1kg)

$1.90 ₺94.1

$2.48 €2.21

-23.39%

Banana (1kg)

$2.31 ₺114

$1.70 €1.51

35.88%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.1

$3.27 €2.91

-60.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺89.0

$2.14 €1.91

-15.89%

Potato (1kg)

$0.65 ₺32.16

$1.97 €1.75

-67.01%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺31.91

$1.07 €0.95

-40.19%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 ₺62.1

$1.02 €0.91

22.55%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.58

$0.71 €0.63

-21.13%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.37 ₺118

$6.19 €5.51

-61.71%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.42 ₺664

$5.70 €5.07

135.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₺119

$1.88 €1.67

27.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 ₺172

$2.24 €1.99

55.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.89 ₺43.84

$1.66 €1.47

-46.39%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.4 ₺3,338

$37.99 €33.79

77.49%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.29 ₺64.1

$4.43 €3.94

-70.88%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 ₺45.70

$1.20 €1.06

-23.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.96 ₺542

$34.60 €30.78

-68.32%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ₺72.9

$2.02 €1.80

-27.23%

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

$50.8K ₺2.5M

$27.6K €24.5K

84.22%

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

$44.5K ₺2.2M

$32.5K €28.9K

37.20%

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

$88.6 ₺4,387

$176 €156

-49.52%

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

$11.59 ₺574

$10.37 €9.23

11.76%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.81 ₺783

$29.75 €26.47

-46.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.2 ₺3,820

$78.0 €69.3

-1.01%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.74 ₺1,126

$18.88 €16.79

20.44%

Cinema Ticket

$8.14 ₺403

$11.38 €10.12

-28.47%

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

$1,008 ₺49.9K

$500 €445

101.68%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.6K ₺1.3M

$9,957 €8,856

156.72%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.0 ₺2,671

$125 €112

-56.97%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.83 ₺2,021

$33.17 €29.51

23.09%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.9 ₺4,895

$55.8 €49.61

77.30%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.6 ₺4,783

$142 €126

-31.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$985 ₺48.7K

$638 €568

54.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$650 ₺32.2K

$433 €385

50.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,983 ₺98.2K

$1,063 €945

86.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,180 ₺58.4K

$777 €691

51.88%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,138 ₺155.4K

$2,806 €2,496

11.84%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,780 ₺88.1K

$1,923 €1,711

-7.46%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,205 ₺59.7K

$2,090 €1,859

-42.31%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.92

3.62

1030.39%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 13, 2026

Last update for Novara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$650 41.9%

Novara

$433 29.3% 33.4% $217

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$260 16.8%

Novara

$268 18.2% 3.2% $8.3

Eating Out

Istanbul

$223 14.4%

Novara

$243 16.5% 8.8% $20

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$131 8.4%

Novara

$160 10.9% 22.7% $30

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$116 7.5%

Novara

$216 14.6% 85.9% $100

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$93 6%

Novara

$101 6.8% 7.8% $7.3

Getting Around

Istanbul

$77 5%

Novara

$55 3.7% 28.4% $22

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $985 in Istanbul versus $638 in Novara. 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 73% higher in Novara, 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 $55.0 in Novara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $260 vs $268 – making Istanbul the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇮🇹 Novara

🕒 Local time

08:27 8:27 AM

07:27 7:27 AM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

100,910

💱 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

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Highest

Between locations

Istanbul Novara 1,720 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Novara

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 Novara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

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

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,325 per month in Istanbul and $2,213 in Novara. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Novara, 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 $500 in Novara. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 3% cheaper in Istanbul – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Novara, where all-in costs run around $1,475, than in Istanbul at $1,550. In Novara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Novara – 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 Novara. 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.