Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Onchan

For one person, living is cheaper in Onchan: $1,385 a month against $1,526 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $1,700 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Istanbul outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

74

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index
68

Cost of Living Index in Onchan
Learn more

Onchan Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,526

/mo nomad

Onchan

🇮🇲 Isle of Man

$1,385

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Onchan

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

A single person spends $1,526 per month in Istanbul vs $1,385 in Onchan, rent included.

Istanbul $1,526
Onchan $1,385

A couple spends around $2,399 per month in Istanbul vs $2,252 in Onchan, rent included.

Istanbul $2,399
Onchan $2,252

A family of three spends $3,272 per month in Istanbul vs $3,119 in Onchan, rent included.

Istanbul $3,272
Onchan $3,119

Istanbul costs about 10% more than Onchan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Istanbul and Onchan sit above the global median – Istanbul by 14%, Onchan by 3%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.88 ₺585

$28.20 IMP 21.35

-57.87%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.1 ₺2,714

$118 IMP 89.0

-53.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.14 ₺450

$11.77 IMP 8.91

-22.34%

Cappuccino

$4.24 ₺209

$5.06 IMP 3.83

-16.21%

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

$1.75 ₺86.0

$2.66 IMP 2.01

-34.21%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.54 ₺26.83

$2.10 IMP 1.59

-74.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.69 ₺231

$6.64 IMP 5.03

-29.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.97 ₺294

$6.07 IMP 4.60

-1.65%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.26 ₺62.1

$1.91 IMP 1.44

-34.03%

White Bread (500g)

$0.95 ₺46.81

$2.70 IMP 2.04

-64.81%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.31 ₺114

$2.11 IMP 1.60

9.48%

Eggs

$2.47 ₺122

$5.33 IMP 4.04

-53.66%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.55 ₺520

$8.02 IMP 6.07

31.55%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.60 ₺276

$8.80 IMP 6.66

-36.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.21 ₺1,045

$12.46 IMP 9.43

70.22%

Apples (1kg)

$1.93 ₺95.1

$2.91 IMP 2.20

-33.68%

Banana (1kg)

$2.29 ₺113

$1.85 IMP 1.40

23.78%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.1

$3.88 IMP 2.94

-67.01%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.84 ₺90.8

$3.58 IMP 2.71

-48.60%

Potato (1kg)

$0.67 ₺32.86

$2.96 IMP 2.24

-77.36%

Onion (1kg)

$0.59 ₺29.31

$2.96 IMP 2.24

-80.07%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.33 ₺65.4

$2.16 IMP 1.63

-38.43%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₺29.10

$2.68 IMP 2.03

-77.99%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.36 ₺116

$22.86 IMP 17.30

-89.68%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.47 ₺664

$12.02 IMP 9.10

12.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.42 ₺119

$4.45 IMP 3.37

-45.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.54 ₺174

$4.18 IMP 3.16

-15.31%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.83 ₺40.64

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.5 ₺3,273

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.35 ₺66.6

$4.92 IMP 3.72

-72.56%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 ₺42.05

$1.45 IMP 1.10

-41.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.86 ₺535

$80.8 IMP 61.1

-86.55%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ₺72.3

$1.91 IMP 1.45

-23.04%

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

$51.6K ₺2.5M

$43.3K IMP 32.8K

19.30%

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

$44.4K ₺2.2M

$43.7K IMP 33.1K

1.61%

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

$89.2 ₺4,395

$342 IMP 259

-73.92%

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

$11.60 ₺572

$62.0 IMP 46.90

-81.28%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.10 ₺793

$71.8 IMP 54.3

-77.56%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.3 ₺3,805

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.66 ₺1,116

Cinema Ticket

$8.34 ₺411

$15.73 IMP 11.91

-46.98%

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

$974 ₺48.0K

$1,767 IMP 1,337

-44.87%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.8K ₺1.3M

$52.6K IMP 39.8K

-51.02%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.7 ₺2,597

$98.3 IMP 74.4

-46.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.16 ₺1,929

$45.62 IMP 34.53

-14.16%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 ₺5,083

$110 IMP 83.5

-6.44%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.6 ₺4,759

$70.6 IMP 53.5

36.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$994 ₺49.0K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$629 ₺31.0K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,024 ₺99.7K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,155 ₺56.9K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,160 ₺155.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,838 ₺90.5K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,203 ₺59.3K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

41.09

4.76

763.24%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 3, 2026

Last update for Onchan: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$629 41.2%

Onchan

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$264 17.3%

Onchan

$351 25% 32.8% $87

Eating Out

Istanbul

$218 14.3%

Onchan

$386 27.5% 77.1% $168

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$131 8.6%

Onchan

$146 10.4% 11.4% $15

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$117 7.7%

Onchan

$476 33.9% 307% $359

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$94 6.1%

Onchan

$31 * 2.2% 66.5% $62

Getting Around

Istanbul

$75 4.9%

Onchan

$12 * 0.9% 83.9% $63

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55.0 in Istanbul versus $118 in Onchan. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $264 vs $351 – making Istanbul the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇮🇲 Onchan

🕒 Local time

09:24 9:24 AM

07:24 7:24 AM

2 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

26,218

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Isle of Man Pound IMP £

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 2.03 USD

100 TRY = 1.81 EUR

1 IMP = 1.32 USD

1 IMP = 1.18 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

IMP, USD, EUR to TRY – Turkish Lira Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇷 Turkish Lira (₺)

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 49.26 TRY (100 TRY = 2.03 USD). 1 EUR = 55.25 TRY (100 TRY = 1.81 EUR).

Isle of Man Pound exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.757 IMP (1 IMP = 1.32 USD). 1 EUR = 0.849 IMP (1 IMP = 1.18 EUR).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Istanbul Onchan 2,860 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Onchan

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 Onchan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 10%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,289 per month in Istanbul and $2,077 in Onchan. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55.0 in Istanbul and $118 in Onchan. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 33% cheaper in Istanbul – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Onchan, where all-in costs run around $1,385, than in Istanbul at $1,526. In Onchan it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Onchan – 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 Onchan. 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.