Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Pascani

For one person, living is cheaper in Pascani: $967 a month against $1,519 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $6,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

73

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index
44

Cost of Living Index in Pascani
Learn more

Pascani Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,519

/mo nomad

Pascani

🇷🇴 Romania

$967

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Pascani

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

A single person spends $1,519 per month in Istanbul vs $967 in Pascani, rent included.

Istanbul $1,519
Pascani $967

A couple spends around $2,365 per month in Istanbul vs $1,444 in Pascani, rent included.

Istanbul $2,365
Pascani $1,444

A family of three spends $3,212 per month in Istanbul vs $1,921 in Pascani, rent included.

Istanbul $3,212
Pascani $1,921

Istanbul costs about 57% more than Pascani, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Istanbul sits 12% above the global median, while Pascani is 29% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.81 ₺591

$8.50 RON 40.45

38.94%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.9 ₺2,748

$41.83 RON 199

31.27%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.26 ₺463

$8.35 RON 39.72

10.90%

Cappuccino

$4.30 ₺215

$2.08 RON 9.87

106.73%

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

$1.77 ₺88.8

$1.53 RON 7.26

15.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺28.26

$1.03 RON 4.89

-45.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.69 ₺234

$1.69 RON 8.06

177.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.12 ₺356

$2.27 RON 10.79

213.66%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 ₺62.6

$1.28 RON 6.08

-2.34%

White Bread (500g)

$0.88 ₺44.07

$1.08 RON 5.14

-18.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 ₺110

$1.39 RON 6.63

58.27%

Eggs

$2.43 ₺122

$2.79 RON 13.28

-12.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.48 ₺524

$8.07 RON 38.39

29.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.31 ₺266

$5.93 RON 28.19

-10.46%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.10 ₺1,056

$10.02 RON 47.65

110.58%

Apples (1kg)

$1.86 ₺92.9

$0.94 RON 4.47

97.87%

Banana (1kg)

$2.30 ₺115

$1.31 RON 6.25

75.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.22 ₺60.8

$1.45 RON 6.89

-15.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺90.0

$1.74 RON 8.29

3.45%

Potato (1kg)

$0.69 ₺34.75

$0.69 RON 3.30

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺32.09

$0.51 RON 2.41

25.49%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.36 ₺67.8

$0.85 RON 4.06

60.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 ₺28.88

$0.71 RON 3.39

-18.31%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.34 ₺117

$5.93 RON 28.19

-60.54%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.03 ₺652

$7.45 RON 35.43

74.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.36 ₺118

$1.08 RON 5.13

118.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.32 ₺166

$1.52 RON 7.24

118.42%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.88 ₺43.97

$0.72 RON 3.41

22.22%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.1 ₺3,309

$24.40 RON 116

170.98%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 ₺64.3

$0.72 RON 3.41

77.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 ₺42.70

$0.70 RON 3.32

21.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.09 ₺555

$12.34 RON 58.7

-10.13%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 ₺73.9

$1.44 RON 6.85

2.78%

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

$48.6K ₺2.4M

$28.4K RON 135.2K

71.18%

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

$42.0K ₺2.1M

$25.0K RON 119.0K

67.81%

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

$92.7 ₺4,639

$99.3 RON 472

-6.59%

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

$11.20 ₺560

$6.22 RON 29.58

80.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.89 ₺795

$8.28 RON 39.41

91.91%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.7 ₺3,737

$38.05 RON 181

96.27%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.95 ₺1,149

$21.85 RON 104

5.03%

Cinema Ticket

$8.05 ₺403

$6.43 RON 30.60

25.19%

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

$948 ₺47.5K

$417 RON 1,983

127.55%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.9K ₺1.8M

$7,438 RON 35.4K

396.30%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₺2,696

$52.6 RON 250

2.47%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.49 ₺2,076

$29.74 RON 141

39.51%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 ₺5,049

$76.1 RON 362

32.54%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.3 ₺4,570

$78.1 RON 371

16.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,014 ₺50.7K

$384 RON 1,829

163.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$625 ₺31.3K

$333 RON 1,585

87.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,005 ₺100.4K

$705 RON 3,352

184.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,126 ₺56.3K

$444 RON 2,114

153.39%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,988 ₺149.5K

$1,801 RON 8,566

65.92%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,730 ₺86.6K

$1,438 RON 6,840

20.32%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,136 ₺56.9K

$729 RON 3,466

55.95%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.42

7.47

441.10%

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

Last update for Istanbul: November 2, 2026

Last update for Pascani: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$625 41.1%

Pascani

$333 34.5% 46.7% $291

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$258 17%

Pascani

$190 19.6% 26.6% $69

Eating Out

Istanbul

$221 14.6%

Pascani

$141 14.6% 36.1% $80

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$129 8.5%

Pascani

$106 11% 17.8% $23

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$120 7.9%

Pascani

$114 11.8% 5% $6

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$91 6%

Pascani

$51 5.3% 43.9% $40

Getting Around

Istanbul

$75 5%

Pascani

$31 3.3% 58.1% $44

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,014 in Istanbul versus $384 in Pascani. 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 56% 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 $42 in Pascani. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $190 – making Pascani the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇷🇴 Pascani

🕒 Local time

06:57 6:57 AM

05:57 5:57 AM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

35,897

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 2 USD

100 TRY = 1.78 EUR

1 RON = 0.21 USD

1 RON = 0.187 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RON, USD, EUR to TRY – Turkish Lira Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇷 Turkish Lira (₺)

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 50.04 TRY (100 TRY = 2 USD). 1 EUR = 56.18 TRY (100 TRY = 1.78 EUR).

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 4.76 RON (1 RON = 0.21 USD). 1 EUR = 5.34 RON (1 RON = 0.187 EUR).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Istanbul Pascani 720 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Pascani

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 Pascani: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 57%, 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 $1,450 in Pascani. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Pascani, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $384 there versus $1,014 in Istanbul.

Kindergarten costs $948 per month in Istanbul and $417 in Pascani. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 36% more in Istanbul, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,519 in Istanbul and $967 in Pascani. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Pascani – 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 Pascani. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Istanbul makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.