Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Passau

For one person, living costs are similar in Istanbul and in Passau: $1,550 and $1,528 a month, rent and utilities included.

75

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index
75

Cost of Living Index in Passau
Learn more

Passau Living Index

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Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

Passau

🇩🇪 Germany

$1,528

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Passau

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

A single person spends $1,550 per month in Istanbul vs $1,528 in Passau, rent included.

Istanbul $1,550
Passau $1,528

A couple spends around $2,415 per month in Istanbul vs $2,563 in Passau, rent included.

Istanbul $2,415
Passau $2,563

A family of three spends $3,281 per month in Istanbul vs $3,598 in Passau, rent included.

Istanbul $3,281
Passau $3,598

Istanbul costs about 1% more than Passau, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Istanbul and Passau sit above the global median – Istanbul by 15%, Passau by 13%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.30 ₺609

$16.77 €14.92

-26.65%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.7 ₺2,708

$61.2 €54.4

-10.59%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.22 ₺456

$11.91 €10.60

-22.59%

Cappuccino

$4.40 ₺218

$3.78 €3.36

16.40%

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

$1.68 ₺83.1

$3.55 €3.16

-52.68%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₺29.40

$3.09 €2.75

-80.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.70 ₺233

$4.32 €3.84

8.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.91 ₺292

$4.91 €4.37

20.37%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 ₺60.0

$1.17 €1.04

3.42%

White Bread (500g)

$0.89 ₺44.10

$2.06 €1.83

-56.80%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.19 ₺108

$3.17 €2.82

-30.91%

Eggs

$2.35 ₺116

$3.71 €3.30

-36.66%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.42 ₺516

$14.16 €12.60

-26.41%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.65 ₺280

$16.10 €14.32

-64.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.94 ₺1,037

$20.62 €18.34

1.55%

Apples (1kg)

$1.90 ₺94.1

$2.89 €2.57

-34.26%

Banana (1kg)

$2.31 ₺114

$1.75 €1.55

32.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.1

$2.05 €1.82

-37.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺89.0

$4.69 €4.17

-61.62%

Potato (1kg)

$0.65 ₺32.16

$1.44 €1.28

-54.86%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺31.91

$1.59 €1.42

-59.75%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 ₺62.1

$1.75 €1.55

-28.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.58

$1.01 €0.90

-44.55%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.37 ₺118

$9.13 €8.12

-74.04%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.42 ₺664

$5.67 €5.04

136.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₺119

$1.05 €0.93

128.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 ₺172

$1.73 €1.54

101.16%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.89 ₺43.84

$2.75 €2.45

-67.64%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.4 ₺3,338

$66.0 €58.7

2.23%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.29 ₺64.1

$4.46 €3.96

-71.08%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 ₺45.70

$2.43 €2.16

-62.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.96 ₺542

$40.49 €36.01

-72.93%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ₺72.9

$1.88 €1.67

-21.81%

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

$50.8K ₺2.5M

$33.0K €29.4K

53.79%

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

$44.5K ₺2.2M

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

$88.6 ₺4,387

$262 €233

-66.21%

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

$11.59 ₺574

$16.19 €14.40

-28.41%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.81 ₺783

$53.5 €47.63

-70.47%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.2 ₺3,820

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.74 ₺1,126

Cinema Ticket

$8.14 ₺403

$12.10 €10.77

-32.73%

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

$1,008 ₺49.9K

$692 €616

45.67%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.6K ₺1.3M

$18.7K €16.6K

36.86%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.0 ₺2,671

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.83 ₺2,021

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.9 ₺4,895

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.6 ₺4,783

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$985 ₺48.7K

$674 €599

46.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$650 ₺32.2K

$457 €407

42.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,983 ₺98.2K

$1,662 €1,479

19.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,180 ₺58.4K

$1,330 €1,183

-11.25%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,138 ₺155.4K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,780 ₺88.1K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,205 ₺59.7K

$3,438 €3,058

-64.94%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.92

3.98

928.14%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 13, 2026

Last update for Passau: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$650 41.9%

Passau

$457 29.9% 29.7% $193

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$260 16.8%

Passau

$348 22.8% 34% $88

Eating Out

Istanbul

$223 14.4%

Passau

$273 17.9% 22.4% $50

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$131 8.4%

Passau

- * 0% 100%

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$116 7.5%

Passau

$332 21.7% 186% $216

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$93 6%

Passau

$24 * 1.6% 74.1% $69

Getting Around

Istanbul

$77 5%

Passau

$94 6.1% 21.7% $17

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $985 in Istanbul versus $674 in Passau. 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 185% higher in Passau, 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 $61.0 in Passau. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $260 vs $348 – making Istanbul the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇩🇪 Passau

🕒 Local time

04:23 4:23 AM

03:23 3:23 AM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

54,401

💱 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 Passau 1,480 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Passau

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 Passau: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 1%, 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 $2,292 in Passau. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Passau, 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 $692 in Passau. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 34% 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 Passau, where all-in costs run around $1,528, than in Istanbul at $1,550. In Passau it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Passau – 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 Passau. 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.