Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Pau

For one person, living is cheaper in Pau: $1,441 a month against $1,550 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $1,300 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
70

Cost of Living Index in Pau
Learn more

Pau Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

Pau

🇫🇷 France

$1,441

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Pau

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

A single person spends $1,550 per month in Istanbul vs $1,441 in Pau, rent included.

Istanbul $1,550
Pau $1,441

A couple spends around $2,415 per month in Istanbul vs $2,269 in Pau, rent included.

Istanbul $2,415
Pau $2,269

A family of three spends $3,281 per month in Istanbul vs $3,097 in Pau, rent included.

Istanbul $3,281
Pau $3,097

Istanbul costs about 8% more than Pau, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Istanbul and Pau sit above the global median – Istanbul by 15%, Pau by 7%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.30 ₺609

$16.89 €15.02

-27.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.7 ₺2,708

$47.83 €42.54

14.36%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.22 ₺456

$11.18 €9.94

-17.53%

Cappuccino

$4.40 ₺218

$3.82 €3.40

15.18%

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

$1.68 ₺83.1

$2.51 €2.23

-33.07%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₺29.40

$1.53 €1.36

-61.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.70 ₺233

$5.55 €4.94

-15.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.91 ₺292

$3.79 €3.37

55.94%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 ₺60.0

$1.16 €1.03

4.31%

White Bread (500g)

$0.89 ₺44.10

$2.21 €1.97

-59.73%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.19 ₺108

$1.55 €1.37

41.29%

Eggs

$2.35 ₺116

$5.49 €4.88

-57.19%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.42 ₺516

$20.38 €18.13

-48.87%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.65 ₺280

$11.79 €10.49

-52.08%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.94 ₺1,037

$24.95 €22.20

-16.07%

Apples (1kg)

$1.90 ₺94.1

$3.74 €3.33

-49.20%

Banana (1kg)

$2.31 ₺114

$2.25 €2.00

2.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.1

$2.04 €1.81

-37.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺89.0

$3.32 €2.95

-45.78%

Potato (1kg)

$0.65 ₺32.16

$1.68 €1.50

-61.31%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺31.91

$2.22 €1.97

-71.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 ₺62.1

$1.27 €1.13

-1.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.58

$0.69 €0.61

-18.84%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.37 ₺118

$12.50 €11.12

-81.04%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.42 ₺664

$9.92 €8.82

35.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₺119

$4.35 €3.87

-44.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 ₺172

$5.49 €4.88

-36.61%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.89 ₺43.84

$1.32 €1.18

-32.58%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.4 ₺3,338

$25.30 €22.51

166.52%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.29 ₺64.1

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 ₺45.70

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.96 ₺542

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ₺72.9

$2.03 €1.80

-27.59%

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

$50.8K ₺2.5M

$35.0K €31.1K

45.22%

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

$44.5K ₺2.2M

$35.8K €31.9K

24.35%

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

$88.6 ₺4,387

$86.9 €77.3

1.93%

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

$11.59 ₺574

$31.04 €27.61

-62.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.81 ₺783

$32.92 €29.28

-51.97%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.2 ₺3,820

$42.10 €37.44

83.28%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.74 ₺1,126

Cinema Ticket

$8.14 ₺403

$12.19 €10.84

-33.22%

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

$1,008 ₺49.9K

$382 €339

164.14%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.6K ₺1.3M

$4,369 €3,886

485.02%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.0 ₺2,671

$110 €98.3

-51.15%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.83 ₺2,021

$33.30 €29.62

22.61%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.9 ₺4,895

$90.7 €80.7

9.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.6 ₺4,783

$89.3 €79.4

8.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$985 ₺48.7K

$733 €652

34.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$650 ₺32.2K

$392 €349

65.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,983 ₺98.2K

$1,075 €956

84.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,180 ₺58.4K

$708 €630

66.68%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,138 ₺155.4K

$2,411 €2,144

30.18%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,780 ₺88.1K

$1,991 €1,771

-10.59%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,205 ₺59.7K

$3,056 €2,718

-60.56%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.92

3.81

974.02%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 13, 2026

Last update for Pau: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$650 41.9%

Pau

$392 27.2% 39.6% $258

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$260 16.8%

Pau

$389 27% 49.8% $129

Eating Out

Istanbul

$223 14.4%

Pau

$266 18.5% 19.1% $43

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$131 8.4%

Pau

$146 10.1% 11.5% $15

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$116 7.5%

Pau

$151 10.5% 30.1% $35

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$93 6%

Pau

$66 4.6% 28.9% $27

Getting Around

Istanbul

$77 5%

Pau

$31 * 2.1% 60.2% $46

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 $733 in Pau. 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 154% higher in Pau, 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 $48.00 in Pau. Groceries tell a different story – $260 in Istanbul vs $389 in Pau – so Istanbul wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇫🇷 Pau

🕒 Local time

01:31 1:31 AM

00:31 12:31 AM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

77,066

💱 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 18, 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 18, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Istanbul Pau 2,420 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Pau

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 Pau: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 8%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,325 per month in Istanbul and $2,161 in Pau. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Pau, 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 $382 in Pau. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 50% 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 Pau, where all-in costs run around $1,441, than in Istanbul at $1,550. In Pau it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Pau – 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 Pau. 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.