Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Pecs

For one person, living is cheaper in Pecs: $1,338 a month against $1,526 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $2,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

74

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index
66

Cost of Living Index in Pecs
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Pecs Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,526

/mo nomad

Pecs

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,338

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Pecs

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

A single person spends $1,526 per month in Istanbul vs $1,338 in Pecs, rent included.

Istanbul $1,526
Pecs $1,338

A couple spends around $2,399 per month in Istanbul vs $2,058 in Pecs, rent included.

Istanbul $2,399
Pecs $2,058

A family of three spends $3,272 per month in Istanbul vs $2,777 in Pecs, rent included.

Istanbul $3,272
Pecs $2,777

Istanbul costs about 14% more than Pecs, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Istanbul and Pecs sit above the global median – Istanbul by 14%, Pecs by 0%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.88 ₺585

$11.29 Ft 3,672

5.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.1 ₺2,714

$60.3 Ft 19.6K

-8.62%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.14 ₺450

$9.21 Ft 2,997

-0.76%

Cappuccino

$4.24 ₺209

$2.45 Ft 797

73.06%

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

$1.75 ₺86.0

$1.34 Ft 436

30.60%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.54 ₺26.83

$1.24 Ft 403

-56.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.69 ₺231

$1.71 Ft 556

174.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.97 ₺294

$2.23 Ft 724

167.71%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.26 ₺62.1

$1.23 Ft 400

2.44%

White Bread (500g)

$0.95 ₺46.81

$1.57 Ft 509

-39.49%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.31 ₺114

$2.46 Ft 802

-6.10%

Eggs

$2.47 ₺122

$3.28 Ft 1,068

-24.70%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.55 ₺520

$10.14 Ft 3,299

4.04%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.60 ₺276

$6.63 Ft 2,156

-15.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.21 ₺1,045

$15.95 Ft 5,188

32.98%

Apples (1kg)

$1.93 ₺95.1

$2.38 Ft 774

-18.91%

Banana (1kg)

$2.29 ₺113

$2.28 Ft 743

0.44%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.1

$2.53 Ft 824

-49.41%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.84 ₺90.8

$3.94 Ft 1,281

-53.30%

Potato (1kg)

$0.67 ₺32.86

$1.12 Ft 365

-40.18%

Onion (1kg)

$0.59 ₺29.31

$1.35 Ft 438

-56.30%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.33 ₺65.4

$1.87 Ft 608

-28.88%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₺29.10

$0.58 Ft 190

1.72%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.36 ₺116

$8.76 Ft 2,851

-73.06%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.47 ₺664

$4.63 Ft 1,506

190.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.42 ₺119

$1.37 Ft 444

76.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.54 ₺174

$2.61 Ft 850

35.63%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.83 ₺40.64

$1.51 Ft 490

-45.03%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.5 ₺3,273

$23.59 Ft 7,674

181.69%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.35 ₺66.6

$3.30 Ft 1,075

-59.09%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 ₺42.05

$1.46 Ft 475

-41.78%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.86 ₺535

$24.60 Ft 8,005

-55.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ₺72.3

$1.79 Ft 583

-17.88%

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

$51.6K ₺2.5M

$30.0K Ft 9.7M

72.35%

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

$44.4K ₺2.2M

$36.9K Ft 12.0M

20.34%

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

$89.2 ₺4,395

$168 Ft 54.8K

-47.03%

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

$11.60 ₺572

$20.30 Ft 6,606

-42.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.10 ₺793

$21.23 Ft 6,908

-24.16%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.3 ₺3,805

$46.06 Ft 15.0K

67.72%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.66 ₺1,116

$18.68 Ft 6,076

21.31%

Cinema Ticket

$8.34 ₺411

$8.81 Ft 2,867

-5.33%

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

$974 ₺48.0K

$420 Ft 136.5K

132.11%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.8K ₺1.3M

$7,762 Ft 2.5M

232.04%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.7 ₺2,597

$101 Ft 32.8K

-47.67%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.16 ₺1,929

$51.6 Ft 16.8K

-24.15%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 ₺5,083

$98.0 Ft 31.9K

5.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.6 ₺4,759

$109 Ft 35.4K

-11.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$994 ₺49.0K

$619 Ft 201.5K

60.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$629 ₺31.0K

$444 Ft 144.4K

41.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,024 ₺99.7K

$987 Ft 321.1K

105.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,155 ₺56.9K

$676 Ft 219.9K

70.83%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,160 ₺155.7K

$3,296 Ft 1.1M

-4.12%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,838 ₺90.5K

$2,804 Ft 912.4K

-34.47%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,203 ₺59.3K

$1,056 Ft 343.5K

14.00%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

41.09

413.63%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 3, 2026

Last update for Pecs: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$629 41.2%

Pecs

$444 32.9% 29.5% $186

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$264 17.3%

Pecs

$260 19.2% 1.7% $4.4

Eating Out

Istanbul

$218 14.3%

Pecs

$171 12.6% 21.7% $47

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$131 8.6%

Pecs

$162 12% 23.1% $30

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$117 7.7%

Pecs

$210 15.6% 79.6% $93

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$94 6.1%

Pecs

$64 4.7% 32.2% $30

Getting Around

Istanbul

$75 4.9%

Pecs

$40 3% 46.6% $35

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $994 in Istanbul versus $619 in Pecs. 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 14% 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 $55.0 in Istanbul versus $60.0 in Pecs. Groceries tell a different story – $264 in Istanbul vs $260 in Pecs – so Pecs wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇭🇺 Pecs

🕒 Local time

08:14 8:14 AM

07:14 7:14 AM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

140,330

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 2.03 USD

100 TRY = 1.81 EUR

1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

HUF, 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).

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 325 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD). 1 EUR = 365 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Istanbul Pecs 1,030 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Pecs

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 Pecs: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 14%, 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 $2,007 in Pecs. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Pecs, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $974 per month in Istanbul and $420 in Pecs. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 2% more in Istanbul, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Pecs, where all-in costs run around $1,338, than in Istanbul at $1,526. In Pecs it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Pecs – 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 Pecs. 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.