Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Perez Zeledon

For one person, living is cheaper in Perez Zeledon: $1,317 a month against $1,516 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $2,400 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Istanbul outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

73

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index
64

Cost of Living Index in Perez Zeledon
Learn more

Perez Zeledon Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,516

/mo nomad

Perez Zeledon

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,317

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Perez Zeledon

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

A single person spends $1,516 per month in Istanbul vs $1,317 in Perez Zeledon, rent included.

Istanbul $1,516
Perez Zeledon $1,317

A couple spends around $2,356 per month in Istanbul vs $2,364 in Perez Zeledon, rent included.

Istanbul $2,356
Perez Zeledon $2,364

A family of three spends $3,197 per month in Istanbul vs $3,410 in Perez Zeledon, rent included.

Istanbul $3,197
Perez Zeledon $3,410

Istanbul costs about 15% more than Perez Zeledon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Istanbul sits 11% above the global median, while Perez Zeledon is 3% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.59 ₺579

$9.09 ₡4,102

27.50%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.7 ₺2,732

$37.24 ₡16.8K

46.83%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.39 ₺469

$8.19 ₡3,699

14.65%

Cappuccino

$4.23 ₺211

$2.70 ₡1,217

56.67%

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

$1.72 ₺85.9

$1.97 ₡887

-12.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.57 ₺28.33

$1.78 ₡805

-67.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.65 ₺232

$1.73 ₡780

168.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.84 ₺342

$3.21 ₡1,447

113.08%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.20 ₺60.1

$1.60 ₡724

-25.00%

White Bread (500g)

$0.94 ₺47.09

$3.13 ₡1,413

-69.97%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.24 ₺112

$2.49 ₡1,122

-10.04%

Eggs

$2.42 ₺121

$2.49 ₡1,126

-2.81%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.24 ₺511

$10.73 ₡4,846

-4.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.38 ₺269

$10.28 ₡4,639

-47.67%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.19 ₺1,059

$14.14 ₡6,384

49.86%

Apples (1kg)

$1.89 ₺94.5

$5.24 ₡2,365

-63.93%

Banana (1kg)

$2.22 ₺111

$1.08 ₡488

105.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.26 ₺62.9

$4.89 ₡2,206

-74.23%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.81 ₺90.2

$3.85 ₡1,737

-52.99%

Potato (1kg)

$0.70 ₺34.93

$3.72 ₡1,680

-81.18%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺32.21

$3.59 ₡1,622

-82.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.22 ₺61.0

$0.45 ₡205

171.11%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ₺27.42

$3.09 ₡1,394

-82.20%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.32 ₺116

$5.57 ₡2,516

-58.35%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.31 ₺665

$19.80 ₡8,937

-32.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.33 ₺116

$2.87 ₡1,297

-18.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 ₺173

$3.63 ₡1,638

-4.68%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.91 ₺45.29

$0.81 ₡364

12.35%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.3 ₺3,314

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.29 ₺64.3

$2.49 ₡1,126

-48.19%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.86 ₺42.77

$1.63 ₡737

-47.24%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.09 ₺554

$8.76 ₡3,955

26.60%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.42 ₺70.9

$1.52 ₡688

-6.58%

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

$49.2K ₺2.5M

$33.8K ₡15.2M

45.72%

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

$42.8K ₺2.1M

$42.1K ₡19.0M

1.64%

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

$87.7 ₺4,384

$93.6 ₡42.2K

-6.23%

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

$11.28 ₺563

$23.99 ₡10.8K

-52.98%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.89 ₺794

$59.2 ₡26.7K

-73.14%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$75.9 ₺3,792

$67.9 ₡30.7K

11.73%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.04 ₺1,151

Cinema Ticket

$8.20 ₺410

$7.67 ₡3,464

6.91%

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

$1,028 ₺51.4K

$498 ₡224.8K

106.42%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$26.0K ₺1.3M

$17.3K ₡7.8M

49.97%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.3 ₺2,664

$71.8 ₡32.4K

-25.73%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.69 ₺1,983

$55.0 ₡24.8K

-27.84%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.8 ₺4,985

$128 ₡57.7K

-21.98%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.5 ₺4,673

$133 ₡60.0K

-29.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,003 ₺50.1K

$402 ₡181.3K

149.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$628 ₺31.4K

$326 ₡147.1K

92.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,963 ₺98.1K

$2,133 ₡963.0K

-7.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,122 ₺56.0K

$1,260 ₡568.7K

-10.96%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,075 ₺153.6K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,753 ₺87.6K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,180 ₺58.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.69

8.62

372.04%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 27, 2026

Last update for Perez Zeledon: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$628 41.5%

Perez Zeledon

$326 24.8% 48.1% $302

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$258 17%

Perez Zeledon

$383 29.1% 48.4% $125

Eating Out

Istanbul

$218 14.4%

Perez Zeledon

$160 12.1% 26.7% $58

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$129 8.5%

Perez Zeledon

$174 13.2% 35.4% $46

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$115 7.6%

Perez Zeledon

$177 13.4% 53.8% $62

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$92 6.1%

Perez Zeledon

$83 6.3% 9.8% $9

Getting Around

Istanbul

$76 5%

Perez Zeledon

$14 * 1.1% 81.6% $62

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,003 in Istanbul versus $402 in Perez Zeledon. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55 in Istanbul versus $37 in Perez Zeledon. Groceries tell a different story – $258 in Istanbul vs $383 in Perez Zeledon – so Istanbul wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇨🇷 Perez Zeledon

🕒 Local time

04:58 4:58 AM

19:58 7:58 PM

9 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

135,000

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 2 USD

100 TRY = 1.79 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to TRY – Turkish Lira Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇷 Turkish Lira (₺)

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 49.96 TRY (100 TRY = 2 USD). 1 EUR = 55.78 TRY (100 TRY = 1.79 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Istanbul Perez Zeledon 11,160 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Perez Zeledon

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 Perez Zeledon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 15%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,274 per month in Istanbul and $1,975 in Perez Zeledon. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Perez Zeledon, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $402 there versus $1,003 in Istanbul.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55 in Istanbul and $37 in Perez Zeledon. 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.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Perez Zeledon, where all-in costs run around $1,317, than in Istanbul at $1,516. In Perez Zeledon it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Perez Zeledon – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.