Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Permet

For one person, living is cheaper in Permet: $1,185 a month against $1,550 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $4,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

75

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Permet
Learn more

Permet Living Index

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Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

Permet

🇦🇱 Albania

$1,185

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Permet

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

A single person spends $1,550 per month in Istanbul vs $1,185 in Permet, rent included.

Istanbul $1,550
Permet $1,185

A couple spends around $2,415 per month in Istanbul vs $1,810 in Permet, rent included.

Istanbul $2,415
Permet $1,810

A family of three spends $3,281 per month in Istanbul vs $2,435 in Permet, rent included.

Istanbul $3,281
Permet $2,435

Istanbul costs about 31% more than Permet, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Istanbul sits 15% above the global median, while Permet is 12% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.30 ₺607

$9.62 ALL 786

27.86%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.7 ₺2,700

$54.7 ALL 4,469

0.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.22 ₺455

$11.15 ALL 912

-17.31%

Cappuccino

$4.40 ₺217

$2.28 ALL 186

92.98%

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

$1.68 ₺82.8

$2.41 ALL 197

-30.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₺29.31

$1.23 ALL 100

-52.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.70 ₺232

$3.51 ALL 287

33.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.91 ₺292

$4.00 ALL 327

47.75%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 ₺59.8

$2.27 ALL 186

-46.70%

White Bread (500g)

$0.89 ₺43.97

$1.19 ALL 97.5

-25.21%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.19 ₺108

$2.39 ALL 196

-8.37%

Eggs

$2.35 ₺116

$3.73 ALL 305

-37.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.42 ₺514

$12.88 ALL 1,053

-19.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.65 ₺279

$9.02 ALL 737

-37.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.94 ₺1,033

$16.90 ALL 1,382

23.91%

Apples (1kg)

$1.90 ₺93.8

$1.97 ALL 161

-3.55%

Banana (1kg)

$2.31 ₺114

$2.46 ALL 201

-6.10%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.0

$2.13 ALL 174

-39.91%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺88.7

$1.87 ALL 153

-3.74%

Potato (1kg)

$0.65 ₺32.07

$1.05 ALL 85.7

-38.10%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺31.82

$1.28 ALL 105

-50.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 ₺61.9

$1.50 ALL 122

-16.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.50

$0.75 ALL 61.1

-25.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.37 ₺117

$4.80 ALL 393

-50.63%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.42 ₺662

$10.50 ALL 858

27.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₺119

$1.60 ALL 131

50.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 ₺172

$2.02 ALL 165

72.28%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.89 ₺43.71

$0.48 ALL 39.26

85.42%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.4 ₺3,328

$21.52 ALL 1,760

213.34%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.29 ₺63.9

$3.64 ALL 298

-64.56%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 ₺45.56

$3.71 ALL 303

-75.20%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.96 ₺541

$18.55 ALL 1,517

-40.92%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ₺72.7

$2.37 ALL 194

-37.97%

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

$50.8K ₺2.5M

$33.5K ALL 2.7M

51.55%

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

$44.5K ₺2.2M

$35.8K ALL 2.9M

24.27%

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

$88.6 ₺4,374

$98.8 ALL 8,078

-10.31%

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

$11.59 ₺572

$18.56 ALL 1,517

-37.55%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.81 ₺781

$19.43 ALL 1,588

-18.63%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.2 ₺3,809

$59.6 ALL 4,869

29.55%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.74 ₺1,122

Cinema Ticket

$8.14 ₺402

$10.06 ALL 822

-19.09%

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

$1,008 ₺49.8K

$344 ALL 28.1K

192.93%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.6K ₺1.3M

$8,313 ALL 679.7K

207.48%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.0 ₺2,663

$49.54 ALL 4,051

8.90%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.83 ₺2,015

$47.61 ALL 3,893

-14.24%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.9 ₺4,881

$119 ALL 9,740

-16.99%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.6 ₺4,768

$113 ALL 9,204

-14.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$985 ₺48.6K

$514 ALL 42.1K

91.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$650 ₺32.1K

$307 ALL 25.1K

111.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,983 ₺97.9K

$766 ALL 62.7K

158.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,180 ₺58.3K

$397 ALL 32.4K

197.39%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,138 ₺154.9K

$1,885 ALL 154.1K

66.46%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,780 ₺87.9K

$1,359 ALL 111.2K

30.92%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,205 ₺59.5K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.92

5.39

659.18%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 13, 2026

Last update for Permet: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$650 41.9%

Permet

$307 25.9% 52.8% $343

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$260 16.8%

Permet

$290 24.5% 11.6% $30

Eating Out

Istanbul

$223 14.4%

Permet

$178 15% 20.3% $45

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$131 8.4%

Permet

$148 12.5% 13.3% $17

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$116 7.5%

Permet

$137 11.6% 17.9% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$93 6%

Permet

$80 6.7% 14.7% $14

Getting Around

Istanbul

$77 5%

Permet

$46 3.9% 40.7% $31

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $985 in Istanbul versus $514 in Permet. 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 $55.0 in Istanbul versus $55.0 in Permet. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $260 vs $290 – making Istanbul the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇦🇱 Permet

🕒 Local time

15:04 3:04 PM

14:04 2:04 PM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

10,000

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Albanian Lek ALL L

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 2.03 USD

100 TRY = 1.81 EUR

100 ALL = 1.22 USD

100 ALL = 1.1 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ALL, USD, EUR to TRY – Turkish Lira Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇷 Turkish Lira (₺)

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of October 13, 2026: 1 USD = 49.36 TRY (100 TRY = 2.03 USD). 1 EUR = 55.1 TRY (100 TRY = 1.81 EUR).

Albanian Lek exchange rates as of October 13, 2026: 1 USD = 81.76 ALL (100 ALL = 1.22 USD). 1 EUR = 91.27 ALL (100 ALL = 1.1 EUR).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Istanbul Permet 730 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Permet

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 Permet: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 31%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,325 per month in Istanbul and $1,777 in Permet. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Permet, 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 $344 in Permet. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 12% 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 Permet, where all-in costs run around $1,185, than in Istanbul at $1,550. In Permet it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Permet – 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 Permet. 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.