Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Perugia

For one person, living costs are similar in Istanbul and in Perugia: $1,526 and $1,476 a month, rent and utilities included.

74

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index
71

Cost of Living Index in Perugia
Learn more

Perugia Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,526

/mo nomad

Perugia

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,476

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Perugia

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

A single person spends $1,526 per month in Istanbul vs $1,476 in Perugia, rent included.

Istanbul $1,526
Perugia $1,476

A couple spends around $2,399 per month in Istanbul vs $2,331 in Perugia, rent included.

Istanbul $2,399
Perugia $2,331

A family of three spends $3,272 per month in Istanbul vs $3,186 in Perugia, rent included.

Istanbul $3,272
Perugia $3,186

Istanbul costs about 3% more than Perugia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Istanbul and Perugia sit above the global median – Istanbul by 14%, Perugia by 10%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.88 ₺585

$17.66 €15.76

-32.73%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.1 ₺2,714

$72.6 €64.8

-24.10%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.14 ₺450

$11.14 €9.94

-17.95%

Cappuccino

$4.24 ₺209

$1.80 €1.61

135.56%

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

$1.75 ₺86.0

$2.99 €2.66

-41.47%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.54 ₺26.83

$1.52 €1.35

-64.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.69 ₺231

$5.69 €5.08

-17.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.97 ₺294

$5.68 €5.07

5.11%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.26 ₺62.1

$1.35 €1.20

-6.67%

White Bread (500g)

$0.95 ₺46.81

$2.05 €1.83

-53.66%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.31 ₺114

$2.53 €2.26

-8.70%

Eggs

$2.47 ₺122

$4.28 €3.82

-42.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.55 ₺520

$16.87 €15.06

-37.46%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.60 ₺276

$12.40 €11.06

-54.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.21 ₺1,045

$18.24 €16.28

16.28%

Apples (1kg)

$1.93 ₺95.1

$1.60 €1.43

20.62%

Banana (1kg)

$2.29 ₺113

$1.65 €1.47

38.79%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.1

$1.82 €1.63

-29.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.84 ₺90.8

$2.17 €1.94

-15.21%

Potato (1kg)

$0.67 ₺32.86

$1.45 €1.29

-53.79%

Onion (1kg)

$0.59 ₺29.31

$1.77 €1.58

-66.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.33 ₺65.4

$1.56 €1.40

-14.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₺29.10

$0.28 €0.25

110.71%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.36 ₺116

$6.26 €5.59

-62.30%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.47 ₺664

$6.13 €5.47

119.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.42 ₺119

$1.60 €1.43

51.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.54 ₺174

$1.91 €1.70

85.34%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.83 ₺40.64

$1.64 €1.47

-49.39%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.5 ₺3,273

$62.8 €56.1

5.78%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.35 ₺66.6

$3.32 €2.97

-59.34%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 ₺42.05

$1.27 €1.13

-33.07%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.86 ₺535

$28.12 €25.10

-61.38%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ₺72.3

$2.02 €1.80

-27.23%

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

$51.6K ₺2.5M

$36.6K €32.7K

40.86%

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

$44.4K ₺2.2M

$35.2K €31.5K

26.12%

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

$89.2 ₺4,395

$167 €149

-46.45%

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

$11.60 ₺572

$8.50 €7.58

36.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.10 ₺793

$30.50 €27.22

-47.21%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.3 ₺3,805

$45.15 €40.29

71.10%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.66 ₺1,116

$56.0 €49.99

-59.55%

Cinema Ticket

$8.34 ₺411

$8.25 €7.36

1.09%

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

$974 ₺48.0K

$587 €524

65.77%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.8K ₺1.3M

$4,037 €3,602

538.47%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.7 ₺2,597

$66.2 €59.1

-20.34%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.16 ₺1,929

$36.28 €32.38

7.94%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 ₺5,083

$79.4 €70.8

30.04%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.6 ₺4,759

$92.4 €82.4

4.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$994 ₺49.0K

$494 €441

101.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$629 ₺31.0K

$433 €387

45.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,024 ₺99.7K

$1,025 €915

97.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,155 ₺56.9K

$731 €652

57.95%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,160 ₺155.7K

$1,816 €1,621

74.00%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,838 ₺90.5K

$1,070 €955

71.67%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,203 ₺59.3K

$1,554 €1,387

-22.57%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

41.09

4.05

914.57%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 3, 2026

Last update for Perugia: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$629 41.2%

Perugia

$433 29.6% 31.2% $196

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$264 17.3%

Perugia

$306 20.9% 16% $42

Eating Out

Istanbul

$218 14.3%

Perugia

$254 17.4% 16.7% $36

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$131 8.6%

Perugia

$123 8.4% 6% $7.9

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$117 7.7%

Perugia

$206 14.1% 75.8% $89

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$94 6.1%

Perugia

$62 4.2% 34.4% $32

Getting Around

Istanbul

$75 4.9%

Perugia

$79 5.4% 4.9% $3.7

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $994 in Istanbul versus $494 in Perugia. 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 29% higher in Perugia, 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 $73.0 in Perugia. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $264 vs $306 – making Istanbul the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇮🇹 Perugia

🕒 Local time

09:28 9:28 AM

08:28 8:28 AM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

162,527

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 2.03 USD

100 TRY = 1.81 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 49.26 TRY (100 TRY = 2.03 USD). 1 EUR = 55.25 TRY (100 TRY = 1.81 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Istanbul Perugia 1,390 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Perugia

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 Perugia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 3%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,289 per month in Istanbul and $2,214 in Perugia. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Perugia, 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 $587 in Perugia. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 16% cheaper in Istanbul – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Perugia, where all-in costs run around $1,476, than in Istanbul at $1,526. In Perugia it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Perugia – 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 Perugia. 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.