Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Piraeus

For one person, living is cheaper in Piraeus: $1,481 a month against $1,519 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $460 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
71

Cost of Living Index in Piraeus
Learn more

Piraeus Living Index

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Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,519

/mo nomad

Piraeus

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,481

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Piraeus

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

A single person spends $1,519 per month in Istanbul vs $1,481 in Piraeus, rent included.

Istanbul $1,519
Piraeus $1,481

A couple spends around $2,365 per month in Istanbul vs $2,307 in Piraeus, rent included.

Istanbul $2,365
Piraeus $2,307

A family of three spends $3,212 per month in Istanbul vs $3,133 in Piraeus, rent included.

Istanbul $3,212
Piraeus $3,133

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

Both Istanbul and Piraeus sit above the global median – Istanbul by 12%, Piraeus by 10%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.81 ₺592

$16.56 €14.74

-28.68%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.9 ₺2,754

$56.5 €50.3

-2.80%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.26 ₺465

$9.89 €8.81

-6.37%

Cappuccino

$4.30 ₺216

$3.81 €3.39

12.86%

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

$1.77 ₺89.0

$1.44 €1.28

22.92%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺28.32

$0.58 €0.52

-3.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.69 ₺235

$5.53 €4.92

-15.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.12 ₺357

$5.43 €4.84

31.12%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 ₺62.7

$1.79 €1.59

-30.17%

White Bread (500g)

$0.88 ₺44.17

$1.09 €0.97

-19.27%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 ₺111

$2.73 €2.43

-19.41%

Eggs

$2.43 ₺122

$3.81 €3.39

-36.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.48 ₺526

$13.53 €12.05

-22.54%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.31 ₺267

$10.08 €8.98

-47.32%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.10 ₺1,058

$13.56 €12.08

55.60%

Apples (1kg)

$1.86 ₺93.1

$2.34 €2.08

-20.51%

Banana (1kg)

$2.30 ₺115

$2.15 €1.91

6.98%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.22 ₺61.0

$1.14 €1.01

7.02%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺90.2

$1.84 €1.64

-2.17%

Potato (1kg)

$0.69 ₺34.83

$1.22 €1.09

-43.44%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺32.16

$0.97 €0.86

-34.02%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.36 ₺68.0

$0.93 €0.83

46.24%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 ₺28.94

$0.91 €0.81

-36.26%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.34 ₺117

$5.06 €4.50

-53.75%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.03 ₺653

$9.03 €8.04

44.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.36 ₺118

$2.09 €1.86

12.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.32 ₺166

$4.03 €3.59

-17.62%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.88 ₺44.07

$1.36 €1.21

-35.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.1 ₺3,316

$33.34 €29.68

98.32%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 ₺64.4

$4.56 €4.06

-71.93%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 ₺42.80

$2.21 €1.97

-61.54%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.09 ₺556

$27.73 €24.69

-60.01%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 ₺74.0

$2.11 €1.88

-29.86%

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

$48.6K ₺2.4M

$31.0K €27.6K

56.81%

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

$42.0K ₺2.1M

$25.3K €22.5K

65.84%

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

$92.7 ₺4,650

$202 €180

-54.15%

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

$11.20 ₺562

$23.33 €20.78

-51.99%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.89 ₺797

$32.80 €29.21

-51.55%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.7 ₺3,745

$46.96 €41.81

59.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.95 ₺1,151

$38.61 €34.37

-40.56%

Cinema Ticket

$8.05 ₺404

$9.99 €8.89

-19.42%

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

$948 ₺47.6K

$387 €345

144.78%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.9K ₺1.9M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₺2,702

$72.8 €64.8

-25.96%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.49 ₺2,081

$38.59 €34.36

7.51%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 ₺5,060

$124 €110

-18.37%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.3 ₺4,580

$117 €105

-22.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,014 ₺50.8K

$554 €493

82.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$625 ₺31.3K

$406 €362

53.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,005 ₺100.6K

$1,011 €901

98.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,126 ₺56.5K

$763 €679

47.64%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,988 ₺149.8K

$3,352 €2,985

-10.87%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,730 ₺86.8K

$2,636 €2,347

-34.37%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,136 ₺57.0K

$1,074 €956

5.81%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.42

4.83

736.85%

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

Last update for Istanbul: November 2, 2026

Last update for Piraeus: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$625 41.1%

Piraeus

$406 27.4% 35% $218

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$258 17%

Piraeus

$282 19% 9.1% $23

Eating Out

Istanbul

$221 14.6%

Piraeus

$254 17.2% 15.2% $34

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$129 8.5%

Piraeus

$159 10.7% 22.5% $29

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$120 7.9%

Piraeus

$258 17.5% 116% $139

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$91 6%

Piraeus

$67 4.5% 26.3% $24

Getting Around

Istanbul

$75 5%

Piraeus

$54 3.7% 27.7% $21

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,014 in Istanbul versus $554 in Piraeus. 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 6% higher in Istanbul. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55 in Istanbul versus $56 in Piraeus. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $282 – making Istanbul the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇬🇷 Piraeus

🕒 Local time

07:59 7:59 AM

06:59 6:59 AM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

163,688

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 1.99 USD

100 TRY = 1.78 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 November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 50.15 TRY (100 TRY = 1.99 USD). 1 EUR = 56.3 TRY (100 TRY = 1.78 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 0.89 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Istanbul Piraeus 570 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Piraeus

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 Piraeus: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

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

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,278 per month in Istanbul and $2,221 in Piraeus. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Piraeus, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $554 there versus $1,014 in Istanbul.

Public transport costs about 50% less in Piraeus. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Interestingly, groceries are about 8% cheaper in Istanbul – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

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

If budget matters most, go with Piraeus. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Istanbul makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.