Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Plunge

For one person, living is cheaper in Plunge: $1,419 a month against $1,519 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $1,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

73

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index
68

Cost of Living Index in Plunge
Learn more

Plunge Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,519

/mo nomad

Plunge

🇱🇹 Lithuania

$1,419

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Plunge

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

A single person spends $1,519 per month in Istanbul vs $1,419 in Plunge, rent included.

Istanbul $1,519
Plunge $1,419

A couple spends around $2,365 per month in Istanbul vs $2,201 in Plunge, rent included.

Istanbul $2,365
Plunge $2,201

A family of three spends $3,212 per month in Istanbul vs $2,984 in Plunge, rent included.

Istanbul $3,212
Plunge $2,984

Istanbul costs about 7% more than Plunge, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both Istanbul and Plunge sit above the global median – Istanbul by 12%, Plunge by 5%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.81 ₺592

$14.35 €12.78

-17.70%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.9 ₺2,754

$76.8 €68.4

-28.50%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.26 ₺465

$8.70 €7.75

6.44%

Cappuccino

$4.30 ₺216

$3.66 €3.26

17.49%

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

$1.77 ₺89.0

$2.32 €2.06

-23.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺28.32

$2.24 €1.99

-75.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.69 ₺235

$5.70 €5.08

-17.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.12 ₺357

$4.44 €3.95

60.36%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 ₺62.7

$1.50 €1.34

-16.67%

White Bread (500g)

$0.88 ₺44.17

$1.61 €1.43

-45.34%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 ₺111

$2.38 €2.12

-7.56%

Eggs

$2.43 ₺122

$3.29 €2.93

-26.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.48 ₺526

$10.49 €9.34

-0.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.31 ₺267

$8.36 €7.45

-36.48%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.10 ₺1,058

$11.72 €10.43

80.03%

Apples (1kg)

$1.86 ₺93.1

$1.92 €1.71

-3.12%

Banana (1kg)

$2.30 ₺115

$1.46 €1.30

57.53%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.22 ₺61.0

$1.76 €1.57

-30.68%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺90.2

$3.45 €3.07

-47.83%

Potato (1kg)

$0.69 ₺34.83

$0.90 €0.80

-23.33%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺32.16

$0.82 €0.73

-21.95%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.36 ₺68.0

$1.62 €1.44

-16.05%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 ₺28.94

$0.81 €0.72

-28.40%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.34 ₺117

$6.28 €5.59

-62.74%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.03 ₺653

$9.15 €8.15

42.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.36 ₺118

$1.84 €1.64

28.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.32 ₺166

$1.95 €1.73

70.26%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.88 ₺44.07

$1.10 €0.98

-20.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.1 ₺3,316

$31.87 €28.37

107.47%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 ₺64.4

$3.13 €2.79

-59.11%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 ₺42.80

$1.26 €1.12

-32.54%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.09 ₺556

$14.27 €12.71

-22.28%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 ₺74.0

$1.98 €1.76

-25.25%

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

$48.6K ₺2.4M

$27.3K €24.3K

78.20%

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

$42.0K ₺2.1M

$28.2K €25.2K

48.60%

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

$92.7 ₺4,650

$233 €207

-60.15%

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

$11.20 ₺562

$13.92 €12.39

-19.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.89 ₺797

$20.11 €17.90

-20.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.7 ₺3,745

$40.06 €35.67

86.42%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.95 ₺1,151

$22.16 €19.73

3.56%

Cinema Ticket

$8.05 ₺404

$9.91 €8.82

-18.77%

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

$948 ₺47.6K

$646 €575

46.91%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.9K ₺1.9M

$11.5K €10.2K

222.00%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₺2,702

$94.1 €83.8

-42.72%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.49 ₺2,081

$41.29 €36.76

0.48%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 ₺5,060

$91.1 €81.2

10.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.3 ₺4,580

$129 €115

-29.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,014 ₺50.8K

$573 €510

76.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$625 ₺31.3K

$389 €347

60.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,005 ₺100.6K

$852 €759

135.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,126 ₺56.5K

$657 €585

71.48%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,988 ₺149.8K

$3,043 €2,710

-1.82%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,730 ₺86.8K

$1,888 €1,681

-8.36%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,136 ₺57.0K

$1,287 €1,146

-11.69%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.42

3.99

913.03%

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

Last update for Istanbul: November 2, 2026

Last update for Plunge: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$625 41.1%

Plunge

$389 27.4% 37.7% $235

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$258 17%

Plunge

$257 18.1% 0.6% $1.5

Eating Out

Istanbul

$221 14.6%

Plunge

$240 17% 8.8% $20

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$129 8.5%

Plunge

$160 11.3% 23.5% $30

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$120 7.9%

Plunge

$267 18.8% 123% $147

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$91 6%

Plunge

$60 4.2% 34% $31

Getting Around

Istanbul

$75 5%

Plunge

$46 3.2% 39.2% $29

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,014 in Istanbul versus $573 in Plunge. 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 13% higher in Plunge, 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 in Istanbul versus $77 in Plunge. Groceries tell a different story – $258 in Istanbul vs $257 in Plunge – so Plunge wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇱🇹 Plunge

🕒 Local time

13:00 1:00 PM

12:00 12:00 PM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

20,041

💱 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 = 56.33 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Istanbul Plunge 1,740 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Plunge

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 Plunge: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 7%, 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 $2,128 in Plunge. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Plunge, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $573 there versus $1,014 in Istanbul.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55 in Istanbul and $77 in Plunge. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Public transport costs about 52% less in Plunge. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

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

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.