Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Radovis

For one person, living is cheaper in Radovis: $875 a month against $1,550 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $8,100 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
44

Cost of Living Index in Radovis
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Radovis Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

Radovis

🇲🇰 North Macedonia

$875

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Radovis

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

A single person spends $1,550 per month in Istanbul vs $875 in Radovis, rent included.

Istanbul $1,550
Radovis $875

A couple spends around $2,415 per month in Istanbul vs $1,293 in Radovis, rent included.

Istanbul $2,415
Radovis $1,293

A family of three spends $3,281 per month in Istanbul vs $1,711 in Radovis, rent included.

Istanbul $3,281
Radovis $1,711

Istanbul costs about 77% more than Radovis, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Istanbul sits 15% above the global median, while Radovis is 35% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.30 ₺609

$4.56 MKD 249

169.74%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.7 ₺2,708

$18.01 MKD 983

203.72%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.22 ₺456

$6.39 MKD 349

44.29%

Cappuccino

$4.40 ₺218

$1.23 MKD 67.4

257.72%

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

$1.68 ₺83.1

$1.29 MKD 70.1

30.23%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₺29.40

$1.07 MKD 58.2

-44.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.70 ₺233

$1.62 MKD 88.3

190.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.91 ₺292

$2.41 MKD 132

145.23%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 ₺60.0

$1.23 MKD 67.1

-1.63%

White Bread (500g)

$0.89 ₺44.10

$0.75 MKD 41.12

18.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.19 ₺108

$1.74 MKD 94.8

25.86%

Eggs

$2.35 ₺116

$2.21 MKD 120

6.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.42 ₺516

$7.72 MKD 421

34.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.65 ₺280

$7.47 MKD 407

-24.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.94 ₺1,037

$14.61 MKD 797

43.33%

Apples (1kg)

$1.90 ₺94.1

$1.44 MKD 78.5

31.94%

Banana (1kg)

$2.31 ₺114

$1.42 MKD 77.7

62.68%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.1

$1.38 MKD 75.2

-7.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺89.0

$1.95 MKD 106

-7.69%

Potato (1kg)

$0.65 ₺32.16

$0.83 MKD 45.32

-21.69%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺31.91

$0.84 MKD 45.91

-23.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 ₺62.1

$0.62 MKD 34.05

101.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.58

$0.43 MKD 23.68

30.23%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.37 ₺118

$3.38 MKD 184

-29.88%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.42 ₺664

$7.42 MKD 405

80.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₺119

$1.01 MKD 55.2

137.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 ₺172

$1.12 MKD 61.2

210.71%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.89 ₺43.84

$0.76 MKD 41.37

17.11%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.4 ₺3,338

$22.84 MKD 1,246

195.23%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.29 ₺64.1

$1.08 MKD 58.8

19.44%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 ₺45.70

$0.56 MKD 30.78

64.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.96 ₺542

$7.74 MKD 422

41.60%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ₺72.9

$1.28 MKD 69.9

14.84%

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

$50.8K ₺2.5M

$34.9K MKD 1.9M

45.44%

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

$44.5K ₺2.2M

$23.7K MKD 1.3M

87.81%

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

$88.6 ₺4,387

$153 MKD 8,347

-42.09%

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

$11.59 ₺574

$16.62 MKD 906

-30.26%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.81 ₺783

$18.89 MKD 1,030

-16.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.2 ₺3,820

$19.58 MKD 1,068

294.08%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.74 ₺1,126

$19.73 MKD 1,076

15.26%

Cinema Ticket

$8.14 ₺403

$7.44 MKD 406

9.41%

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

$1,008 ₺49.9K

$351 MKD 19.2K

187.07%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.6K ₺1.3M

$5,631 MKD 307.2K

353.94%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.0 ₺2,671

$84.6 MKD 4,613

-36.20%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.83 ₺2,021

$36.71 MKD 2,003

11.22%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.9 ₺4,895

$99.8 MKD 5,444

-0.92%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.6 ₺4,783

$113 MKD 6,175

-14.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$985 ₺48.7K

$252 MKD 13.8K

290.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$650 ₺32.2K

$174 MKD 9,516

272.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,983 ₺98.2K

$427 MKD 23.3K

364.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,180 ₺58.4K

$268 MKD 14.6K

340.72%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,138 ₺155.4K

$1,438 MKD 78.4K

118.23%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,780 ₺88.1K

$1,056 MKD 57.6K

68.62%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,205 ₺59.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.92

4.23

867.38%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 13, 2026

Last update for Radovis: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$650 41.9%

Radovis

$174 19.9% 73.2% $475

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$260 16.8%

Radovis

$205 23.4% 21.1% $55

Eating Out

Istanbul

$223 14.4%

Radovis

$93 10.6% 58.4% $130

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$131 8.4%

Radovis

$150 17.2% 15.2% $20

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$116 7.5%

Radovis

$189 21.5% 62.5% $73

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$93 6%

Radovis

$34 3.9% 63.1% $59

Getting Around

Istanbul

$77 5%

Radovis

$30 3.4% 61.3% $47

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $985 in Istanbul versus $252 in Radovis. 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 $18.00 in Radovis. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $260 vs $205 – making Radovis the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇲🇰 Radovis

🕒 Local time

05:41 5:41 AM

04:41 4:41 AM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

16,690

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

North Macedonian Denar MKD ден

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 2.02 USD

100 TRY = 1.8 EUR

100 MKD = 1.83 USD

100 MKD = 1.63 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MKD, USD, EUR to TRY – Turkish Lira Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇷 Turkish Lira (₺)

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 49.51 TRY (100 TRY = 2.02 USD). 1 EUR = 55.66 TRY (100 TRY = 1.8 EUR).

North Macedonian Denar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 54.55 MKD (100 MKD = 1.83 USD). 1 EUR = 61.33 MKD (100 MKD = 1.63 EUR).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Istanbul Radovis 550 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Radovis

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 Radovis: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 77%, 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 $1,313 in Radovis. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Radovis, 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 $351 in Radovis. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 27% more in Istanbul, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Radovis, where all-in costs run around $875, than in Istanbul at $1,550. In Radovis it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Radovis – 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 Radovis. 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.