Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Ragusa

For one person, living costs are similar in Istanbul and in Ragusa: $1,550 and $1,517 a month, rent and utilities included.

75

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index
73

Cost of Living Index in Ragusa
Learn more

Ragusa Living Index

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Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

Ragusa

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,517

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Ragusa

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

A single person spends $1,550 per month in Istanbul vs $1,517 in Ragusa, rent included.

Istanbul $1,550
Ragusa $1,517

A couple spends around $2,415 per month in Istanbul vs $2,312 in Ragusa, rent included.

Istanbul $2,415
Ragusa $2,312

A family of three spends $3,281 per month in Istanbul vs $3,107 in Ragusa, rent included.

Istanbul $3,281
Ragusa $3,107

Istanbul costs about 2% more than Ragusa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Istanbul and Ragusa sit above the global median – Istanbul by 15%, Ragusa by 12%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.30 ₺609

$16.98 €15.10

-27.56%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.7 ₺2,708

$55.8 €49.59

-1.88%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.22 ₺456

$11.13 €9.90

-17.16%

Cappuccino

$4.40 ₺218

$2.06 €1.84

113.59%

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

$1.68 ₺83.1

$2.18 €1.94

-22.94%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₺29.40

$0.93 €0.83

-36.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.70 ₺233

$5.69 €5.06

-17.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.91 ₺292

$3.93 €3.49

50.38%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 ₺60.0

$1.27 €1.13

-4.72%

White Bread (500g)

$0.89 ₺44.10

$1.85 €1.64

-51.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.19 ₺108

$2.44 €2.17

-10.25%

Eggs

$2.35 ₺116

$2.85 €2.53

-17.54%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.42 ₺516

$14.46 €12.87

-27.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.65 ₺280

$11.74 €10.44

-51.87%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.94 ₺1,037

$16.60 €14.77

26.14%

Apples (1kg)

$1.90 ₺94.1

$2.98 €2.65

-36.24%

Banana (1kg)

$2.31 ₺114

$2.10 €1.86

10.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.1

$1.71 €1.52

-25.15%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺89.0

$2.51 €2.24

-28.29%

Potato (1kg)

$0.65 ₺32.16

$1.71 €1.52

-61.99%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺31.91

$1.48 €1.31

-56.76%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 ₺62.1

$1.74 €1.55

-28.16%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.58

$0.43 €0.38

30.23%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.37 ₺118

$6.87 €6.11

-65.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.42 ₺664

$7.67 €6.82

74.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₺119

$2.11 €1.87

13.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 ₺172

$2.91 €2.59

19.59%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.89 ₺43.84

$1.71 €1.52

-47.95%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.4 ₺3,338

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.29 ₺64.1

$3.40 €3.03

-62.06%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 ₺45.70

$1.14 €1.01

-19.30%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.96 ₺542

$37.63 €33.47

-70.87%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ₺72.9

$1.99 €1.77

-26.13%

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

$50.8K ₺2.5M

$36.9K €32.8K

37.81%

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

$44.5K ₺2.2M

$34.9K €31.0K

27.74%

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

$88.6 ₺4,387

$229 €203

-61.23%

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

$11.59 ₺574

$9.19 €8.17

26.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.81 ₺783

$26.39 €23.47

-40.09%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.2 ₺3,820

$42.09 €37.44

83.32%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.74 ₺1,126

$13.37 €11.90

70.08%

Cinema Ticket

$8.14 ₺403

$8.34 €7.42

-2.40%

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

$1,008 ₺49.9K

$167 €149

502.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.6K ₺1.3M

$5,483 €4,877

366.22%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.0 ₺2,671

$70.8 €62.9

-23.76%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.83 ₺2,021

$21.88 €19.47

86.61%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.9 ₺4,895

$84.8 €75.4

16.66%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.6 ₺4,783

$126 €112

-23.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$985 ₺48.7K

$439 €390

124.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$650 ₺32.2K

$496 €441

31.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,983 ₺98.2K

$939 €836

111.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,180 ₺58.4K

$886 €788

33.24%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,138 ₺155.4K

$1,242 €1,105

152.60%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,780 ₺88.1K

$960 €854

85.39%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,205 ₺59.7K

$1,520 €1,352

-20.69%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.92

3.39

1107.08%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 13, 2026

Last update for Ragusa: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$650 41.9%

Ragusa

$496 32.7% 23.7% $154

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$260 16.8%

Ragusa

$303 20% 16.6% $43

Eating Out

Istanbul

$223 14.4%

Ragusa

$243 16% 8.7% $19

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$131 8.4%

Ragusa

$137 9% 4.7% $6.1

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$116 7.5%

Ragusa

$264 17.4% 128% $148

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$93 6%

Ragusa

$59 3.9% 37.1% $35

Getting Around

Istanbul

$77 5%

Ragusa

$16 * 1.1% 79.3% $61

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $985 in Istanbul versus $439 in Ragusa. 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 26% higher in Ragusa, 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 $56.0 in Ragusa. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $260 vs $303 – making Istanbul the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇮🇹 Ragusa

🕒 Local time

16:11 4:11 PM

15:11 3:11 PM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

73,735

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 2.02 USD

100 TRY = 1.8 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 18, 2026: 1 USD = 49.51 TRY (100 TRY = 2.02 USD). 1 EUR = 55.66 TRY (100 TRY = 1.8 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Istanbul Ragusa 1,310 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Ragusa

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 Ragusa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 2%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,325 per month in Istanbul and $2,276 in Ragusa. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Ragusa, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55.0 in Istanbul and $56.0 in Ragusa. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 17% cheaper in Istanbul – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Ragusa, where all-in costs run around $1,517, than in Istanbul at $1,550. In Ragusa it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Ragusa – 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 Ragusa. 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.