Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Rakvere

For one person, living is cheaper in Rakvere: $999 a month against $1,519 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $6,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

73

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index
48

Cost of Living Index in Rakvere
Learn more

Rakvere Living Index

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Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,519

/mo nomad

Rakvere

🇪🇪 Estonia

$999

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Rakvere

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

A single person spends $1,519 per month in Istanbul vs $999 in Rakvere, rent included.

Istanbul $1,519
Rakvere $999

A couple spends around $2,365 per month in Istanbul vs $1,532 in Rakvere, rent included.

Istanbul $2,365
Rakvere $1,532

A family of three spends $3,212 per month in Istanbul vs $2,066 in Rakvere, rent included.

Istanbul $3,212
Rakvere $2,066

Istanbul costs about 52% more than Rakvere, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Istanbul sits 12% above the global median, while Rakvere is 26% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.81 ₺592

$11.12 €9.95

6.21%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.9 ₺2,754

$66.0 €59.1

-16.85%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.26 ₺465

$11.15 €9.97

-16.95%

Cappuccino

$4.30 ₺216

$3.77 €3.37

14.06%

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

$1.77 ₺89.0

$2.37 €2.12

-25.32%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺28.32

$1.58 €1.41

-64.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.69 ₺235

$5.43 €4.86

-13.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.12 ₺357

$4.48 €4.01

58.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 ₺62.7

$0.69 €0.62

81.16%

White Bread (500g)

$0.88 ₺44.17

$1.87 €1.68

-52.94%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 ₺111

$2.38 €2.13

-7.56%

Eggs

$2.43 ₺122

$2.02 €1.81

20.30%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.48 ₺526

$12.53 €11.21

-16.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.31 ₺267

$6.50 €5.81

-18.31%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.10 ₺1,058

$4.57 €4.09

361.71%

Apples (1kg)

$1.86 ₺93.1

$2.11 €1.89

-11.85%

Banana (1kg)

$2.30 ₺115

$1.47 €1.31

56.46%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.22 ₺61.0

$2.05 €1.84

-40.49%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺90.2

$2.45 €2.19

-26.53%

Potato (1kg)

$0.69 ₺34.83

$0.73 €0.66

-5.48%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺32.16

$0.57 €0.51

12.28%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.36 ₺68.0

$1.87 €1.67

-27.27%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 ₺28.94

$1.19 €1.06

-51.26%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.34 ₺117

$6.76 €6.05

-65.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.03 ₺653

$10.46 €9.36

24.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.36 ₺118

$2.03 €1.81

16.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.32 ₺166

$2.43 €2.18

36.63%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.88 ₺44.07

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.1 ₺3,316

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 ₺64.4

$3.60 €3.22

-64.44%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 ₺42.80

$1.02 €0.91

-16.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.09 ₺556

$27.28 €24.41

-59.35%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 ₺74.0

$1.91 €1.71

-22.51%

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

$48.6K ₺2.4M

$28.2K €25.3K

72.25%

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

$42.0K ₺2.1M

$30.1K €26.9K

39.37%

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

$92.7 ₺4,650

$306 €274

-69.75%

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

$11.20 ₺562

$17.57 €15.72

-36.25%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.89 ₺797

$35.04 €31.36

-54.65%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.7 ₺3,745

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.95 ₺1,151

Cinema Ticket

$8.05 ₺404

$4.96 €4.43

62.30%

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

$948 ₺47.6K

$462 €414

105.17%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.9K ₺1.9M

$11.7K €10.5K

214.60%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₺2,702

$110 €98.1

-50.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.49 ₺2,081

$49.10 €43.94

-15.50%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 ₺5,060

$106 €94.6

-4.57%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.3 ₺4,580

$122 €109

-24.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,014 ₺50.8K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$625 ₺31.3K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,005 ₺100.6K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,126 ₺56.5K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,988 ₺149.8K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,730 ₺86.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,136 ₺57.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.42

3.93

928.50%

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

Last update for Istanbul: November 2, 2026

Last update for Rakvere: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$625 41.1%

Rakvere

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$258 17%

Rakvere

$228 22.8% 11.8% $30

Eating Out

Istanbul

$221 14.6%

Rakvere

$220 22% 0.6% $1.3

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$129 8.5%

Rakvere

$174 17.4% 34.2% $44

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$120 7.9%

Rakvere

$359 36% 200% $239

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$91 6%

Rakvere

$9.9 * 1% 89.1% $81

Getting Around

Istanbul

$75 5%

Rakvere

$8.7 * 0.9% 88.4% $66

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55 in Istanbul versus $66 in Rakvere. Groceries tell a different story – $258 in Istanbul vs $228 in Rakvere – so Rakvere wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇪🇪 Rakvere

🕒 Local time

23:18 11:18 PM

22:18 10:18 PM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

16,953

💱 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 = 56.05 TRY (100 TRY = 1.78 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 0.895 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Istanbul Rakvere 2,050 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Rakvere

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 Rakvere: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 52%, 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 $1,498 in Rakvere. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55 in Istanbul and $66 in Rakvere. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 13% more in Istanbul, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Rakvere, where all-in costs run around $999, than in Istanbul at $1,519. In Rakvere it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Istanbul has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $999 in Rakvere to $1,519 in Istanbul. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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