Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Ramnicu Sarat

For one person, living is cheaper in Ramnicu Sarat: $1,072 a month against $1,516 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $5,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

73

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index
52

Cost of Living Index in Ramnicu Sarat
Learn more

Ramnicu Sarat Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,516

/mo nomad

Ramnicu Sarat

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,072

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Ramnicu Sarat

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

A single person spends $1,516 per month in Istanbul vs $1,072 in Ramnicu Sarat, rent included.

Istanbul $1,516
Ramnicu Sarat $1,072

A couple spends around $2,356 per month in Istanbul vs $1,677 in Ramnicu Sarat, rent included.

Istanbul $2,356
Ramnicu Sarat $1,677

A family of three spends $3,197 per month in Istanbul vs $2,282 in Ramnicu Sarat, rent included.

Istanbul $3,197
Ramnicu Sarat $2,282

Istanbul costs about 41% more than Ramnicu Sarat, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Istanbul sits 11% above the global median, while Ramnicu Sarat is 21% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.59 ₺577

$12.55 RON 60.3

-7.65%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.7 ₺2,725

$62.6 RON 301

-12.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.39 ₺468

$7.31 RON 35.14

28.45%

Cappuccino

$4.23 ₺211

$3.23 RON 15.53

30.96%

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

$1.72 ₺85.6

$1.79 RON 8.59

-3.91%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.57 ₺28.26

$1.29 RON 6.18

-55.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.65 ₺232

$2.27 RON 10.93

104.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.84 ₺341

$3.07 RON 14.77

122.80%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.20 ₺60.0

$1.59 RON 7.66

-24.53%

White Bread (500g)

$0.94 ₺46.97

$1.19 RON 5.74

-21.01%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.24 ₺112

$1.62 RON 7.81

38.27%

Eggs

$2.42 ₺121

$3.01 RON 14.47

-19.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.24 ₺510

$8.00 RON 38.44

28.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.38 ₺268

$5.59 RON 26.86

-3.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.19 ₺1,056

$9.17 RON 44.07

131.08%

Apples (1kg)

$1.89 ₺94.3

$1.32 RON 6.34

43.18%

Banana (1kg)

$2.22 ₺111

$1.57 RON 7.54

41.40%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.26 ₺62.7

$1.57 RON 7.54

-19.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.81 ₺90.0

$2.59 RON 12.47

-30.12%

Potato (1kg)

$0.70 ₺34.84

$0.96 RON 4.60

-27.08%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺32.13

$0.92 RON 4.41

-30.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.22 ₺60.9

$1.02 RON 4.91

19.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ₺27.35

$0.87 RON 4.20

-36.78%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.32 ₺116

$6.20 RON 29.80

-62.58%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.31 ₺663

$6.39 RON 30.69

108.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.33 ₺116

$1.06 RON 5.08

119.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 ₺172

$1.73 RON 8.30

100.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.91 ₺45.18

$0.76 RON 3.68

19.74%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.3 ₺3,306

$21.35 RON 103

210.73%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.29 ₺64.2

$0.83 RON 3.97

55.42%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.86 ₺42.66

$0.81 RON 3.88

6.17%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.09 ₺553

$7.42 RON 35.67

49.46%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.42 ₺70.8

$1.94 RON 9.33

-26.80%

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

$49.2K ₺2.5M

$29.1K RON 139.8K

69.13%

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

$42.8K ₺2.1M

$24.9K RON 119.6K

72.02%

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

$87.7 ₺4,373

$166 RON 799

-47.21%

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

$11.28 ₺562

$7.38 RON 35.45

52.85%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.89 ₺792

$7.69 RON 36.94

106.63%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$75.9 ₺3,783

$37.34 RON 179

103.27%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.04 ₺1,148

$20.71 RON 99.6

11.25%

Cinema Ticket

$8.20 ₺409

$6.81 RON 32.72

20.41%

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

$1,028 ₺51.2K

$571 RON 2,746

79.95%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$26.0K ₺1.3M

$7,618 RON 36.6K

240.81%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.3 ₺2,658

$66.3 RON 319

-19.61%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.69 ₺1,978

$44.91 RON 216

-11.62%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.8 ₺4,972

$89.0 RON 428

12.08%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.5 ₺4,661

$87.1 RON 418

7.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,003 ₺50.0K

$384 RON 1,845

161.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$628 ₺31.3K

$288 RON 1,385

117.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,963 ₺97.8K

$607 RON 2,915

223.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,122 ₺55.9K

$450 RON 2,163

149.21%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,075 ₺153.2K

$1,884 RON 9,052

63.24%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,753 ₺87.3K

$1,354 RON 6,510

29.40%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,180 ₺58.8K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.69

6.99

482.12%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 27, 2026

Last update for Ramnicu Sarat: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$628 41.5%

Ramnicu Sarat

$288 26.9% 54.1% $340

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$258 17%

Ramnicu Sarat

$202 18.8% 21.8% $56

Eating Out

Istanbul

$218 14.4%

Ramnicu Sarat

$191 17.8% 12.3% $27

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$129 8.5%

Ramnicu Sarat

$129 12.1% 0.4% $0.5

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$115 7.6%

Ramnicu Sarat

$181 16.9% 57.7% $66

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$92 6.1%

Ramnicu Sarat

$51 4.8% 44.8% $41

Getting Around

Istanbul

$76 5%

Ramnicu Sarat

$29 2.7% 61.2% $46

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,003 in Istanbul versus $384 in Ramnicu Sarat. 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 in Istanbul versus $63 in Ramnicu Sarat. Groceries tell a different story – $258 in Istanbul vs $202 in Ramnicu Sarat – so Ramnicu Sarat wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇷🇴 Ramnicu Sarat

🕒 Local time

03:12 3:12 AM

02:12 2:12 AM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

41,405

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 2.01 USD

100 TRY = 1.8 EUR

1 RON = 0.208 USD

1 RON = 0.187 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RON, USD, EUR to TRY – Turkish Lira Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇷 Turkish Lira (₺)

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 49.83 TRY (100 TRY = 2.01 USD). 1 EUR = 55.48 TRY (100 TRY = 1.8 EUR).

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 4.81 RON (1 RON = 0.208 USD). 1 EUR = 5.35 RON (1 RON = 0.187 EUR).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Istanbul Ramnicu Sarat 510 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Ramnicu Sarat

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 Ramnicu Sarat: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 41%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,274 per month in Istanbul and $1,608 in Ramnicu Sarat. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Ramnicu Sarat, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $384 there versus $1,003 in Istanbul.

Kindergarten costs $1,028 per month in Istanbul and $571 in Ramnicu Sarat. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 28% more in Istanbul, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Ramnicu Sarat, where all-in costs run around $1,072, than in Istanbul at $1,516. In Ramnicu Sarat it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Ramnicu Sarat – 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.