Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Râșnov

For one person, living is cheaper in Râșnov: $929 a month against $1,519 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $7,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

73

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index
44

Cost of Living Index in Râșnov
Learn more

Râșnov Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,519

/mo nomad

Râșnov

🇷🇴 Romania

$929

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Râșnov

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

A single person spends $1,519 per month in Istanbul vs $929 in Râșnov, rent included.

Istanbul $1,519
Râșnov $929

A couple spends around $2,365 per month in Istanbul vs $1,431 in Râșnov, rent included.

Istanbul $2,365
Râșnov $1,431

A family of three spends $3,212 per month in Istanbul vs $1,932 in Râșnov, rent included.

Istanbul $3,212
Râșnov $1,932

Istanbul costs about 63% more than Râșnov, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Istanbul sits 12% above the global median, while Râșnov is 31% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.81 ₺592

$8.17 RON 39.04

44.55%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.9 ₺2,754

$41.72 RON 199

31.62%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.26 ₺465

$7.39 RON 35.31

25.30%

Cappuccino

$4.30 ₺216

$2.19 RON 10.46

96.35%

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

$1.77 ₺89.0

$1.51 RON 7.20

17.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺28.32

$1.19 RON 5.70

-52.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.69 ₺235

$1.73 RON 8.25

171.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.12 ₺357

$2.26 RON 10.82

215.04%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 ₺62.7

$1.41 RON 6.74

-11.35%

White Bread (500g)

$0.88 ₺44.17

$1.12 RON 5.36

-21.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 ₺111

$1.39 RON 6.64

58.27%

Eggs

$2.43 ₺122

$2.92 RON 13.97

-16.78%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.48 ₺526

$7.88 RON 37.65

32.99%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.31 ₺267

$5.82 RON 27.82

-8.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.10 ₺1,058

$10.19 RON 48.69

107.07%

Apples (1kg)

$1.86 ₺93.1

$0.92 RON 4.42

102.17%

Banana (1kg)

$2.30 ₺115

$1.26 RON 6.02

82.54%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.22 ₺61.0

$1.44 RON 6.87

-15.28%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺90.2

$1.81 RON 8.63

-0.55%

Potato (1kg)

$0.69 ₺34.83

$0.76 RON 3.62

-9.21%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺32.16

$0.54 RON 2.58

18.52%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.36 ₺68.0

$0.84 RON 4.03

61.90%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 ₺28.94

$0.77 RON 3.66

-24.68%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.34 ₺117

$5.99 RON 28.63

-60.93%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.03 ₺653

$7.38 RON 35.28

76.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.36 ₺118

$1.06 RON 5.09

122.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.32 ₺166

$1.53 RON 7.30

116.99%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.88 ₺44.07

$0.72 RON 3.44

22.22%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.1 ₺3,316

$21.92 RON 105

201.64%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 ₺64.4

$0.66 RON 3.17

93.94%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 ₺42.80

$0.68 RON 3.26

25.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.09 ₺556

$6.61 RON 31.60

67.78%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 ₺74.0

$1.85 RON 8.83

-20.00%

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

$48.6K ₺2.4M

$29.0K RON 138.6K

67.78%

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

$42.0K ₺2.1M

$25.1K RON 120.0K

67.18%

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

$92.7 ₺4,650

$102 RON 486

-8.89%

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

$11.20 ₺562

$7.17 RON 34.25

56.21%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.89 ₺797

$8.28 RON 39.57

91.91%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.7 ₺3,745

$37.13 RON 177

101.13%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.95 ₺1,151

$18.04 RON 86.2

27.22%

Cinema Ticket

$8.05 ₺404

$6.10 RON 29.17

31.97%

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

$948 ₺47.6K

$429 RON 2,052

120.94%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.9K ₺1.9M

$7,643 RON 36.5K

383.05%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₺2,702

$53.4 RON 255

0.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.49 ₺2,081

$35.39 RON 169

17.24%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 ₺5,060

$76.3 RON 365

32.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.3 ₺4,580

$77.9 RON 372

17.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,014 ₺50.8K

$388 RON 1,857

160.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$625 ₺31.3K

$295 RON 1,409

111.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,005 ₺100.6K

$624 RON 2,983

221.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,126 ₺56.5K

$459 RON 2,194

145.32%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,988 ₺149.8K

$1,900 RON 9,081

57.27%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,730 ₺86.8K

$1,371 RON 6,551

26.24%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,136 ₺57.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.42

7.23

459.06%

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

Last update for Istanbul: November 2, 2026

Last update for Râșnov: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$625 41.1%

Râșnov

$295 31.7% 52.8% $330

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$258 17%

Râșnov

$192 20.7% 25.7% $66

Eating Out

Istanbul

$221 14.6%

Râșnov

$138 14.8% 37.7% $83

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$129 8.5%

Râșnov

$109 11.8% 15.5% $20

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$120 7.9%

Râșnov

$117 12.6% 2.2% $2.6

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$91 6%

Râșnov

$49 5.3% 45.7% $41

Getting Around

Istanbul

$75 5%

Râșnov

$29 3.1% 61.6% $46

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,014 in Istanbul versus $388 in Râșnov. 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 $42 in Râșnov. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $192 – making Râșnov the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇷🇴 Râșnov

🕒 Local time

18:07 6:07 PM

17:07 5:07 PM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

16,384

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 1.99 USD

100 TRY = 1.78 EUR

1 RON = 0.209 USD

1 RON = 0.186 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 November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 50.15 TRY (100 TRY = 1.99 USD). 1 EUR = 56.33 TRY (100 TRY = 1.78 EUR).

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 4.78 RON (1 RON = 0.209 USD). 1 EUR = 5.37 RON (1 RON = 0.186 EUR).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Istanbul Râșnov 580 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Râșnov

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 Râșnov: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 63%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,278 per month in Istanbul and $1,394 in Râșnov. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Râșnov, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $388 there versus $1,014 in Istanbul.

Kindergarten costs $948 per month in Istanbul and $429 in Râșnov. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 35% more in Istanbul, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Râșnov, where all-in costs run around $929, than in Istanbul at $1,519. In Râșnov it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Râșnov – 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.

For expats, Râșnov is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 39% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.