Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Resita

For one person, living is cheaper in Resita: $1,005 a month against $1,519 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $6,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

73

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index
48

Cost of Living Index in Resita
Learn more

Resita Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,519

/mo nomad

Resita

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,005

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Resita

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

A single person spends $1,519 per month in Istanbul vs $1,005 in Resita, rent included.

Istanbul $1,519
Resita $1,005

A couple spends around $2,365 per month in Istanbul vs $1,505 in Resita, rent included.

Istanbul $2,365
Resita $1,505

A family of three spends $3,212 per month in Istanbul vs $2,005 in Resita, rent included.

Istanbul $3,212
Resita $2,005

Istanbul costs about 51% more than Resita, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.81 ₺592

$7.51 RON 35.89

57.26%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.9 ₺2,754

$41.46 RON 198

32.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.26 ₺465

$7.22 RON 34.52

28.25%

Cappuccino

$4.30 ₺216

$1.69 RON 8.09

154.44%

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

$1.77 ₺89.0

$2.19 RON 10.49

-19.18%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺28.32

$1.79 RON 8.54

-68.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.69 ₺235

$2.16 RON 10.31

117.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.12 ₺357

$3.44 RON 16.42

106.98%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 ₺62.7

$1.13 RON 5.42

10.62%

White Bread (500g)

$0.88 ₺44.17

$0.81 RON 3.87

8.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 ₺111

$1.37 RON 6.56

60.58%

Eggs

$2.43 ₺122

$3.42 RON 16.36

-28.95%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.48 ₺526

$7.10 RON 33.95

47.61%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.31 ₺267

$6.13 RON 29.30

-13.38%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.10 ₺1,058

$11.13 RON 53.2

89.58%

Apples (1kg)

$1.86 ₺93.1

$1.01 RON 4.84

84.16%

Banana (1kg)

$2.30 ₺115

$1.49 RON 7.10

54.36%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.22 ₺61.0

$1.45 RON 6.94

-15.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺90.2

$1.76 RON 8.43

2.27%

Potato (1kg)

$0.69 ₺34.83

$0.83 RON 3.98

-16.87%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺32.16

$0.85 RON 4.08

-24.71%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.36 ₺68.0

$0.70 RON 3.33

94.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 ₺28.94

$0.69 RON 3.32

-15.94%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.34 ₺117

$5.71 RON 27.30

-59.02%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.03 ₺653

$5.39 RON 25.79

141.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.36 ₺118

$0.65 RON 3.11

263.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.32 ₺166

$1.07 RON 5.14

210.28%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.88 ₺44.07

$0.66 RON 3.16

33.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.1 ₺3,316

$21.77 RON 104

203.72%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 ₺64.4

$0.60 RON 2.87

113.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 ₺42.80

$0.66 RON 3.14

28.79%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.09 ₺556

$9.63 RON 46.03

15.16%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 ₺74.0

$1.44 RON 6.87

2.78%

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

$48.6K ₺2.4M

$29.1K RON 138.9K

67.42%

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

$42.0K ₺2.1M

$25.4K RON 121.2K

65.51%

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

$92.7 ₺4,650

$186 RON 888

-50.11%

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

$11.20 ₺562

$9.56 RON 45.68

17.15%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.89 ₺797

$11.49 RON 54.9

38.29%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.7 ₺3,745

$38.22 RON 183

95.40%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.95 ₺1,151

$23.30 RON 111

-1.50%

Cinema Ticket

$8.05 ₺404

$7.17 RON 34.25

12.27%

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

$948 ₺47.6K

$332 RON 1,589

185.37%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.9K ₺1.9M

$8,059 RON 38.5K

358.09%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₺2,702

$41.15 RON 197

30.94%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.49 ₺2,081

$51.8 RON 248

-19.97%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 ₺5,060

$74.8 RON 357

34.92%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.3 ₺4,580

$62.7 RON 299

45.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,014 ₺50.8K

$378 RON 1,806

168.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$625 ₺31.3K

$294 RON 1,405

112.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,005 ₺100.6K

$622 RON 2,974

222.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,126 ₺56.5K

$459 RON 2,196

145.07%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,988 ₺149.8K

$1,937 RON 9,256

54.29%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,730 ₺86.8K

$1,365 RON 6,526

26.72%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,136 ₺57.0K

$816 RON 3,901

39.24%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.42

6.84

490.94%

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

Last update for Istanbul: November 2, 2026

Last update for Resita: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$625 41.1%

Resita

$294 29.2% 52.9% $331

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$258 17%

Resita

$184 18.3% 28.7% $74

Eating Out

Istanbul

$221 14.6%

Resita

$136 13.5% 38.6% $85

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$129 8.5%

Resita

$104 10.3% 19.9% $26

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$120 7.9%

Resita

$207 20.6% 72.7% $87

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$91 6%

Resita

$53 5.2% 42.1% $38

Getting Around

Istanbul

$75 5%

Resita

$28 2.8% 62.3% $47

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,014 in Istanbul versus $378 in Resita. 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 39% higher in Istanbul, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55 in Istanbul versus $41 in Resita. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $184 – making Resita the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇷🇴 Resita

🕒 Local time

22:54 10:54 PM

21:54 9:54 PM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

73,282

💱 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 = 0.187 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 November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 50.15 TRY (100 TRY = 1.99 USD). 1 EUR = 56.05 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 = 5.34 RON (1 RON = 0.187 EUR).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Istanbul Resita 750 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Resita

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 Resita: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 51%, 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 $1,508 in Resita. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Resita, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $378 there versus $1,014 in Istanbul.

Kindergarten costs $948 per month in Istanbul and $332 in Resita. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 40% more in Istanbul, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Resita, where all-in costs run around $1,005, than in Istanbul at $1,519. In Resita it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Resita – 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.

If budget matters most, go with Resita. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Istanbul makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.