Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Rethymno

For one person, living is cheaper in Rethymno: $1,352 a month against $1,519 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $2,000 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
65

Cost of Living Index in Rethymno
Learn more

Rethymno Living Index

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Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,519

/mo nomad

Rethymno

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,352

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Rethymno

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

A single person spends $1,519 per month in Istanbul vs $1,352 in Rethymno, rent included.

Istanbul $1,519
Rethymno $1,352

A couple spends around $2,365 per month in Istanbul vs $2,025 in Rethymno, rent included.

Istanbul $2,365
Rethymno $2,025

A family of three spends $3,212 per month in Istanbul vs $2,698 in Rethymno, rent included.

Istanbul $3,212
Rethymno $2,698

Istanbul costs about 12% more than Rethymno, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.81 ₺592

$12.72 €11.33

-7.15%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.9 ₺2,754

$55.6 €49.53

-1.28%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.26 ₺465

$10.03 €8.93

-7.68%

Cappuccino

$4.30 ₺216

$3.63 €3.23

18.46%

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

$1.77 ₺89.0

$1.65 €1.47

7.27%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺28.32

$0.58 €0.51

-3.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.69 ₺235

$4.36 €3.88

7.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.12 ₺357

$5.43 €4.83

31.12%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 ₺62.7

$1.52 €1.36

-17.76%

White Bread (500g)

$0.88 ₺44.17

$1.26 €1.12

-30.16%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 ₺111

$2.19 €1.95

0.46%

Eggs

$2.43 ₺122

$4.52 €4.02

-46.24%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.48 ₺526

$14.78 €13.16

-29.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.31 ₺267

$9.23 €8.21

-42.47%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.10 ₺1,058

$15.06 €13.41

40.11%

Apples (1kg)

$1.86 ₺93.1

$2.11 €1.88

-11.85%

Banana (1kg)

$2.30 ₺115

$2.00 €1.79

15.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.22 ₺61.0

$1.21 €1.07

0.83%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺90.2

$1.70 €1.51

5.88%

Potato (1kg)

$0.69 ₺34.83

$0.94 €0.84

-26.60%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺32.16

$1.01 €0.90

-36.63%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.36 ₺68.0

$0.64 €0.57

112.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 ₺28.94

$0.72 €0.64

-19.44%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.34 ₺117

$4.37 €3.89

-46.45%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.03 ₺653

$6.80 €6.06

91.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.36 ₺118

$1.77 €1.57

33.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.32 ₺166

$1.91 €1.70

73.82%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.88 ₺44.07

$1.84 €1.64

-52.17%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.1 ₺3,316

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 ₺64.4

$4.49 €4.00

-71.49%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 ₺42.80

$1.03 €0.92

-17.48%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.09 ₺556

$22.48 €20.02

-50.67%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 ₺74.0

$2.23 €1.98

-33.63%

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

$48.6K ₺2.4M

$21.9K €19.5K

121.79%

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

$42.0K ₺2.1M

$24.5K €21.8K

71.24%

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

$92.7 ₺4,650

$195 €174

-52.58%

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

$11.20 ₺562

$18.42 €16.40

-39.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.89 ₺797

$30.44 €27.10

-47.80%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.7 ₺3,745

$62.3 €55.4

19.95%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.95 ₺1,151

Cinema Ticket

$8.05 ₺404

$8.42 €7.50

-4.39%

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

$948 ₺47.6K

$363 €324

160.99%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.9K ₺1.9M

$1,363 €1,214

2607.86%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₺2,702

$89.6 €79.8

-39.85%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.49 ₺2,081

$11.41 €10.16

263.63%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 ₺5,060

$44.26 €39.41

127.95%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.3 ₺4,580

$45.51 €40.53

100.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,014 ₺50.8K

$561 €500

80.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$625 ₺31.3K

$440 €392

41.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,005 ₺100.6K

$916 €815

118.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,126 ₺56.5K

$700 €624

60.79%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,988 ₺149.8K

$4,180 €3,722

-28.53%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,730 ₺86.8K

$2,936 €2,614

-41.06%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,136 ₺57.0K

$1,196 €1,065

-4.99%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.42

4.3

840.00%

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

Last update for Istanbul: November 2, 2026

Last update for Rethymno: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$625 41.1%

Rethymno

$440 32.6% 29.5% $184

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$258 17%

Rethymno

$269 19.9% 4% $10

Eating Out

Istanbul

$221 14.6%

Rethymno

$217 16.1% 1.8% $4

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$129 8.5%

Rethymno

$86 6.4% 33.7% $44

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$120 7.9%

Rethymno

$244 18.1% 104% $125

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$91 6%

Rethymno

$79 5.9% 12.9% $12

Getting Around

Istanbul

$75 5%

Rethymno

$17 * 1.3% 77.4% $58

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,014 in Istanbul versus $561 in Rethymno. 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 5% higher in Rethymno, 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 in Istanbul versus $56 in Rethymno. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $269 – making Istanbul the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇬🇷 Rethymno

🕒 Local time

18:00 6:00 PM

17:00 5:00 PM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

35,763

💱 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 = 56.33 TRY (100 TRY = 1.78 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 0.89 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Istanbul Rethymno 740 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Rethymno

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 Rethymno: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 12%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,278 per month in Istanbul and $2,028 in Rethymno. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Rethymno, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $561 there versus $1,014 in Istanbul.

Interestingly, groceries are about 4% cheaper in Istanbul – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

Kindergarten costs $948 per month in Istanbul and $363 in Rethymno. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Rethymno, where all-in costs run around $1,352, than in Istanbul at $1,519. In Rethymno it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Rethymno – 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.