Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Roman

For one person, living is cheaper in Roman: $842 a month against $1,519 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $8,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

73

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index
40

Cost of Living Index in Roman
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Roman Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,519

/mo nomad

Roman

🇷🇴 Romania

$842

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Roman

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

A single person spends $1,519 per month in Istanbul vs $842 in Roman, rent included.

Istanbul $1,519
Roman $842

A couple spends around $2,365 per month in Istanbul vs $1,393 in Roman, rent included.

Istanbul $2,365
Roman $1,393

A family of three spends $3,212 per month in Istanbul vs $1,944 in Roman, rent included.

Istanbul $3,212
Roman $1,944

Istanbul costs about 80% more than Roman, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Istanbul sits 12% above the global median, while Roman is 38% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.81 ₺592

$10.46 RON 49.71

12.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.9 ₺2,754

$33.05 RON 157

66.14%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.26 ₺465

$7.27 RON 34.53

27.37%

Cappuccino

$4.30 ₺216

$2.54 RON 12.06

69.29%

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

$1.77 ₺89.0

$1.35 RON 6.40

31.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺28.32

$1.04 RON 4.93

-46.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.69 ₺235

$2.14 RON 10.17

119.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.12 ₺357

$2.18 RON 10.35

226.61%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 ₺62.7

$1.18 RON 5.62

5.93%

White Bread (500g)

$0.88 ₺44.17

$0.66 RON 3.15

33.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 ₺111

$1.43 RON 6.81

53.85%

Eggs

$2.43 ₺122

$2.91 RON 13.83

-16.49%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.48 ₺526

$7.85 RON 37.31

33.50%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.31 ₺267

$5.76 RON 27.36

-7.81%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.10 ₺1,058

$8.25 RON 39.20

155.76%

Apples (1kg)

$1.86 ₺93.1

$1.07 RON 5.06

73.83%

Banana (1kg)

$2.30 ₺115

$1.49 RON 7.10

54.36%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.22 ₺61.0

$1.39 RON 6.59

-12.23%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺90.2

$1.83 RON 8.69

-1.64%

Potato (1kg)

$0.69 ₺34.83

$0.68 RON 3.25

1.47%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺32.16

$0.83 RON 3.94

-22.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.36 ₺68.0

$0.81 RON 3.86

67.90%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 ₺28.94

$0.73 RON 3.45

-20.55%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.34 ₺117

$5.32 RON 25.26

-56.02%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.03 ₺653

$5.38 RON 25.58

142.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.36 ₺118

$0.96 RON 4.56

145.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.32 ₺166

$1.17 RON 5.58

183.76%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.88 ₺44.07

$0.74 RON 3.53

18.92%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.1 ₺3,316

$20.48 RON 97.3

222.85%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 ₺64.4

$0.65 RON 3.11

96.92%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 ₺42.80

$0.65 RON 3.08

30.77%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.09 ₺556

$7.36 RON 34.97

50.68%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 ₺74.0

$1.82 RON 8.65

-18.68%

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

$48.6K ₺2.4M

$28.3K RON 134.5K

71.81%

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

$42.0K ₺2.1M

$24.7K RON 117.6K

69.62%

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

$92.7 ₺4,650

$147 RON 699

-36.98%

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

$11.20 ₺562

$6.70 RON 31.84

67.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.89 ₺797

$8.03 RON 38.17

97.88%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.7 ₺3,745

$37.42 RON 178

99.57%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.95 ₺1,151

$17.23 RON 81.9

33.20%

Cinema Ticket

$8.05 ₺404

$6.26 RON 29.72

28.59%

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

$948 ₺47.6K

$290 RON 1,376

227.41%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.9K ₺1.9M

$6,433 RON 30.6K

473.87%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₺2,702

$96.0 RON 456

-43.85%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.49 ₺2,081

$25.20 RON 120

64.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 ₺5,060

$61.6 RON 292

63.92%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.3 ₺4,580

$58.4 RON 278

56.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,014 ₺50.8K

$213 RON 1,014

374.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$625 ₺31.3K

$159 RON 754

293.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,005 ₺100.6K

$611 RON 2,905

228.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,126 ₺56.5K

$459 RON 2,181

145.33%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,988 ₺149.8K

$1,818 RON 8,640

64.31%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,730 ₺86.8K

$1,519 RON 7,217

13.91%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,136 ₺57.0K

$828 RON 3,934

37.26%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.42

7.2

461.39%

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

Last update for Istanbul: November 2, 2026

Last update for Roman: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$625 41.1%

Roman

$159 18.8% 74.6% $466

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$258 17%

Roman

$176 20.8% 32% $83

Eating Out

Istanbul

$221 14.6%

Roman

$161 19.1% 27.3% $60

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$129 8.5%

Roman

$109 12.9% 16.2% $21

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$120 7.9%

Roman

$162 19.2% 35.1% $42

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$91 6%

Roman

$50 5.9% 45% $41

Getting Around

Istanbul

$75 5%

Roman

$27 3.3% 63.6% $48

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,014 in Istanbul versus $213 in Roman. 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 37% 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 $33 in Roman. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $176 – making Roman the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇷🇴 Roman

🕒 Local time

06:29 6:29 AM

05:29 5:29 AM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

80,328

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 1.99 USD

100 TRY = 1.78 EUR

1 RON = 0.21 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 = 56.3 TRY (100 TRY = 1.78 EUR).

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 4.75 RON (1 RON = 0.21 USD). 1 EUR = 5.33 RON (1 RON = 0.187 EUR).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Istanbul Roman 680 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Roman

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 Roman: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 80%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,278 per month in Istanbul and $1,264 in Roman. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Roman, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $213 there versus $1,014 in Istanbul.

Kindergarten costs $948 per month in Istanbul and $290 in Roman. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 47% more in Istanbul, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Roman, where all-in costs run around $842, than in Istanbul at $1,519. In Roman it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Roman – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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