Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Roubaix

For one person, living is cheaper in Istanbul: $1,525 a month against $1,656 in Roubaix, rent and utilities included – about $1,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

74

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index
80

Cost of Living Index in Roubaix
Learn more

Roubaix Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,525

/mo nomad

Roubaix

🇫🇷 France

$1,656

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Roubaix

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

A single person spends $1,525 per month in Istanbul vs $1,656 in Roubaix, rent included.

Istanbul $1,525
Roubaix $1,656

A couple spends around $2,390 per month in Istanbul vs $2,580 in Roubaix, rent included.

Istanbul $2,390
Roubaix $2,580

A family of three spends $3,256 per month in Istanbul vs $3,505 in Roubaix, rent included.

Istanbul $3,256
Roubaix $3,505

Istanbul is about 8% cheaper than Roubaix, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Istanbul and Roubaix sit above the global median – Istanbul by 13%, Roubaix by 22%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.96 ₺592

$18.17 €16.16

-34.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$57.2 ₺2,834

$74.0 €65.8

-22.61%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.51 ₺471

$13.62 €12.11

-30.18%

Cappuccino

$4.40 ₺218

$3.83 €3.41

14.88%

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

$1.75 ₺86.6

$3.19 €2.84

-45.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.57

$1.64 €1.46

-65.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.71 ₺233

$7.59 €6.75

-37.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.14 ₺304

$5.67 €5.04

8.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.24 ₺61.6

$1.14 €1.02

8.77%

White Bread (500g)

$0.95 ₺47.25

$1.59 €1.41

-40.25%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.28 ₺113

$2.82 €2.51

-19.15%

Eggs

$2.45 ₺121

$2.04 €1.81

20.10%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.56 ₺523

$12.71 €11.30

-16.92%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.50 ₺272

$9.01 €8.01

-38.96%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.65 ₺1,072

$13.08 €11.64

65.52%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 ₺90.6

$0.98 €0.88

86.73%

Banana (1kg)

$2.29 ₺113

$1.11 €0.98

106.31%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.4

$2.19 €1.95

-41.55%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.82 ₺90.1

$2.70 €2.40

-32.59%

Potato (1kg)

$0.66 ₺32.74

$0.76 €0.67

-13.16%

Onion (1kg)

$0.63 ₺31.14

$0.92 €0.82

-31.52%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.27 ₺62.8

$1.68 €1.49

-24.40%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.62

$0.22 €0.19

154.55%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.36 ₺117

$11.66 €10.37

-79.76%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.98 ₺642

$8.48 €7.55

53.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.48 ₺123

$2.37 €2.10

4.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.50 ₺174

$4.27 €3.80

-18.03%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.82 ₺40.77

$1.94 €1.72

-57.73%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.2 ₺3,228

$48.11 €42.80

35.52%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.33 ₺65.7

$2.21 €1.97

-39.82%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.90 ₺44.60

$2.15 €1.91

-58.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.91 ₺540

$24.07 €21.41

-54.67%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.43 ₺70.7

$2.07 €1.84

-30.92%

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

$49.6K ₺2.5M

$28.3K €25.1K

75.32%

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

$43.2K ₺2.1M

$27.7K €24.6K

56.06%

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

$88.8 ₺4,395

$176 €157

-49.70%

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

$11.69 ₺579

$15.18 €13.50

-22.99%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.09 ₺797

$30.56 €27.18

-47.35%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$76.3 ₺3,776

$35.62 €31.68

114.09%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.72 ₺1,125

Cinema Ticket

$8.26 ₺409

$10.97 €9.76

-24.70%

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

$1,015 ₺50.2K

$629 €560

61.31%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.8K ₺1.3M

$8,319 €7,399

210.60%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.3 ₺2,636

$87.0 €77.4

-38.82%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.55 ₺2,008

$40.20 €35.76

0.87%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100 ₺4,956

$101 €89.5

-0.52%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.5 ₺4,630

$102 €91.1

-8.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$977 ₺48.4K

$756 €672

29.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$627 ₺31.0K

$604 €537

3.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,980 ₺98.0K

$1,360 €1,209

45.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,147 ₺56.8K

$1,132 €1,007

1.31%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,095 ₺153.2K

$3,956 €3,519

-21.76%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,787 ₺88.5K

$3,007 €2,675

-40.57%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,213 ₺60.1K

$1,761 €1,566

-31.11%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.69

3.92

938.01%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 19, 2026

Last update for Roubaix: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$627 41.1%

Roubaix

$604 36.5% 3.7% $23

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$263 17.2%

Roubaix

$254 15.3% 3.4% $8.8

Eating Out

Istanbul

$222 14.6%

Roubaix

$301 18.2% 35.4% $79

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$129 8.5%

Roubaix

$149 9% 14.9% $19

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$117 7.6%

Roubaix

$222 13.4% 90.6% $106

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$93 6.1%

Roubaix

$58 3.5% 38% $35

Getting Around

Istanbul

$74 4.9%

Roubaix

$69 4.2% 7.4% $5.5

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $977 in Istanbul versus $756 in Roubaix. 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 45% higher in Roubaix, 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 $57.0 in Istanbul versus $74.0 in Roubaix. Groceries tell a different story – $263 in Istanbul vs $254 in Roubaix – so Roubaix wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇫🇷 Roubaix

🕒 Local time

20:46 8:46 PM

19:46 7:46 PM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

98,892

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 2.02 USD

100 TRY = 1.8 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 October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 49.51 TRY (100 TRY = 2.02 USD). 1 EUR = 55.66 TRY (100 TRY = 1.8 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Istanbul Roubaix 2,250 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Roubaix

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 Roubaix: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Roubaix is pricier by about 9%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,287 per month in Istanbul and $2,484 in Roubaix. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Istanbul, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $1,015 per month in Istanbul and $629 in Roubaix. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 3% cheaper in Roubaix – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Istanbul, where all-in costs run around $1,525, than in Roubaix at $1,656. In Istanbul it covers expenses comfortably, while in Roubaix it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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