Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Rumia

For one person, living is cheaper in Rumia: $1,450 a month against $1,550 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $1,200 less a year. The total is higher in Istanbul despite lower rent and utilities.

75

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index
70

Cost of Living Index in Rumia
Learn more

Rumia Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

Rumia

🇵🇱 Poland

$1,450

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Rumia

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

A single person spends $1,550 per month in Istanbul vs $1,450 in Rumia, rent included.

Istanbul $1,550
Rumia $1,450

A couple spends around $2,415 per month in Istanbul vs $2,065 in Rumia, rent included.

Istanbul $2,415
Rumia $2,065

A family of three spends $3,281 per month in Istanbul vs $2,680 in Rumia, rent included.

Istanbul $3,281
Rumia $2,680

Istanbul costs about 7% more than Rumia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Istanbul and Rumia sit above the global median – Istanbul by 15%, Rumia by 7%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.30 ₺609

$10.06 zł 39.07

22.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.7 ₺2,708

$30.48 zł 118

79.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.22 ₺456

$6.63 zł 25.77

39.06%

Cappuccino

$4.40 ₺218

$3.72 zł 14.46

18.28%

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

$1.68 ₺83.1

$2.16 zł 8.40

-22.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₺29.40

$1.62 zł 6.31

-63.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.70 ₺233

$3.48 zł 13.52

35.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.91 ₺292

$3.91 zł 15.18

51.15%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 ₺60.0

$0.94 zł 3.66

28.72%

White Bread (500g)

$0.89 ₺44.10

$1.21 zł 4.72

-26.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.19 ₺108

$1.40 zł 5.45

56.43%

Eggs

$2.35 ₺116

$3.57 zł 13.88

-34.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.42 ₺516

$8.73 zł 33.91

19.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.65 ₺280

$6.25 zł 24.29

-9.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.94 ₺1,037

$11.74 zł 45.60

78.36%

Apples (1kg)

$1.90 ₺94.1

$1.12 zł 4.35

69.64%

Banana (1kg)

$2.31 ₺114

$1.65 zł 6.41

40.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.1

$1.58 zł 6.14

-18.99%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺89.0

$2.72 zł 10.58

-33.82%

Potato (1kg)

$0.65 ₺32.16

$0.88 zł 3.41

-26.14%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺31.91

$0.99 zł 3.84

-35.35%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 ₺62.1

$1.25 zł 4.87

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.58

$1.01 zł 3.92

-44.55%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.37 ₺118

$5.38 zł 20.92

-55.95%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.42 ₺664

$6.70 zł 26.02

100.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₺119

$1.08 zł 4.22

122.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 ₺172

$1.57 zł 6.11

121.66%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.89 ₺43.84

$1.28 zł 4.96

-30.47%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.4 ₺3,338

$31.33 zł 122

115.23%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.29 ₺64.1

$2.00 zł 7.76

-35.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 ₺45.70

$0.73 zł 2.85

26.03%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.96 ₺542

$9.63 zł 37.43

13.81%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ₺72.9

$1.69 zł 6.57

-13.02%

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

$50.8K ₺2.5M

$30.2K zł 117.3K

68.21%

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

$44.5K ₺2.2M

$26.6K zł 103.4K

67.33%

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

$88.6 ₺4,387

$278 zł 1,081

-68.16%

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

$11.59 ₺574

$8.51 zł 33.06

36.19%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.81 ₺783

$17.01 zł 66.1

-7.05%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.2 ₺3,820

$38.18 zł 148

102.10%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.74 ₺1,126

$21.71 zł 84.4

4.74%

Cinema Ticket

$8.14 ₺403

$7.21 zł 28.01

12.90%

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

$1,008 ₺49.9K

$369 zł 1,433

173.35%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.6K ₺1.3M

$7,850 zł 30.5K

225.62%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.0 ₺2,671

$81.2 zł 316

-33.58%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.83 ₺2,021

$40.32 zł 157

1.26%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.9 ₺4,895

$87.1 zł 338

13.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.6 ₺4,783

$99.1 zł 385

-2.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$985 ₺48.7K

$612 zł 2,377

60.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$650 ₺32.2K

$514 zł 1,998

26.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,983 ₺98.2K

$978 zł 3,798

102.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,180 ₺58.4K

$825 zł 3,204

43.08%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,138 ₺155.4K

$2,692 zł 10.5K

16.59%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,780 ₺88.1K

$1,985 zł 7,711

-10.32%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,205 ₺59.7K

$1,483 zł 5,762

-18.73%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.92

6.68

512.57%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 13, 2026

Last update for Rumia: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$650 41.9%

Rumia

$514 35.5% 20.9% $136

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$260 16.8%

Rumia

$213 14.7% 17.9% $46

Eating Out

Istanbul

$223 14.4%

Rumia

$185 12.8% 17% $38

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$131 8.4%

Rumia

$138 9.6% 6% $7.9

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$116 7.5%

Rumia

$304 21% 162% $188

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$93 6%

Rumia

$53 3.6% 43.7% $41

Getting Around

Istanbul

$77 5%

Rumia

$42 2.9% 45.2% $35

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $985 in Istanbul versus $612 in Rumia. 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 23% higher in Rumia, 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 $55.0 in Istanbul versus $30.00 in Rumia. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $260 vs $213 – making Rumia the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇵🇱 Rumia

🕒 Local time

04:57 4:57 AM

03:57 3:57 AM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

49,672

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Polish Złoty PLN zł

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 2.02 USD

100 TRY = 1.8 EUR

1 PLN = 0.257 USD

1 PLN = 0.229 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PLN, USD, EUR to TRY – Turkish Lira Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇷 Turkish Lira (₺)

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 49.51 TRY (100 TRY = 2.02 USD). 1 EUR = 55.66 TRY (100 TRY = 1.8 EUR).

Polish Złoty exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 3.89 PLN (1 PLN = 0.257 USD). 1 EUR = 4.37 PLN (1 PLN = 0.229 EUR).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Istanbul Rumia 1,700 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Rumia

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 Rumia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 7%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,325 per month in Istanbul and $2,175 in Rumia. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Kindergarten costs $1,008 per month in Istanbul and $369 in Rumia. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 22% more in Istanbul, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Rumia, where all-in costs run around $1,450, than in Istanbul at $1,550. In Rumia it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Rumia – 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 Rumia. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Istanbul makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.