Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Sabac

For one person, living is cheaper in Sabac: $840 a month against $1,525 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $8,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

74

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index
41

Cost of Living Index in Sabac
Learn more

Sabac Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,525

/mo nomad

Sabac

🇷🇸 Serbia

$840

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Sabac

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

A single person spends $1,525 per month in Istanbul vs $840 in Sabac, rent included.

Istanbul $1,525
Sabac $840

A couple spends around $2,390 per month in Istanbul vs $1,276 in Sabac, rent included.

Istanbul $2,390
Sabac $1,276

A family of three spends $3,256 per month in Istanbul vs $1,712 in Sabac, rent included.

Istanbul $3,256
Sabac $1,712

Istanbul costs about 82% more than Sabac, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Istanbul sits 13% above the global median, while Sabac is 38% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.96 ₺592

$8.23 RSD 858

45.32%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$57.2 ₺2,834

$27.55 RSD 2,872

107.73%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.51 ₺471

$6.71 RSD 700

41.73%

Cappuccino

$4.40 ₺218

$1.87 RSD 195

135.29%

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

$1.75 ₺86.6

$1.87 RSD 195

-6.42%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.57

$1.40 RSD 146

-60.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.71 ₺233

$2.63 RSD 274

79.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.14 ₺304

$2.63 RSD 274

133.46%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.24 ₺61.6

$1.31 RSD 136

-5.34%

White Bread (500g)

$0.95 ₺47.25

$0.62 RSD 65.0

53.23%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.28 ₺113

$1.92 RSD 200

18.75%

Eggs

$2.45 ₺121

$1.89 RSD 197

29.63%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.56 ₺523

$5.65 RSD 589

86.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.50 ₺272

$6.31 RSD 658

-12.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.65 ₺1,072

$11.48 RSD 1,197

88.59%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 ₺90.6

$1.24 RSD 129

47.58%

Banana (1kg)

$2.29 ₺113

$1.80 RSD 188

27.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.4

$1.45 RSD 151

-11.72%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.82 ₺90.1

$1.88 RSD 196

-3.19%

Potato (1kg)

$0.66 ₺32.74

$0.70 RSD 72.6

-5.71%

Onion (1kg)

$0.63 ₺31.14

$0.35 RSD 36.08

80.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.27 ₺62.8

$1.00 RSD 105

27.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.62

$0.40 RSD 41.90

40.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.36 ₺117

$3.61 RSD 377

-34.63%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.98 ₺642

$7.74 RSD 807

67.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.48 ₺123

$0.66 RSD 68.4

275.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.50 ₺174

$0.94 RSD 97.6

272.34%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.82 ₺40.77

$0.93 RSD 97.1

-11.83%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.2 ₺3,228

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.33 ₺65.7

$1.39 RSD 145

-4.32%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.90 ₺44.60

$0.95 RSD 98.9

-5.26%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.91 ₺540

$5.11 RSD 532

113.50%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.43 ₺70.7

$1.76 RSD 183

-18.75%

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

$49.6K ₺2.5M

$30.3K RSD 3.2M

63.77%

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

$43.2K ₺2.1M

$24.4K RSD 2.5M

76.72%

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

$88.8 ₺4,395

$138 RSD 14.4K

-35.59%

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

$11.69 ₺579

$25.50 RSD 2,658

-54.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.09 ₺797

$18.96 RSD 1,976

-15.14%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$76.3 ₺3,776

$29.17 RSD 3,041

161.43%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.72 ₺1,125

$11.44 RSD 1,192

98.60%

Cinema Ticket

$8.26 ₺409

$5.58 RSD 581

48.03%

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

$1,015 ₺50.2K

$176 RSD 18.3K

476.51%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.8K ₺1.3M

$3,770 RSD 393.0K

585.39%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.3 ₺2,636

$59.8 RSD 6,238

-11.01%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.55 ₺2,008

$64.5 RSD 6,721

-37.11%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100 ₺4,956

$56.6 RSD 5,898

76.95%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.5 ₺4,630

$118 RSD 12.3K

-20.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$977 ₺48.4K

$234 RSD 24.4K

317.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$627 ₺31.0K

$151 RSD 15.7K

315.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,980 ₺98.0K

$345 RSD 35.9K

474.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,147 ₺56.8K

$250 RSD 26.1K

358.11%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,095 ₺153.2K

$1,884 RSD 196.4K

64.26%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,787 ₺88.5K

$1,514 RSD 157.8K

18.02%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,213 ₺60.1K

$962 RSD 100.3K

26.06%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.69

4.84

740.70%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 19, 2026

Last update for Sabac: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$627 41.1%

Sabac

$151 18% 75.9% $476

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$263 17.2%

Sabac

$182 21.7% 30.7% $81

Eating Out

Istanbul

$222 14.6%

Sabac

$140 16.7% 37% $82

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$129 8.5%

Sabac

$135 16% 4.1% $5.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$117 7.6%

Sabac

$182 21.7% 56.4% $66

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$93 6.1%

Sabac

$40 4.8% 56.5% $52

Getting Around

Istanbul

$74 4.9%

Sabac

$9.9 * 1.2% 86.7% $64

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $977 in Istanbul versus $234 in Sabac. 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 26% 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 $57.0 in Istanbul versus $28.00 in Sabac. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $263 vs $182 – making Sabac the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇷🇸 Sabac

🕒 Local time

20:42 8:42 PM

19:42 7:42 PM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

51,163

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Serbian Dinar RSD din

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 2.02 USD

100 TRY = 1.8 EUR

1,000 RSD = 9.59 USD

1,000 RSD = 8.53 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RSD, 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).

Serbian Dinar exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 104 RSD (1,000 RSD = 9.59 USD). 1 EUR = 117 RSD (1,000 RSD = 8.53 EUR).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Istanbul Sabac 860 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Sabac

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 Sabac: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 82%, 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 $1,260 in Sabac. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

A mid-range dinner for two costs $57.0 in Istanbul and $28.00 in Sabac. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 44% 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 Sabac, where all-in costs run around $840, than in Istanbul at $1,525. In Sabac it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Sabac – 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 Sabac. 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.