Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Saintes

For one person, living is cheaper in Istanbul: $1,516 a month against $1,872 in Saintes, rent and utilities included – about $4,300 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

73

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index
86

Cost of Living Index in Saintes
Learn more

Saintes Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,516

/mo nomad

Saintes

🇫🇷 France

$1,872

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Saintes

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

A single person spends $1,516 per month in Istanbul vs $1,872 in Saintes, rent included.

Istanbul $1,516
Saintes $1,872

A couple spends around $2,356 per month in Istanbul vs $2,858 in Saintes, rent included.

Istanbul $2,356
Saintes $2,858

A family of three spends $3,197 per month in Istanbul vs $3,843 in Saintes, rent included.

Istanbul $3,197
Saintes $3,843

Istanbul is about 19% cheaper than Saintes, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Istanbul and Saintes sit above the global median – Istanbul by 11%, Saintes by 38%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.59 ₺577

$22.58 €20.29

-48.67%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.7 ₺2,725

$68.3 €61.4

-19.99%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.39 ₺468

$6.52 €5.86

44.02%

Cappuccino

$4.23 ₺211

$3.69 €3.31

14.63%

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

$1.72 ₺85.6

$2.71 €2.44

-36.53%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.57 ₺28.26

$1.35 €1.21

-57.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.65 ₺232

$7.35 €6.60

-36.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.84 ₺341

$4.62 €4.15

48.05%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.20 ₺60.0

$1.04 €0.93

15.38%

White Bread (500g)

$0.94 ₺46.97

$1.85 €1.66

-49.19%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.24 ₺112

$1.88 €1.69

19.15%

Eggs

$2.42 ₺121

$2.26 €2.03

7.08%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.24 ₺510

$23.82 €21.40

-57.01%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.38 ₺268

$11.79 €10.59

-54.37%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.19 ₺1,056

$17.67 €15.88

19.92%

Apples (1kg)

$1.89 ₺94.3

$4.20 €3.77

-55.00%

Banana (1kg)

$2.22 ₺111

$3.71 €3.33

-40.16%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.26 ₺62.7

$1.94 €1.74

-35.05%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.81 ₺90.0

$5.14 €4.62

-64.79%

Potato (1kg)

$0.70 ₺34.84

$0.76 €0.68

-7.89%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺32.13

$1.20 €1.07

-46.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.22 ₺60.9

$1.71 €1.53

-28.65%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ₺27.35

$0.34 €0.31

61.76%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.32 ₺116

$14.46 €12.99

-83.96%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.31 ₺663

$12.93 €11.61

2.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.33 ₺116

$2.39 €2.14

-2.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 ₺172

$2.36 €2.12

46.61%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.91 ₺45.18

$1.86 €1.67

-51.08%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.3 ₺3,306

$44.18 €39.68

50.16%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.29 ₺64.2

$4.37 €3.93

-70.48%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.86 ₺42.66

$2.31 €2.08

-62.77%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.09 ₺553

$33.94 €30.49

-67.32%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.42 ₺70.8

$1.94 €1.74

-26.80%

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

$49.2K ₺2.5M

$36.5K €32.8K

34.82%

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

$42.8K ₺2.1M

$38.1K €34.2K

12.49%

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

$87.7 ₺4,373

$134 €120

-34.54%

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

$11.28 ₺562

$11.13 €10.00

1.35%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.89 ₺792

$33.75 €30.32

-52.92%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$75.9 ₺3,783

$35.92 €32.26

111.30%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.04 ₺1,148

Cinema Ticket

$8.20 ₺409

$9.91 €8.90

-17.26%

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

$1,028 ₺51.2K

$849 €762

21.15%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$26.0K ₺1.3M

$10.9K €9,788

138.26%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.3 ₺2,658

$109 €97.9

-51.05%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.69 ₺1,978

$38.98 €35.02

1.82%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.8 ₺4,972

$108 €97.0

-7.60%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.5 ₺4,661

$150 €134

-37.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,003 ₺50.0K

$691 €621

45.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$628 ₺31.3K

$717 €644

-12.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,963 ₺97.8K

$1,441 €1,295

36.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,122 ₺55.9K

$1,179 €1,060

-4.90%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,075 ₺153.2K

$3,571 €3,208

-13.91%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,753 ₺87.3K

$3,323 €2,985

-47.25%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,180 ₺58.8K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.69

3.79

973.61%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 27, 2026

Last update for Saintes: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$628 41.5%

Saintes

$717 38.3% 14.1% $89

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$258 17%

Saintes

$364 19.4% 40.9% $105

Eating Out

Istanbul

$218 14.4%

Saintes

$307 16.4% 40.9% $89

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$129 8.5%

Saintes

$183 9.8% 41.6% $54

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$115 7.6%

Saintes

$179 9.6% 55.7% $64

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$92 6.1%

Saintes

$56 3% 39.6% $37

Getting Around

Istanbul

$76 5%

Saintes

$68 3.6% 10.6% $8

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,003 in Istanbul versus $691 in Saintes. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55 in Istanbul versus $68 in Saintes. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $364 – making Istanbul the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇫🇷 Saintes

🕒 Local time

19:39 7:39 PM

17:39 5:39 PM

2 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

25,518

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 2.01 USD

100 TRY = 1.8 EUR

1 EUR = 1.11 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 49.83 TRY (100 TRY = 2.01 USD). 1 EUR = 55.46 TRY (100 TRY = 1.8 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.898 EUR (1 EUR = 1.11 USD).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Istanbul Saintes 2,440 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Saintes

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 Saintes: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Saintes is pricier by about 24%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,274 per month in Istanbul and $2,808 in Saintes. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Saintes, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $691 there versus $1,003 in Istanbul.

Kindergarten costs $1,028 per month in Istanbul and $849 in Saintes. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 41% more in Saintes, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

$1,500 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,516 in Istanbul and $1,872 in Saintes. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Istanbul has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,516 in Istanbul to $1,872 in Saintes. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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.