Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Saku

For one person, living is cheaper in Saku: $1,108 a month against $1,519 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $4,900 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
53

Cost of Living Index in Saku
Learn more

Saku Living Index

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Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,519

/mo nomad

Saku

🇪🇪 Estonia

$1,108

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Saku

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

A single person spends $1,519 per month in Istanbul vs $1,108 in Saku, rent included.

Istanbul $1,519
Saku $1,108

A couple spends around $2,365 per month in Istanbul vs $1,724 in Saku, rent included.

Istanbul $2,365
Saku $1,724

A family of three spends $3,212 per month in Istanbul vs $2,339 in Saku, rent included.

Istanbul $3,212
Saku $2,339

Istanbul costs about 37% more than Saku, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Istanbul sits 12% above the global median, while Saku is 18% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.81 ₺592

$16.43 €14.63

-28.12%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.9 ₺2,754

$70.4 €62.6

-21.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.26 ₺465

$11.23 €10.00

-17.54%

Cappuccino

$4.30 ₺216

$4.14 €3.69

3.86%

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

$1.77 ₺89.0

$2.25 €2.00

-21.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺28.32

$2.32 €2.06

-75.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.69 ₺235

$6.66 €5.93

-29.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.12 ₺357

$6.51 €5.80

9.37%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 ₺62.7

$1.09 €0.97

14.68%

White Bread (500g)

$0.88 ₺44.17

$1.39 €1.23

-36.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 ₺111

$2.38 €2.12

-7.56%

Eggs

$2.43 ₺122

$2.90 €2.58

-16.21%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.48 ₺526

$11.04 €9.83

-5.07%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.31 ₺267

$8.41 €7.49

-36.86%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.10 ₺1,058

$14.64 €13.04

44.13%

Apples (1kg)

$1.86 ₺93.1

$2.14 €1.91

-13.08%

Banana (1kg)

$2.30 ₺115

$1.38 €1.23

66.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.22 ₺61.0

$2.49 €2.22

-51.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺90.2

$3.01 €2.68

-40.20%

Potato (1kg)

$0.69 ₺34.83

$0.82 €0.73

-15.85%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺32.16

$0.81 €0.72

-20.99%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.36 ₺68.0

$1.85 €1.65

-26.49%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 ₺28.94

$1.01 €0.89

-42.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.34 ₺117

$6.91 €6.15

-66.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.03 ₺653

$10.22 €9.10

27.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.36 ₺118

$1.90 €1.69

24.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.32 ₺166

$2.08 €1.85

59.62%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.88 ₺44.07

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.1 ₺3,316

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 ₺64.4

$3.67 €3.27

-65.12%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 ₺42.80

$1.03 €0.92

-17.48%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.09 ₺556

$26.04 €23.19

-57.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 ₺74.0

$2.02 €1.79

-26.73%

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

$48.6K ₺2.4M

$28.2K €25.1K

72.46%

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

$42.0K ₺2.1M

$29.3K €26.1K

43.39%

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

$92.7 ₺4,650

$312 €278

-70.26%

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

$11.20 ₺562

$17.17 €15.29

-34.77%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.89 ₺797

$32.62 €29.05

-51.29%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.7 ₺3,745

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.95 ₺1,151

Cinema Ticket

$8.05 ₺404

$11.65 €10.37

-30.90%

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

$948 ₺47.6K

$469 €418

102.01%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.9K ₺1.9M

$10.2K €9,067

262.52%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₺2,702

$102 €90.4

-46.93%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.49 ₺2,081

$48.12 €42.85

-13.78%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 ₺5,060

$106 €94.2

-4.59%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.3 ₺4,580

$119 €106

-23.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,014 ₺50.8K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$625 ₺31.3K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,005 ₺100.6K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,126 ₺56.5K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,988 ₺149.8K

$4,012 €3,572

-25.53%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,730 ₺86.8K

$2,648 €2,358

-34.65%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,136 ₺57.0K

$1,764 €1,571

-35.58%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.42

3.44

1075.00%

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

Last update for Istanbul: November 2, 2026

Last update for Saku: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$625 41.1%

Saku

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$258 17%

Saku

$267 24.1% 3.2% $8.4

Eating Out

Istanbul

$221 14.6%

Saku

$279 25.2% 26.5% $58

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$129 8.5%

Saku

$168 15.2% 30.1% $39

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$120 7.9%

Saku

$362 32.6% 202% $242

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$91 6%

Saku

$23 * 2.1% 74.3% $67

Getting Around

Istanbul

$75 5%

Saku

$8.8 * 0.8% 88.3% $66

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

Cost Breakdown

Salaries run about 55% higher in Saku, 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 in Istanbul versus $70 in Saku. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $267 – making Istanbul the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇪🇪 Saku

🕒 Local time

12:09 12:09 PM

11:09 11:09 AM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

4,548

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 1.99 USD

100 TRY = 1.78 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 November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 50.15 TRY (100 TRY = 1.99 USD). 1 EUR = 56.33 TRY (100 TRY = 1.78 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 0.89 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Istanbul Saku 2,060 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Saku

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 Saku: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 37%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in leisure.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,278 per month in Istanbul and $1,662 in Saku. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55 in Istanbul and $70 in Saku. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 3% cheaper in Istanbul – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Saku, where all-in costs run around $1,108, than in Istanbul at $1,519. In Saku it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Istanbul has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,108 in Saku to $1,519 in Istanbul. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.