Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Sala

For one person, living is cheaper in Sala: $1,402 a month against $1,525 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $1,500 less a year. The total is higher in Istanbul despite lower rent and utilities.

74

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index
68

Cost of Living Index in Sala
Learn more

Sala Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,525

/mo nomad

Sala

🇸🇰 Slovakia

$1,402

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Sala

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

A single person spends $1,525 per month in Istanbul vs $1,402 in Sala, rent included.

Istanbul $1,525
Sala $1,402

A couple spends around $2,390 per month in Istanbul vs $2,012 in Sala, rent included.

Istanbul $2,390
Sala $2,012

A family of three spends $3,256 per month in Istanbul vs $2,623 in Sala, rent included.

Istanbul $3,256
Sala $2,623

Istanbul costs about 9% more than Sala, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Istanbul and Sala sit above the global median – Istanbul by 13%, Sala by 3%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.96 ₺592

$9.65 €8.58

23.94%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$57.2 ₺2,834

$33.98 €30.22

68.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.51 ₺471

$9.14 €8.13

4.05%

Cappuccino

$4.40 ₺218

$3.09 €2.75

42.39%

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

$1.75 ₺86.6

$2.05 €1.83

-14.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.57

$1.41 €1.25

-60.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.71 ₺233

$2.31 €2.05

103.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.14 ₺304

$2.30 €2.04

166.96%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.24 ₺61.6

$1.05 €0.94

18.10%

White Bread (500g)

$0.95 ₺47.25

$1.49 €1.33

-36.24%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.28 ₺113

$1.98 €1.76

15.15%

Eggs

$2.45 ₺121

$3.44 €3.06

-28.78%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.56 ₺523

$10.20 €9.08

3.53%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.50 ₺272

$7.77 €6.91

-29.21%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.65 ₺1,072

$11.03 €9.81

96.28%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 ₺90.6

$1.68 €1.49

8.93%

Banana (1kg)

$2.29 ₺113

$1.97 €1.75

16.24%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.4

$2.37 €2.11

-45.99%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.82 ₺90.1

$2.66 €2.37

-31.58%

Potato (1kg)

$0.66 ₺32.74

$1.32 €1.17

-50.00%

Onion (1kg)

$0.63 ₺31.14

$1.51 €1.34

-58.28%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.27 ₺62.8

$1.59 €1.41

-20.13%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.62

$0.79 €0.71

-29.11%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.36 ₺117

$6.66 €5.92

-64.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.98 ₺642

$3.29 €2.93

294.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.48 ₺123

$0.95 €0.84

161.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.50 ₺174

$1.89 €1.68

85.19%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.82 ₺40.77

$1.05 €0.93

-21.90%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.2 ₺3,228

$29.53 €26.27

120.79%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.33 ₺65.7

$1.69 €1.51

-21.30%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.90 ₺44.60

$0.40 €0.36

125.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.91 ₺540

$13.24 €11.78

-17.60%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.43 ₺70.7

$1.87 €1.66

-23.53%

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

$49.6K ₺2.5M

$25.5K €22.7K

94.60%

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

$43.2K ₺2.1M

$22.3K €19.9K

93.27%

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

$88.8 ₺4,395

$233 €207

-61.94%

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

$11.69 ₺579

$19.40 €17.25

-39.74%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.09 ₺797

$19.94 €17.74

-19.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$76.3 ₺3,776

$40.23 €35.78

89.56%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.72 ₺1,125

$17.02 €15.14

33.49%

Cinema Ticket

$8.26 ₺409

$9.17 €8.16

-9.92%

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

$1,015 ₺50.2K

$405 €360

150.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.8K ₺1.3M

$7,368 €6,553

250.70%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.3 ₺2,636

$59.6 €53.0

-10.64%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.55 ₺2,008

$31.06 €27.63

30.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100 ₺4,956

$78.3 €69.7

27.83%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.5 ₺4,630

$93.2 €82.9

0.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$977 ₺48.4K

$644 €573

51.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$627 ₺31.0K

$513 €456

22.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,980 ₺98.0K

$993 €883

99.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,147 ₺56.8K

$798 €710

43.76%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,095 ₺153.2K

$3,587 €3,190

-13.70%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,787 ₺88.5K

$2,484 €2,210

-28.07%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,213 ₺60.1K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.69

3.57

1039.78%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 19, 2026

Last update for Sala: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$627 41.1%

Sala

$513 36.6% 18.2% $114

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$263 17.2%

Sala

$231 16.5% 12.2% $32

Eating Out

Istanbul

$222 14.6%

Sala

$172 12.3% 22.7% $50

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$129 8.5%

Sala

$118 8.4% 8.8% $11

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$117 7.6%

Sala

$273 19.4% 134% $156

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$93 6.1%

Sala

$59 4.2% 36.9% $34

Getting Around

Istanbul

$74 4.9%

Sala

$37 2.7% 49.6% $37

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $977 in Istanbul versus $644 in Sala. 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 $57.0 in Istanbul versus $34.00 in Sala. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $263 vs $231 – making Sala the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇸🇰 Sala

🕒 Local time

04:29 4:29 AM

03:29 3:29 AM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

24,099

💱 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 21, 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 21, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Istanbul Sala 1,180 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Sala

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 Sala: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul 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 $2,103 in Sala. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Sala, 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 $405 in Sala. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 14% 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 $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Sala, where all-in costs run around $1,402, than in Istanbul at $1,525. In Sala it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Sala – 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 Sala. 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.