Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Salamina

For one person, living is cheaper in Salamina: $1,448 a month against $1,519 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $850 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Istanbul outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

73

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index
69

Cost of Living Index in Salamina
Learn more

Salamina Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,519

/mo nomad

Salamina

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,448

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Salamina

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

A single person spends $1,519 per month in Istanbul vs $1,448 in Salamina, rent included.

Istanbul $1,519
Salamina $1,448

A couple spends around $2,365 per month in Istanbul vs $2,215 in Salamina, rent included.

Istanbul $2,365
Salamina $2,215

A family of three spends $3,212 per month in Istanbul vs $2,982 in Salamina, rent included.

Istanbul $3,212
Salamina $2,982

Istanbul costs about 5% more than Salamina, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both Istanbul and Salamina sit above the global median – Istanbul by 12%, Salamina by 7%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.81 ₺591

$16.83 €14.99

-29.83%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.9 ₺2,748

$58.1 €51.8

-5.51%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.26 ₺463

$9.07 €8.08

2.09%

Cappuccino

$4.30 ₺215

$4.08 €3.63

5.39%

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

$1.77 ₺88.8

$2.83 €2.52

-37.46%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺28.26

$0.55 €0.49

1.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.69 ₺234

$4.56 €4.06

2.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.12 ₺356

$5.14 €4.57

38.52%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 ₺62.6

$1.88 €1.67

-33.51%

White Bread (500g)

$0.88 ₺44.07

$1.41 €1.26

-37.59%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 ₺110

$2.61 €2.33

-15.71%

Eggs

$2.43 ₺122

$4.95 €4.41

-50.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.48 ₺524

$14.81 €13.20

-29.24%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.31 ₺266

$10.38 €9.25

-48.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.10 ₺1,056

$15.90 €14.16

32.70%

Apples (1kg)

$1.86 ₺92.9

$2.22 €1.98

-16.22%

Banana (1kg)

$2.30 ₺115

$1.97 €1.76

16.75%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.22 ₺60.8

$1.52 €1.36

-19.74%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺90.0

$2.04 €1.81

-11.76%

Potato (1kg)

$0.69 ₺34.75

$1.10 €0.98

-37.27%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺32.09

$1.16 €1.04

-44.83%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.36 ₺67.8

$0.87 €0.78

56.32%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 ₺28.88

$0.81 €0.73

-28.40%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.34 ₺117

$5.40 €4.81

-56.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.03 ₺652

$7.22 €6.43

80.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.36 ₺118

$1.73 €1.54

36.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.32 ₺166

$2.29 €2.04

44.98%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.88 ₺43.97

$1.34 €1.19

-34.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.1 ₺3,309

$50.1 €44.64

31.95%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 ₺64.3

$4.51 €4.02

-71.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 ₺42.70

$0.98 €0.88

-13.27%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.09 ₺555

$16.50 €14.69

-32.79%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 ₺73.9

$2.22 €1.98

-33.33%

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

$48.6K ₺2.4M

$28.2K €25.1K

72.33%

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

$42.0K ₺2.1M

$27.2K €24.2K

54.43%

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

$92.7 ₺4,639

$171 €153

-45.87%

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

$11.20 ₺560

$25.31 €22.55

-55.75%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.89 ₺795

$29.75 €26.50

-46.59%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.7 ₺3,737

$51.7 €46.02

44.56%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.95 ₺1,149

$25.06 €22.32

-8.42%

Cinema Ticket

$8.05 ₺403

$9.78 €8.71

-17.69%

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

$948 ₺47.5K

$465 €414

104.08%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.9K ₺1.8M

$4,676 €4,165

689.54%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₺2,696

$87.5 €78.0

-38.45%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.49 ₺2,076

$40.03 €35.65

3.65%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 ₺5,049

$81.2 €72.3

24.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.3 ₺4,570

$109 €97.2

-16.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,014 ₺50.7K

$492 €439

105.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$625 ₺31.3K

$392 €349

59.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,005 ₺100.4K

$751 €669

167.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,126 ₺56.3K

$607 €540

85.58%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,988 ₺149.5K

$2,479 €2,208

20.52%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,730 ₺86.6K

$1,954 €1,741

-11.47%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,136 ₺56.9K

$1,043 €929

8.94%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.42

4.48

802.23%

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

Last update for Istanbul: November 2, 2026

Last update for Salamina: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$625 41.1%

Salamina

$392 27.1% 37.2% $232

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$258 17%

Salamina

$293 20.2% 13.4% $35

Eating Out

Istanbul

$221 14.6%

Salamina

$257 17.8% 16.5% $36

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$129 8.5%

Salamina

$143 9.9% 10.5% $14

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$120 7.9%

Salamina

$226 15.6% 88.9% $107

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$91 6%

Salamina

$71 4.9% 21.5% $20

Getting Around

Istanbul

$75 5%

Salamina

$65 4.5% 13.7% $10

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,014 in Istanbul versus $492 in Salamina. 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 9% higher in Istanbul. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55 in Istanbul versus $58 in Salamina. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $293 – making Istanbul the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇬🇷 Salamina

🕒 Local time

09:37 9:37 AM

08:37 8:37 AM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

38,022

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 2 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 = 50.04 TRY (100 TRY = 2 USD). 1 EUR = 56.18 TRY (100 TRY = 1.78 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 0.891 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Istanbul Salamina 580 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Salamina

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 Salamina: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 5%, 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 $2,172 in Salamina. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Salamina, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $492 there versus $1,014 in Istanbul.

Kindergarten costs $948 per month in Istanbul and $465 in Salamina. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 12% cheaper in Istanbul – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,519 in Istanbul and $1,448 in Salamina. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Salamina – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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

If budget matters most, go with Salamina. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Istanbul makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.