Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Samos

For one person, living is cheaper in Samos: $1,401 a month against $1,519 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $1,400 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Istanbul outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

73

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index
67

Cost of Living Index in Samos
Learn more

Samos Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,519

/mo nomad

Samos

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,401

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Samos

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

A single person spends $1,519 per month in Istanbul vs $1,401 in Samos, rent included.

Istanbul $1,519
Samos $1,401

A couple spends around $2,365 per month in Istanbul vs $2,081 in Samos, rent included.

Istanbul $2,365
Samos $2,081

A family of three spends $3,212 per month in Istanbul vs $2,760 in Samos, rent included.

Istanbul $3,212
Samos $2,760

Istanbul costs about 8% more than Samos, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Istanbul and Samos sit above the global median – Istanbul by 12%, Samos by 4%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.81 ₺592

$11.29 €10.05

4.61%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.9 ₺2,754

$38.33 €34.13

43.26%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.26 ₺465

$6.78 €6.04

36.58%

Cappuccino

$4.30 ₺216

$2.92 €2.60

47.26%

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

$1.77 ₺89.0

$2.34 €2.08

-24.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺28.32

$0.81 €0.72

-30.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.69 ₺235

$4.29 €3.82

9.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.12 ₺357

$6.47 €5.76

10.05%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 ₺62.7

$1.60 €1.42

-21.88%

White Bread (500g)

$0.88 ₺44.17

$1.46 €1.30

-39.73%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 ₺111

$2.55 €2.27

-13.73%

Eggs

$2.43 ₺122

$4.59 €4.09

-47.06%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.48 ₺526

$13.32 €11.86

-21.32%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.31 ₺267

$10.26 €9.14

-48.25%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.10 ₺1,058

$15.03 €13.39

40.39%

Apples (1kg)

$1.86 ₺93.1

$2.13 €1.90

-12.68%

Banana (1kg)

$2.30 ₺115

$2.07 €1.85

11.11%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.22 ₺61.0

$1.35 €1.20

-9.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺90.2

$2.10 €1.87

-14.29%

Potato (1kg)

$0.69 ₺34.83

$1.18 €1.05

-41.53%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺32.16

$1.10 €0.98

-41.82%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.36 ₺68.0

$1.10 €0.98

23.64%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 ₺28.94

$0.87 €0.78

-33.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.34 ₺117

$5.51 €4.90

-57.53%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.03 ₺653

$7.17 €6.38

81.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.36 ₺118

$2.05 €1.83

15.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.32 ₺166

$2.64 €2.35

25.76%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.88 ₺44.07

$1.33 €1.19

-33.83%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.1 ₺3,316

$49.61 €44.17

33.28%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 ₺64.4

$4.23 €3.77

-69.74%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 ₺42.80

$1.14 €1.02

-25.44%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.09 ₺556

$16.57 €14.75

-33.07%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 ₺74.0

$2.14 €1.90

-30.84%

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

$48.6K ₺2.4M

$27.4K €24.4K

77.62%

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

$42.0K ₺2.1M

$25.1K €22.3K

67.40%

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

$92.7 ₺4,650

$199 €177

-53.44%

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

$11.20 ₺562

$23.13 €20.60

-51.58%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.89 ₺797

$30.38 €27.05

-47.70%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.7 ₺3,745

$51.4 €45.78

45.26%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.95 ₺1,151

$25.31 €22.54

-9.32%

Cinema Ticket

$8.05 ₺404

$9.03 €8.04

-10.85%

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

$948 ₺47.6K

$403 €358

135.60%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.9K ₺1.9M

$9,025 €8,036

309.06%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₺2,702

$89.0 €79.3

-39.48%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.49 ₺2,081

$39.53 €35.20

4.96%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 ₺5,060

$93.2 €83.0

8.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.3 ₺4,580

$121 €108

-24.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,014 ₺50.8K

$490 €437

106.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$625 ₺31.3K

$382 €340

63.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,005 ₺100.6K

$726 €647

176.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,126 ₺56.5K

$598 €532

88.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,988 ₺149.8K

$2,436 €2,169

22.67%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,730 ₺86.8K

$1,977 €1,760

-12.48%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,136 ₺57.0K

$1,011 €900

12.41%

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 Samos: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$625 41.1%

Samos

$382 27.3% 38.8% $242

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$258 17%

Samos

$285 20.3% 10.3% $27

Eating Out

Istanbul

$221 14.6%

Samos

$193 13.8% 12.8% $28

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$129 8.5%

Samos

$154 11% 19.3% $25

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$120 7.9%

Samos

$253 18% 111% $133

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$91 6%

Samos

$69 5% 23.5% $21

Getting Around

Istanbul

$75 5%

Samos

$65 4.6% 13.7% $10

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,014 in Istanbul versus $490 in Samos. 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 12% higher in Istanbul. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55 in Istanbul versus $38 in Samos. Groceries tell a different story – $258 in Istanbul vs $285 in Samos – so Istanbul wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇬🇷 Samos

🕒 Local time

09:36 9:36 AM

08:36 8:36 AM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

33,814

💱 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 = 56.3 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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Istanbul Samos 410 km

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Istanbul
Samos

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 Samos: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 8%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,278 per month in Istanbul and $2,102 in Samos. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Samos, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $490 there versus $1,014 in Istanbul.

Kindergarten costs $948 per month in Istanbul and $403 in Samos. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 9% cheaper in Istanbul – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

Families tend to lean toward Samos – 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 Samos. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Istanbul makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.