Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and San Sebastian

For one person, living is cheaper in Istanbul: $1,550 a month against $1,948 in San Sebastian, rent and utilities included – about $4,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

75

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index
95

Cost of Living Index in San Sebastian
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San Sebastian Living Index

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Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

San Sebastian

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,948

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in San Sebastian

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

A single person spends $1,550 per month in Istanbul vs $1,948 in San Sebastian, rent included.

Istanbul $1,550
San Sebastian $1,948

A couple spends around $2,415 per month in Istanbul vs $2,889 in San Sebastian, rent included.

Istanbul $2,415
San Sebastian $2,889

A family of three spends $3,281 per month in Istanbul vs $3,830 in San Sebastian, rent included.

Istanbul $3,281
San Sebastian $3,830

Istanbul is about 20% cheaper than San Sebastian, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Istanbul and San Sebastian sit above the global median – Istanbul by 15%, San Sebastian by 44%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.30 ₺609

$16.76 €14.90

-26.61%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.7 ₺2,708

$60.6 €53.9

-9.78%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.22 ₺456

$10.58 €9.41

-12.85%

Cappuccino

$4.40 ₺218

$2.08 €1.85

111.54%

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

$1.68 ₺83.1

$2.87 €2.55

-41.46%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₺29.40

$1.62 €1.44

-63.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.70 ₺233

$3.44 €3.06

36.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.91 ₺292

$3.62 €3.22

63.26%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 ₺60.0

$1.13 €1.01

7.08%

White Bread (500g)

$0.89 ₺44.10

$1.06 €0.94

-16.04%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.19 ₺108

$1.75 €1.56

25.14%

Eggs

$2.35 ₺116

$3.72 €3.31

-36.83%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.42 ₺516

$22.34 €19.87

-53.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.65 ₺280

$8.17 €7.27

-30.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.94 ₺1,037

$21.10 €18.77

-0.76%

Apples (1kg)

$1.90 ₺94.1

$2.51 €2.24

-24.30%

Banana (1kg)

$2.31 ₺114

$2.36 €2.10

-2.12%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.1

$3.34 €2.97

-61.68%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺89.0

$2.90 €2.58

-37.93%

Potato (1kg)

$0.65 ₺32.16

$2.06 €1.83

-68.45%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺31.91

$1.98 €1.76

-67.68%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 ₺62.1

$1.18 €1.05

5.93%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.58

$0.61 €0.54

-8.20%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.37 ₺118

$6.07 €5.40

-60.96%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.42 ₺664

$7.39 €6.58

81.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₺119

$1.08 €0.96

122.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 ₺172

$1.83 €1.63

90.16%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.89 ₺43.84

$2.11 €1.88

-57.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.4 ₺3,338

$33.85 €30.11

99.20%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.29 ₺64.1

$6.57 €5.85

-80.37%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 ₺45.70

$0.91 €0.81

1.10%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.96 ₺542

$22.70 €20.19

-51.72%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ₺72.9

$1.70 €1.51

-13.53%

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

$50.8K ₺2.5M

$36.2K €32.2K

40.33%

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

$44.5K ₺2.2M

$28.7K €25.5K

55.11%

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

$88.6 ₺4,387

$136 €121

-35.03%

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

$11.59 ₺574

$20.40 €18.15

-43.19%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.81 ₺783

$35.36 €31.45

-55.29%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.2 ₺3,820

$42.41 €37.73

81.94%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.74 ₺1,126

$19.95 €17.75

13.98%

Cinema Ticket

$8.14 ₺403

$8.44 €7.50

-3.55%

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

$1,008 ₺49.9K

$453 €403

122.65%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.6K ₺1.3M

$13.7K €12.2K

86.05%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.0 ₺2,671

$72.5 €64.5

-25.59%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.83 ₺2,021

$31.46 €27.99

29.78%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.9 ₺4,895

$74.7 €66.5

32.32%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.6 ₺4,783

$134 €119

-27.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$985 ₺48.7K

$1,407 €1,252

-30.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$650 ₺32.2K

$954 €849

-31.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,983 ₺98.2K

$2,239 €1,992

-11.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,180 ₺58.4K

$1,522 €1,354

-22.48%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,138 ₺155.4K

$9,603 €8,541

-67.32%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,780 ₺88.1K

$4,748 €4,223

-62.51%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,205 ₺59.7K

$3,027 €2,693

-60.18%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.92

2.92

1301.37%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 13, 2026

Last update for San Sebastian: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$650 41.9%

San Sebastian

$954 49% 46.8% $304

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$260 16.8%

San Sebastian

$316 16.2% 21.5% $56

Eating Out

Istanbul

$223 14.4%

San Sebastian

$233 12% 4.4% $9.8

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$131 8.4%

San Sebastian

$141 7.2% 7.6% $10

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$116 7.5%

San Sebastian

$192 9.9% 65.6% $76

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$93 6%

San Sebastian

$59 3% 36.6% $34

Getting Around

Istanbul

$77 5%

San Sebastian

$53 2.7% 30.5% $23

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $985 in Istanbul versus $1,407 in San Sebastian. 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 151% higher in San Sebastian, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55.0 in Istanbul versus $61.0 in San Sebastian. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $260 vs $316 – making Istanbul the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇪🇸 San Sebastian

🕒 Local time

23:29 11:29 PM

22:29 10:29 PM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

188,743

💱 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 18, 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 18, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Istanbul San Sebastian 2,550 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
San Sebastian

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 San Sebastian: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – San Sebastian is pricier by about 26%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,325 per month in Istanbul and $2,922 in San Sebastian. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Istanbul, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $1,008 per month in Istanbul and $453 in San Sebastian. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 22% more in San Sebastian, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Istanbul, where all-in costs run around $1,550, than in San Sebastian at $1,948. In Istanbul it covers expenses comfortably, while in San Sebastian it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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