Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Santa Cruz de La Palma

For one person, living is cheaper in Istanbul: $1,525 a month against $1,622 in Santa Cruz de La Palma, rent and utilities included – about $1,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

74

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Santa Cruz de La Palma
Learn more

Santa Cruz de La Palma Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,525

/mo nomad

Santa Cruz de La Palma

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,622

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Santa Cruz de La Palma

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 Santa Cruz de La Palma actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,525 per month in Istanbul vs $1,622 in Santa Cruz de La Palma, rent included.

Istanbul $1,525
Santa Cruz de La Palma $1,622

A couple spends around $2,390 per month in Istanbul vs $2,411 in Santa Cruz de La Palma, rent included.

Istanbul $2,390
Santa Cruz de La Palma $2,411

A family of three spends $3,256 per month in Istanbul vs $3,200 in Santa Cruz de La Palma, rent included.

Istanbul $3,256
Santa Cruz de La Palma $3,200

Istanbul is about 6% cheaper than Santa Cruz de La Palma, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both Istanbul and Santa Cruz de La Palma sit above the global median – Istanbul by 13%, Santa Cruz de La Palma by 20%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.96 ₺592

$16.58 €14.75

-27.86%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$57.2 ₺2,834

$56.2 €49.96

1.89%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.51 ₺471

$10.99 €9.78

-13.47%

Cappuccino

$4.40 ₺218

$2.32 €2.07

89.66%

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

$1.75 ₺86.6

$2.59 €2.31

-32.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.57

$1.78 €1.58

-68.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.71 ₺233

$3.33 €2.96

41.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.14 ₺304

$3.85 €3.42

59.48%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.24 ₺61.6

$1.16 €1.03

6.90%

White Bread (500g)

$0.95 ₺47.25

$1.49 €1.33

-36.24%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.28 ₺113

$1.55 €1.37

47.10%

Eggs

$2.45 ₺121

$3.50 €3.12

-30.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.56 ₺523

$11.61 €10.33

-9.04%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.50 ₺272

$7.91 €7.04

-30.47%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.65 ₺1,072

$17.25 €15.34

25.51%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 ₺90.6

$2.75 €2.44

-33.45%

Banana (1kg)

$2.29 ₺113

$2.11 €1.88

8.53%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.4

$2.25 €2.00

-43.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.82 ₺90.1

$2.41 €2.14

-24.48%

Potato (1kg)

$0.66 ₺32.74

$1.89 €1.68

-65.08%

Onion (1kg)

$0.63 ₺31.14

$2.15 €1.91

-70.70%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.27 ₺62.8

$1.42 €1.26

-10.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.62

$0.70 €0.63

-20.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.36 ₺117

$5.75 €5.12

-58.96%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.98 ₺642

$6.05 €5.38

114.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.48 ₺123

$1.11 €0.99

123.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.50 ₺174

$2.34 €2.08

49.57%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.82 ₺40.77

$1.66 €1.47

-50.60%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.2 ₺3,228

$33.48 €29.78

94.74%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.33 ₺65.7

$3.99 €3.55

-66.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.90 ₺44.60

$1.25 €1.12

-28.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.91 ₺540

$23.77 €21.15

-54.10%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.43 ₺70.7

$1.75 €1.56

-18.29%

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

$49.6K ₺2.5M

$36.8K €32.8K

34.52%

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

$43.2K ₺2.1M

$27.1K €24.1K

59.20%

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

$88.8 ₺4,395

$139 €124

-36.19%

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

$11.69 ₺579

$18.28 €16.26

-36.05%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.09 ₺797

$27.14 €24.14

-40.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$76.3 ₺3,776

$47.66 €42.39

60.01%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.72 ₺1,125

$15.19 €13.51

49.57%

Cinema Ticket

$8.26 ₺409

$8.93 €7.94

-7.50%

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

$1,015 ₺50.2K

$408 €363

148.76%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.8K ₺1.3M

$8,540 €7,596

202.56%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.3 ₺2,636

$88.1 €78.4

-39.57%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.55 ₺2,008

$41.25 €36.69

-1.70%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100 ₺4,956

$84.9 €75.5

17.90%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.5 ₺4,630

$110 €97.7

-14.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$977 ₺48.4K

$904 €804

8.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$627 ₺31.0K

$674 €600

-6.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,980 ₺98.0K

$1,343 €1,195

47.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,147 ₺56.8K

$1,027 €914

11.67%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,095 ₺153.2K

$3,343 €2,974

-7.41%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,787 ₺88.5K

$2,209 €1,965

-19.11%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,213 ₺60.1K

$1,360 €1,210

-10.82%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.69

3.3

1133.03%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 19, 2026

Last update for Santa Cruz de La Palma: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$627 41.1%

Santa Cruz de La Palma

$674 41.6% 7.5% $47

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$263 17.2%

Santa Cruz de La Palma

$267 16.4% 1.6% $4.1

Eating Out

Istanbul

$222 14.6%

Santa Cruz de La Palma

$235 14.5% 6% $13

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$129 8.5%

Santa Cruz de La Palma

$146 9% 12.8% $17

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$117 7.6%

Santa Cruz de La Palma

$185 11.4% 58.3% $68

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$93 6.1%

Santa Cruz de La Palma

$66 4% 29.4% $27

Getting Around

Istanbul

$74 4.9%

Santa Cruz de La Palma

$50 3.1% 32.2% $24

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $977 in Istanbul versus $904 in Santa Cruz de La Palma. 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 Santa Cruz de La Palma, 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 $57.0 in Istanbul versus $56.0 in Santa Cruz de La Palma. Groceries tell a different story – $263 in Istanbul vs $267 in Santa Cruz de La Palma – so Istanbul wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇪🇸 Santa Cruz de La Palma

🕒 Local time

01:15 1:15 AM

23:15 11:15 PM

2 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

15,441

💱 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 20, 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 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Istanbul Santa Cruz de La Palma 4,420 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Santa Cruz de La Palma

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 Santa Cruz de La Palma: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Santa Cruz de La Palma is pricier by about 6%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in leisure.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,287 per month in Istanbul and $2,434 in Santa Cruz de La Palma. 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 $1,015 per month in Istanbul and $408 in Santa Cruz de La Palma. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 2% more in Santa Cruz de La Palma, 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 $1,525, than in Santa Cruz de La Palma at $1,622. In Istanbul it covers expenses comfortably, while in Santa Cruz de La Palma 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, Santa Cruz de La Palma makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.