Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Santa Cruz de Tenerife

For one person, living is cheaper in Istanbul: $1,526 a month against $1,920 in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, rent and utilities included – about $4,700 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
94

Cost of Living Index in Santa Cruz de Tenerife
Learn more

Santa Cruz de Tenerife Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,526

/mo nomad

Santa Cruz de Tenerife

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,920

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,526 per month in Istanbul vs $1,920 in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, rent included.

Istanbul $1,526
Santa Cruz de Tenerife $1,920

A couple spends around $2,399 per month in Istanbul vs $2,849 in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, rent included.

Istanbul $2,399
Santa Cruz de Tenerife $2,849

A family of three spends $3,272 per month in Istanbul vs $3,777 in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, rent included.

Istanbul $3,272
Santa Cruz de Tenerife $3,777

Istanbul is about 21% cheaper than Santa Cruz de Tenerife, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Istanbul and Santa Cruz de Tenerife sit above the global median – Istanbul by 14%, Santa Cruz de Tenerife by 43%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.88 ₺585

$20.06 €17.88

-40.78%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.1 ₺2,715

$61.9 €55.2

-10.94%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.14 ₺450

$11.40 €10.17

-19.82%

Cappuccino

$4.24 ₺209

$2.00 €1.78

112.00%

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

$1.75 ₺86.0

$1.90 €1.69

-7.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.54 ₺26.84

$1.30 €1.16

-58.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.69 ₺231

$2.87 €2.56

63.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.97 ₺294

$3.30 €2.94

80.91%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.26 ₺62.1

$1.37 €1.22

-8.03%

White Bread (500g)

$0.95 ₺46.82

$2.47 €2.20

-61.54%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.31 ₺114

$1.59 €1.42

45.28%

Eggs

$2.47 ₺122

$4.19 €3.73

-41.05%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.55 ₺520

$19.69 €17.55

-46.42%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.60 ₺276

$9.90 €8.83

-43.43%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.21 ₺1,045

$17.92 €15.98

18.36%

Apples (1kg)

$1.93 ₺95.1

$2.78 €2.48

-30.58%

Banana (1kg)

$2.29 ₺113

$2.41 €2.15

-4.98%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.1

$2.24 €2.00

-42.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.84 ₺90.8

$2.52 €2.24

-26.98%

Potato (1kg)

$0.67 ₺32.87

$2.13 €1.90

-68.54%

Onion (1kg)

$0.59 ₺29.31

$1.97 €1.76

-70.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.33 ₺65.4

$1.69 €1.51

-21.30%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₺29.11

$0.91 €0.81

-35.16%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.36 ₺116

$5.71 €5.09

-58.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.47 ₺664

$7.67 €6.84

75.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.42 ₺119

$1.68 €1.50

44.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.54 ₺174

$1.75 €1.56

102.29%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.83 ₺40.65

$1.38 €1.23

-39.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.5 ₺3,274

$42.25 €37.67

57.28%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.35 ₺66.6

$4.11 €3.66

-67.15%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 ₺42.06

$1.73 €1.54

-50.87%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.86 ₺535

$16.93 €15.09

-35.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ₺72.3

$1.74 €1.55

-15.52%

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

$51.6K ₺2.5M

$34.8K €31.0K

48.50%

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

$44.4K ₺2.2M

$29.4K €26.2K

50.97%

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

$89.2 ₺4,396

$127 €113

-29.66%

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

$11.60 ₺572

$23.02 €20.52

-49.61%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.10 ₺793

$35.10 €31.29

-54.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.3 ₺3,806

$54.5 €48.63

41.64%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.66 ₺1,116

$11.52 €10.27

96.70%

Cinema Ticket

$8.34 ₺411

$10.09 €9.00

-17.34%

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

$974 ₺48.0K

$405 €361

140.30%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.8K ₺1.3M

$5,015 €4,472

413.88%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.7 ₺2,597

$94.3 €84.1

-44.09%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.16 ₺1,930

$41.88 €37.34

-6.49%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 ₺5,084

$91.9 €81.9

12.27%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.6 ₺4,760

$111 €99.2

-13.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$994 ₺49.0K

$1,138 €1,015

-12.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$629 ₺31.0K

$882 €786

-28.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,024 ₺99.7K

$1,705 €1,521

18.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,155 ₺56.9K

$1,255 €1,119

-7.99%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,160 ₺155.7K

$3,834 €3,418

-17.56%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,838 ₺90.5K

$2,170 €1,934

-15.30%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,203 ₺59.3K

$1,864 €1,662

-35.43%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

41.09

3.56

1054.21%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 3, 2026

Last update for Santa Cruz de Tenerife: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$629 41.2%

Santa Cruz de Tenerife

$882 45.6% 40.2% $253

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$264 17.3%

Santa Cruz de Tenerife

$329 17% 24.7% $65

Eating Out

Istanbul

$218 14.3%

Santa Cruz de Tenerife

$252 13% 15.8% $35

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$131 8.6%

Santa Cruz de Tenerife

$153 7.9% 16.3% $21

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$117 7.7%

Santa Cruz de Tenerife

$185 9.6% 58.2% $68

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$94 6.1%

Santa Cruz de Tenerife

$75 3.9% 20.4% $19

Getting Around

Istanbul

$75 4.9%

Santa Cruz de Tenerife

$61 3.1% 19.7% $15

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $994 in Istanbul versus $1,138 in Santa Cruz de Tenerife. 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 55% higher in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, 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 $62.0 in Santa Cruz de Tenerife. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $264 vs $329 – making Istanbul the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇪🇸 Santa Cruz de Tenerife

🕒 Local time

11:58 11:58 AM

09:58 9:58 AM

2 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

209,395

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 2.03 USD

100 TRY = 1.81 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 49.27 TRY (100 TRY = 2.03 USD). 1 EUR = 55.26 TRY (100 TRY = 1.81 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Istanbul Santa Cruz de Tenerife 4,310 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Santa Cruz de Tenerife

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 Tenerife: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Santa Cruz de Tenerife is pricier by about 26%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,289 per month in Istanbul and $2,880 in Santa Cruz de Tenerife. 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 $974 per month in Istanbul and $405 in Santa Cruz de Tenerife. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 25% more in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, 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 $1,526, than in Santa Cruz de Tenerife at $1,920. In Istanbul it covers expenses comfortably, while in Santa Cruz de Tenerife 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 Tenerife makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.