Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Sezana

For one person, living is cheaper in Istanbul: $1,525 a month against $1,826 in Sezana, rent and utilities included – about $3,600 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
86

Cost of Living Index in Sezana
Learn more

Sezana Living Index

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Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,525

/mo nomad

Sezana

🇸🇮 Slovenia

$1,826

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Sezana

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

A single person spends $1,525 per month in Istanbul vs $1,826 in Sezana, rent included.

Istanbul $1,525
Sezana $1,826

A couple spends around $2,390 per month in Istanbul vs $2,555 in Sezana, rent included.

Istanbul $2,390
Sezana $2,555

A family of three spends $3,256 per month in Istanbul vs $3,284 in Sezana, rent included.

Istanbul $3,256
Sezana $3,284

Istanbul is about 17% cheaper than Sezana, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Istanbul and Sezana sit above the global median – Istanbul by 13%, Sezana by 35%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.96 ₺592

$11.11 €9.89

7.65%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$57.2 ₺2,834

$55.9 €49.75

2.31%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.51 ₺471

$8.91 €7.92

6.73%

Cappuccino

$4.40 ₺218

$3.02 €2.68

45.70%

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

$1.75 ₺86.6

$3.34 €2.97

-47.60%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.57

$2.16 €1.92

-74.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.71 ₺233

$3.49 €3.10

34.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.14 ₺304

$4.54 €4.04

35.24%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.24 ₺61.6

$1.31 €1.16

-5.34%

White Bread (500g)

$0.95 ₺47.25

$1.86 €1.65

-48.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.28 ₺113

$2.81 €2.50

-18.86%

Eggs

$2.45 ₺121

$3.98 €3.54

-38.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.56 ₺523

$18.38 €16.35

-42.55%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.50 ₺272

$9.29 €8.26

-40.80%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.65 ₺1,072

$14.21 €12.64

52.36%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 ₺90.6

$2.27 €2.02

-19.38%

Banana (1kg)

$2.29 ₺113

$1.87 €1.67

22.46%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.4

$2.29 €2.04

-44.10%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.82 ₺90.1

$3.73 €3.32

-51.21%

Potato (1kg)

$0.66 ₺32.74

$1.63 €1.45

-59.51%

Onion (1kg)

$0.63 ₺31.14

$1.85 €1.64

-65.95%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.27 ₺62.8

$1.71 €1.52

-25.73%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.62

$1.12 €1.00

-50.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.36 ₺117

$5.90 €5.25

-60.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.98 ₺642

$7.76 €6.90

67.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.48 ₺123

$1.36 €1.21

82.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.50 ₺174

$2.54 €2.26

37.80%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.82 ₺40.77

$1.55 €1.38

-47.10%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.2 ₺3,228

$30.01 €26.69

117.26%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.33 ₺65.7

$1.64 €1.46

-18.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.90 ₺44.60

$1.34 €1.19

-32.84%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.91 ₺540

$27.83 €24.75

-60.80%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.43 ₺70.7

$1.82 €1.62

-21.43%

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

$49.6K ₺2.5M

$29.0K €25.8K

71.10%

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

$43.2K ₺2.1M

$23.9K €21.2K

80.82%

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

$88.8 ₺4,395

$285 €254

-68.88%

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

$11.69 ₺579

$24.65 €21.93

-52.58%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.09 ₺797

$38.39 €34.15

-58.09%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$76.3 ₺3,776

$51.9 €46.15

46.99%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.72 ₺1,125

Cinema Ticket

$8.26 ₺409

$7.63 €6.78

8.26%

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

$1,015 ₺50.2K

$493 €438

106.03%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.8K ₺1.3M

$11.3K €10.1K

127.94%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.3 ₺2,636

$117 €104

-54.41%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.55 ₺2,008

$36.90 €32.83

9.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100 ₺4,956

$122 €108

-17.87%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.5 ₺4,630

$144 €128

-34.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$977 ₺48.4K

$812 €722

20.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$627 ₺31.0K

$667 €594

-6.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,980 ₺98.0K

$1,206 €1,073

64.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,147 ₺56.8K

$865 €770

32.57%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,095 ₺153.2K

$3,051 €2,714

1.47%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,787 ₺88.5K

$2,778 €2,471

-35.66%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,213 ₺60.1K

$899 €800

34.95%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.69

3.29

1136.78%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 19, 2026

Last update for Sezana: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$627 41.1%

Sezana

$667 36.6% 6.5% $41

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$263 17.2%

Sezana

$310 17% 18% $47

Eating Out

Istanbul

$222 14.6%

Sezana

$200 11% 9.8% $22

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$129 8.5%

Sezana

$189 10.3% 45.8% $59

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$117 7.6%

Sezana

$348 19.1% 199% $232

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$93 6.1%

Sezana

$67 3.7% 27.6% $26

Getting Around

Istanbul

$74 4.9%

Sezana

$45 2.4% 40.1% $30

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $977 in Istanbul versus $812 in Sezana. 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 35% higher in Istanbul, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $57.0 in Istanbul versus $56.0 in Sezana. Groceries tell a different story – $263 in Istanbul vs $310 in Sezana – so Istanbul wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇸🇮 Sezana

🕒 Local time

18:20 6:20 PM

17:20 5:20 PM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

6,000

💱 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

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Between locations

Istanbul Sezana 1,330 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Sezana

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 Sezana: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Sezana is pricier by about 20%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,287 per month in Istanbul and $2,739 in Sezana. 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 $493 in Sezana. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 18% more in Sezana, 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 Sezana at $1,826. In Istanbul it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sezana 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, Sezana makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.