Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Sibay

For one person, living is cheaper in Sibay: $1,115 a month against $1,519 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $4,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

73

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index
54

Cost of Living Index in Sibay
Learn more

Sibay Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,519

/mo nomad

Sibay

🇷🇺 Russia

$1,115

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Sibay

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

A single person spends $1,519 per month in Istanbul vs $1,115 in Sibay, rent included.

Istanbul $1,519
Sibay $1,115

A couple spends around $2,365 per month in Istanbul vs $1,758 in Sibay, rent included.

Istanbul $2,365
Sibay $1,758

A family of three spends $3,212 per month in Istanbul vs $2,402 in Sibay, rent included.

Istanbul $3,212
Sibay $2,402

Istanbul costs about 36% more than Sibay, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Istanbul sits 12% above the global median, while Sibay is 18% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.81 ₺592

$13.45 ₽1,097

-12.19%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.9 ₺2,754

$40.84 ₽3,331

34.45%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.26 ₺465

$6.46 ₽527

43.34%

Cappuccino

$4.30 ₺216

$2.68 ₽219

60.45%

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

$1.77 ₺89.0

$1.02 ₽83.2

73.53%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺28.32

$0.62 ₽50.5

-9.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.69 ₺235

$1.86 ₽152

152.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.12 ₺357

$3.35 ₽274

112.54%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 ₺62.7

$1.02 ₽82.9

22.55%

White Bread (500g)

$0.88 ₺44.17

$0.74 ₽60.4

18.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 ₺111

$1.44 ₽117

52.78%

Eggs

$2.43 ₺122

$1.63 ₽133

49.08%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.48 ₺526

$13.16 ₽1,074

-20.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.31 ₺267

$5.00 ₽408

6.20%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.10 ₺1,058

$11.12 ₽907

89.75%

Apples (1kg)

$1.86 ₺93.1

$1.93 ₽158

-3.63%

Banana (1kg)

$2.30 ₺115

$2.11 ₽172

9.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.22 ₺61.0

$1.53 ₽125

-20.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺90.2

$3.23 ₽263

-44.27%

Potato (1kg)

$0.69 ₺34.83

$0.77 ₽62.6

-10.39%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺32.16

$0.60 ₽48.94

6.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.36 ₺68.0

$1.30 ₽106

4.62%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 ₺28.94

$0.79 ₽64.3

-26.58%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.34 ₺117

$3.05 ₽249

-23.28%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.03 ₺653

$9.39 ₽766

38.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.36 ₺118

$0.97 ₽79.2

143.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.32 ₺166

$1.81 ₽147

83.43%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.88 ₺44.07

$0.56 ₽45.32

57.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.1 ₺3,316

$24.15 ₽1,970

173.79%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 ₺64.4

$2.62 ₽214

-51.15%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 ₺42.80

$0.31 ₽25.17

174.19%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.09 ₺556

$5.40 ₽441

105.37%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 ₺74.0

$0.94 ₽77.0

57.45%

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

$48.6K ₺2.4M

$49.3K ₽4.0M

-1.31%

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

$42.0K ₺2.1M

$38.8K ₽3.2M

8.09%

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

$92.7 ₺4,650

$131 ₽10.7K

-29.44%

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

$11.20 ₺562

$6.05 ₽493

85.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.89 ₺797

$8.40 ₽685

89.17%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.7 ₺3,745

$36.78 ₽3,000

103.05%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.95 ₺1,151

$22.01 ₽1,795

4.27%

Cinema Ticket

$8.05 ₺404

$6.98 ₽569

15.33%

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

$948 ₺47.6K

$328 ₽26.8K

188.95%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.9K ₺1.9M

$5,613 ₽457.8K

557.67%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₺2,702

$99.3 ₽8,097

-45.73%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.49 ₺2,081

$47.62 ₽3,884

-12.87%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 ₺5,060

$142 ₽11.5K

-28.74%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.3 ₺4,580

$105 ₽8,568

-13.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,014 ₺50.8K

$525 ₽42.8K

93.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$625 ₺31.3K

$311 ₽25.4K

100.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,005 ₺100.6K

$1,044 ₽85.1K

92.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,126 ₺56.5K

$587 ₽47.9K

91.70%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,988 ₺149.8K

$2,062 ₽168.2K

44.91%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,730 ₺86.8K

$1,650 ₽134.6K

4.83%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,136 ₺57.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.42

21.33

89.50%

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

Last update for Istanbul: November 2, 2026

Last update for Sibay: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$625 41.1%

Sibay

$311 27.9% 50.2% $314

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$258 17%

Sibay

$218 19.5% 15.7% $41

Eating Out

Istanbul

$221 14.6%

Sibay

$182 16.3% 17.7% $39

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$129 8.5%

Sibay

$177 15.9% 36.8% $48

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$120 7.9%

Sibay

$146 13.1% 21.7% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$91 6%

Sibay

$51 4.6% 44.1% $40

Getting Around

Istanbul

$75 5%

Sibay

$31 2.7% 59.4% $45

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,014 in Istanbul versus $525 in Sibay. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55 in Istanbul versus $41 in Sibay. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $218 – making Sibay the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇷🇺 Sibay

🕒 Local time

03:57 3:57 AM

05:57 5:57 AM

2 h ahead of Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

56,514

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Russian Ruble RUB ₽

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 1.99 USD

100 TRY = 1.78 EUR

100 RUB = 1.23 USD

100 RUB = 1.09 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RUB, USD, EUR 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).

Russian Ruble exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 81.56 RUB (100 RUB = 1.23 USD). 1 EUR = 91.56 RUB (100 RUB = 1.09 EUR).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Istanbul Sibay 2,580 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Sibay

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 Sibay: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 36%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,278 per month in Istanbul and $1,672 in Sibay. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Sibay, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $525 there versus $1,014 in Istanbul.

Kindergarten costs $948 per month in Istanbul and $328 in Sibay. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 19% more in Istanbul, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$2,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,519 in Istanbul and $1,115 in Sibay, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Sibay – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

For expats, Sibay is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 27% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.