Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Sibiu

For one person, living is cheaper in Sibiu: $1,135 a month against $1,519 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $4,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

73

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index
55

Cost of Living Index in Sibiu
Learn more

Sibiu Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,519

/mo nomad

Sibiu

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,135

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Sibiu

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

A single person spends $1,519 per month in Istanbul vs $1,135 in Sibiu, rent included.

Istanbul $1,519
Sibiu $1,135

A couple spends around $2,365 per month in Istanbul vs $1,666 in Sibiu, rent included.

Istanbul $2,365
Sibiu $1,666

A family of three spends $3,212 per month in Istanbul vs $2,197 in Sibiu, rent included.

Istanbul $3,212
Sibiu $2,197

Istanbul costs about 34% more than Sibiu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Istanbul sits 12% above the global median, while Sibiu is 16% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.81 ₺592

$8.61 RON 40.90

37.17%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.9 ₺2,754

$41.77 RON 198

31.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.26 ₺465

$7.47 RON 35.49

23.96%

Cappuccino

$4.30 ₺216

$3.08 RON 14.61

39.61%

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

$1.77 ₺89.0

$2.02 RON 9.59

-12.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺28.32

$1.82 RON 8.66

-69.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.69 ₺235

$3.07 RON 14.60

52.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.12 ₺357

$3.90 RON 18.53

82.56%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 ₺62.7

$1.37 RON 6.50

-8.76%

White Bread (500g)

$0.88 ₺44.17

$1.16 RON 5.50

-24.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 ₺111

$1.35 RON 6.40

62.96%

Eggs

$2.43 ₺122

$3.37 RON 16.02

-27.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.48 ₺526

$8.02 RON 38.10

30.67%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.31 ₺267

$5.75 RON 27.32

-7.65%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.10 ₺1,058

$7.67 RON 36.46

175.10%

Apples (1kg)

$1.86 ₺93.1

$1.20 RON 5.70

55.00%

Banana (1kg)

$2.30 ₺115

$1.57 RON 7.44

46.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.22 ₺61.0

$1.50 RON 7.13

-18.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺90.2

$2.64 RON 12.52

-31.82%

Potato (1kg)

$0.69 ₺34.83

$0.70 RON 3.34

-1.43%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺32.16

$0.62 RON 2.94

3.23%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.36 ₺68.0

$1.03 RON 4.87

32.04%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 ₺28.94

$0.91 RON 4.33

-36.26%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.34 ₺117

$5.81 RON 27.60

-59.72%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.03 ₺653

$7.28 RON 34.57

78.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.36 ₺118

$0.98 RON 4.64

140.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.32 ₺166

$1.34 RON 6.37

147.76%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.88 ₺44.07

$0.70 RON 3.33

25.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.1 ₺3,316

$18.85 RON 89.5

250.77%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 ₺64.4

$0.91 RON 4.34

40.66%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 ₺42.80

$0.91 RON 4.34

-6.59%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.09 ₺556

$9.21 RON 43.74

20.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 ₺74.0

$1.90 RON 9.04

-22.11%

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

$48.6K ₺2.4M

$29.0K RON 137.9K

67.61%

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

$42.0K ₺2.1M

$25.7K RON 121.9K

63.57%

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

$92.7 ₺4,650

$116 RON 550

-19.91%

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

$11.20 ₺562

$9.06 RON 43.04

23.62%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.89 ₺797

$12.21 RON 58.0

30.14%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.7 ₺3,745

$33.52 RON 159

122.79%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.95 ₺1,151

$14.27 RON 67.8

60.83%

Cinema Ticket

$8.05 ₺404

$6.64 RON 31.54

21.23%

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

$948 ₺47.6K

$440 RON 2,089

115.70%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.9K ₺1.9M

$9,956 RON 47.3K

270.80%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₺2,702

$97.9 RON 465

-44.95%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.49 ₺2,081

$39.02 RON 185

6.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 ₺5,060

$85.2 RON 405

18.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.3 ₺4,580

$87.4 RON 415

4.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,014 ₺50.8K

$493 RON 2,344

105.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$625 ₺31.3K

$423 RON 2,010

47.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,005 ₺100.6K

$826 RON 3,924

142.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,126 ₺56.5K

$587 RON 2,789

91.82%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,988 ₺149.8K

$2,569 RON 12.2K

16.31%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,730 ₺86.8K

$2,034 RON 9,665

-14.94%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,136 ₺57.0K

$1,165 RON 5,537

-2.49%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.42

7.02

475.78%

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

Last update for Istanbul: November 2, 2026

Last update for Sibiu: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$625 41.1%

Sibiu

$423 37.3% 32.3% $202

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$258 17%

Sibiu

$195 17.2% 24.5% $63

Eating Out

Istanbul

$221 14.6%

Sibiu

$167 14.7% 24.5% $54

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$129 8.5%

Sibiu

$139 12.3% 7.6% $9.8

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$120 7.9%

Sibiu

$137 12.1% 14.4% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$91 6%

Sibiu

$47 4.1% 48.5% $44

Getting Around

Istanbul

$75 5%

Sibiu

$27 2.4% 63.9% $48

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,014 in Istanbul versus $493 in Sibiu. 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 $42 in Sibiu. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $195 – making Sibiu the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇷🇴 Sibiu

🕒 Local time

13:04 1:04 PM

12:04 12:04 PM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

147,245

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 1.99 USD

100 TRY = 1.78 EUR

1 RON = 0.21 USD

1 RON = 0.187 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RON, 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 = 56.33 TRY (100 TRY = 1.78 EUR).

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 4.75 RON (1 RON = 0.21 USD). 1 EUR = 5.34 RON (1 RON = 0.187 EUR).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Istanbul Sibiu 660 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Sibiu

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 Sibiu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 34%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,278 per month in Istanbul and $1,702 in Sibiu. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Sibiu, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $493 there versus $1,014 in Istanbul.

Kindergarten costs $948 per month in Istanbul and $440 in Sibiu. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 32% more in Istanbul, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,519 in Istanbul and $1,135 in Sibiu. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Sibiu costs $1,135 versus $1,519 in Istanbul. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

For expats, Sibiu is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 25% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.