Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Sighisoara

For one person, living is cheaper in Sighisoara: $937 a month against $1,519 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $7,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

73

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index
44

Cost of Living Index in Sighisoara
Learn more

Sighisoara Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,519

/mo nomad

Sighisoara

🇷🇴 Romania

$937

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Sighisoara

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

A single person spends $1,519 per month in Istanbul vs $937 in Sighisoara, rent included.

Istanbul $1,519
Sighisoara $937

A couple spends around $2,365 per month in Istanbul vs $1,501 in Sighisoara, rent included.

Istanbul $2,365
Sighisoara $1,501

A family of three spends $3,212 per month in Istanbul vs $2,065 in Sighisoara, rent included.

Istanbul $3,212
Sighisoara $2,065

Istanbul costs about 62% more than Sighisoara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Istanbul sits 12% above the global median, while Sighisoara is 31% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.81 ₺592

$10.66 RON 51.0

10.79%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.9 ₺2,754

$36.06 RON 172

52.27%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.26 ₺465

$8.42 RON 40.26

9.98%

Cappuccino

$4.30 ₺216

$2.13 RON 10.20

101.88%

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

$1.77 ₺89.0

$2.16 RON 10.34

-18.06%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺28.32

$2.22 RON 10.62

-74.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.69 ₺235

$2.06 RON 9.83

127.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.12 ₺357

$2.79 RON 13.36

155.20%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 ₺62.7

$1.44 RON 6.87

-13.19%

White Bread (500g)

$0.88 ₺44.17

$1.20 RON 5.72

-26.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 ₺111

$1.51 RON 7.21

45.70%

Eggs

$2.43 ₺122

$3.33 RON 15.90

-27.03%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.48 ₺526

$7.31 RON 34.96

43.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.31 ₺267

$7.13 RON 34.06

-25.53%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.10 ₺1,058

$7.14 RON 34.13

195.52%

Apples (1kg)

$1.86 ₺93.1

$1.07 RON 5.11

73.83%

Banana (1kg)

$2.30 ₺115

$1.63 RON 7.80

41.10%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.22 ₺61.0

$1.81 RON 8.66

-32.60%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺90.2

$2.27 RON 10.85

-20.70%

Potato (1kg)

$0.69 ₺34.83

$0.70 RON 3.33

-1.43%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺32.16

$0.95 RON 4.56

-32.63%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.36 ₺68.0

$0.91 RON 4.33

49.45%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 ₺28.94

$1.04 RON 4.95

-44.23%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.34 ₺117

$5.21 RON 24.89

-55.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.03 ₺653

$7.52 RON 35.96

73.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.36 ₺118

$1.26 RON 6.03

87.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.32 ₺166

$1.68 RON 8.01

97.62%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.88 ₺44.07

$0.60 RON 2.89

46.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.1 ₺3,316

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 ₺64.4

$0.83 RON 3.95

54.22%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 ₺42.80

$0.82 RON 3.92

3.66%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.09 ₺556

$8.29 RON 39.61

33.78%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 ₺74.0

$1.63 RON 7.81

-9.20%

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

$48.6K ₺2.4M

$28.8K RON 137.9K

68.65%

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

$42.0K ₺2.1M

$25.0K RON 119.4K

67.97%

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

$92.7 ₺4,650

$59.7 RON 286

55.22%

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

$11.20 ₺562

$8.32 RON 39.77

34.62%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.89 ₺797

$8.50 RON 40.65

86.94%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.7 ₺3,745

$53.3 RON 255

40.17%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.95 ₺1,151

Cinema Ticket

$8.05 ₺404

$9.42 RON 45.02

-14.54%

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

$948 ₺47.6K

$577 RON 2,759

64.29%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.9K ₺1.9M

$12.2K RON 58.4K

202.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₺2,702

$89.7 RON 429

-39.90%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.49 ₺2,081

$45.09 RON 216

-7.98%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 ₺5,060

$99.1 RON 474

1.82%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.3 ₺4,580

$105 RON 504

-13.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,014 ₺50.8K

$319 RON 1,524

217.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$625 ₺31.3K

$255 RON 1,220

144.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,005 ₺100.6K

$517 RON 2,471

288.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,126 ₺56.5K

$492 RON 2,350

129.04%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,988 ₺149.8K

$1,576 RON 7,534

89.55%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,730 ₺86.8K

$1,064 RON 5,085

62.65%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,136 ₺57.0K

$589 RON 2,814

92.99%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.42

6.65

507.82%

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

Last update for Istanbul: November 2, 2026

Last update for Sighisoara: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$625 41.1%

Sighisoara

$255 27.3% 59.1% $369

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$258 17%

Sighisoara

$203 21.7% 21.3% $55

Eating Out

Istanbul

$221 14.6%

Sighisoara

$170 18.1% 23.2% $51

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$129 8.5%

Sighisoara

$153 16.3% 18% $23

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$120 7.9%

Sighisoara

$77 8.2% 36.1% $43

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$91 6%

Sighisoara

$72 7.7% 20.6% $19

Getting Around

Istanbul

$75 5%

Sighisoara

$7.3 * 0.8% 90.2% $68

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,014 in Istanbul versus $319 in Sighisoara. 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 93% higher in Istanbul. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55 in Istanbul versus $36 in Sighisoara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $203 – making Sighisoara the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇷🇴 Sighisoara

🕒 Local time

21:21 9:21 PM

20:21 8:21 PM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

32,570

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 1.99 USD

100 TRY = 1.78 EUR

1 RON = 0.209 USD

1 RON = 0.186 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 = 4.78 RON (1 RON = 0.209 USD). 1 EUR = 5.37 RON (1 RON = 0.186 EUR).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Istanbul Sighisoara 670 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Sighisoara

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 Sighisoara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 62%, 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 $1,405 in Sighisoara. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Sighisoara, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $319 there versus $1,014 in Istanbul.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55 in Istanbul and $36 in Sighisoara. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 27% more in Istanbul, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Sighisoara, where all-in costs run around $937, than in Istanbul at $1,519. In Sighisoara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

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

If budget matters most, go with Sighisoara. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Istanbul makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.