Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Sopron

For one person, living is cheaper in Sopron: $1,332 a month against $1,550 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $2,600 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

75

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index
65

Cost of Living Index in Sopron
Learn more

Sopron Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

Sopron

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,332

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Sopron

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

A single person spends $1,550 per month in Istanbul vs $1,332 in Sopron, rent included.

Istanbul $1,550
Sopron $1,332

A couple spends around $2,415 per month in Istanbul vs $1,983 in Sopron, rent included.

Istanbul $2,415
Sopron $1,983

A family of three spends $3,281 per month in Istanbul vs $2,635 in Sopron, rent included.

Istanbul $3,281
Sopron $2,635

Istanbul costs about 16% more than Sopron, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Istanbul sits 15% above the global median, while Sopron is 1% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.30 ₺609

$11.33 Ft 3,660

8.56%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.7 ₺2,708

$48.86 Ft 15.8K

11.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.22 ₺456

$9.11 Ft 2,944

1.21%

Cappuccino

$4.40 ₺218

$2.42 Ft 781

81.82%

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

$1.68 ₺83.1

$1.31 Ft 422

28.24%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₺29.40

$1.22 Ft 395

-51.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.70 ₺233

$1.71 Ft 553

174.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.91 ₺292

$2.26 Ft 732

161.50%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 ₺60.0

$1.21 Ft 390

White Bread (500g)

$0.89 ₺44.10

$1.58 Ft 512

-43.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.19 ₺108

$2.30 Ft 743

-4.78%

Eggs

$2.35 ₺116

$3.25 Ft 1,049

-27.69%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.42 ₺516

$10.43 Ft 3,368

-0.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.65 ₺280

$6.64 Ft 2,146

-14.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.94 ₺1,037

$15.47 Ft 4,999

35.36%

Apples (1kg)

$1.90 ₺94.1

$2.50 Ft 808

-24.00%

Banana (1kg)

$2.31 ₺114

$2.31 Ft 748

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.1

$2.55 Ft 823

-49.80%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺89.0

$3.09 Ft 998

-41.75%

Potato (1kg)

$0.65 ₺32.16

$1.10 Ft 355

-40.91%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺31.91

$1.26 Ft 408

-49.21%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 ₺62.1

$1.78 Ft 575

-29.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.58

$0.53 Ft 172

5.66%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.37 ₺118

$10.82 Ft 3,497

-78.10%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.42 ₺664

$4.51 Ft 1,459

197.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₺119

$1.35 Ft 437

77.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 ₺172

$2.52 Ft 816

38.10%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.89 ₺43.84

$1.07 Ft 346

-16.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.4 ₺3,338

$30.74 Ft 9,933

119.36%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.29 ₺64.1

$3.29 Ft 1,063

-60.79%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 ₺45.70

$1.27 Ft 410

-27.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.96 ₺542

$24.18 Ft 7,811

-54.67%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ₺72.9

$1.84 Ft 595

-20.11%

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

$50.8K ₺2.5M

$22.6K Ft 7.3M

124.53%

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

$44.5K ₺2.2M

$22.1K Ft 7.1M

101.24%

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

$88.6 ₺4,387

$172 Ft 55.7K

-48.63%

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

$11.59 ₺574

$21.08 Ft 6,810

-45.02%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.81 ₺783

$21.12 Ft 6,824

-25.14%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.2 ₺3,820

$48.87 Ft 15.8K

57.89%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.74 ₺1,126

$17.98 Ft 5,810

26.47%

Cinema Ticket

$8.14 ₺403

$8.91 Ft 2,879

-8.64%

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

$1,008 ₺49.9K

$186 Ft 60.2K

440.93%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.6K ₺1.3M

$7,716 Ft 2.5M

231.26%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.0 ₺2,671

$78.4 Ft 25.3K

-31.18%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.83 ₺2,021

$31.82 Ft 10.3K

28.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.9 ₺4,895

$77.4 Ft 25.0K

27.77%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.6 ₺4,783

$66.4 Ft 21.4K

45.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$985 ₺48.7K

$631 Ft 203.8K

56.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$650 ₺32.2K

$468 Ft 151.3K

38.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,983 ₺98.2K

$1,042 Ft 336.7K

90.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,180 ₺58.4K

$711 Ft 229.9K

65.86%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,138 ₺155.4K

$2,990 Ft 965.9K

4.96%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,780 ₺88.1K

$2,912 Ft 940.8K

-38.88%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,205 ₺59.7K

$1,397 Ft 451.5K

-13.74%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.92

718.40%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 13, 2026

Last update for Sopron: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$650 41.9%

Sopron

$468 35.2% 27.9% $182

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$260 16.8%

Sopron

$253 19% 2.5% $6.5

Eating Out

Istanbul

$223 14.4%

Sopron

$170 12.8% 23.8% $53

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$131 8.4%

Sopron

$114 8.6% 12.5% $16

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$116 7.5%

Sopron

$215 16.1% 85.1% $99

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$93 6%

Sopron

$67 5% 28.6% $27

Getting Around

Istanbul

$77 5%

Sopron

$45 3.4% 41.9% $32

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $985 in Istanbul versus $631 in Sopron. 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 16% higher in Sopron, 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 $55.0 in Istanbul versus $49.00 in Sopron. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $260 vs $253 – making Sopron the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇭🇺 Sopron

🕒 Local time

22:28 10:28 PM

21:28 9:28 PM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

61,589

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 2.02 USD

100 TRY = 1.8 EUR

1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

HUF, USD, EUR to TRY – Turkish Lira Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇷 Turkish Lira (₺)

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 49.51 TRY (100 TRY = 2.02 USD). 1 EUR = 55.67 TRY (100 TRY = 1.8 EUR).

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 323 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 363 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Istanbul Sopron 1,230 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Sopron

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 Sopron: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 16%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,325 per month in Istanbul and $1,998 in Sopron. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Sopron, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $1,008 per month in Istanbul and $186 in Sopron. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 3% more in Istanbul, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Sopron, where all-in costs run around $1,332, than in Istanbul at $1,550. In Sopron it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Sopron – 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 Sopron. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Istanbul makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.