Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Stip

For one person, living is cheaper in Stip: $806 a month against $1,550 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $8,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

75

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index
39

Cost of Living Index in Stip
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Stip Living Index

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Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

Stip

🇲🇰 North Macedonia

$806

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Stip

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

A single person spends $1,550 per month in Istanbul vs $806 in Stip, rent included.

Istanbul $1,550
Stip $806

A couple spends around $2,415 per month in Istanbul vs $1,205 in Stip, rent included.

Istanbul $2,415
Stip $1,205

A family of three spends $3,281 per month in Istanbul vs $1,605 in Stip, rent included.

Istanbul $3,281
Stip $1,605

Istanbul costs about 92% more than Stip, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Istanbul sits 15% above the global median, while Stip is 40% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.30 ₺609

$7.33 MKD 400

67.80%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.7 ₺2,708

$23.62 MKD 1,288

131.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.22 ₺456

$6.30 MKD 344

46.35%

Cappuccino

$4.40 ₺218

$1.80 MKD 98.1

144.44%

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

$1.68 ₺83.1

$1.48 MKD 80.6

13.51%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₺29.40

$1.07 MKD 58.2

-44.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.70 ₺233

$1.77 MKD 96.8

165.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.91 ₺292

$2.79 MKD 152

111.83%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 ₺60.0

$1.23 MKD 67.2

-1.63%

White Bread (500g)

$0.89 ₺44.10

$0.75 MKD 40.86

18.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.19 ₺108

$1.07 MKD 58.1

104.67%

Eggs

$2.35 ₺116

$2.42 MKD 132

-2.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.42 ₺516

$8.12 MKD 443

28.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.65 ₺280

$7.25 MKD 395

-22.07%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.94 ₺1,037

$7.46 MKD 407

180.70%

Apples (1kg)

$1.90 ₺94.1

$0.87 MKD 47.22

118.39%

Banana (1kg)

$2.31 ₺114

$1.44 MKD 78.7

60.42%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.1

$1.32 MKD 72.0

-3.03%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺89.0

$1.66 MKD 90.8

8.43%

Potato (1kg)

$0.65 ₺32.16

$0.87 MKD 47.63

-25.29%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺31.91

$0.78 MKD 42.51

-17.95%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 ₺62.1

$0.53 MKD 29.07

135.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.58

$0.40 MKD 21.66

40.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.37 ₺118

$3.26 MKD 178

-27.30%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.42 ₺664

$7.26 MKD 396

84.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₺119

$1.07 MKD 58.4

124.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 ₺172

$1.42 MKD 77.4

145.07%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.89 ₺43.84

$0.63 MKD 34.29

41.27%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.4 ₺3,338

$23.20 MKD 1,266

190.65%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.29 ₺64.1

$1.12 MKD 60.9

15.18%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 ₺45.70

$0.62 MKD 33.63

48.39%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.96 ₺542

$5.60 MKD 306

95.71%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ₺72.9

$1.52 MKD 82.7

-3.29%

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

$50.8K ₺2.5M

$36.0K MKD 2.0M

41.22%

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

$44.5K ₺2.2M

$27.9K MKD 1.5M

59.61%

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

$88.6 ₺4,387

$157 MKD 8,562

-43.55%

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

$11.59 ₺574

$9.01 MKD 492

28.63%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.81 ₺783

$16.56 MKD 903

-4.53%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.2 ₺3,820

$27.61 MKD 1,506

179.46%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.74 ₺1,126

$17.17 MKD 937

32.44%

Cinema Ticket

$8.14 ₺403

$6.19 MKD 338

31.50%

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

$1,008 ₺49.9K

$350 MKD 19.1K

187.70%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.6K ₺1.3M

$5,765 MKD 314.5K

343.36%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.0 ₺2,671

$35.68 MKD 1,946

51.21%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.83 ₺2,021

$30.62 MKD 1,670

33.34%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.9 ₺4,895

$101 MKD 5,487

-1.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.6 ₺4,783

$114 MKD 6,196

-14.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$985 ₺48.7K

$201 MKD 11.0K

390.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$650 ₺32.2K

$126 MKD 6,876

415.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,983 ₺98.2K

$327 MKD 17.9K

505.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,180 ₺58.4K

$197 MKD 10.7K

499.68%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,138 ₺155.4K

$1,214 MKD 66.2K

158.42%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,780 ₺88.1K

$958 MKD 52.3K

85.73%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,205 ₺59.7K

$462 MKD 25.2K

160.67%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.92

4.23

867.38%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 13, 2026

Last update for Stip: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$650 41.9%

Stip

$126 15.7% 80.6% $524

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$260 16.8%

Stip

$177 22% 31.8% $83

Eating Out

Istanbul

$223 14.4%

Stip

$124 15.4% 44.6% $100

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$131 8.4%

Stip

$126 15.7% 3.4% $4.4

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$116 7.5%

Stip

$183 22.7% 57.3% $67

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$93 6%

Stip

$40 5% 57.2% $53

Getting Around

Istanbul

$77 5%

Stip

$30 3.7% 61.1% $47

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $985 in Istanbul versus $201 in Stip. 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 161% higher in Istanbul, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55.0 in Istanbul versus $24.00 in Stip. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $260 vs $177 – making Stip the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇲🇰 Stip

🕒 Local time

08:53 8:53 AM

07:53 7:53 AM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

65,000

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

North Macedonian Denar MKD ден

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 2.02 USD

100 TRY = 1.8 EUR

100 MKD = 1.83 USD

100 MKD = 1.63 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MKD, USD, EUR to TRY – Turkish Lira Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇷 Turkish Lira (₺)

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 49.51 TRY (100 TRY = 2.02 USD). 1 EUR = 55.66 TRY (100 TRY = 1.8 EUR).

North Macedonian Denar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 54.55 MKD (100 MKD = 1.83 USD). 1 EUR = 61.33 MKD (100 MKD = 1.63 EUR).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Istanbul Stip 570 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Stip

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 Stip: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 92%, 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 $1,208 in Stip. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Stip, 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 $350 in Stip. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 47% 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 $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Stip, where all-in costs run around $806, than in Istanbul at $1,550. In Stip it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Stip – 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 Stip. 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.