Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Strovolos

For one person, living is cheaper in Istanbul: $1,519 a month against $1,746 in Strovolos, rent and utilities included – about $2,700 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

73

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index
84

Cost of Living Index in Strovolos
Learn more

Strovolos Living Index

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Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,519

/mo nomad

Strovolos

🇨🇾 Cyprus

$1,746

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Strovolos

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

A single person spends $1,519 per month in Istanbul vs $1,746 in Strovolos, rent included.

Istanbul $1,519
Strovolos $1,746

A couple spends around $2,365 per month in Istanbul vs $2,679 in Strovolos, rent included.

Istanbul $2,365
Strovolos $2,679

A family of three spends $3,212 per month in Istanbul vs $3,612 in Strovolos, rent included.

Istanbul $3,212
Strovolos $3,612

Istanbul is about 13% cheaper than Strovolos, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Istanbul and Strovolos sit above the global median – Istanbul by 12%, Strovolos by 29%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.81 ₺592

$22.66 €20.18

-47.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.9 ₺2,754

$68.2 €60.7

-19.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.26 ₺465

$9.07 €8.08

2.09%

Cappuccino

$4.30 ₺216

$3.84 €3.42

11.98%

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

$1.77 ₺89.0

$2.27 €2.02

-22.03%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺28.32

$0.92 €0.82

-39.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.69 ₺235

$4.53 €4.03

3.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.12 ₺357

$5.76 €5.12

23.61%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 ₺62.7

$1.87 €1.66

-33.16%

White Bread (500g)

$0.88 ₺44.17

$1.94 €1.73

-54.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 ₺111

$2.78 €2.47

-20.86%

Eggs

$2.43 ₺122

$4.79 €4.26

-49.27%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.48 ₺526

$12.54 €11.17

-16.43%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.31 ₺267

$9.18 €8.18

-42.16%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.10 ₺1,058

$12.99 €11.57

62.43%

Apples (1kg)

$1.86 ₺93.1

$3.39 €3.01

-45.13%

Banana (1kg)

$2.30 ₺115

$2.11 €1.87

9.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.22 ₺61.0

$2.48 €2.21

-50.81%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺90.2

$3.42 €3.04

-47.37%

Potato (1kg)

$0.69 ₺34.83

$1.83 €1.63

-62.30%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺32.16

$1.45 €1.29

-55.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.36 ₺68.0

$0.93 €0.83

46.24%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 ₺28.94

$1.11 €0.99

-47.75%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.34 ₺117

$5.58 €4.97

-58.06%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.03 ₺653

$8.02 €7.14

62.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.36 ₺118

$1.71 €1.52

38.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.32 ₺166

$2.74 €2.44

21.17%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.88 ₺44.07

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.1 ₺3,316

$77.5 €69.0

-14.64%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 ₺64.4

$5.50 €4.90

-76.73%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 ₺42.80

$1.69 €1.50

-49.70%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.09 ₺556

$44.09 €39.26

-74.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 ₺74.0

$1.75 €1.56

-15.43%

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

$48.6K ₺2.4M

$31.6K €28.1K

53.97%

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

$42.0K ₺2.1M

$30.7K €27.3K

36.89%

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

$92.7 ₺4,650

$205 €183

-54.82%

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

$11.20 ₺562

$20.42 €18.18

-45.15%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.89 ₺797

$32.65 €29.07

-51.33%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.7 ₺3,745

$55.5 €49.44

34.49%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.95 ₺1,151

$22.03 €19.61

4.18%

Cinema Ticket

$8.05 ₺404

$11.01 €9.80

-26.88%

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

$948 ₺47.6K

$517 €461

83.28%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.9K ₺1.9M

$10.4K €9,216

256.68%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₺2,702

$98.3 €87.5

-45.19%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.49 ₺2,081

$51.6 €45.93

-19.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 ₺5,060

$98.3 €87.6

2.60%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.3 ₺4,580

$113 €100

-19.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,014 ₺50.8K

$661 €589

53.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$625 ₺31.3K

$552 €492

13.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,005 ₺100.6K

$1,028 €916

95.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,126 ₺56.5K

$937 €834

20.15%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,988 ₺149.8K

$2,238 €1,993

33.48%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,730 ₺86.8K

$2,205 €1,964

-21.54%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,136 ₺57.0K

$1,674 €1,490

-32.10%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.42

3.93

928.50%

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

Last update for Istanbul: November 2, 2026

Last update for Strovolos: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$625 41.1%

Strovolos

$552 31.6% 11.6% $72

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$258 17%

Strovolos

$303 17.4% 17.3% $45

Eating Out

Istanbul

$221 14.6%

Strovolos

$302 17.3% 36.5% $81

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$129 8.5%

Strovolos

$162 9.3% 25.5% $33

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$120 7.9%

Strovolos

$258 14.8% 116% $139

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$91 6%

Strovolos

$78 4.4% 14.6% $13

Getting Around

Istanbul

$75 5%

Strovolos

$91 * 5.2% 21.6% $16

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 $661 in Strovolos. 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 47% higher in Strovolos. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55 in Istanbul versus $68 in Strovolos. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $303 – making Istanbul the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇨🇾 Strovolos

🕒 Local time

09:37 9:37 AM

08:37 8:37 AM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

67,904

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 1.99 USD

100 TRY = 1.78 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD 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).

Euro exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 0.89 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Istanbul Strovolos 760 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Strovolos

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 Strovolos: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Strovolos is pricier by about 15%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,278 per month in Istanbul and $2,619 in Strovolos. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Strovolos, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $661 there versus $1,014 in Istanbul.

Kindergarten costs $948 per month in Istanbul and $517 in Strovolos. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 17% more in Strovolos, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$1,500 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,519 in Istanbul and $1,746 in Strovolos. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Istanbul has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,519 in Istanbul to $1,746 in Strovolos. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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