Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Suceava

For one person, living is cheaper in Suceava: $1,058 a month against $1,519 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $5,500 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

Istanbul, Turkey
Suceava, Romania
Istanbul
🇹🇷 Turkey
$1,519
/mo nomad
Suceava
🇷🇴 Romania
$1,058
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Suceava

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

A single person spends $1,519 per month in Istanbul vs $1,058 in Suceava, rent included.

  • Istanbul $1,519
  • Suceava $1,058

A couple spends around $2,365 per month in Istanbul vs $1,500 in Suceava, rent included.

  • Istanbul $2,365
  • Suceava $1,500

A family of three spends $3,212 per month in Istanbul vs $1,941 in Suceava, rent included.

  • Istanbul $3,212
  • Suceava $1,941

Istanbul costs about 44% more than Suceava, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Istanbul sits 12% above the global median, while Suceava is 22% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Istanbul
Suceava
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.81 ₺592
$6.46 RON 30.69
82.82%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$54.9 ₺2,754
$31.55 RON 150
74.04%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.26 ₺465
$6.21 RON 29.51
49.11%
Cappuccino
$4.30 ₺216
$2.14 RON 10.17
100.93%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.77 ₺89.0
$2.10 RON 9.96
-15.71%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.56 ₺28.32
$1.67 RON 7.94
-66.47%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$4.69 ₺235
$2.58 RON 12.25
81.78%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$7.12 ₺357
$3.07 RON 14.59
131.92%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Istanbul
Suceava
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.25 ₺62.7
$1.27 RON 6.04
-1.57%
White Bread (500g)
$0.88 ₺44.17
$1.05 RON 4.99
-16.19%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.20 ₺111
$1.62 RON 7.68
35.80%
Eggs
$2.43 ₺122
$2.62 RON 12.45
-7.25%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.48 ₺526
$8.14 RON 38.70
28.75%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$5.31 ₺267
$5.96 RON 28.34
-10.91%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$21.10 ₺1,058
$11.26 RON 53.5
87.39%
Apples (1kg)
$1.86 ₺93.1
$0.89 RON 4.25
108.99%
Banana (1kg)
$2.30 ₺115
$1.53 RON 7.29
50.33%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.22 ₺61.0
$1.59 RON 7.56
-23.27%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.80 ₺90.2
$2.06 RON 9.78
-12.62%
Potato (1kg)
$0.69 ₺34.83
$0.77 RON 3.67
-10.39%
Onion (1kg)
$0.64 ₺32.16
$0.98 RON 4.64
-34.69%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.36 ₺68.0
$1.10 RON 5.22
23.64%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.58 ₺28.94
$0.68 RON 3.23
-14.71%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.34 ₺117
$5.47 RON 26.01
-57.22%
Wine (Bottle)
$13.03 ₺653
$5.39 RON 25.62
141.74%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.36 ₺118
$0.92 RON 4.39
156.52%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.32 ₺166
$1.46 RON 6.92
127.40%
🚌 Getting Around
Istanbul
Suceava
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.88 ₺44.07
$0.66 RON 3.12
33.33%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$66.1 ₺3,316
$23.36 RON 111
183.05%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.28 ₺64.4
$0.70 RON 3.33
82.86%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.85 ₺42.80
$0.75 RON 3.55
13.33%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$11.09 ₺556
$7.51 RON 35.69
47.67%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.48 ₺74.0
$1.89 RON 8.97
-21.69%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$48.6K ₺2.4M
$26.8K RON 127.1K
81.78%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$42.0K ₺2.1M
$24.9K RON 118.4K
68.41%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Istanbul
Suceava
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$92.7 ₺4,650
$185 RON 878
-49.85%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$11.20 ₺562
$5.58 RON 26.49
100.72%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$15.89 ₺797
$8.05 RON 38.25
97.39%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Istanbul
Suceava
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$74.7 ₺3,745
$35.37 RON 168
111.14%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$22.95 ₺1,151
$20.61 RON 97.9
11.35%
Cinema Ticket
$8.05 ₺404
$7.21 RON 34.25
11.65%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Istanbul
Suceava
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$948 ₺47.6K
$312 RON 1,484
203.69%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$36.9K ₺1.9M
$9,783 RON 46.5K
277.37%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Istanbul
Suceava
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$53.9 ₺2,702
$37.90 RON 180
42.16%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$41.49 ₺2,081
$26.27 RON 125
57.94%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$101 ₺5,060
$65.6 RON 312
53.87%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$91.3 ₺4,580
$73.6 RON 350
24.05%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Istanbul
Suceava
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,014 ₺50.8K
$414 RON 1,969
144.56%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$625 ₺31.3K
$364 RON 1,731
71.41%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,005 ₺100.6K
$720 RON 3,423
178.38%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,126 ₺56.5K
$483 RON 2,297
132.93%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,988 ₺149.8K
$1,979 RON 9,403
50.98%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,730 ₺86.8K
$1,367 RON 6,496
26.54%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Istanbul
Suceava
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,136 ₺57.0K
$940 RON 4,465
20.92%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
40.42
6.96
480.75%

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

Last update for Istanbul: November 2, 2026

Last update for Suceava: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Istanbul
$625
Suceava
$364 41.7% $260
Groceries & Markets
Istanbul
$258
Suceava
$194 25% $65
Eating Out
Istanbul
$221
Suceava
$130 41.1% $91
Clothing & Footwear
Istanbul
$129
Suceava
$92 29.3% $38
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Istanbul
$120
Suceava
$199 65.7% $79
Sport & Entertainment
Istanbul
$91
Suceava
$50 45.2% $41
Getting Around
Istanbul
$75
Suceava
$30 59.5% $45

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,014 in Istanbul versus $414 in Suceava. 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 21% 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 in Istanbul versus $32 in Suceava. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $194 – making Suceava the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇹🇷 Istanbul
🇷🇴 Suceava
🕒 Local time
15:05 3:05 PM
14:05 2:05 PM
1 h behind Istanbul
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
15,701,602
92,121
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

RON, USD, EUR to TRY – Turkish Lira Converter

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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Istanbul Suceava 770 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Istanbul
  • Suceava

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 Suceava: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Suceava cheaper than Istanbul?
Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 44%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,278 per month in Istanbul and $1,588 in Suceava. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Suceava, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $414 there versus $1,014 in Istanbul.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Kindergarten costs $948 per month in Istanbul and $312 in Suceava. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
How do food prices compare in Istanbul and in Suceava?
Groceries cost about 33% more in Istanbul, though the gap depends on what you buy.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in Istanbul or in Suceava?
A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Suceava, where all-in costs run around $1,058, than in Istanbul at $1,519. In Suceava it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Istanbul or Suceava more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Suceava – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Which city is safer, Istanbul or Suceava?
Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Suceava. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Istanbul makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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