Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Sveti Nikole

For one person, living is cheaper in Sveti Nikole: $847 a month against $1,526 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $8,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

74

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index
41

Cost of Living Index in Sveti Nikole
Learn more

Sveti Nikole Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,526

/mo nomad

Sveti Nikole

🇲🇰 North Macedonia

$847

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Sveti Nikole

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

A single person spends $1,526 per month in Istanbul vs $847 in Sveti Nikole, rent included.

Istanbul $1,526
Sveti Nikole $847

A couple spends around $2,399 per month in Istanbul vs $1,299 in Sveti Nikole, rent included.

Istanbul $2,399
Sveti Nikole $1,299

A family of three spends $3,272 per month in Istanbul vs $1,752 in Sveti Nikole, rent included.

Istanbul $3,272
Sveti Nikole $1,752

Istanbul costs about 80% more than Sveti Nikole, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Istanbul sits 14% above the global median, while Sveti Nikole is 37% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.88 ₺585

$8.91 MKD 488

33.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.1 ₺2,714

$34.23 MKD 1,876

60.94%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.14 ₺450

$5.31 MKD 291

72.13%

Cappuccino

$4.24 ₺209

$1.62 MKD 88.8

161.73%

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

$1.75 ₺86.0

$1.40 MKD 76.7

25.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.54 ₺26.83

$0.98 MKD 53.6

-44.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.69 ₺231

$1.59 MKD 87.0

194.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.97 ₺294

$1.81 MKD 99.1

229.83%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.26 ₺62.1

$1.30 MKD 71.1

-3.08%

White Bread (500g)

$0.95 ₺46.81

$0.59 MKD 32.37

61.02%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.31 ₺114

$1.15 MKD 63.2

100.87%

Eggs

$2.47 ₺122

$2.50 MKD 137

-1.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.55 ₺520

$8.98 MKD 492

17.48%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.60 ₺276

$4.62 MKD 253

21.21%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.21 ₺1,045

$12.02 MKD 659

76.46%

Apples (1kg)

$1.93 ₺95.1

$1.35 MKD 74.0

42.96%

Banana (1kg)

$2.29 ₺113

$1.24 MKD 67.8

84.68%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.1

$1.23 MKD 67.7

4.07%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.84 ₺90.8

$1.70 MKD 93.3

8.24%

Potato (1kg)

$0.67 ₺32.86

$0.74 MKD 40.77

-9.46%

Onion (1kg)

$0.59 ₺29.31

$1.16 MKD 63.8

-49.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.33 ₺65.4

$0.80 MKD 43.74

66.25%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₺29.10

$0.42 MKD 23.08

40.48%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.36 ₺116

$3.03 MKD 166

-22.11%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.47 ₺664

$6.41 MKD 351

110.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.42 ₺119

$0.98 MKD 53.5

146.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.54 ₺174

$1.42 MKD 77.7

149.30%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.83 ₺40.64

$0.72 MKD 39.23

15.28%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.5 ₺3,273

$23.30 MKD 1,277

185.19%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.35 ₺66.6

$1.43 MKD 78.6

-5.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 ₺42.05

$0.99 MKD 54.1

-14.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.86 ₺535

$3.71 MKD 203

192.72%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ₺72.3

$1.47 MKD 80.7

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

$51.6K ₺2.5M

$34.4K MKD 1.9M

50.15%

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

$44.4K ₺2.2M

$27.3K MKD 1.5M

62.79%

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

$89.2 ₺4,395

$128 MKD 7,030

-30.45%

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

$11.60 ₺572

$15.35 MKD 841

-24.43%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.10 ₺793

$11.85 MKD 649

35.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.3 ₺3,805

$22.65 MKD 1,241

241.06%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.66 ₺1,116

$16.14 MKD 884

40.40%

Cinema Ticket

$8.34 ₺411

$4.93 MKD 270

69.17%

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

$974 ₺48.0K

$303 MKD 16.6K

221.25%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.8K ₺1.3M

$3,086 MKD 169.1K

735.18%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.7 ₺2,597

$72.7 MKD 3,982

-27.46%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.16 ₺1,929

$31.69 MKD 1,736

23.57%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 ₺5,083

$82.5 MKD 4,523

25.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.6 ₺4,759

$85.5 MKD 4,684

13.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$994 ₺49.0K

$239 MKD 13.1K

316.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$629 ₺31.0K

$182 MKD 9,990

245.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,024 ₺99.7K

$539 MKD 29.5K

275.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,155 ₺56.9K

$262 MKD 14.3K

341.47%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,160 ₺155.7K

$1,505 MKD 82.5K

109.97%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,838 ₺90.5K

$1,149 MKD 63.0K

59.92%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,203 ₺59.3K

$548 MKD 30.0K

119.79%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

41.09

4.23

871.39%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 3, 2026

Last update for Sveti Nikole: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$629 41.2%

Sveti Nikole

$182 21.9% 71% $447

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$264 17.3%

Sveti Nikole

$181 21.7% 31.6% $83

Eating Out

Istanbul

$218 14.3%

Sveti Nikole

$128 15.3% 41.4% $90

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$131 8.6%

Sveti Nikole

$123 14.7% 6.6% $8.7

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$117 7.7%

Sveti Nikole

$155 18.7% 33% $39

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$94 6.1%

Sveti Nikole

$33 3.9% 65.4% $61

Getting Around

Istanbul

$75 4.9%

Sveti Nikole

$33 3.9% 56.8% $43

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $994 in Istanbul versus $239 in Sveti Nikole. 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 120% 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 $34.00 in Sveti Nikole. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $264 vs $181 – making Sveti Nikole the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇲🇰 Sveti Nikole

🕒 Local time

14:41 2:41 PM

13:41 1:41 PM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

13,220

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

North Macedonian Denar MKD ден

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 2.03 USD

100 TRY = 1.81 EUR

100 MKD = 1.82 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 49.26 TRY (100 TRY = 2.03 USD). 1 EUR = 55.2 TRY (100 TRY = 1.81 EUR).

North Macedonian Denar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 54.8 MKD (100 MKD = 1.82 USD). 1 EUR = 61.41 MKD (100 MKD = 1.63 EUR).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Istanbul Sveti Nikole 590 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Sveti Nikole

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 Sveti Nikole: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 80%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,289 per month in Istanbul and $1,271 in Sveti Nikole. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Kindergarten costs $974 per month in Istanbul and $303 in Sveti Nikole. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 46% 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 Sveti Nikole, where all-in costs run around $847, than in Istanbul at $1,526. In Sveti Nikole it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Sveti Nikole – 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 Sveti Nikole. 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.