Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Syros

For one person, living costs are similar in Istanbul and in Syros: $1,519 and $1,535 a month, rent and utilities included.

73

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index
73

Cost of Living Index in Syros
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Syros Living Index

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Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,519

/mo nomad

Syros

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,535

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Syros

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

A single person spends $1,519 per month in Istanbul vs $1,535 in Syros, rent included.

Istanbul $1,519
Syros $1,535

A couple spends around $2,365 per month in Istanbul vs $2,307 in Syros, rent included.

Istanbul $2,365
Syros $2,307

A family of three spends $3,212 per month in Istanbul vs $3,080 in Syros, rent included.

Istanbul $3,212
Syros $3,080

Istanbul and Syros have comparable living costs – the differences are in the details.

Both Istanbul and Syros sit above the global median – Istanbul by 12%, Syros by 14%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.81 ₺592

$12.61 €11.23

-6.34%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.9 ₺2,754

$54.9 €48.87

0.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.26 ₺465

$10.07 €8.97

-8.04%

Cappuccino

$4.30 ₺216

$3.53 €3.14

21.81%

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

$1.77 ₺89.0

$2.47 €2.20

-28.34%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺28.32

$0.73 €0.65

-23.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.69 ₺235

$5.44 €4.85

-13.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.12 ₺357

$5.43 €4.84

31.12%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 ₺62.7

$1.80 €1.60

-30.56%

White Bread (500g)

$0.88 ₺44.17

$1.50 €1.33

-41.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 ₺111

$2.63 €2.34

-16.35%

Eggs

$2.43 ₺122

$4.33 €3.86

-43.88%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.48 ₺526

$15.40 €13.71

-31.95%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.31 ₺267

$10.35 €9.22

-48.70%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.10 ₺1,058

$15.08 €13.43

39.92%

Apples (1kg)

$1.86 ₺93.1

$2.21 €1.96

-15.84%

Banana (1kg)

$2.30 ₺115

$2.12 €1.88

8.49%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.22 ₺61.0

$1.34 €1.19

-8.96%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺90.2

$1.67 €1.49

7.78%

Potato (1kg)

$0.69 ₺34.83

$1.17 €1.05

-41.03%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺32.16

$1.22 €1.08

-47.54%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.36 ₺68.0

$0.88 €0.78

54.55%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 ₺28.94

$0.76 €0.67

-23.68%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.34 ₺117

$5.08 €4.52

-53.94%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.03 ₺653

$7.79 €6.94

67.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.36 ₺118

$2.26 €2.01

4.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.32 ₺166

$2.86 €2.55

16.08%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.88 ₺44.07

$1.34 €1.19

-34.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.1 ₺3,316

$50.8 €45.18

30.29%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 ₺64.4

$4.34 €3.86

-70.51%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 ₺42.80

$1.11 €0.99

-23.42%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.09 ₺556

$5.46 €4.86

103.11%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 ₺74.0

$2.23 €1.98

-33.63%

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

$48.6K ₺2.4M

$28.2K €25.1K

72.57%

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

$42.0K ₺2.1M

$24.3K €21.6K

72.87%

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

$92.7 ₺4,650

$190 €169

-51.11%

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

$11.20 ₺562

$24.76 €22.05

-54.77%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.89 ₺797

$28.45 €25.33

-44.15%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.7 ₺3,745

$53.2 €47.36

40.40%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.95 ₺1,151

$24.91 €22.18

-7.87%

Cinema Ticket

$8.05 ₺404

$9.01 €8.02

-10.65%

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

$948 ₺47.6K

$395 €351

140.34%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.9K ₺1.9M

$4,030 €3,588

816.14%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₺2,702

$89.8 €80.0

-39.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.49 ₺2,081

$27.55 €24.53

50.60%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 ₺5,060

$84.4 €75.1

19.57%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.3 ₺4,580

$84.5 €75.2

8.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,014 ₺50.8K

$590 €525

71.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$625 ₺31.3K

$509 €453

22.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,005 ₺100.6K

$992 €883

102.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,126 ₺56.5K

$818 €729

37.59%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,988 ₺149.8K

$1,701 €1,515

75.60%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,730 ₺86.8K

$1,547 €1,377

11.85%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,136 ₺57.0K

$945 €842

20.21%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.42

4.44

810.36%

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

Last update for Istanbul: November 2, 2026

Last update for Syros: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$625 41.1%

Syros

$509 33.2% 18.5% $115

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$258 17%

Syros

$293 19.1% 13.2% $34

Eating Out

Istanbul

$221 14.6%

Syros

$224 14.6% 1.5% $3.4

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$129 8.5%

Syros

$129 8.4% 0.5% $0.6

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$120 7.9%

Syros

$243 15.8% 103% $123

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$91 6%

Syros

$71 4.6% 21.6% $20

Getting Around

Istanbul

$75 5%

Syros

$66 4.3% 12.2% $9.2

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,014 in Istanbul versus $590 in Syros. 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 20% higher in Istanbul. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55 in Istanbul versus $55 in Syros. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $293 – making Istanbul the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇬🇷 Syros

🕒 Local time

05:41 5:41 AM

04:41 4:41 AM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

1,138

💱 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 Syros 530 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Syros

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 Syros: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,278 per month in Istanbul and $2,302 in Syros. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Syros, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $590 there versus $1,014 in Istanbul.

Public transport costs about 23% less in Syros. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $948 per month in Istanbul and $395 in Syros. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$1,500 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,519 in Istanbul and $1,535 in Syros. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.