Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Tamarisi

For one person, living is cheaper in Tamarisi: $575 a month against $1,525 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $11,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

74

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index
28

Cost of Living Index in Tamarisi
Learn more

Tamarisi Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,525

/mo nomad

Tamarisi

🇬🇪 Georgia

$575

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Tamarisi

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

A single person spends $1,525 per month in Istanbul vs $575 in Tamarisi, rent included.

Istanbul $1,525
Tamarisi $575

A couple spends around $2,390 per month in Istanbul vs $938 in Tamarisi, rent included.

Istanbul $2,390
Tamarisi $938

A family of three spends $3,256 per month in Istanbul vs $1,302 in Tamarisi, rent included.

Istanbul $3,256
Tamarisi $1,302

Istanbul costs about 165% more than Tamarisi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Istanbul sits 13% above the global median, while Tamarisi is 58% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.96 ₺592

$10.16 ₾26.30

17.72%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$57.2 ₺2,834

$30.37 ₾78.6

88.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.51 ₺471

$10.83 ₾28.02

-12.19%

Cappuccino

$4.40 ₺218

$2.05 ₾5.32

114.63%

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

$1.75 ₺86.6

$0.82 ₾2.13

113.41%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.57

$0.55 ₾1.43

1.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.71 ₺233

$1.22 ₾3.15

286.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.14 ₺304

$1.91 ₾4.95

221.47%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.24 ₺61.6

$1.75 ₾4.53

-29.14%

White Bread (500g)

$0.95 ₺47.25

$0.51 ₾1.31

86.27%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.28 ₺113

$1.28 ₾3.30

78.12%

Eggs

$2.45 ₺121

$2.29 ₾5.92

6.99%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.56 ₺523

$6.17 ₾15.98

71.15%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.50 ₺272

$4.82 ₾12.48

14.11%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.65 ₺1,072

$10.55 ₾27.30

105.21%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 ₺90.6

$1.19 ₾3.09

53.78%

Banana (1kg)

$2.29 ₺113

$1.54 ₾3.99

48.70%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.4

$1.49 ₾3.86

-14.09%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.82 ₺90.1

$1.78 ₾4.61

2.25%

Potato (1kg)

$0.66 ₺32.74

$0.77 ₾2.00

-14.29%

Onion (1kg)

$0.63 ₺31.14

$0.67 ₾1.73

-5.97%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.27 ₺62.8

$1.22 ₾3.15

4.10%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.62

$0.69 ₾1.78

-18.84%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.36 ₺117

$3.01 ₾7.79

-21.59%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.98 ₺642

$3.93 ₾10.16

230.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.48 ₺123

$1.63 ₾4.22

52.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.50 ₺174

$2.50 ₾6.48

40.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.82 ₺40.77

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.2 ₺3,228

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.33 ₺65.7

$0.75 ₾1.94

77.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.90 ₺44.60

$0.74 ₾1.91

21.62%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.91 ₺540

$5.88 ₾15.21

85.54%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.43 ₺70.7

$1.28 ₾3.32

11.72%

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

$49.6K ₺2.5M

$22.9K ₾59.3K

116.43%

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

$43.2K ₺2.1M

$22.2K ₾57.5K

94.57%

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

$88.8 ₺4,395

$77.9 ₾202

13.95%

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

$11.69 ₺579

$8.62 ₾22.33

35.61%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.09 ₺797

$14.84 ₾38.42

8.42%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$76.3 ₺3,776

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.72 ₺1,125

Cinema Ticket

$8.26 ₺409

$4.94 ₾12.79

67.21%

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

$1,015 ₺50.2K

$128 ₾331

694.48%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.8K ₺1.3M

$2,719 ₾7,038

850.36%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.3 ₺2,636

$56.5 ₾146

-5.82%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.55 ₺2,008

$39.57 ₾102

2.48%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100 ₺4,956

$97.5 ₾252

2.65%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.5 ₺4,630

$87.1 ₾226

7.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$977 ₺48.4K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$627 ₺31.0K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,980 ₺98.0K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,147 ₺56.8K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,095 ₺153.2K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,787 ₺88.5K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,213 ₺60.1K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.69

15.67

159.67%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 19, 2026

Last update for Tamarisi: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$627 41.1%

Tamarisi

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$263 17.2%

Tamarisi

$179 31.1% 31.8% $84

Eating Out

Istanbul

$222 14.6%

Tamarisi

$154 26.8% 30.7% $68

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$129 8.5%

Tamarisi

$126 22% 2.3% $3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$117 7.6%

Tamarisi

$101 17.6% 13% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$93 6.1%

Tamarisi

$9.9 * 1.7% 89.4% $83

Getting Around

Istanbul

$74 4.9%

Tamarisi

$4.4 * 0.8% 94% $70

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $57.0 in Istanbul versus $30.00 in Tamarisi. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $263 vs $179 – making Tamarisi the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇬🇪 Tamarisi

🕒 Local time

23:29 11:29 PM

00:29 12:29 AM

1 h ahead of Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

1,000

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Georgian Lari GEL ₾

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 2.02 USD

100 TRY = 1.8 EUR

1 GEL = 0.386 USD

1 GEL = 0.344 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

GEL, USD, EUR to TRY – Turkish Lira Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇷 Turkish Lira (₺)

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 49.51 TRY (100 TRY = 2.02 USD). 1 EUR = 55.66 TRY (100 TRY = 1.8 EUR).

Georgian Lari exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 2.59 GEL (1 GEL = 0.386 USD). 1 EUR = 2.91 GEL (1 GEL = 0.344 EUR).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Istanbul Tamarisi 1,320 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Tamarisi

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 Tamarisi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 165%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,287 per month in Istanbul and $862 in Tamarisi. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $57.0 in Istanbul and $30.00 in Tamarisi. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap 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 $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Tamarisi, where all-in costs run around $575, than in Istanbul at $1,525. In Tamarisi it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Tamarisi – 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 Tamarisi. 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.