Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Targoviste

For one person, living is cheaper in Targoviste: $951 a month against $1,519 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $6,800 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

73

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index
46

Cost of Living Index in Targoviste
Learn more

Targoviste Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,519

/mo nomad

Targoviste

🇷🇴 Romania

$951

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Targoviste

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

A single person spends $1,519 per month in Istanbul vs $951 in Targoviste, rent included.

Istanbul $1,519
Targoviste $951

A couple spends around $2,365 per month in Istanbul vs $1,376 in Targoviste, rent included.

Istanbul $2,365
Targoviste $1,376

A family of three spends $3,212 per month in Istanbul vs $1,800 in Targoviste, rent included.

Istanbul $3,212
Targoviste $1,800

Istanbul costs about 60% more than Targoviste, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Istanbul sits 12% above the global median, while Targoviste is 30% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.81 ₺592

$7.50 RON 35.85

57.47%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.9 ₺2,754

$24.75 RON 118

121.86%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.26 ₺465

$6.44 RON 30.78

43.79%

Cappuccino

$4.30 ₺216

$2.12 RON 10.13

102.83%

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

$1.77 ₺89.0

$1.42 RON 6.77

24.65%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺28.32

$1.29 RON 6.17

-56.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.69 ₺235

$2.15 RON 10.29

118.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.12 ₺357

$2.78 RON 13.28

156.12%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 ₺62.7

$1.26 RON 6.04

-0.79%

White Bread (500g)

$0.88 ₺44.17

$0.81 RON 3.88

8.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 ₺111

$1.36 RON 6.50

61.76%

Eggs

$2.43 ₺122

$2.55 RON 12.20

-4.71%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.48 ₺526

$3.11 RON 14.85

236.98%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.31 ₺267

$6.47 RON 30.94

-17.93%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.10 ₺1,058

$11.53 RON 55.1

83.00%

Apples (1kg)

$1.86 ₺93.1

$1.01 RON 4.85

84.16%

Banana (1kg)

$2.30 ₺115

$1.48 RON 7.08

55.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.22 ₺61.0

$1.45 RON 6.94

-15.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺90.2

$1.83 RON 8.73

-1.64%

Potato (1kg)

$0.69 ₺34.83

$0.79 RON 3.77

-12.66%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺32.16

$0.89 RON 4.27

-28.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.36 ₺68.0

$0.67 RON 3.22

102.99%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 ₺28.94

$0.77 RON 3.66

-24.68%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.34 ₺117

$5.88 RON 28.12

-60.20%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.03 ₺653

$5.30 RON 25.34

145.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.36 ₺118

$1.18 RON 5.65

100.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.32 ₺166

$1.50 RON 7.19

121.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.88 ₺44.07

$0.41 RON 1.95

114.63%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.1 ₺3,316

$22.22 RON 106

197.57%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 ₺64.4

$0.61 RON 2.90

109.84%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 ₺42.80

$0.65 RON 3.11

30.77%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.09 ₺556

$6.67 RON 31.86

66.27%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 ₺74.0

$1.55 RON 7.40

-4.52%

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

$48.6K ₺2.4M

$28.6K RON 136.5K

70.33%

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

$42.0K ₺2.1M

$26.0K RON 124.3K

61.46%

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

$92.7 ₺4,650

$211 RON 1,007

-56.00%

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

$11.20 ₺562

$7.43 RON 35.51

50.74%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.89 ₺797

$8.61 RON 41.17

84.55%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.7 ₺3,745

$21.22 RON 101

251.93%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.95 ₺1,151

$19.93 RON 95.3

15.15%

Cinema Ticket

$8.05 ₺404

$3.07 RON 14.68

162.21%

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

$948 ₺47.6K

$310 RON 1,484

205.55%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.9K ₺1.9M

$8,245 RON 39.4K

347.77%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₺2,702

$62.6 RON 299

-13.93%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.49 ₺2,081

$31.22 RON 149

32.90%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 ₺5,060

$52.5 RON 251

92.21%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.3 ₺4,580

$72.9 RON 349

25.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,014 ₺50.8K

$359 RON 1,717

182.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$625 ₺31.3K

$262 RON 1,250

138.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,005 ₺100.6K

$454 RON 2,170

341.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,126 ₺56.5K

$412 RON 1,971

173.01%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,988 ₺149.8K

$1,943 RON 9,287

53.77%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,730 ₺86.8K

$1,362 RON 6,512

26.99%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,136 ₺57.0K

$869 RON 4,151

30.84%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.42

6.84

490.94%

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

Last update for Istanbul: November 2, 2026

Last update for Targoviste: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$625 41.1%

Targoviste

$262 27.5% 58.1% $363

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$258 17%

Targoviste

$177 18.6% 31.4% $81

Eating Out

Istanbul

$221 14.6%

Targoviste

$132 13.9% 40.3% $89

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$129 8.5%

Targoviste

$99 10.4% 23.8% $31

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$120 7.9%

Targoviste

$227 23.8% 89.3% $107

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$91 6%

Targoviste

$27 2.9% 69.9% $63

Getting Around

Istanbul

$75 5%

Targoviste

$28 2.9% 63.1% $47

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,014 in Istanbul versus $359 in Targoviste. 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 31% 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 $25 in Targoviste. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $177 – making Targoviste the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇷🇴 Targoviste

🕒 Local time

23:17 11:17 PM

22:17 10:17 PM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

79,610

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 1.99 USD

100 TRY = 1.78 EUR

1 RON = 0.209 USD

1 RON = 0.187 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RON, USD, EUR 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 = 56.05 TRY (100 TRY = 1.78 EUR).

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 4.78 RON (1 RON = 0.209 USD). 1 EUR = 5.34 RON (1 RON = 0.187 EUR).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Istanbul Targoviste 520 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Targoviste

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 Targoviste: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 60%, 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 $1,427 in Targoviste. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Targoviste, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $359 there versus $1,014 in Istanbul.

Kindergarten costs $948 per month in Istanbul and $310 in Targoviste. 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 the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Targoviste, where all-in costs run around $951, than in Istanbul at $1,519. In Targoviste it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Targoviste – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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

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