Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Targu Jiu

For one person, living is cheaper in Targu Jiu: $977 a month against $1,519 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $6,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

73

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index
47

Cost of Living Index in Targu Jiu
Learn more

Targu Jiu Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,519

/mo nomad

Targu Jiu

🇷🇴 Romania

$977

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Targu Jiu

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

A single person spends $1,519 per month in Istanbul vs $977 in Targu Jiu, rent included.

Istanbul $1,519
Targu Jiu $977

A couple spends around $2,365 per month in Istanbul vs $1,529 in Targu Jiu, rent included.

Istanbul $2,365
Targu Jiu $1,529

A family of three spends $3,212 per month in Istanbul vs $2,080 in Targu Jiu, rent included.

Istanbul $3,212
Targu Jiu $2,080

Istanbul costs about 55% more than Targu Jiu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Istanbul sits 12% above the global median, while Targu Jiu is 28% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.81 ₺592

$14.92 RON 71.3

-20.84%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.9 ₺2,754

$61.1 RON 292

-10.12%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.26 ₺465

$7.23 RON 34.55

28.08%

Cappuccino

$4.30 ₺216

$3.81 RON 18.23

12.86%

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

$1.77 ₺89.0

$1.06 RON 5.08

66.98%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺28.32

$2.29 RON 10.95

-75.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.69 ₺235

$3.83 RON 18.29

22.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.12 ₺357

$4.12 RON 19.68

72.82%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 ₺62.7

$1.60 RON 7.65

-21.88%

White Bread (500g)

$0.88 ₺44.17

$1.38 RON 6.59

-36.23%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 ₺111

$1.73 RON 8.25

27.17%

Eggs

$2.43 ₺122

$2.82 RON 13.47

-13.83%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.48 ₺526

$7.45 RON 35.63

40.67%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.31 ₺267

$3.01 RON 14.37

76.41%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.10 ₺1,058

$7.03 RON 33.59

200.14%

Apples (1kg)

$1.86 ₺93.1

$0.91 RON 4.35

104.40%

Banana (1kg)

$2.30 ₺115

$1.44 RON 6.89

59.72%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.22 ₺61.0

$1.12 RON 5.36

8.93%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺90.2

$1.25 RON 5.97

44.00%

Potato (1kg)

$0.69 ₺34.83

$0.86 RON 4.09

-19.77%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺32.16

$0.72 RON 3.46

-11.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.36 ₺68.0

$0.62 RON 2.96

119.35%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 ₺28.94

$0.53 RON 2.54

9.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.34 ₺117

$5.04 RON 24.11

-53.57%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.03 ₺653

$2.96 RON 14.16

340.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.36 ₺118

$0.86 RON 4.13

174.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.32 ₺166

$1.04 RON 4.97

219.23%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.88 ₺44.07

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.1 ₺3,316

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 ₺64.4

$0.66 RON 3.16

93.94%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 ₺42.80

$0.62 RON 2.95

37.10%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.09 ₺556

$6.17 RON 29.50

79.74%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 ₺74.0

$1.92 RON 9.19

-22.92%

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

$48.6K ₺2.4M

$29.0K RON 138.6K

67.72%

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

$42.0K ₺2.1M

$25.4K RON 121.4K

65.31%

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

$92.7 ₺4,650

$194 RON 928

-52.26%

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

$11.20 ₺562

$5.75 RON 27.51

94.78%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.89 ₺797

$9.42 RON 45.02

68.68%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.7 ₺3,745

$31.46 RON 150

137.38%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.95 ₺1,151

Cinema Ticket

$8.05 ₺404

$8.42 RON 40.25

-4.39%

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

$948 ₺47.6K

$681 RON 3,255

39.27%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.9K ₺1.9M

$19.2K RON 91.8K

92.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₺2,702

$51.1 RON 244

5.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.49 ₺2,081

$25.13 RON 120

65.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 ₺5,060

$52.3 RON 250

92.91%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.3 ₺4,580

$84.8 RON 405

7.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,014 ₺50.8K

$354 RON 1,694

186.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$625 ₺31.3K

$237 RON 1,132

163.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,005 ₺100.6K

$490 RON 2,343

309.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,126 ₺56.5K

$412 RON 1,969

173.32%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,988 ₺149.8K

$2,532 RON 12.1K

18.00%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,730 ₺86.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,136 ₺57.0K

$522 RON 2,496

117.58%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.42

6.75

498.81%

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

Last update for Istanbul: November 2, 2026

Last update for Targu Jiu: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$625 41.1%

Targu Jiu

$237 24.2% 62.1% $388

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$258 17%

Targu Jiu

$156 15.9% 39.8% $103

Eating Out

Istanbul

$221 14.6%

Targu Jiu

$228 23.3% 3% $6.7

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$129 8.5%

Targu Jiu

$96 9.8% 25.8% $33

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$120 7.9%

Targu Jiu

$209 21.4% 74.8% $90

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$91 6%

Targu Jiu

$48 4.9% 46.8% $42

Getting Around

Istanbul

$75 5%

Targu Jiu

$3.8 * 0.4% 95% $71

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,014 in Istanbul versus $354 in Targu Jiu. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Istanbul are about 2.2 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55 in Istanbul versus $61 in Targu Jiu. Groceries tell a different story – $258 in Istanbul vs $156 in Targu Jiu – so Targu Jiu wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇷🇴 Targu Jiu

🕒 Local time

05:16 5:16 AM

04:16 4:16 AM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

82,504

💱 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 7, 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 7, 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

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Between locations

Istanbul Targu Jiu 640 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Targu Jiu

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 Targu Jiu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 55%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,278 per month in Istanbul and $1,466 in Targu Jiu. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Targu Jiu, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $354 there versus $1,014 in Istanbul.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55 in Istanbul and $61 in Targu Jiu. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 66% more in Istanbul, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,519 in Istanbul and $977 in Targu Jiu. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

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

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