Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Targu Mures

For one person, living is cheaper in Targu Mures: $1,038 a month against $1,519 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $5,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

73

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index
49

Cost of Living Index in Targu Mures
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Targu Mures Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,519

/mo nomad

Targu Mures

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,038

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,519 per month in Istanbul vs $1,038 in Targu Mures, rent included.

Istanbul $1,519
Targu Mures $1,038

A couple spends around $2,365 per month in Istanbul vs $1,544 in Targu Mures, rent included.

Istanbul $2,365
Targu Mures $1,544

A family of three spends $3,212 per month in Istanbul vs $2,049 in Targu Mures, rent included.

Istanbul $3,212
Targu Mures $2,049

Istanbul costs about 46% more than Targu Mures, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Istanbul sits 12% above the global median, while Targu Mures is 23% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.81 ₺592

$8.64 RON 41.29

36.69%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.9 ₺2,754

$41.79 RON 200

31.40%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.26 ₺465

$8.26 RON 39.47

12.11%

Cappuccino

$4.30 ₺216

$2.12 RON 10.13

102.83%

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

$1.77 ₺89.0

$1.58 RON 7.56

12.03%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺28.32

$1.19 RON 5.68

-52.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.69 ₺235

$1.66 RON 7.93

182.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.12 ₺357

$2.28 RON 10.89

212.28%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 ₺62.7

$1.40 RON 6.69

-10.71%

White Bread (500g)

$0.88 ₺44.17

$1.07 RON 5.09

-17.76%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 ₺111

$1.40 RON 6.72

57.14%

Eggs

$2.43 ₺122

$2.84 RON 13.60

-14.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.48 ₺526

$8.17 RON 39.05

28.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.31 ₺267

$5.89 RON 28.16

-9.85%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.10 ₺1,058

$10.33 RON 49.36

104.26%

Apples (1kg)

$1.86 ₺93.1

$1.00 RON 4.78

86.00%

Banana (1kg)

$2.30 ₺115

$1.30 RON 6.22

76.92%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.22 ₺61.0

$1.45 RON 6.95

-15.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺90.2

$1.76 RON 8.42

2.27%

Potato (1kg)

$0.69 ₺34.83

$0.76 RON 3.64

-9.21%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺32.16

$0.53 RON 2.55

20.75%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.36 ₺68.0

$0.88 RON 4.20

54.55%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 ₺28.94

$0.76 RON 3.63

-23.68%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.34 ₺117

$5.86 RON 27.99

-60.07%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.03 ₺653

$7.22 RON 34.52

80.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.36 ₺118

$1.03 RON 4.94

129.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.32 ₺166

$1.61 RON 7.69

106.21%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.88 ₺44.07

$0.64 RON 3.06

37.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.1 ₺3,316

$25.66 RON 123

157.68%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 ₺64.4

$1.24 RON 5.91

3.23%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 ₺42.80

$1.28 RON 6.14

-33.59%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.09 ₺556

$12.29 RON 58.8

-9.76%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 ₺74.0

$1.87 RON 8.95

-20.86%

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

$48.6K ₺2.4M

$29.1K RON 138.9K

67.37%

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

$42.0K ₺2.1M

$25.8K RON 123.1K

63.01%

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

$92.7 ₺4,650

$102 RON 488

-9.11%

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

$11.20 ₺562

$9.50 RON 45.43

17.89%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.89 ₺797

$7.88 RON 37.68

101.65%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.7 ₺3,745

$38.39 RON 184

94.53%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.95 ₺1,151

$18.37 RON 87.8

24.93%

Cinema Ticket

$8.05 ₺404

$6.34 RON 30.32

26.97%

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

$948 ₺47.6K

$1,322 RON 6,320

-28.27%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.9K ₺1.9M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₺2,702

$51.4 RON 246

4.82%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.49 ₺2,081

$30.33 RON 145

36.80%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 ₺5,060

$75.2 RON 360

34.09%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.3 ₺4,580

$77.4 RON 370

18.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,014 ₺50.8K

$466 RON 2,227

117.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$625 ₺31.3K

$391 RON 1,867

59.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,005 ₺100.6K

$702 RON 3,354

185.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,126 ₺56.5K

$548 RON 2,620

105.44%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,988 ₺149.8K

$2,493 RON 11.9K

19.84%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,730 ₺86.8K

$1,631 RON 7,796

6.08%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,136 ₺57.0K

$1,030 RON 4,924

10.32%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.42

7.47

441.10%

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

Last update for Istanbul: November 2, 2026

Last update for Targu Mures: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$625 41.1%

Targu Mures

$391 37.6% 37.5% $234

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$258 17%

Targu Mures

$193 18.6% 25.3% $65

Eating Out

Istanbul

$221 14.6%

Targu Mures

$143 13.8% 35.2% $78

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$129 8.5%

Targu Mures

$105 10.2% 18.5% $24

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$120 7.9%

Targu Mures

$119 11.5% 0.3% $0.4

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$91 6%

Targu Mures

$51 4.9% 43.7% $40

Getting Around

Istanbul

$75 5%

Targu Mures

$36 3.5% 52.3% $39

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,014 in Istanbul versus $466 in Targu Mures. 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 10% 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 $42 in Targu Mures. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $193 – making Targu Mures the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇷🇴 Targu Mures

🕒 Local time

15:58 3:58 PM

14:58 2:58 PM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

134,290

💱 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 = 0.186 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 = 56.33 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 = 5.37 RON (1 RON = 0.186 EUR).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Istanbul Targu Mures 710 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Targu Mures

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 Mures: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 46%, 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 $1,558 in Targu Mures. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Targu Mures, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $466 there versus $1,014 in Istanbul.

Kindergarten costs $948 per month in Istanbul and $1,322 in Targu Mures. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 34% more in Istanbul, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,519 in Istanbul and $1,038 in Targu Mures. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Istanbul has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,038 in Targu Mures to $1,519 in Istanbul. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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