Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Tetovo

For one person, living is cheaper in Tetovo: $995 a month against $1,550 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $6,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

75

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index
48

Cost of Living Index in Tetovo
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Tetovo Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

Tetovo

🇲🇰 North Macedonia

$995

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Tetovo

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

A single person spends $1,550 per month in Istanbul vs $995 in Tetovo, rent included.

Istanbul $1,550
Tetovo $995

A couple spends around $2,415 per month in Istanbul vs $1,498 in Tetovo, rent included.

Istanbul $2,415
Tetovo $1,498

A family of three spends $3,281 per month in Istanbul vs $2,001 in Tetovo, rent included.

Istanbul $3,281
Tetovo $2,001

Istanbul costs about 56% more than Tetovo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Istanbul sits 15% above the global median, while Tetovo is 26% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.30 ₺609

$7.35 MKD 401

67.35%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.7 ₺2,708

$27.44 MKD 1,497

99.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.22 ₺456

$5.84 MKD 319

57.88%

Cappuccino

$4.40 ₺218

$1.49 MKD 81.4

195.30%

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

$1.68 ₺83.1

$1.48 MKD 80.7

13.51%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₺29.40

$0.92 MKD 50.4

-35.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.70 ₺233

$2.16 MKD 118

117.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.91 ₺292

$2.20 MKD 120

168.64%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 ₺60.0

$1.25 MKD 68.2

-3.20%

White Bread (500g)

$0.89 ₺44.10

$0.63 MKD 34.44

41.27%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.19 ₺108

$1.30 MKD 71.0

68.46%

Eggs

$2.35 ₺116

$2.12 MKD 116

10.85%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.42 ₺516

$7.23 MKD 394

44.12%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.65 ₺280

$5.34 MKD 291

5.81%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.94 ₺1,037

$10.05 MKD 548

108.36%

Apples (1kg)

$1.90 ₺94.1

$1.43 MKD 78.1

32.87%

Banana (1kg)

$2.31 ₺114

$1.45 MKD 79.2

59.31%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.1

$0.99 MKD 54.0

29.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺89.0

$1.88 MKD 103

-4.26%

Potato (1kg)

$0.65 ₺32.16

$0.90 MKD 49.04

-27.78%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺31.91

$0.69 MKD 37.87

-7.25%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 ₺62.1

$0.58 MKD 31.79

115.52%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.58

$0.50 MKD 27.27

12.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.37 ₺118

$3.04 MKD 166

-22.04%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.42 ₺664

$4.50 MKD 245

198.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₺119

$1.01 MKD 55.1

137.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 ₺172

$1.43 MKD 78.1

143.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.89 ₺43.84

$0.37 MKD 20.19

140.54%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.4 ₺3,338

$10.77 MKD 588

526.09%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.29 ₺64.1

$1.07 MKD 58.6

20.56%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 ₺45.70

$0.56 MKD 30.35

64.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.96 ₺542

$7.71 MKD 421

42.15%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ₺72.9

$1.49 MKD 81.4

-1.34%

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

$50.8K ₺2.5M

$35.9K MKD 2.0M

41.32%

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

$44.5K ₺2.2M

$27.7K MKD 1.5M

60.48%

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

$88.6 ₺4,387

$158 MKD 8,610

-43.86%

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

$11.59 ₺574

$17.78 MKD 970

-34.81%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.81 ₺783

$18.94 MKD 1,033

-16.53%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.2 ₺3,820

$70.1 MKD 3,822

10.13%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.74 ₺1,126

$18.00 MKD 982

26.33%

Cinema Ticket

$8.14 ₺403

$5.49 MKD 300

48.27%

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

$1,008 ₺49.9K

$220 MKD 12.0K

358.70%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.6K ₺1.3M

$2,152 MKD 117.4K

1087.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.0 ₺2,671

$62.9 MKD 3,430

-14.22%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.83 ₺2,021

$36.22 MKD 1,976

12.73%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.9 ₺4,895

$99.6 MKD 5,435

-0.75%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.6 ₺4,783

$112 MKD 6,104

-13.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$985 ₺48.7K

$353 MKD 19.3K

178.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$650 ₺32.2K

$275 MKD 15.0K

136.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,983 ₺98.2K

$575 MKD 31.4K

244.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,180 ₺58.4K

$489 MKD 26.7K

141.11%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,138 ₺155.4K

$1,214 MKD 66.2K

158.55%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,780 ₺88.1K

$1,079 MKD 58.8K

65.02%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,205 ₺59.7K

$858 MKD 46.8K

40.50%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.92

3.75

991.20%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 13, 2026

Last update for Tetovo: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$650 41.9%

Tetovo

$275 27.6% 57.7% $375

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$260 16.8%

Tetovo

$170 17.1% 34.7% $90

Eating Out

Istanbul

$223 14.4%

Tetovo

$119 12% 46.7% $104

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$131 8.4%

Tetovo

$140 14.1% 7% $9.2

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$116 7.5%

Tetovo

$195 19.6% 67.7% $79

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$93 6%

Tetovo

$81 8.2% 13.3% $12

Getting Around

Istanbul

$77 5%

Tetovo

$16 1.6% 79% $61

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $985 in Istanbul versus $353 in Tetovo. 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 41% 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 $55.0 in Istanbul versus $27.00 in Tetovo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $260 vs $170 – making Tetovo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇲🇰 Tetovo

🕒 Local time

12:44 12:44 PM

11:44 11:44 AM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

53,000

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

North Macedonian Denar MKD ден

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 2.02 USD

100 TRY = 1.8 EUR

100 MKD = 1.83 USD

100 MKD = 1.63 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MKD, USD, EUR to TRY – Turkish Lira Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇷 Turkish Lira (₺)

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 49.51 TRY (100 TRY = 2.02 USD). 1 EUR = 55.66 TRY (100 TRY = 1.8 EUR).

North Macedonian Denar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 54.55 MKD (100 MKD = 1.83 USD). 1 EUR = 61.33 MKD (100 MKD = 1.63 EUR).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Istanbul Tetovo 680 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Tetovo

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 Tetovo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 56%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,325 per month in Istanbul and $1,492 in Tetovo. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Tetovo, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $1,008 per month in Istanbul and $220 in Tetovo. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 53% 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 $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Tetovo, where all-in costs run around $995, than in Istanbul at $1,550. In Tetovo it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Tetovo – 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 Tetovo. 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.