Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Tulcea

For one person, living is cheaper in Tulcea: $996 a month against $1,519 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $6,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

73

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index
47

Cost of Living Index in Tulcea
Learn more

Tulcea Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,519

/mo nomad

Tulcea

🇷🇴 Romania

$996

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Tulcea

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

A single person spends $1,519 per month in Istanbul vs $996 in Tulcea, rent included.

Istanbul $1,519
Tulcea $996

A couple spends around $2,365 per month in Istanbul vs $1,577 in Tulcea, rent included.

Istanbul $2,365
Tulcea $1,577

A family of three spends $3,212 per month in Istanbul vs $2,157 in Tulcea, rent included.

Istanbul $3,212
Tulcea $2,157

Istanbul costs about 52% more than Tulcea, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Istanbul sits 12% above the global median, while Tulcea is 26% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.81 ₺592

$11.62 RON 55.2

1.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.9 ₺2,754

$45.21 RON 215

21.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.26 ₺465

$7.89 RON 37.51

17.36%

Cappuccino

$4.30 ₺216

$2.14 RON 10.15

100.93%

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

$1.77 ₺89.0

$2.16 RON 10.25

-18.06%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺28.32

$1.06 RON 5.06

-47.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.69 ₺235

$2.13 RON 10.12

120.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.12 ₺357

$2.13 RON 10.14

234.27%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 ₺62.7

$1.62 RON 7.67

-22.84%

White Bread (500g)

$0.88 ₺44.17

$1.08 RON 5.12

-18.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 ₺111

$1.50 RON 7.12

46.67%

Eggs

$2.43 ₺122

$3.23 RON 15.34

-24.77%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.48 ₺526

$7.71 RON 36.65

35.93%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.31 ₺267

$6.69 RON 31.79

-20.63%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.10 ₺1,058

$9.26 RON 43.98

127.86%

Apples (1kg)

$1.86 ₺93.1

$1.34 RON 6.37

38.81%

Banana (1kg)

$2.30 ₺115

$1.69 RON 8.05

36.09%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.22 ₺61.0

$1.46 RON 6.93

-16.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺90.2

$2.01 RON 9.54

-10.45%

Potato (1kg)

$0.69 ₺34.83

$0.77 RON 3.64

-10.39%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺32.16

$0.72 RON 3.40

-11.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.36 ₺68.0

$0.65 RON 3.07

109.23%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 ₺28.94

$0.81 RON 3.86

-28.40%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.34 ₺117

$6.26 RON 29.77

-62.62%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.03 ₺653

$6.15 RON 29.22

111.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.36 ₺118

$0.94 RON 4.48

151.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.32 ₺166

$1.39 RON 6.59

138.85%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.88 ₺44.07

$1.07 RON 5.08

-17.76%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.1 ₺3,316

$18.26 RON 86.8

262.10%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 ₺64.4

$0.71 RON 3.36

80.28%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 ₺42.80

$0.76 RON 3.61

11.84%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.09 ₺556

$7.36 RON 34.96

50.68%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 ₺74.0

$1.68 RON 7.99

-11.90%

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

$48.6K ₺2.4M

$28.1K RON 133.5K

73.09%

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

$42.0K ₺2.1M

$25.0K RON 118.7K

68.04%

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

$92.7 ₺4,650

$134 RON 637

-30.82%

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

$11.20 ₺562

$7.83 RON 37.20

43.04%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.89 ₺797

$8.42 RON 40.03

88.72%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.7 ₺3,745

$30.94 RON 147

141.37%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.95 ₺1,151

$16.58 RON 78.8

38.42%

Cinema Ticket

$8.05 ₺404

$8.20 RON 38.96

-1.83%

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

$948 ₺47.6K

$316 RON 1,503

199.77%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.9K ₺1.9M

$3,144 RON 14.9K

1074.15%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₺2,702

$52.9 RON 252

1.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.49 ₺2,081

$31.73 RON 151

30.76%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 ₺5,060

$93.2 RON 443

8.27%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.3 ₺4,580

$97.6 RON 464

-6.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,014 ₺50.8K

$347 RON 1,651

191.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$625 ₺31.3K

$279 RON 1,325

123.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,005 ₺100.6K

$605 RON 2,873

231.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,126 ₺56.5K

$518 RON 2,463

117.25%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,988 ₺149.8K

$1,012 RON 4,808

195.25%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,730 ₺86.8K

$879 RON 4,175

96.89%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,136 ₺57.0K

$634 RON 3,014

79.13%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.42

6.85

490.07%

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

Last update for Istanbul: November 2, 2026

Last update for Tulcea: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$625 41.1%

Tulcea

$279 28% 55.3% $346

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$258 17%

Tulcea

$199 20% 23% $59

Eating Out

Istanbul

$221 14.6%

Tulcea

$170 17.1% 23% $51

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$129 8.5%

Tulcea

$124 12.4% 4.2% $5.5

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$120 7.9%

Tulcea

$150 15.1% 25.4% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$91 6%

Tulcea

$47 4.8% 47.9% $43

Getting Around

Istanbul

$75 5%

Tulcea

$27 2.7% 64% $48

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,014 in Istanbul versus $347 in Tulcea. 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 79% higher in Istanbul. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55 in Istanbul versus $45 in Tulcea. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $199 – making Tulcea the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇷🇴 Tulcea

🕒 Local time

08:52 8:52 AM

07:52 7:52 AM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

73,707

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 1.99 USD

100 TRY = 1.78 EUR

1 RON = 0.21 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 = 56.3 TRY (100 TRY = 1.78 EUR).

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 4.75 RON (1 RON = 0.21 USD). 1 EUR = 5.33 RON (1 RON = 0.187 EUR).

USD to TRY in detail →

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Istanbul Tulcea 460 km

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Istanbul
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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 Tulcea: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 52%, 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 $1,495 in Tulcea. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Tulcea, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $347 there versus $1,014 in Istanbul.

Kindergarten costs $948 per month in Istanbul and $316 in Tulcea. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 30% more in Istanbul, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Tulcea, where all-in costs run around $996, than in Istanbul at $1,519. In Tulcea it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Tulcea – 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 Tulcea. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Istanbul makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.