Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Turda

For one person, living is cheaper in Turda: $1,077 a month against $1,519 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $5,300 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
51

Cost of Living Index in Turda
Learn more

Turda Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,519

/mo nomad

Turda

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,077

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Turda

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

A single person spends $1,519 per month in Istanbul vs $1,077 in Turda, rent included.

Istanbul $1,519
Turda $1,077

A couple spends around $2,365 per month in Istanbul vs $1,596 in Turda, rent included.

Istanbul $2,365
Turda $1,596

A family of three spends $3,212 per month in Istanbul vs $2,115 in Turda, rent included.

Istanbul $3,212
Turda $2,115

Istanbul costs about 41% more than Turda, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Istanbul sits 12% above the global median, while Turda is 20% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.81 ₺592

$12.30 RON 58.4

-3.98%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.9 ₺2,754

$33.07 RON 157

66.04%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.26 ₺465

$8.49 RON 40.35

9.07%

Cappuccino

$4.30 ₺216

$2.74 RON 13.02

56.93%

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

$1.77 ₺89.0

$1.79 RON 8.52

-1.12%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺28.32

$1.35 RON 6.40

-58.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.69 ₺235

$2.16 RON 10.25

117.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.12 ₺357

$2.04 RON 9.68

249.02%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 ₺62.7

$1.38 RON 6.55

-9.42%

White Bread (500g)

$0.88 ₺44.17

$1.44 RON 6.85

-38.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 ₺111

$1.79 RON 8.52

22.91%

Eggs

$2.43 ₺122

$2.96 RON 14.06

-17.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.48 ₺526

$6.41 RON 30.44

63.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.31 ₺267

$7.16 RON 34.00

-25.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.10 ₺1,058

$11.77 RON 55.9

79.27%

Apples (1kg)

$1.86 ₺93.1

$1.16 RON 5.50

60.34%

Banana (1kg)

$2.30 ₺115

$1.54 RON 7.30

49.35%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.22 ₺61.0

$1.33 RON 6.33

-8.27%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺90.2

$2.35 RON 11.15

-23.40%

Potato (1kg)

$0.69 ₺34.83

$0.96 RON 4.57

-28.13%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺32.16

$0.93 RON 4.44

-31.18%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.36 ₺68.0

$0.90 RON 4.29

51.11%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 ₺28.94

$1.03 RON 4.90

-43.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.34 ₺117

$5.33 RON 25.33

-56.10%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.03 ₺653

$7.52 RON 35.74

73.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.36 ₺118

$1.25 RON 5.96

88.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.32 ₺166

$1.66 RON 7.89

100.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.88 ₺44.07

$1.24 RON 5.89

-29.03%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.1 ₺3,316

$22.00 RON 105

200.55%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 ₺64.4

$0.88 RON 4.18

45.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 ₺42.80

$0.87 RON 4.13

-2.30%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.09 ₺556

$8.56 RON 40.66

29.56%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 ₺74.0

$1.81 RON 8.59

-18.23%

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

$48.6K ₺2.4M

$28.7K RON 136.5K

69.28%

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

$42.0K ₺2.1M

$24.7K RON 117.3K

70.01%

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

$92.7 ₺4,650

$151 RON 720

-38.78%

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

$11.20 ₺562

$8.52 RON 40.46

31.46%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.89 ₺797

$9.39 RON 44.61

69.22%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.7 ₺3,745

$37.78 RON 179

97.67%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.95 ₺1,151

$18.61 RON 88.4

23.32%

Cinema Ticket

$8.05 ₺404

$9.29 RON 44.13

-13.35%

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

$948 ₺47.6K

$578 RON 2,747

64.04%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.9K ₺1.9M

$6,191 RON 29.4K

496.26%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₺2,702

$42.63 RON 203

26.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.49 ₺2,081

$42.08 RON 200

-1.40%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 ₺5,060

$98.2 RON 466

2.77%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.3 ₺4,580

$106 RON 504

-13.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,014 ₺50.8K

$402 RON 1,911

152.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$625 ₺31.3K

$290 RON 1,376

115.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,005 ₺100.6K

$599 RON 2,848

234.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,126 ₺56.5K

$411 RON 1,955

173.66%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,988 ₺149.8K

$1,819 RON 8,643

64.25%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,730 ₺86.8K

$1,271 RON 6,038

36.14%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,136 ₺57.0K

$727 RON 3,456

56.22%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.42

6.65

507.82%

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

Last update for Istanbul: November 2, 2026

Last update for Turda: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$625 41.1%

Turda

$290 26.9% 53.6% $335

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$258 17%

Turda

$215 20% 16.8% $43

Eating Out

Istanbul

$221 14.6%

Turda

$184 17.1% 16.6% $37

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$129 8.5%

Turda

$130 12.1% 0.5% $0.7

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$120 7.9%

Turda

$169 15.7% 41.4% $50

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$91 6%

Turda

$56 5.2% 37.9% $34

Getting Around

Istanbul

$75 5%

Turda

$32 3% 57.2% $43

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,014 in Istanbul versus $402 in Turda. 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 56% higher in Istanbul. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55 in Istanbul versus $33 in Turda. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $215 – making Turda the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇷🇴 Turda

🕒 Local time

08:51 8:51 AM

07:51 7:51 AM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

47,744

💱 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 →

On the map

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Between locations

Istanbul Turda 750 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Turda

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 Turda: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 41%, 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 $1,615 in Turda. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Turda, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $402 there versus $1,014 in Istanbul.

Kindergarten costs $948 per month in Istanbul and $578 in Turda. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 20% more in Istanbul, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Turda, where all-in costs run around $1,077, than in Istanbul at $1,519. In Turda it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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