Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Varkaus

For one person, living is cheaper in Istanbul: $1,519 a month against $1,899 in Varkaus, rent and utilities included – about $4,600 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

73

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index
91

Cost of Living Index in Varkaus
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Varkaus Living Index

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Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,519

/mo nomad

Varkaus

🇫🇮 Finland

$1,899

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Varkaus

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

A single person spends $1,519 per month in Istanbul vs $1,899 in Varkaus, rent included.

Istanbul $1,519
Varkaus $1,899

A couple spends around $2,365 per month in Istanbul vs $3,014 in Varkaus, rent included.

Istanbul $2,365
Varkaus $3,014

A family of three spends $3,212 per month in Istanbul vs $4,128 in Varkaus, rent included.

Istanbul $3,212
Varkaus $4,128

Istanbul is about 20% cheaper than Varkaus, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Istanbul and Varkaus sit above the global median – Istanbul by 12%, Varkaus by 40%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.81 ₺592

$15.36 €13.68

-23.11%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.9 ₺2,754

$102 €90.6

-46.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.26 ₺465

$12.24 €10.90

-24.35%

Cappuccino

$4.30 ₺216

$5.33 €4.75

-19.32%

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

$1.77 ₺89.0

$3.57 €3.18

-50.42%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺28.32

$2.85 €2.54

-80.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.69 ₺235

$8.69 €7.74

-46.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.12 ₺357

$8.31 €7.40

-14.32%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 ₺62.7

$1.40 €1.25

-10.71%

White Bread (500g)

$0.88 ₺44.17

$3.09 €2.75

-71.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 ₺111

$3.64 €3.24

-39.56%

Eggs

$2.43 ₺122

$4.00 €3.56

-39.25%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.48 ₺526

$10.68 €9.51

-1.87%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.31 ₺267

$16.59 €14.77

-67.99%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.10 ₺1,058

$20.92 €18.63

0.86%

Apples (1kg)

$1.86 ₺93.1

$2.66 €2.36

-30.08%

Banana (1kg)

$2.30 ₺115

$2.09 €1.86

10.05%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.22 ₺61.0

$3.55 €3.16

-65.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺90.2

$4.84 €4.31

-62.81%

Potato (1kg)

$0.69 ₺34.83

$1.24 €1.10

-44.35%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺32.16

$1.88 €1.67

-65.96%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.36 ₺68.0

$2.39 €2.13

-43.10%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 ₺28.94

$1.88 €1.68

-69.15%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.34 ₺117

$12.36 €11.00

-81.07%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.03 ₺653

$13.35 €11.89

-2.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.36 ₺118

$3.69 €3.28

-36.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.32 ₺166

$5.07 €4.52

-34.52%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.88 ₺44.07

$3.41 €3.03

-74.19%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.1 ₺3,316

$66.1 €58.8

0.11%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 ₺64.4

$9.61 €8.56

-86.68%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 ₺42.80

$1.76 €1.57

-51.70%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.09 ₺556

$51.1 €45.54

-78.31%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 ₺74.0

$2.33 €2.07

-36.48%

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

$48.6K ₺2.4M

$36.9K €32.9K

31.74%

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

$42.0K ₺2.1M

$37.4K €33.3K

12.21%

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

$92.7 ₺4,650

$107 €95.6

-13.63%

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

$11.20 ₺562

$26.91 €23.96

-58.38%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.89 ₺797

$28.94 €25.77

-45.09%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.7 ₺3,745

$43.40 €38.65

72.07%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.95 ₺1,151

$22.35 €19.90

2.68%

Cinema Ticket

$8.05 ₺404

$17.79 €15.84

-54.75%

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

$948 ₺47.6K

$725 €646

30.81%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.9K ₺1.9M

$12.4K €11.1K

197.19%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₺2,702

$121 €108

-55.38%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.49 ₺2,081

$56.5 €50.3

-26.50%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 ₺5,060

$88.9 €79.2

13.45%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.3 ₺4,580

$176 €157

-48.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,014 ₺50.8K

$787 €701

28.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$625 ₺31.3K

$638 €568

-2.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,005 ₺100.6K

$1,248 €1,112

60.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,126 ₺56.5K

$1,055 €940

6.68%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,988 ₺149.8K

$4,070 €3,624

-26.59%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,730 ₺86.8K

$2,174 €1,936

-20.43%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,136 ₺57.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.42

3.59

1025.91%

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

Last update for Istanbul: November 2, 2026

Last update for Varkaus: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$625 41.1%

Varkaus

$638 33.6% 2.2% $14

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$258 17%

Varkaus

$412 21.7% 59.6% $154

Eating Out

Istanbul

$221 14.6%

Varkaus

$309 16.3% 40% $88

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$129 8.5%

Varkaus

$199 10.5% 53.8% $70

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$120 7.9%

Varkaus

$163 8.6% 36.2% $43

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$91 6%

Varkaus

$79 4.2% 13% $12

Getting Around

Istanbul

$75 5%

Varkaus

$98 5.2% 30.4% $23

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,014 in Istanbul versus $787 in Varkaus. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55 in Istanbul versus $102 in Varkaus. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $412 – making Istanbul the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇫🇮 Varkaus

🕒 Local time

14:54 2:54 PM

13:54 1:54 PM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

20,257

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 1.99 USD

100 TRY = 1.78 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD 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).

Euro exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 0.89 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Istanbul Varkaus 2,370 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Varkaus

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 Varkaus: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Varkaus is pricier by about 25%, 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 $2,849 in Varkaus. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Varkaus, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $787 there versus $1,014 in Istanbul.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55 in Istanbul and $102 in Varkaus. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 60% more in Varkaus, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$1,500 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,519 in Istanbul and $1,899 in Varkaus. 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 $1,519 in Istanbul to $1,899 in Varkaus. 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.