Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Vaslui

For one person, living is cheaper in Vaslui: $1,009 a month against $1,519 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $6,100 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

73

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index
47

Cost of Living Index in Vaslui
Learn more

Vaslui Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,519

/mo nomad

Vaslui

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,009

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Vaslui

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

A single person spends $1,519 per month in Istanbul vs $1,009 in Vaslui, rent included.

Istanbul $1,519
Vaslui $1,009

A couple spends around $2,365 per month in Istanbul vs $1,482 in Vaslui, rent included.

Istanbul $2,365
Vaslui $1,482

A family of three spends $3,212 per month in Istanbul vs $1,956 in Vaslui, rent included.

Istanbul $3,212
Vaslui $1,956

Istanbul costs about 51% more than Vaslui, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Istanbul sits 12% above the global median, while Vaslui is 25% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.81 ₺592

$6.31 RON 30.16

87.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.9 ₺2,754

$31.71 RON 152

73.16%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.26 ₺465

$6.43 RON 30.75

44.01%

Cappuccino

$4.30 ₺216

$2.23 RON 10.66

92.83%

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

$1.77 ₺89.0

$2.03 RON 9.69

-12.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺28.32

$1.69 RON 8.09

-66.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.69 ₺235

$2.48 RON 11.86

89.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.12 ₺357

$3.12 RON 14.89

128.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 ₺62.7

$1.25 RON 5.96

White Bread (500g)

$0.88 ₺44.17

$1.09 RON 5.19

-19.27%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 ₺111

$1.63 RON 7.78

34.97%

Eggs

$2.43 ₺122

$2.67 RON 12.74

-8.99%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.48 ₺526

$8.50 RON 40.62

23.29%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.31 ₺267

$5.96 RON 28.48

-10.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.10 ₺1,058

$11.21 RON 53.6

88.22%

Apples (1kg)

$1.86 ₺93.1

$0.88 RON 4.23

111.36%

Banana (1kg)

$2.30 ₺115

$1.45 RON 6.93

58.62%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.22 ₺61.0

$1.53 RON 7.30

-20.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺90.2

$1.95 RON 9.34

-7.69%

Potato (1kg)

$0.69 ₺34.83

$0.83 RON 3.98

-16.87%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺32.16

$0.95 RON 4.55

-32.63%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.36 ₺68.0

$1.06 RON 5.08

28.30%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 ₺28.94

$0.67 RON 3.20

-13.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.34 ₺117

$5.37 RON 25.65

-56.42%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.03 ₺653

$5.13 RON 24.50

154.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.36 ₺118

$0.92 RON 4.42

156.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.32 ₺166

$1.47 RON 7.02

125.85%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.88 ₺44.07

$0.70 RON 3.36

25.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.1 ₺3,316

$21.80 RON 104

203.30%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 ₺64.4

$0.70 RON 3.37

82.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 ₺42.80

$0.72 RON 3.43

18.06%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.09 ₺556

$7.28 RON 34.79

52.34%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 ₺74.0

$1.65 RON 7.90

-10.30%

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

$48.6K ₺2.4M

$27.4K RON 131.2K

77.21%

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

$42.0K ₺2.1M

$25.4K RON 121.3K

65.46%

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

$92.7 ₺4,650

$180 RON 860

-48.50%

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

$11.20 ₺562

$5.51 RON 26.35

103.27%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.89 ₺797

$7.89 RON 37.72

101.39%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.7 ₺3,745

$41.53 RON 198

79.82%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.95 ₺1,151

$20.37 RON 97.4

12.67%

Cinema Ticket

$8.05 ₺404

$7.24 RON 34.63

11.19%

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

$948 ₺47.6K

$314 RON 1,499

202.46%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.9K ₺1.9M

$9,909 RON 47.4K

272.56%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₺2,702

$38.47 RON 184

40.06%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.49 ₺2,081

$14.72 RON 70.4

181.86%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 ₺5,060

$66.7 RON 319

51.28%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.3 ₺4,580

$75.2 RON 359

21.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,014 ₺50.8K

$438 RON 2,093

131.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$625 ₺31.3K

$320 RON 1,528

95.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,005 ₺100.6K

$631 RON 3,017

217.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,126 ₺56.5K

$504 RON 2,408

123.48%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,988 ₺149.8K

$2,092 RON 9,999

42.82%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,730 ₺86.8K

$1,333 RON 6,370

29.83%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,136 ₺57.0K

$457 RON 2,184

148.69%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.42

6.5

521.85%

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

Last update for Istanbul: November 2, 2026

Last update for Vaslui: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$625 41.1%

Vaslui

$320 31.7% 48.8% $305

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$258 17%

Vaslui

$193 19.1% 25.3% $65

Eating Out

Istanbul

$221 14.6%

Vaslui

$130 12.9% 41.1% $91

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$129 8.5%

Vaslui

$88 8.7% 32.2% $42

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$120 7.9%

Vaslui

$193 19.2% 61.5% $74

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$91 6%

Vaslui

$56 5.6% 38.3% $35

Getting Around

Istanbul

$75 5%

Vaslui

$29 2.9% 61.5% $46

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,014 in Istanbul versus $438 in Vaslui. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Istanbul are about 2.5 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55 in Istanbul versus $32 in Vaslui. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $193 – making Vaslui the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇷🇴 Vaslui

🕒 Local time

21:20 9:20 PM

20:20 8:20 PM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

55,407

💱 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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Highest

Between locations

Istanbul Vaslui 630 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Vaslui

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 Vaslui: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 51%, 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 $1,513 in Vaslui. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Vaslui, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $438 there versus $1,014 in Istanbul.

Kindergarten costs $948 per month in Istanbul and $314 in Vaslui. 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.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Vaslui, where all-in costs run around $1,009, than in Istanbul at $1,519. In Vaslui it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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