Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Zalaegerszeg

For one person, living is cheaper in Zalaegerszeg: $1,079 a month against $1,550 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $5,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

75

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index
53

Cost of Living Index in Zalaegerszeg
Learn more

Zalaegerszeg Living Index

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Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

Zalaegerszeg

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,079

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Zalaegerszeg

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

A single person spends $1,550 per month in Istanbul vs $1,079 in Zalaegerszeg, rent included.

Istanbul $1,550
Zalaegerszeg $1,079

A couple spends around $2,415 per month in Istanbul vs $1,632 in Zalaegerszeg, rent included.

Istanbul $2,415
Zalaegerszeg $1,632

A family of three spends $3,281 per month in Istanbul vs $2,185 in Zalaegerszeg, rent included.

Istanbul $3,281
Zalaegerszeg $2,185

Istanbul costs about 44% more than Zalaegerszeg, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Istanbul sits 15% above the global median, while Zalaegerszeg is 20% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.30 ₺609

$13.95 Ft 4,497

-11.83%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.7 ₺2,709

$61.5 Ft 19.8K

-11.01%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.22 ₺457

$9.40 Ft 3,029

-1.91%

Cappuccino

$4.40 ₺218

$2.99 Ft 963

47.16%

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

$1.68 ₺83.1

$2.05 Ft 659

-18.05%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₺29.41

$1.29 Ft 415

-54.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.70 ₺233

$1.97 Ft 635

138.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.91 ₺293

$2.03 Ft 655

191.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 ₺60.0

$1.19 Ft 382

1.68%

White Bread (500g)

$0.89 ₺44.11

$1.49 Ft 479

-40.27%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.19 ₺108

$2.50 Ft 805

-12.40%

Eggs

$2.35 ₺116

$3.46 Ft 1,114

-32.08%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.42 ₺516

$11.38 Ft 3,668

-8.44%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.65 ₺280

$5.85 Ft 1,885

-3.42%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.94 ₺1,037

$12.48 Ft 4,022

67.79%

Apples (1kg)

$1.90 ₺94.1

$1.84 Ft 593

3.26%

Banana (1kg)

$2.31 ₺114

$2.05 Ft 659

12.68%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.2

$2.03 Ft 653

-36.95%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺89.0

$4.01 Ft 1,291

-55.11%

Potato (1kg)

$0.65 ₺32.17

$1.04 Ft 337

-37.50%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺31.92

$1.00 Ft 322

-36.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 ₺62.1

$1.33 Ft 430

-6.02%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.59

$0.55 Ft 176

1.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.37 ₺118

$7.83 Ft 2,524

-69.73%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.42 ₺664

$6.17 Ft 1,990

117.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₺119

$1.12 Ft 362

114.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 ₺172

$2.09 Ft 674

66.51%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.89 ₺43.85

$1.14 Ft 368

-21.93%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.4 ₺3,339

$18.30 Ft 5,898

268.47%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.29 ₺64.1

$3.41 Ft 1,098

-62.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 ₺45.71

$1.25 Ft 402

-26.40%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.96 ₺543

$20.06 Ft 6,466

-45.36%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ₺73.0

$1.80 Ft 579

-18.33%

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

$50.8K ₺2.5M

$28.6K Ft 9.2M

77.75%

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

$44.5K ₺2.2M

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

31.72%

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

$88.6 ₺4,388

$144 Ft 46.4K

-38.40%

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

$11.59 ₺574

$23.83 Ft 7,682

-51.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.81 ₺783

$23.45 Ft 7,558

-32.58%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.2 ₺3,821

$38.51 Ft 12.4K

100.36%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.74 ₺1,126

$36.86 Ft 11.9K

-38.31%

Cinema Ticket

$8.14 ₺403

$7.45 Ft 2,402

9.26%

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

$1,008 ₺49.9K

$216 Ft 69.8K

365.80%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.6K ₺1.3M

$17.0K Ft 5.5M

50.48%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.0 ₺2,672

$29.98 Ft 9,664

79.95%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.83 ₺2,022

$24.66 Ft 7,950

65.57%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.9 ₺4,897

$51.0 Ft 16.4K

93.84%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.6 ₺4,784

$55.7 Ft 18.0K

73.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$985 ₺48.8K

$332 Ft 106.9K

196.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$650 ₺32.2K

$286 Ft 92.3K

126.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,983 ₺98.2K

$454 Ft 146.2K

337.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,180 ₺58.4K

$311 Ft 100.3K

279.14%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,138 ₺155.4K

$1,818 Ft 586.0K

72.60%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,780 ₺88.1K

$1,519 Ft 489.5K

17.19%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,205 ₺59.7K

$762 Ft 245.6K

58.18%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.92

6.45

534.42%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 13, 2026

Last update for Zalaegerszeg: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$650 41.9%

Zalaegerszeg

$286 26.6% 55.9% $363

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$260 16.8%

Zalaegerszeg

$240 22.3% 7.5% $20

Eating Out

Istanbul

$223 14.4%

Zalaegerszeg

$203 18.8% 9.1% $20

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$131 8.4%

Zalaegerszeg

$73 6.7% 44.4% $58

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$116 7.5%

Zalaegerszeg

$191 17.7% 64.7% $75

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$93 6%

Zalaegerszeg

$53 5% 42.8% $40

Getting Around

Istanbul

$77 5%

Zalaegerszeg

$33 3% 57.7% $44

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $985 in Istanbul versus $332 in Zalaegerszeg. 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 58% 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 $61.0 in Zalaegerszeg. Groceries tell a different story – $260 in Istanbul vs $240 in Zalaegerszeg – so Zalaegerszeg wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇭🇺 Zalaegerszeg

🕒 Local time

17:10 5:10 PM

16:10 4:10 PM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

55,152

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 2.02 USD

100 TRY = 1.8 EUR

1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.77 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

HUF, USD, EUR to TRY – Turkish Lira Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇷 Turkish Lira (₺)

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of October 16, 2026: 1 USD = 49.52 TRY (100 TRY = 2.02 USD). 1 EUR = 55.54 TRY (100 TRY = 1.8 EUR).

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 16, 2026: 1 USD = 322 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 362 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.77 EUR).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Istanbul Zalaegerszeg 1,170 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Zalaegerszeg

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 Zalaegerszeg: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 44%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,325 per month in Istanbul and $1,618 in Zalaegerszeg. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Zalaegerszeg, 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 $216 in Zalaegerszeg. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 8% 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 Zalaegerszeg, where all-in costs run around $1,079, than in Istanbul at $1,550. In Zalaegerszeg it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Zalaegerszeg – 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 Zalaegerszeg. 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.