Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Žalec

For one person, living is cheaper in Istanbul: $1,550 a month against $1,668 in Žalec, rent and utilities included – about $1,400 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Žalec outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

75

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index
81

Cost of Living Index in Žalec
Learn more

Žalec Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

Žalec

🇸🇮 Slovenia

$1,668

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Žalec

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

A single person spends $1,550 per month in Istanbul vs $1,668 in Žalec, rent included.

Istanbul $1,550
Žalec $1,668

A couple spends around $2,415 per month in Istanbul vs $2,408 in Žalec, rent included.

Istanbul $2,415
Žalec $2,408

A family of three spends $3,281 per month in Istanbul vs $3,148 in Žalec, rent included.

Istanbul $3,281
Žalec $3,148

Istanbul is about 7% cheaper than Žalec, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Istanbul and Žalec sit above the global median – Istanbul by 15%, Žalec by 24%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.30 ₺609

$10.00 €8.89

23.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.7 ₺2,708

$40.77 €36.27

34.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.22 ₺456

$7.91 €7.03

16.56%

Cappuccino

$4.40 ₺218

$1.93 €1.71

127.98%

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

$1.68 ₺83.1

$3.15 €2.80

-46.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₺29.40

$1.69 €1.51

-65.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.70 ₺233

$3.84 €3.41

22.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.91 ₺292

$3.82 €3.39

54.71%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 ₺60.0

$1.37 €1.21

-11.68%

White Bread (500g)

$0.89 ₺44.10

$2.23 €1.98

-60.09%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.19 ₺108

$1.82 €1.62

20.33%

Eggs

$2.35 ₺116

$4.07 €3.62

-42.26%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.42 ₺516

$9.11 €8.10

14.38%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.65 ₺280

$9.70 €8.62

-41.75%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.94 ₺1,037

$15.04 €13.38

39.23%

Apples (1kg)

$1.90 ₺94.1

$1.91 €1.70

-0.52%

Banana (1kg)

$2.31 ₺114

$1.59 €1.42

45.28%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.1

$1.95 €1.73

-34.36%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺89.0

$2.75 €2.44

-34.55%

Potato (1kg)

$0.65 ₺32.16

$1.03 €0.91

-36.89%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺31.91

$0.81 €0.72

-20.99%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 ₺62.1

$1.36 €1.21

-8.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.58

$0.71 €0.63

-21.13%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.37 ₺118

$6.12 €5.44

-61.27%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.42 ₺664

$6.62 €5.89

102.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₺119

$1.39 €1.23

72.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 ₺172

$1.90 €1.69

83.16%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.89 ₺43.84

$1.39 €1.24

-35.97%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.4 ₺3,338

$33.91 €30.17

98.85%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.29 ₺64.1

$1.94 €1.73

-33.51%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 ₺45.70

$1.31 €1.16

-29.77%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.96 ₺542

$18.74 €16.67

-41.52%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ₺72.9

$1.69 €1.50

-13.02%

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

$50.8K ₺2.5M

$28.9K €25.7K

75.49%

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

$44.5K ₺2.2M

$24.9K €22.1K

79.04%

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

$88.6 ₺4,387

$285 €254

-68.91%

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

$11.59 ₺574

$16.58 €14.75

-30.10%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.81 ₺783

$28.32 €25.19

-44.17%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.2 ₺3,820

$64.9 €57.7

18.85%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.74 ₺1,126

Cinema Ticket

$8.14 ₺403

$10.09 €8.97

-19.33%

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

$1,008 ₺49.9K

$651 €579

54.91%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.6K ₺1.3M

$14.2K €12.6K

80.54%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.0 ₺2,671

$93.8 €83.4

-42.48%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.83 ₺2,021

$36.66 €32.61

11.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.9 ₺4,895

$110 €98.3

-10.48%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.6 ₺4,783

$123 €109

-21.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$985 ₺48.7K

$709 €631

38.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$650 ₺32.2K

$605 €538

7.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,983 ₺98.2K

$1,178 €1,048

68.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,180 ₺58.4K

$1,003 €892

17.71%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,138 ₺155.4K

$3,312 €2,946

-5.24%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,780 ₺88.1K

$3,285 €2,922

-45.83%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,205 ₺59.7K

$1,466 €1,304

-17.79%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.92

3.56

1049.44%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 13, 2026

Last update for Žalec: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$650 41.9%

Žalec

$605 36.3% 6.9% $45

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$260 16.8%

Žalec

$264 15.8% 1.5% $3.9

Eating Out

Istanbul

$223 14.4%

Žalec

$173 10.4% 22.5% $50

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$131 8.4%

Žalec

$164 9.8% 25.3% $33

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$116 7.5%

Žalec

$330 19.8% 184% $214

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$93 6%

Žalec

$85 5.1% 8.9% $8.3

Getting Around

Istanbul

$77 5%

Žalec

$48 2.9% 37.6% $29

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $985 in Istanbul versus $709 in Žalec. 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 22% higher in Žalec, 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 $41.00 in Žalec. Groceries tell a different story – $260 in Istanbul vs $264 in Žalec – so Istanbul wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇸🇮 Žalec

🕒 Local time

05:33 5:33 AM

04:33 4:33 AM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

5,000

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 2.02 USD

100 TRY = 1.8 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 October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 49.51 TRY (100 TRY = 2.02 USD). 1 EUR = 55.66 TRY (100 TRY = 1.8 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Istanbul Žalec 1,250 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Žalec

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 Žalec: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Žalec is pricier by about 8%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,325 per month in Istanbul and $2,502 in Žalec. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Istanbul, 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 $651 in Žalec. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 2% more in Žalec, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Istanbul, where all-in costs run around $1,550, than in Žalec at $1,668. In Istanbul it covers expenses comfortably, while in Žalec it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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