Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Zugdidi

For one person, living is cheaper in Zugdidi: $701 a month against $1,525 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $9,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

74

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index
34

Cost of Living Index in Zugdidi
Learn more

Zugdidi Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,525

/mo nomad

Zugdidi

🇬🇪 Georgia

$701

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Zugdidi

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

A single person spends $1,525 per month in Istanbul vs $701 in Zugdidi, rent included.

Istanbul $1,525
Zugdidi $701

A couple spends around $2,390 per month in Istanbul vs $1,134 in Zugdidi, rent included.

Istanbul $2,390
Zugdidi $1,134

A family of three spends $3,256 per month in Istanbul vs $1,567 in Zugdidi, rent included.

Istanbul $3,256
Zugdidi $1,567

Istanbul costs about 117% more than Zugdidi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Istanbul sits 13% above the global median, while Zugdidi is 48% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.96 ₺592

$11.18 ₾28.93

6.98%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$57.2 ₺2,834

$31.24 ₾80.9

83.19%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.51 ₺471

$5.92 ₾15.32

60.64%

Cappuccino

$4.40 ₺218

$3.48 ₾9.01

26.44%

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

$1.75 ₺86.6

$0.54 ₾1.41

224.07%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.57

$0.26 ₾0.67

115.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.71 ₺233

$2.69 ₾6.96

75.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.14 ₺304

$3.15 ₾8.15

94.92%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.24 ₺61.6

$2.15 ₾5.56

-42.33%

White Bread (500g)

$0.95 ₺47.25

$0.79 ₾2.05

20.25%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.28 ₺113

$1.81 ₾4.69

25.97%

Eggs

$2.45 ₺121

$2.75 ₾7.13

-10.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.56 ₺523

$9.31 ₾24.10

13.43%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.50 ₺272

$6.39 ₾16.53

-13.93%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.65 ₺1,072

$13.12 ₾33.95

65.02%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 ₺90.6

$1.61 ₾4.17

13.66%

Banana (1kg)

$2.29 ₺113

$1.86 ₾4.82

23.12%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.4

$1.93 ₾5.00

-33.68%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.82 ₺90.1

$2.39 ₾6.19

-23.85%

Potato (1kg)

$0.66 ₺32.74

$0.88 ₾2.28

-25.00%

Onion (1kg)

$0.63 ₺31.14

$0.69 ₾1.80

-8.70%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.27 ₺62.8

$1.42 ₾3.67

-10.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.62

$0.47 ₾1.23

19.15%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.36 ₺117

$3.41 ₾8.82

-30.79%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.98 ₺642

$7.85 ₾20.32

65.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.48 ₺123

$1.71 ₾4.42

45.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.50 ₺174

$2.30 ₾5.95

52.17%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.82 ₺40.77

$0.18 ₾0.46

355.56%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.2 ₺3,228

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.33 ₺65.7

$1.14 ₾2.96

16.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.90 ₺44.60

$0.74 ₾1.91

21.62%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.91 ₺540

$11.84 ₾30.65

-7.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.43 ₺70.7

$0.92 ₾2.37

55.43%

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

$49.6K ₺2.5M

$18.3K ₾47.5K

170.26%

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

$43.2K ₺2.1M

$21.6K ₾55.9K

99.92%

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

$88.8 ₺4,395

$89.5 ₾232

-0.85%

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

$11.69 ₺579

$12.90 ₾33.40

-9.38%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.09 ₺797

$19.38 ₾50.2

-16.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$76.3 ₺3,776

$24.73 ₾64.0

208.37%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.72 ₺1,125

Cinema Ticket

$8.26 ₺409

$4.72 ₾12.23

75.00%

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

$1,015 ₺50.2K

$374 ₾968

171.49%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.8K ₺1.3M

$10.7K ₾27.8K

140.81%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.3 ₺2,636

$23.62 ₾61.1

125.44%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.55 ₺2,008

$39.47 ₾102

2.74%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100 ₺4,956

$118 ₾305

-15.11%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.5 ₺4,630

$126 ₾326

-25.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$977 ₺48.4K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$627 ₺31.0K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,980 ₺98.0K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,147 ₺56.8K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,095 ₺153.2K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,787 ₺88.5K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,213 ₺60.1K

$268 ₾694

352.66%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.69

12.62

222.42%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 19, 2026

Last update for Zugdidi: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$627 41.1%

Zugdidi

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$263 17.2%

Zugdidi

$230 32.8% 12.4% $33

Eating Out

Istanbul

$222 14.6%

Zugdidi

$172 24.5% 22.6% $50

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$129 8.5%

Zugdidi

$138 19.7% 6.7% $8.7

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$117 7.6%

Zugdidi

$122 17.4% 4.5% $5.3

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$93 6.1%

Zugdidi

$34 4.9% 63.2% $59

Getting Around

Istanbul

$74 4.9%

Zugdidi

$5.6 * 0.8% 92.5% $69

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Salaries run about 353% 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 $57.0 in Istanbul versus $31.00 in Zugdidi. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $263 vs $230 – making Zugdidi the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇬🇪 Zugdidi

🕒 Local time

01:40 1:40 AM

02:40 2:40 AM

1 h ahead of Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

41,332

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Georgian Lari GEL ₾

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 2.02 USD

100 TRY = 1.8 EUR

1 GEL = 0.386 USD

1 GEL = 0.344 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

GEL, USD, EUR to TRY – Turkish Lira Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇷 Turkish Lira (₺)

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 49.51 TRY (100 TRY = 2.02 USD). 1 EUR = 55.66 TRY (100 TRY = 1.8 EUR).

Georgian Lari exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 2.59 GEL (1 GEL = 0.386 USD). 1 EUR = 2.91 GEL (1 GEL = 0.344 EUR).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Istanbul Zugdidi 1,080 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Zugdidi

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 Zugdidi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 117%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,287 per month in Istanbul and $1,052 in Zugdidi. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $57.0 in Istanbul and $31.00 in Zugdidi. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 14% 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 Zugdidi, where all-in costs run around $701, than in Istanbul at $1,525. In Zugdidi it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Zugdidi – 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 Zugdidi. 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.