Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Izmir and Brasov

For one person, living is cheaper in Izmir: $1,207 a month against $1,310 in Brasov, rent and utilities included – about $1,200 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Brasov outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

Izmir
🇹🇷 Turkey
$1,207
/mo nomad
Brasov
🇷🇴 Romania
$1,310
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Izmir and in Brasov

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Izmir and in Brasov actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,207 in Izmir versus $1,310 in Brasov.

  • Izmir $1,207
  • Brasov $1,310

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,906 in Izmir versus $2,115 in Brasov.

  • Izmir $1,906
  • Brasov $2,115

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,606 in Izmir versus $2,920 in Brasov.

  • Izmir $2,606
  • Brasov $2,920

Living in Izmir costs roughly 8% less than in Brasov, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Izmir 11% lower, Brasov 3% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Izmir
Brasov
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$10.20 ₺505
$10.91 RON 51.6
-6.51%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$36.97 ₺1,831
$52.7 RON 249
-29.79%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$8.43 ₺417
$7.49 RON 35.42
12.55%
Cappuccino
$3.54 ₺175
$3.58 RON 16.93
-1.12%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.50 ₺74.3
$2.42 RON 11.43
-38.02%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.63 ₺31.18
$2.21 RON 10.44
-71.49%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.39 ₺168
$3.16 RON 14.97
7.28%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.19 ₺257
$3.33 RON 15.76
55.86%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Izmir
Brasov
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.10 ₺54.4
$1.52 RON 7.21
-27.63%
White Bread (500g)
$1.06 ₺52.5
$1.42 RON 6.71
-25.35%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.32 ₺115
$1.78 RON 8.42
30.34%
Eggs
$2.55 ₺126
$3.60 RON 17.01
-29.17%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.29 ₺460
$8.75 RON 41.39
6.17%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$5.14 ₺255
$6.95 RON 32.87
-26.04%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$21.02 ₺1,041
$12.48 RON 59.1
68.43%
Apples (1kg)
$1.98 ₺97.9
$1.48 RON 7.00
33.78%
Banana (1kg)
$2.08 ₺103
$1.54 RON 7.30
35.06%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.02 ₺50.6
$1.62 RON 7.68
-37.04%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.43 ₺71.0
$2.73 RON 12.91
-47.62%
Potato (1kg)
$0.56 ₺27.60
$0.76 RON 3.60
-26.32%
Onion (1kg)
$0.41 ₺20.50
$0.91 RON 4.30
-54.95%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.10 ₺54.7
$0.90 RON 4.27
22.22%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.76 ₺37.49
$0.80 RON 3.79
-5.00%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.20 ₺109
$5.97 RON 28.23
-63.15%
Wine (Bottle)
$11.53 ₺571
$7.53 RON 35.63
53.12%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.03 ₺100
$1.23 RON 5.81
65.04%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.09 ₺153
$1.81 RON 8.57
70.72%
🚌 Getting Around
Izmir
Brasov
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.68 ₺33.71
$1.07 RON 5.05
-36.45%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$43.37 ₺2,147
$23.18 RON 110
87.10%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.61 ₺179
$0.63 RON 2.98
473.02%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.04 ₺51.3
$0.62 RON 2.94
67.74%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.36 ₺266
$6.56 RON 31.05
-18.29%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.36 ₺67.1
$1.92 RON 9.08
-29.17%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$40.6K ₺2.0M
$28.2K RON 133.3K
44.16%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$46.7K ₺2.3M
$26.1K RON 123.6K
78.99%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Izmir
Brasov
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$82.5 ₺4,086
$179 RON 849
-54.01%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$10.63 ₺526
$7.73 RON 36.56
37.52%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$16.18 ₺801
$8.82 RON 41.74
83.45%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Izmir
Brasov
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$64.0 ₺3,171
$56.8 RON 269
12.71%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$35.09 ₺1,737
$13.60 RON 64.4
158.01%
Cinema Ticket
$7.99 ₺396
$9.13 RON 43.19
-12.49%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Izmir
Brasov
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$685 ₺33.9K
$450 RON 2,131
52.13%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$14.1K ₺700.2K
$6,955 RON 32.9K
103.34%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Izmir
Brasov
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$46.16 ₺2,286
$51.1 RON 242
-9.58%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$36.59 ₺1,812
$34.95 RON 165
4.69%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$91.4 ₺4,527
$75.3 RON 356
21.50%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$80.2 ₺3,971
$89.7 RON 424
-10.53%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Izmir
Brasov
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$606 ₺30.0K
$676 RON 3,197
-10.35%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$416 ₺20.6K
$472 RON 2,235
-11.98%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,126 ₺55.7K
$1,316 RON 6,228
-14.47%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$800 ₺39.6K
$1,053 RON 4,980
-24.02%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,455 ₺72.0K
$3,079 RON 14.6K
-52.74%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,006 ₺49.8K
$2,386 RON 11.3K
-57.82%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Izmir
Brasov
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,158 ₺57.3K
$1,102 RON 5,212
5.12%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
42.33
7.2
487.92%

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

Last update for Izmir: October 12, 2026

Last update for Brasov: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Izmir
$416
Brasov
$472 13.6% $57
Groceries & Markets
Izmir
$247
Brasov
$228 7.5% $18
Eating Out
Izmir
$185
Brasov
$194 4.5% $8.4
Clothing & Footwear
Izmir
$114
Brasov
$113 1.4% $1.6
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Izmir
$109
Brasov
$196 79.3% $87
Sport & Entertainment
Izmir
$80
Brasov
$75 6.2% $4.9
Getting Around
Izmir
$55
Brasov
$31 43.2% $24

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $606 in Izmir and $676 in Brasov. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Izmir pays 5% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $37.00 in Izmir vs $53.0 in Brasov. Groceries flip the comparison at $247 vs $228, with Brasov cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know
🇹🇷 Izmir
🇷🇴 Brasov
🕒 Local time
11:03 11:03 AM
11:03 11:03 AM
Same time as Izmir
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
4,493,242
253,200
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

RON, USD, EUR to TRY – Turkish Lira Converter

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 49.51 TRY (100 TRY = 2.02 USD). 1 EUR = 55.66 TRY (100 TRY = 1.8 EUR).

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 4.73 RON (1 RON = 0.211 USD). 1 EUR = 5.32 RON (1 RON = 0.188 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Izmir Brasov 810 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Izmir
  • Brasov

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
Izmir vs Brasov: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Izmir and in Brasov?
Izmir and Brasov differ by about 9% in total monthly costs ($1,207 vs $1,310 including rent). Izmir is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
Which city pays better: Izmir or Brasov?
Average pay runs 5% higher in Izmir, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.
How do apartment prices compare in Izmir and in Brasov?
Rent for a central apartment: $606 in Izmir versus $676 in Brasov. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Which city has cheaper restaurants?
Dining out is cheaper in Izmir – a meal for two runs $37.00 versus $53.0 in Brasov. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
Which city is more expensive overall: Izmir or Brasov?
All in, you'll spend $1,207 per month in Izmir versus $1,310 in Brasov – a 9% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.
Which city is more doable on $1,000 per month?
At $1,207 in Izmir versus $1,310 in Brasov, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Izmir but tight or insufficient in Brasov. The gap between the two cities makes Izmir the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
How does quality of life compare between Izmir and Brasov?
Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.
Is Izmir or Brasov safer for residents?
Safety-wise, Izmir and Brasov are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.
Where should expats move: Izmir or Brasov?
Expats usually find Izmir gentler on the wallet – expenses run 9% less than in Brasov. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

Izmir vs other spots: cost of living compared

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