Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Izmir and Bursa

For one person, living is cheaper in Bursa: $1,047 a month against $1,212 in Izmir, rent and utilities included – about $2,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Izmir
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Izmir Living Index
51

Cost of Living Index in Bursa
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Bursa Living Index

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Izmir

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,212

/mo nomad

Bursa

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,047

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Izmir and in Bursa

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,212 in Izmir versus $1,047 in Bursa.

Izmir $1,212
Bursa $1,047

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,898 in Izmir versus $1,654 in Bursa.

Izmir $1,898
Bursa $1,654

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,584 in Izmir versus $2,260 in Bursa.

Izmir $2,584
Bursa $2,260

Living in Izmir is roughly 16% more expensive than in Bursa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Izmir 11% lower, Bursa 23% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.89 ₺493

$9.79 ₺488

1.02%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.55 ₺1,771

$30.03 ₺1,496

18.38%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.41 ₺419

$7.75 ₺386

8.52%

Cappuccino

$3.64 ₺181

$3.65 ₺182

-0.27%

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

$1.46 ₺72.7

$1.06 ₺52.7

37.74%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.58 ₺28.85

$0.38 ₺18.69

52.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.44 ₺172

$2.29 ₺114

50.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.00 ₺249

$2.93 ₺146

70.65%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.08 ₺53.9

$0.96 ₺47.89

12.50%

White Bread (500g)

$1.05 ₺52.5

$0.80 ₺39.96

31.25%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.38 ₺118

$2.26 ₺112

5.31%

Eggs

$2.46 ₺123

$2.28 ₺114

7.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.31 ₺464

$10.26 ₺511

-9.26%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.10 ₺254

$4.90 ₺244

4.08%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.03 ₺1,048

$18.96 ₺945

10.92%

Apples (1kg)

$1.95 ₺97.4

$1.66 ₺82.9

17.47%

Banana (1kg)

$2.18 ₺108

$1.96 ₺97.7

11.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.06 ₺52.7

$1.04 ₺52.0

1.92%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.36 ₺67.9

$1.30 ₺64.7

4.62%

Potato (1kg)

$0.59 ₺29.54

$0.58 ₺28.79

1.72%

Onion (1kg)

$0.40 ₺20.07

$0.39 ₺19.64

2.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.09 ₺54.6

$0.73 ₺36.46

49.32%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.73 ₺36.50

$0.72 ₺35.84

1.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.22 ₺111

$2.07 ₺103

7.25%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.15 ₺556

$14.15 ₺705

-21.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.06 ₺103

$2.08 ₺103

-0.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.99 ₺149

$2.25 ₺112

32.89%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.68 ₺34.05

$0.98 ₺48.92

-30.61%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$43.12 ₺2,148

$36.23 ₺1,805

19.02%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.52 ₺175

$1.03 ₺51.2

241.75%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ₺50.9

$0.87 ₺43.11

17.24%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.52 ₺275

$6.89 ₺343

-19.88%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 ₺67.2

$1.37 ₺68.2

-1.46%

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

$46.6K ₺2.3M

$44.3K ₺2.2M

5.20%

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

$43.7K ₺2.2M

$38.9K ₺1.9M

12.23%

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

$82.4 ₺4,103

$75.9 ₺3,784

8.44%

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

$10.53 ₺525

$10.92 ₺544

-3.57%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.87 ₺791

$14.81 ₺738

7.16%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.2 ₺3,196

$61.2 ₺3,047

4.91%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.55 ₺1,721

$23.04 ₺1,148

49.96%

Cinema Ticket

$8.25 ₺411

$5.88 ₺293

40.31%

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

$683 ₺34.0K

$548 ₺27.3K

24.75%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.5K ₺720.0K

$10.9K ₺542.7K

32.67%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$45.34 ₺2,259

$44.43 ₺2,213

2.05%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.24 ₺1,855

$34.51 ₺1,719

7.91%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.0 ₺4,582

$78.4 ₺3,906

17.32%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.8 ₺3,977

$92.6 ₺4,613

-13.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$587 ₺29.2K

$401 ₺20.0K

46.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$424 ₺21.1K

$310 ₺15.5K

36.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,122 ₺55.9K

$723 ₺36.0K

55.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$793 ₺39.5K

$607 ₺30.2K

30.69%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,444 ₺71.9K

$1,191 ₺59.4K

21.18%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$999 ₺49.8K

$1,217 ₺60.6K

-17.86%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,134 ₺56.5K

$1,028 ₺51.2K

10.30%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

42.33

42.67

-0.80%

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

Last update for Izmir: October 25, 2026

Last update for Bursa: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Izmir

$424 35%

Bursa

$310 29.6% 26.8% $114

Groceries & Markets

Izmir

$245 20.3%

Bursa

$236 22.5% 3.9% $9.5

Eating Out

Izmir

$183 15.1%

Bursa

$168 16.1% 8.2% $15

Clothing & Footwear

Izmir

$114 9.5%

Bursa

$112 10.7% 1.7% $2

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Izmir

$109 9%

Bursa

$102 9.7% 6.5% $7.1

Sport & Entertainment

Izmir

$81 6.7%

Bursa

$73 7% 9.6% $7.7

Getting Around

Izmir

$54 4.5%

Bursa

$46 4.4% 16.5% $9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $587 in Izmir and $401 in Bursa. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Izmir pays 10% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $36 in Izmir vs $30 in Bursa for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $245 vs $236 per month, with Bursa cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Izmir

🇹🇷 Bursa

🕒 Local time

14:57 2:57 PM

Same time as Izmir

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,493,242

3,238,618

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 2.01 USD

100 TRY = 1.8 EUR

100 TRY = 2.01 USD

100 TRY = 1.8 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

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Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Izmir vs Bursa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bursa is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and transport. The 16% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 10% higher in Izmir, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $587 in Izmir versus $401 in Bursa. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 4% higher in Izmir. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Bursa – a meal for two runs $30 versus $36 in Izmir. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Either city works on $1,500 a month, though Bursa gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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.

Safety-wise, Izmir and Bursa are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Bursa gentler on the wallet – expenses run 14% less than in Izmir. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.