Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between İzmit and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in İzmit: $907 a month against $1,516 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $7,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

İzmit, Turkey
Istanbul, Turkey
İzmit
🇹🇷 Turkey
$907
/mo nomad
Istanbul
🇹🇷 Turkey
$1,516
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in İzmit and in Istanbul

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

A single person spends $907 per month in İzmit vs $1,516 in Istanbul, rent included.

  • İzmit $907
  • Istanbul $1,516

A couple spends around $1,428 per month in İzmit vs $2,356 in Istanbul, rent included.

  • İzmit $1,428
  • Istanbul $2,356

A family of three spends $1,949 per month in İzmit vs $3,197 in Istanbul, rent included.

  • İzmit $1,949
  • Istanbul $3,197

İzmit is about 40% cheaper than Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

İzmit sits 33% below the global median, while Istanbul is 11% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
İzmit
Istanbul
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$7.00 ₺349
$11.59 ₺577
-39.60%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$30.69 ₺1,528
$54.7 ₺2,723
-43.87%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$7.81 ₺389
$9.39 ₺468
-16.83%
Cappuccino
$3.54 ₺176
$4.23 ₺211
-16.31%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.08 ₺54.0
$1.72 ₺85.6
-37.21%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.29 ₺14.43
$0.57 ₺28.24
-49.12%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.60 ₺129
$4.65 ₺232
-44.09%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.89 ₺144
$6.84 ₺341
-57.75%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
İzmit
Istanbul
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$0.85 ₺42.12
$1.20 ₺59.9
-29.17%
White Bread (500g)
$0.91 ₺45.42
$0.94 ₺46.94
-3.19%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.35 ₺117
$2.24 ₺112
4.91%
Eggs
$2.02 ₺101
$2.42 ₺120
-16.53%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.82 ₺390
$10.24 ₺510
-23.63%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.76 ₺187
$5.38 ₺268
-30.11%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$19.09 ₺951
$21.19 ₺1,055
-9.91%
Apples (1kg)
$1.66 ₺82.7
$1.89 ₺94.2
-12.17%
Banana (1kg)
$1.85 ₺92.3
$2.22 ₺111
-16.67%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.03 ₺51.3
$1.26 ₺62.7
-18.25%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.17 ₺58.1
$1.81 ₺89.9
-35.36%
Potato (1kg)
$0.49 ₺24.23
$0.70 ₺34.82
-30.00%
Onion (1kg)
$0.35 ₺17.66
$0.64 ₺32.11
-45.31%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.80 ₺39.71
$1.22 ₺60.8
-34.43%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.64 ₺31.92
$0.55 ₺27.34
16.36%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.17 ₺108
$2.32 ₺116
-6.47%
Wine (Bottle)
$7.84 ₺391
$13.31 ₺663
-41.10%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.93 ₺96.3
$2.33 ₺116
-17.17%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.17 ₺108
$3.46 ₺172
-37.28%
🚌 Getting Around
İzmit
Istanbul
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.74 ₺36.68
$0.91 ₺45.15
-18.68%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$66.3 ₺3,304
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.03 ₺51.4
$1.29 ₺64.1
-20.16%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.10 ₺54.7
$0.86 ₺42.63
27.91%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$4.20 ₺209
$11.09 ₺552
-62.13%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.26 ₺62.8
$1.42 ₺70.7
-11.27%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$40.6K ₺2.0M
$49.2K ₺2.4M
-17.47%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$38.7K ₺1.9M
$42.8K ₺2.1M
-9.49%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
İzmit
Istanbul
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$44.77 ₺2,229
$87.7 ₺4,370
-48.97%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$11.68 ₺582
$11.28 ₺562
3.55%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$12.73 ₺634
$15.89 ₺791
-19.89%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
İzmit
Istanbul
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$51.9 ₺2,586
$75.9 ₺3,780
-31.59%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$23.04 ₺1,147
-
Cinema Ticket
$5.08 ₺253
$8.20 ₺408
-38.05%
🧸 Childcare & Education
İzmit
Istanbul
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$448 ₺22.3K
$1,028 ₺51.2K
-56.38%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,982 ₺297.9K
$26.0K ₺1.3M
-76.96%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
İzmit
Istanbul
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$46.88 ₺2,335
$53.3 ₺2,656
-12.09%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$43.12 ₺2,147
$39.69 ₺1,977
8.64%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$84.9 ₺4,227
$99.8 ₺4,969
-14.92%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$74.2 ₺3,693
$93.5 ₺4,658
-20.71%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
İzmit
Istanbul
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$412 ₺20.5K
$1,003 ₺50.0K
-58.97%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$302 ₺15.0K
$628 ₺31.3K
-51.97%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$758 ₺37.8K
$1,963 ₺97.7K
-61.38%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$551 ₺27.4K
$1,122 ₺55.9K
-50.91%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,428 ₺71.1K
$3,075 ₺153.1K
-53.54%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,042 ₺51.9K
$1,753 ₺87.3K
-40.52%
💵 Salaries & Financials
İzmit
Istanbul
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$1,180 ₺58.7K
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
40
40.69
-1.70%

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

Last update for İzmit: October 26, 2026

Last update for Istanbul: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
İzmit
$302
Istanbul
$628 108% $326
Groceries & Markets
İzmit
$207
Istanbul
$258 24.9% $51
Eating Out
İzmit
$146
Istanbul
$218 48.9% $72
Clothing & Footwear
İzmit
$112
Istanbul
$129 15% $17
Monthly Utilities & Internet
İzmit
$69
Istanbul
$115 66.1% $46
Sport & Entertainment
İzmit
$62
Istanbul
$92 48.7% $30
Getting Around
İzmit
$9.5 *
Istanbul
$76 698% $66

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $412 in İzmit versus $1,003 in Istanbul. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $31 in İzmit versus $55 in Istanbul. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $207 vs $258 – making İzmit the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇹🇷 İzmit
🇹🇷 Istanbul
🕒 Local time
04:27 4:27 AM
04:27 4:27 AM
Same time as İzmit
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
376,056
15,701,602
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to TRY – Turkish Lira Converter

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 49.8 TRY (100 TRY = 2.01 USD). 1 EUR = 55.44 TRY (100 TRY = 1.8 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • İzmit Istanbul 86 km
From you
  • İzmit
  • Istanbul

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
İzmit vs Istanbul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is İzmit cheaper than Istanbul?
Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 67%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,361 per month in İzmit and $2,274 in Istanbul. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in İzmit, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $412 there versus $1,003 in Istanbul.
Is eating out cheaper in İzmit or in Istanbul?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $31 in İzmit and $55 in Istanbul. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
How do food prices compare in İzmit and in Istanbul?
Groceries cost about 25% more in Istanbul, though the gap depends on what you buy.
Is $1,200 a realistic budget for living in İzmit or in Istanbul?
A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in İzmit, where all-in costs run around $907, than in Istanbul at $1,516. In İzmit it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is İzmit or Istanbul more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward İzmit – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Which city is safer, İzmit or Istanbul?
Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

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