Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Jurmala and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in Jurmala: $1,288 a month against $1,519 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $2,800 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

Jurmala, Latvia
Istanbul, Turkey
Jurmala
🇱🇻 Latvia
$1,288
/mo nomad
Istanbul
🇹🇷 Turkey
$1,519
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Jurmala 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 Jurmala and in Istanbul actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,288 per month in Jurmala vs $1,519 in Istanbul, rent included.

  • Jurmala $1,288
  • Istanbul $1,519

A couple spends around $1,898 per month in Jurmala vs $2,365 in Istanbul, rent included.

  • Jurmala $1,898
  • Istanbul $2,365

A family of three spends $2,509 per month in Jurmala vs $3,212 in Istanbul, rent included.

  • Jurmala $2,509
  • Istanbul $3,212

Jurmala is about 15% cheaper than Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Jurmala sits 5% below the global median, while Istanbul is 12% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Jurmala
Istanbul
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$13.70 €12.20
$11.81 ₺592
16.00%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$62.1 €55.3
$54.9 ₺2,754
13.15%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$8.89 €7.92
$9.26 ₺465
-4.00%
Cappuccino
$1.69 €1.51
$4.30 ₺216
-60.70%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.97 €0.86
$1.77 ₺89.0
-45.20%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.58 €0.52
$0.56 ₺28.32
3.57%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$5.19 €4.62
$4.69 ₺235
10.66%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.36 €2.10
$7.12 ₺357
-66.85%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Jurmala
Istanbul
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.21 €1.08
$1.25 ₺62.7
-3.20%
White Bread (500g)
$1.45 €1.29
$0.88 ₺44.17
64.77%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.42 €2.15
$2.20 ₺111
10.00%
Eggs
$3.57 €3.18
$2.43 ₺122
46.91%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.49 €9.34
$10.48 ₺526
0.10%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$4.40 €3.92
$5.31 ₺267
-17.14%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.84 €12.33
$21.10 ₺1,058
-34.41%
Apples (1kg)
$2.16 €1.92
$1.86 ₺93.1
16.13%
Banana (1kg)
$1.76 €1.56
$2.30 ₺115
-23.48%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.55 €2.27
$1.22 ₺61.0
109.02%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.24 €2.89
$1.80 ₺90.2
80.00%
Potato (1kg)
$0.83 €0.74
$0.69 ₺34.83
20.29%
Onion (1kg)
$0.89 €0.80
$0.64 ₺32.16
39.06%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.74 €1.55
$1.36 ₺68.0
27.94%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.71 €0.63
$0.58 ₺28.94
22.41%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$5.44 €4.84
$2.34 ₺117
132.48%
Wine (Bottle)
$7.64 €6.80
$13.03 ₺653
-41.37%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.93 €1.72
$2.36 ₺118
-18.22%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.00 €1.78
$3.32 ₺166
-39.76%
🚌 Getting Around
Jurmala
Istanbul
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.14 €1.02
$0.88 ₺44.07
29.55%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$66.1 ₺3,316
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.42 €3.04
$1.28 ₺64.4
167.19%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.99 €0.88
$0.85 ₺42.80
16.47%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$18.10 €16.12
$11.09 ₺556
63.21%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.72 €1.53
$1.48 ₺74.0
16.22%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$26.8K €23.9K
$48.6K ₺2.4M
-44.91%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$30.2K €26.9K
$42.0K ₺2.1M
-27.97%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Jurmala
Istanbul
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$257 €229
$92.7 ₺4,650
177.05%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$11.19 €9.97
$11.20 ₺562
-0.09%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$13.78 €12.27
$15.89 ₺797
-13.28%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Jurmala
Istanbul
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$18.73 €16.67
$74.7 ₺3,745
-74.92%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$22.95 ₺1,151
-
Cinema Ticket
$8.96 €7.98
$8.05 ₺404
11.30%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Jurmala
Istanbul
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$558 €497
$948 ₺47.6K
-41.15%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$17.8K €15.8K
$36.9K ₺1.9M
-51.89%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Jurmala
Istanbul
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$68.6 €61.0
$53.9 ₺2,702
27.23%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$50.2 €44.65
$41.49 ₺2,081
20.87%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$84.5 €75.2
$101 ₺5,060
-16.28%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$140 €124
$91.3 ₺4,580
53.01%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Jurmala
Istanbul
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$451 €401
$1,014 ₺50.8K
-55.55%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$367 €326
$625 ₺31.3K
-41.29%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$683 €608
$2,005 ₺100.6K
-65.96%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$507 €452
$1,126 ₺56.5K
-54.96%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
-
$2,988 ₺149.8K
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
-
$1,730 ₺86.8K
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Jurmala
Istanbul
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,136 €1,011
$1,136 ₺57.0K
-0.07%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4.2
40.42
-89.61%

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

Last update for Jurmala: November 1, 2026

Last update for Istanbul: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Jurmala
$367
Istanbul
$625 70.3% $258
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Jurmala
$282
Istanbul
$120 57.5% $162
Groceries & Markets
Jurmala
$242
Istanbul
$258 6.7% $16
Eating Out
Jurmala
$193
Istanbul
$221 14.2% $28
Clothing & Footwear
Jurmala
$154
Istanbul
$129 16.1% $25
Sport & Entertainment
Jurmala
$37
Istanbul
$91 148% $54
Getting Around
Jurmala
$13 *
Istanbul
$75 481% $62

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $451 in Jurmala versus $1,014 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 $62 in Jurmala versus $55 in Istanbul. Groceries tell a different story – $242 in Jurmala vs $258 in Istanbul – so Jurmala wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇱🇻 Jurmala
🇹🇷 Istanbul
🕒 Local time
10:07 10:07 AM
11:07 11:07 AM
1 h ahead of Jurmala
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
57,671
15,701,602
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

TRY, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

Euro exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 0.89 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 50.15 TRY (100 TRY = 1.99 USD). 1 EUR = 56.33 TRY (100 TRY = 1.78 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Jurmala Istanbul 1,810 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Jurmala
  • 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
Jurmala vs Istanbul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Jurmala cheaper than Istanbul?
Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 18%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,932 per month in Jurmala and $2,278 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 Jurmala, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $451 there versus $1,014 in Istanbul.
Is eating out cheaper in Jurmala or in Istanbul?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $62 in Jurmala 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 Jurmala and in Istanbul?
Groceries cost about 7% more in Istanbul, though the gap depends on what you buy.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in Jurmala or in Istanbul?
A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Jurmala, where all-in costs run around $1,288, than in Istanbul at $1,519. In Jurmala it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Jurmala or Istanbul more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Jurmala – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Which city is safer, Jurmala 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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