Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kastoria and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in Kastoria: $1,303 a month against $1,519 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $2,600 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Istanbul outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

62

Cost of Living Index in Kastoria
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Kastoria Living Index
73

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index

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Kastoria

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,303

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,519

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,303 per month in Kastoria vs $1,519 in Istanbul, rent included.

Kastoria $1,303
Istanbul $1,519

A couple spends around $2,111 per month in Kastoria vs $2,365 in Istanbul, rent included.

Kastoria $2,111
Istanbul $2,365

A family of three spends $2,918 per month in Kastoria vs $3,212 in Istanbul, rent included.

Kastoria $2,918
Istanbul $3,212

Kastoria is about 14% cheaper than Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Kastoria sits 4% below the global median, while Istanbul is 12% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.72 €14.96

$11.81 ₺592

41.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.4 €61.2

$54.9 ₺2,754

24.60%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.10 €9.93

$9.26 ₺465

19.87%

Cappuccino

$3.93 €3.52

$4.30 ₺216

-8.60%

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

$2.21 €1.98

$1.77 ₺89.0

24.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.75 €0.67

$0.56 ₺28.32

33.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.96 €3.55

$4.69 ₺235

-15.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.29 €2.94

$7.12 ₺357

-53.79%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.76 €1.57

$1.25 ₺62.7

40.80%

White Bread (500g)

$1.76 €1.58

$0.88 ₺44.17

100.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.61 €3.23

$2.20 ₺111

64.09%

Eggs

$5.49 €4.91

$2.43 ₺122

125.93%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.33 €12.82

$10.48 ₺526

36.74%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.15 €9.98

$5.31 ₺267

109.98%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.50 €16.55

$21.10 ₺1,058

-12.32%

Apples (1kg)

$2.56 €2.29

$1.86 ₺93.1

37.63%

Banana (1kg)

$2.15 €1.92

$2.30 ₺115

-6.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.09 €1.87

$1.22 ₺61.0

71.31%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.74 €2.45

$1.80 ₺90.2

52.22%

Potato (1kg)

$1.22 €1.09

$0.69 ₺34.83

76.81%

Onion (1kg)

$1.16 €1.04

$0.64 ₺32.16

81.25%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.52 €1.36

$1.36 ₺68.0

11.76%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 €0.74

$0.58 ₺28.94

43.10%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.70 €5.10

$2.34 ₺117

143.59%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.26 €9.18

$13.03 ₺653

-21.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.06 €1.84

$2.36 ₺118

-12.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.96

$3.32 ₺166

-0.30%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.75 €0.68

$0.88 ₺44.07

-14.77%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$33.50 €29.98

$66.1 ₺3,316

-49.33%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.50 €4.03

$1.28 ₺64.4

251.56%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.14 €1.02

$0.85 ₺42.80

34.12%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.02 €15.23

$11.09 ₺556

53.47%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.02 €1.81

$1.48 ₺74.0

36.49%

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

$27.4K €24.5K

$48.6K ₺2.4M

-43.68%

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

$27.9K €25.0K

$42.0K ₺2.1M

-33.46%

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

$223 €200

$92.7 ₺4,650

140.71%

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

$23.47 €21.00

$11.20 ₺562

109.55%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.61 €28.28

$15.89 ₺797

98.93%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.24 €28.84

$74.7 ₺3,745

-56.83%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.95 ₺1,151

Cinema Ticket

$6.82 €6.10

$8.05 ₺404

-15.28%

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

$477 €427

$948 ₺47.6K

-49.68%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.5K €10.3K

$36.9K ₺1.9M

-68.72%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$96.5 €86.4

$53.9 ₺2,702

79.16%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.09 €40.34

$41.49 ₺2,081

8.68%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$127 €114

$101 ₺5,060

25.82%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$132 €118

$91.3 ₺4,580

44.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$282 €252

$1,014 ₺50.8K

-72.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$167 €149

$625 ₺31.3K

-73.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$518 €464

$2,005 ₺100.6K

-74.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$394 €352

$1,126 ₺56.5K

-65.02%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$952 €852

$2,988 ₺149.8K

-68.12%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$731 €654

$1,730 ₺86.8K

-57.74%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$618 €553

$1,136 ₺57.0K

-45.65%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.34

40.42

-86.79%

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

Last update for Kastoria: October 31, 2026

Last update for Istanbul: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Kastoria

$333 25.6%

Istanbul

$258 17% 22.4% $75

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kastoria

$278 21.4%

Istanbul

$120 7.9% 56.9% $158

Eating Out

Kastoria

$253 19.4%

Istanbul

$221 14.6% 12.5% $32

Clothing & Footwear

Kastoria

$180 13.8%

Istanbul

$129 8.5% 28.2% $51

Accommodation & Living

Kastoria

$167 12.8%

Istanbul

$625 41.1% 275% $458

Getting Around

Kastoria

$47 3.6%

Istanbul

$75 5% 60.9% $28

Sport & Entertainment

Kastoria

$46 3.5%

Istanbul

$91 6% 97.9% $45

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $282 in Kastoria 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.

Salaries run about 84% higher in Istanbul. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $68 in Kastoria versus $55 in Istanbul. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $333 vs $258 – making Istanbul the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Kastoria

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

18:52 6:52 PM

19:52 7:52 PM

1 h ahead of Kastoria

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

13,387

15,701,602

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 TRY = 1.99 USD

100 TRY = 1.78 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TRY, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 0.895 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).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Kastoria Istanbul 650 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Kastoria
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

Kastoria vs Istanbul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 17%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in leisure.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,955 per month in Kastoria and $2,278 in Istanbul. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Kastoria, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $282 there versus $1,014 in Istanbul.

Kindergarten costs $477 per month in Kastoria and $948 in Istanbul. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 22% cheaper in Istanbul – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,303 in Kastoria and $1,519 in Istanbul. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Kastoria – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

If budget matters most, go with Kastoria. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Istanbul makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.