Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kefalonia and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in Istanbul: $1,519 a month against $1,575 in Kefalonia, rent and utilities included – about $670 less a year. The total is higher in Kefalonia despite lower rent and utilities.

75

Cost of Living Index in Kefalonia
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Kefalonia Living Index
73

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index

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Kefalonia

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,575

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,519

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,575 per month in Kefalonia vs $1,519 in Istanbul, rent included.

Kefalonia $1,575
Istanbul $1,519

A couple spends around $2,360 per month in Kefalonia vs $2,365 in Istanbul, rent included.

Kefalonia $2,360
Istanbul $2,365

A family of three spends $3,145 per month in Kefalonia vs $3,212 in Istanbul, rent included.

Kefalonia $3,145
Istanbul $3,212

Kefalonia costs about 4% more than Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Kefalonia and Istanbul sit above the global median – Kefalonia by 17%, Istanbul by 12%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.93 €13.36

$11.81 ₺592

26.42%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$38.50 €34.45

$54.9 ₺2,754

-29.89%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.02 €8.97

$9.26 ₺465

8.21%

Cappuccino

$3.11 €2.78

$4.30 ₺216

-27.67%

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

$3.32 €2.97

$1.77 ₺89.0

87.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.61 €0.55

$0.56 ₺28.32

8.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.76 €4.26

$4.69 ₺235

1.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.29 €4.73

$7.12 ₺357

-25.70%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 €1.48

$1.25 ₺62.7

32.80%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 €1.31

$0.88 ₺44.17

65.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.60 €2.32

$2.20 ₺111

18.18%

Eggs

$4.49 €4.02

$2.43 ₺122

84.77%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.09 €11.71

$10.48 ₺526

24.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.27 €9.19

$5.31 ₺267

93.41%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.85 €13.29

$21.10 ₺1,058

-29.62%

Apples (1kg)

$2.23 €1.99

$1.86 ₺93.1

19.89%

Banana (1kg)

$2.01 €1.80

$2.30 ₺115

-12.61%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.41 €1.26

$1.22 ₺61.0

15.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.09 €1.87

$1.80 ₺90.2

16.11%

Potato (1kg)

$1.14 €1.02

$0.69 ₺34.83

65.22%

Onion (1kg)

$1.15 €1.03

$0.64 ₺32.16

79.69%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 €0.96

$1.36 ₺68.0

-20.59%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.87 €0.78

$0.58 ₺28.94

50.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.30 €4.75

$2.34 ₺117

126.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.63 €5.93

$13.03 ₺653

-49.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.47 €2.21

$2.36 ₺118

4.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.51 €2.24

$3.32 ₺166

-24.40%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.40 €1.26

$0.88 ₺44.07

59.09%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$51.1 €45.71

$66.1 ₺3,316

-22.75%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.14 €3.71

$1.28 ₺64.4

223.44%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.09 €0.97

$0.85 ₺42.80

28.24%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.77 €15.01

$11.09 ₺556

51.22%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.98 €1.77

$1.48 ₺74.0

33.78%

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)

$25.7K €23.0K

$42.0K ₺2.1M

-38.69%

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

$280 €251

$92.7 ₺4,650

202.04%

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

$22.62 €20.24

$11.20 ₺562

101.96%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.67 €27.44

$15.89 ₺797

93.01%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.7 €46.24

$74.7 ₺3,745

-30.80%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.29 €22.63

$22.95 ₺1,151

10.20%

Cinema Ticket

$8.90 €7.97

$8.05 ₺404

10.56%

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

$404 €361

$948 ₺47.6K

-57.41%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,838 €7,909

$36.9K ₺1.9M

-76.06%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.3 €79.0

$53.9 ₺2,702

63.96%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.69 €35.51

$41.49 ₺2,081

-4.34%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.5 €85.4

$101 ₺5,060

-5.35%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$91.3 ₺4,580

35.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$526 €471

$1,014 ₺50.8K

-48.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$428 €383

$625 ₺31.3K

-31.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,090 €976

$2,005 ₺100.6K

-45.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$806 €721

$1,126 ₺56.5K

-28.42%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,430 €2,174

$2,988 ₺149.8K

-18.68%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,967 €1,760

$1,730 ₺86.8K

13.71%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,101 €985

$1,136 ₺57.0K

-3.11%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

40.42

-88.92%

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

Last update for Kefalonia: 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

Kefalonia

$428 27.2%

Istanbul

$625 41.1% 46% $197

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kefalonia

$333 21.2%

Istanbul

$120 7.9% 64.1% $214

Groceries & Markets

Kefalonia

$285 18.1%

Istanbul

$258 17% 9.4% $27

Eating Out

Kefalonia

$237 15%

Istanbul

$221 14.6% 6.7% $16

Clothing & Footwear

Kefalonia

$156 9.9%

Istanbul

$129 8.5% 17.2% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Kefalonia

$69 4.4%

Istanbul

$91 6% 30.6% $21

Getting Around

Kefalonia

$66 4.2%

Istanbul

$75 5% 13.4% $8.9

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $526 in Kefalonia 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 3% higher in Istanbul, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $38 in Kefalonia versus $55 in Istanbul. Groceries tell a different story – $285 in Kefalonia vs $258 in Istanbul – so Istanbul wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Kefalonia

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

00:13 12:13 AM

01:13 1:13 AM

1 h ahead of Kefalonia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

36,404

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 = 56.05 TRY (100 TRY = 1.78 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Kefalonia Istanbul 780 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Kefalonia
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

Kefalonia vs Istanbul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Kefalonia is pricier by about 4%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,363 per month in Kefalonia 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 Kefalonia, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $526 there versus $1,014 in Istanbul.

Kindergarten costs $404 per month in Kefalonia and $948 in Istanbul. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 10% more in Kefalonia, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$1,500 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,575 in Kefalonia and $1,519 in Istanbul. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Kefalonia has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,519 in Istanbul to $1,575 in Kefalonia. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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