Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kos and Istanbul

For one person, living costs are similar in Kos and in Istanbul: $1,525 and $1,519 a month, rent and utilities included.

73

Cost of Living Index in Kos
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Kos Living Index
73

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index

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Kos

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,525

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,519

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,525 per month in Kos vs $1,519 in Istanbul, rent included.

Kos $1,525
Istanbul $1,519

A couple spends around $2,288 per month in Kos vs $2,365 in Istanbul, rent included.

Kos $2,288
Istanbul $2,365

A family of three spends $3,052 per month in Kos vs $3,212 in Istanbul, rent included.

Kos $3,052
Istanbul $3,212

Kos and Istanbul have comparable living costs – the differences are in the details.

Both Kos and Istanbul sit above the global median – Kos by 13%, Istanbul by 12%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.26 €12.70

$11.81 ₺591

20.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.2 €60.8

$54.9 ₺2,748

24.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.12

$9.26 ₺463

22.68%

Cappuccino

$4.29 €3.82

$4.30 ₺215

-0.23%

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

$3.13 €2.79

$1.77 ₺88.8

76.84%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.10 €0.98

$0.56 ₺28.26

96.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.36 €3.89

$4.69 ₺234

-7.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.55 €5.83

$7.12 ₺356

-8.01%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.39 €2.13

$1.25 ₺62.6

91.20%

White Bread (500g)

$1.57 €1.40

$0.88 ₺44.07

78.41%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.72 €2.42

$2.20 ₺110

23.64%

Eggs

$4.47 €3.98

$2.43 ₺122

83.95%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.27 €11.82

$10.48 ₺524

26.62%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.01 €8.91

$5.31 ₺266

88.51%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.13 €13.48

$21.10 ₺1,056

-28.29%

Apples (1kg)

$2.23 €1.98

$1.86 ₺92.9

19.89%

Banana (1kg)

$2.09 €1.86

$2.30 ₺115

-9.13%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 €1.14

$1.22 ₺60.8

4.92%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.02 €1.80

$1.80 ₺90.0

12.22%

Potato (1kg)

$1.14 €1.02

$0.69 ₺34.75

65.22%

Onion (1kg)

$1.15 €1.02

$0.64 ₺32.09

79.69%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.06 €0.95

$1.36 ₺67.8

-22.06%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.85 €0.76

$0.58 ₺28.88

46.55%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.28 €4.71

$2.34 ₺117

125.64%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.58 €5.86

$13.03 ₺652

-49.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.99 €1.77

$2.36 ₺118

-15.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.56 €2.28

$3.32 ₺166

-22.89%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.74 €1.55

$0.88 ₺43.97

97.73%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$49.95 €44.50

$66.1 ₺3,309

-24.46%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.54 €4.04

$1.28 ₺64.3

254.69%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.00 €0.89

$0.85 ₺42.70

17.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.59 €14.78

$11.09 ₺555

49.59%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.04 €1.82

$1.48 ₺73.9

37.84%

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

$27.4K €24.4K

$48.6K ₺2.4M

-43.66%

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

$25.5K €22.7K

$42.0K ₺2.1M

-39.31%

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

$205 €183

$92.7 ₺4,639

121.26%

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

$23.29 €20.75

$11.20 ₺560

107.95%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.79 €30.99

$15.89 ₺795

118.94%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.2 €47.38

$74.7 ₺3,737

-28.78%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.90 €18.62

$22.95 ₺1,149

-8.93%

Cinema Ticket

$9.03 €8.05

$8.05 ₺403

12.17%

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

$417 €372

$948 ₺47.5K

-56.02%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,127 €8,131

$36.9K ₺1.8M

-75.28%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.2 €79.4

$53.9 ₺2,696

65.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.82 €35.47

$41.49 ₺2,076

-4.03%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.2 €84.8

$101 ₺5,049

-5.67%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$125 €112

$91.3 ₺4,570

37.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$614 €547

$1,014 ₺50.7K

-39.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$424 €378

$625 ₺31.3K

-32.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$732 €652

$2,005 ₺100.4K

-63.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$587 €523

$1,126 ₺56.3K

-47.83%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,468 €2,198

$2,988 ₺149.5K

-17.40%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,413 €2,149

$1,730 ₺86.6K

39.46%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$904 €805

$1,136 ₺56.9K

-20.45%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.44

40.42

-89.02%

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

Last update for Kos: 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

Kos

$424 27.8%

Istanbul

$625 41.1% 47.3% $201

Groceries & Markets

Kos

$291 19.1%

Istanbul

$258 17% 11.2% $33

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kos

$263 17.3%

Istanbul

$120 7.9% 54.5% $143

Eating Out

Kos

$251 16.5%

Istanbul

$221 14.6% 12.1% $31

Clothing & Footwear

Kos

$157 10.3%

Istanbul

$129 8.5% 17.7% $28

Sport & Entertainment

Kos

$71 4.7%

Istanbul

$91 6% 27.4% $20

Getting Around

Kos

$66 4.4%

Istanbul

$75 5% 13.1% $8.7

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $614 in Kos 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 26% higher in Istanbul. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $68 in Kos versus $55 in Istanbul. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $291 vs $258 – making Istanbul the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Kos

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

02:56 2:56 AM

03:56 3:56 AM

1 h ahead of Kos

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

30,947

15,701,602

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 TRY = 2 USD

100 TRY = 1.78 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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From you

Kos
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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

Kos vs Istanbul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,287 per month in Kos 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 Kos, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $614 there versus $1,014 in Istanbul.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $68 in Kos and $55 in Istanbul. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Public transport costs about 24% less in Kos. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$1,500 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,525 in Kos and $1,519 in Istanbul. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Kos has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,519 in Istanbul to $1,525 in Kos. 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.