Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melun and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in Istanbul: $1,525 a month against $1,687 in Melun, rent and utilities included – about $1,900 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

82

Cost of Living Index in Melun
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Melun Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index

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Melun

🇫🇷 France

$1,687

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,525

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,687 per month in Melun vs $1,525 in Istanbul, rent included.

Melun $1,687
Istanbul $1,525

A couple spends around $2,511 per month in Melun vs $2,390 in Istanbul, rent included.

Melun $2,511
Istanbul $2,390

A family of three spends $3,335 per month in Melun vs $3,256 in Istanbul, rent included.

Melun $3,335
Istanbul $3,256

Melun costs about 11% more than Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Melun and Istanbul sit above the global median – Melun by 24%, Istanbul by 13%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.73 €11.32

$11.96 ₺592

6.44%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$53.1 €47.20

$57.2 ₺2,834

-7.27%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.41 €11.93

$9.51 ₺471

41.01%

Cappuccino

$2.99 €2.66

$4.40 ₺218

-32.05%

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

$1.68 €1.50

$1.75 ₺86.6

-4.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 €1.54

$0.56 ₺27.57

208.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.44 €6.62

$4.71 ₺233

57.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.63 €5.00

$6.14 ₺304

-8.31%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.32 €1.17

$1.24 ₺61.6

6.45%

White Bread (500g)

$1.89 €1.68

$0.95 ₺47.25

98.95%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.86 €2.54

$2.28 ₺113

25.44%

Eggs

$4.17 €3.70

$2.45 ₺121

70.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$21.19 €18.85

$10.56 ₺523

100.66%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.88 €11.46

$5.50 ₺272

134.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.95 €20.41

$21.65 ₺1,072

6.00%

Apples (1kg)

$3.31 €2.94

$1.83 ₺90.6

80.87%

Banana (1kg)

$2.12 €1.88

$2.29 ₺113

-7.42%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.35 €2.09

$1.28 ₺63.4

83.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.08 €2.74

$1.82 ₺90.1

69.23%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.62

$0.66 ₺32.74

175.76%

Onion (1kg)

$1.99 €1.77

$0.63 ₺31.14

215.87%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.77 €1.58

$1.27 ₺62.8

39.37%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.63 €0.56

$0.56 ₺27.62

12.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.92 €12.38

$2.36 ₺117

489.83%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.20 €7.29

$12.98 ₺642

-36.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.46 €2.19

$2.48 ₺123

-0.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.27 €3.80

$3.50 ₺174

22.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.95 €1.73

$0.82 ₺40.77

137.80%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$47.25 €42.03

$65.2 ₺3,228

-27.53%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.21 €1.97

$1.33 ₺65.7

66.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.16 €1.92

$0.90 ₺44.60

140.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$23.81 €21.18

$10.91 ₺540

118.24%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.23 €1.98

$1.43 ₺70.7

55.94%

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

$34.1K €30.3K

$49.6K ₺2.5M

-31.24%

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

$34.3K €30.5K

$43.2K ₺2.1M

-20.66%

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

$197 €176

$88.8 ₺4,395

122.26%

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

$15.10 €13.43

$11.69 ₺579

29.17%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.14 €25.03

$16.09 ₺797

74.89%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.17 €31.29

$76.3 ₺3,776

-53.88%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.72 ₺1,125

Cinema Ticket

$9.97 €8.87

$8.26 ₺409

20.70%

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

$623 €554

$1,015 ₺50.2K

-38.64%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,092 €7,197

$25.8K ₺1.3M

-68.68%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.6 €77.0

$53.3 ₺2,636

62.57%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.76 €36.25

$40.55 ₺2,008

0.52%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 €92.1

$100 ₺4,956

3.39%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 €90.4

$93.5 ₺4,630

8.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$742 €660

$977 ₺48.4K

-24.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$561 €499

$627 ₺31.0K

-10.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,193 €1,061

$1,980 ₺98.0K

-39.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$883 €785

$1,147 ₺56.8K

-23.06%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,959 €3,522

$3,095 ₺153.2K

27.91%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,978 €2,649

$1,787 ₺88.5K

66.67%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,499 €2,223

$1,213 ₺60.1K

105.99%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.92

40.69

-90.37%

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

Last update for Melun: October 19, 2026

Last update for Istanbul: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melun

$561 33.2%

Istanbul

$627 41.1% 11.8% $66

Groceries & Markets

Melun

$372 22.1%

Istanbul

$263 17.2% 29.5% $110

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melun

$241 14.3%

Istanbul

$117 7.6% 51.5% $124

Eating Out

Melun

$240 14.2%

Istanbul

$222 14.6% 7.5% $18

Clothing & Footwear

Melun

$150 8.9%

Istanbul

$129 8.5% 13.5% $20

Getting Around

Melun

$68 4%

Istanbul

$74 4.9% 9.2% $6.3

Sport & Entertainment

Melun

$55 3.3%

Istanbul

$93 6.1% 68.4% $38

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $742 in Melun versus $977 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 106% higher in Melun, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $53.0 in Melun versus $57.0 in Istanbul. Groceries tell a different story – $372 in Melun vs $263 in Istanbul – so Istanbul wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇫🇷 Melun

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

07:57 7:57 AM

08:57 8:57 AM

1 h ahead of Melun

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

42,367

15,701,602

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 TRY = 2.02 USD

100 TRY = 1.8 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Melun Istanbul 2,230 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Melun
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

Melun vs Istanbul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Melun is pricier by about 11%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,530 per month in Melun and $2,287 in Istanbul. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Istanbul, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $623 per month in Melun and $1,015 in Istanbul. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 42% more in Melun, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Istanbul, where all-in costs run around $1,525, than in Melun at $1,687. In Istanbul it covers expenses comfortably, while in Melun it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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