Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mersin and Izmir

For one person, living is cheaper in Mersin: $1,017 a month against $1,212 in Izmir, rent and utilities included – about $2,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

49

Cost of Living Index in Mersin
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Mersin Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Izmir
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Izmir Living Index

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Mersin

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,017

/mo nomad

Izmir

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,212

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Mersin and in Izmir

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Mersin and in Izmir actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,017 in Mersin versus $1,212 in Izmir.

Mersin $1,017
Izmir $1,212

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,532 in Mersin versus $1,898 in Izmir.

Mersin $1,532
Izmir $1,898

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,047 in Mersin versus $2,584 in Izmir.

Mersin $2,047
Izmir $2,584

Living in Mersin costs roughly 16% less than in Izmir, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Mersin 25% lower, Izmir 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.63 ₺380

$9.89 ₺493

-22.85%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.67 ₺1,479

$35.55 ₺1,772

-16.54%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.75 ₺386

$8.41 ₺419

-7.85%

Cappuccino

$3.18 ₺158

$3.64 ₺181

-12.64%

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

$1.34 ₺66.7

$1.46 ₺72.7

-8.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.25 ₺12.35

$0.58 ₺28.86

-56.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.45 ₺122

$3.44 ₺172

-28.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.65 ₺132

$5.00 ₺249

-47.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.99 ₺49.12

$1.08 ₺53.9

-8.33%

White Bread (500g)

$0.93 ₺46.37

$1.05 ₺52.6

-11.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.78 ₺88.7

$2.38 ₺119

-25.21%

Eggs

$2.08 ₺103

$2.46 ₺123

-15.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.19 ₺458

$9.31 ₺464

-1.29%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.92 ₺195

$5.10 ₺254

-23.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.93 ₺893

$21.03 ₺1,048

-14.74%

Apples (1kg)

$1.65 ₺82.5

$1.95 ₺97.4

-15.38%

Banana (1kg)

$1.78 ₺88.7

$2.18 ₺108

-18.35%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.92 ₺45.81

$1.06 ₺52.7

-13.21%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.25 ₺62.5

$1.36 ₺67.9

-8.09%

Potato (1kg)

$0.49 ₺24.47

$0.59 ₺29.55

-16.95%

Onion (1kg)

$0.40 ₺19.94

$0.40 ₺20.08

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.93 ₺46.34

$1.09 ₺54.6

-14.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₺29.62

$0.73 ₺36.52

-19.18%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.05 ₺102

$2.22 ₺111

-7.66%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.23 ₺510

$11.15 ₺556

-8.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.35 ₺117

$2.06 ₺103

14.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.18 ₺158

$2.99 ₺149

6.35%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.63 ₺31.64

$0.68 ₺34.06

-7.35%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$20.00 ₺997

$43.12 ₺2,149

-53.62%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.03 ₺51.1

$3.52 ₺175

-70.74%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.51 ₺25.58

$1.02 ₺50.9

-50.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.97 ₺497

$5.52 ₺275

80.62%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.24 ₺61.9

$1.35 ₺67.2

-8.15%

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

$41.5K ₺2.1M

$46.6K ₺2.3M

-10.83%

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

$38.4K ₺1.9M

$43.7K ₺2.2M

-12.12%

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

$90.0 ₺4,486

$82.4 ₺4,104

9.30%

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

$9.27 ₺462

$10.53 ₺525

-11.97%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.11 ₺553

$15.87 ₺791

-29.99%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.1 ₺2,595

$64.2 ₺3,197

-18.84%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.10 ₺752

$34.55 ₺1,722

-56.30%

Cinema Ticket

$6.19 ₺308

$8.25 ₺411

-24.97%

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

$442 ₺22.0K

$683 ₺34.1K

-35.36%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,104 ₺354.0K

$14.5K ₺720.2K

-50.84%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.1 ₺2,697

$45.34 ₺2,260

19.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.01 ₺1,446

$37.24 ₺1,856

-22.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 ₺5,653

$92.0 ₺4,584

23.34%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 ₺5,388

$79.8 ₺3,978

35.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$407 ₺20.3K

$587 ₺29.2K

-30.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$316 ₺15.8K

$424 ₺21.1K

-25.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$698 ₺34.8K

$1,122 ₺55.9K

-37.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$490 ₺24.4K

$793 ₺39.5K

-38.21%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,234 ₺61.5K

$1,444 ₺72.0K

-14.54%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$927 ₺46.2K

$999 ₺49.8K

-7.29%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$816 ₺40.7K

$1,134 ₺56.5K

-28.08%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

41.5

42.33

-1.96%

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

Last update for Mersin: October 26, 2026

Last update for Izmir: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mersin

$316 31.1%

Izmir

$424 35% 34.1% $108

Groceries & Markets

Mersin

$216 21.3%

Izmir

$245 20.3% 13.6% $29

Eating Out

Mersin

$146 14.4%

Izmir

$183 15.1% 25.4% $37

Clothing & Footwear

Mersin

$137 13.5%

Izmir

$114 9.5% 16.5% $23

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mersin

$110 10.9%

Izmir

$109 9% 1.5% $1.6

Sport & Entertainment

Mersin

$64 6.3%

Izmir

$81 6.7% 25.1% $16

Getting Around

Mersin

$26 2.6%

Izmir

$54 4.5% 109% $28

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $407 in Mersin and $587 in Izmir. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Izmir pays 39% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $30 in Mersin vs $36 in Izmir for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $216 vs $245 per month, with Mersin cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Mersin

🇹🇷 Izmir

🕒 Local time

00:08 12:08 AM

Same time as Mersin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,773,852

4,493,242

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 2.01 USD

100 TRY = 1.8 EUR

100 TRY = 2.01 USD

100 TRY = 1.8 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Mersin Izmir 680 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Mersin
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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

Mersin vs Izmir: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mersin wins on cost – living expenses run 16% lower than in Izmir. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Mersin the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 28% lower in Mersin. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $407 in Mersin versus $587 in Izmir. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $1,017 per month in Mersin versus $1,212 in Izmir – Mersin is about 16% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Mersin runs roughly 54% less than in Izmir. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Either city works on $1,500 a month, though Mersin gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Mersin and Izmir are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Mersin gentler on the wallet – expenses run 16% less than in Izmir. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.