Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Metz and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in Istanbul: $1,550 a month against $1,858 in Metz, rent and utilities included – about $3,700 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

Metz
🇫🇷 France
$1,858
/mo nomad
Istanbul
🇹🇷 Turkey
$1,550
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,858 per month in Metz vs $1,550 in Istanbul, rent included.

  • Metz $1,858
  • Istanbul $1,550

A couple spends around $2,774 per month in Metz vs $2,415 in Istanbul, rent included.

  • Metz $2,774
  • Istanbul $2,415

A family of three spends $3,690 per month in Metz vs $3,281 in Istanbul, rent included.

  • Metz $3,690
  • Istanbul $3,281

Metz costs about 20% more than Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Metz and Istanbul sit above the global median – Metz by 38%, Istanbul by 15%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Metz
Istanbul
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$16.83 €14.97
$12.30 ₺609
36.83%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$67.5 €60.0
$54.7 ₺2,708
23.35%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.24 €10.00
$9.22 ₺456
21.91%
Cappuccino
$3.61 €3.21
$4.40 ₺218
-17.95%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.10 €3.65
$1.68 ₺83.1
144.05%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.47 €2.20
$0.59 ₺29.40
318.64%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$5.16 €4.59
$4.70 ₺233
9.79%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.62 €5.00
$5.91 ₺292
-4.91%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Metz
Istanbul
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.10 €0.98
$1.21 ₺60.0
-9.09%
White Bread (500g)
$2.42 €2.15
$0.89 ₺44.10
171.91%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.75 €2.45
$2.19 ₺108
25.57%
Eggs
$4.36 €3.88
$2.35 ₺116
85.53%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$22.33 €19.86
$10.42 ₺516
114.30%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$13.67 €12.16
$5.65 ₺280
141.95%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$21.62 €19.23
$20.94 ₺1,037
3.25%
Apples (1kg)
$3.15 €2.80
$1.90 ₺94.1
65.79%
Banana (1kg)
$2.28 €2.03
$2.31 ₺114
-1.30%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.96 €2.63
$1.28 ₺63.1
131.25%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.28 €3.81
$1.80 ₺89.0
137.78%
Potato (1kg)
$1.86 €1.65
$0.65 ₺32.16
186.15%
Onion (1kg)
$2.44 €2.17
$0.64 ₺31.91
281.25%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.85 €1.65
$1.25 ₺62.1
48.00%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.88 €0.79
$0.56 ₺27.58
57.14%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$14.65 €13.03
$2.37 ₺118
518.14%
Wine (Bottle)
$8.81 €7.84
$13.42 ₺664
-34.35%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.68 €2.38
$2.40 ₺119
11.67%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.64 €3.24
$3.48 ₺172
4.60%
🚌 Getting Around
Metz
Istanbul
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.26 €2.01
$0.89 ₺43.84
153.93%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$55.0 €48.93
$67.4 ₺3,338
-18.42%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$8.87 €7.89
$1.29 ₺64.1
587.60%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.47 €1.31
$0.92 ₺45.70
59.78%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$43.93 €39.08
$10.96 ₺542
300.82%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.09 €1.86
$1.47 ₺72.9
42.18%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$34.5K €30.7K
$50.8K ₺2.5M
-32.03%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$35.5K €31.6K
$44.5K ₺2.2M
-20.22%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Metz
Istanbul
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$153 €136
$88.6 ₺4,387
72.73%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$15.89 €14.13
$11.59 ₺574
37.10%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$22.56 €20.06
$15.81 ₺783
42.69%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Metz
Istanbul
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$19.63 €17.46
$77.2 ₺3,820
-74.56%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$11.04 €9.82
$22.74 ₺1,126
-51.45%
Cinema Ticket
$11.03 €9.81
$8.14 ₺403
35.50%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Metz
Istanbul
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,818 €1,617
$1,008 ₺49.9K
80.35%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$26.2K €23.3K
$25.6K ₺1.3M
2.58%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Metz
Istanbul
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$94.7 €84.2
$54.0 ₺2,671
75.44%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$22.44 €19.96
$40.83 ₺2,021
-45.04%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$93.1 €82.9
$98.9 ₺4,895
-5.81%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$156 €139
$96.6 ₺4,783
61.35%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Metz
Istanbul
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$740 €659
$985 ₺48.7K
-24.79%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$712 €633
$650 ₺32.2K
9.51%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,143 €1,017
$1,983 ₺98.2K
-42.36%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,047 €931
$1,180 ₺58.4K
-11.26%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,656 €3,252
$3,138 ₺155.4K
16.51%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,931 €2,607
$1,780 ₺88.1K
64.69%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Metz
Istanbul
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$3,301 €2,936
$1,205 ₺59.7K
173.86%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.4
40.92
-91.69%

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

Last update for Metz: October 13, 2026

Last update for Istanbul: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Metz
$712
Istanbul
$650 8.7% $62
Groceries & Markets
Metz
$393
Istanbul
$260 34% $134
Eating Out
Metz
$275
Istanbul
$223 18.8% $52
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Metz
$192
Istanbul
$116 39.4% $75
Clothing & Footwear
Metz
$165
Istanbul
$131 20.7% $34
Getting Around
Metz
$80
Istanbul
$77 4.2% $3.4
Sport & Entertainment
Metz
$42
Istanbul
$93 124% $52

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $740 in Metz versus $985 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 174% higher in Metz, 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 $67.0 in Metz versus $55.0 in Istanbul. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $393 vs $260 – making Istanbul the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇫🇷 Metz
🇹🇷 Istanbul
🕒 Local time
09:11 9:11 AM
10:11 10:11 AM
1 h ahead of Metz
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
120,874
15,701,602
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

TRY, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

Euro exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 49.51 TRY (100 TRY = 2.02 USD). 1 EUR = 55.66 TRY (100 TRY = 1.8 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Metz Istanbul 1,990 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Metz
  • 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
Metz vs Istanbul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Istanbul cheaper than Metz?
Yes – Metz is pricier by about 20%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,787 per month in Metz and $2,325 in Istanbul. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
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.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Kindergarten costs $1,818 per month in Metz and $1,008 in Istanbul. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
How do food prices compare in Metz and in Istanbul?
Groceries cost about 51% more in Metz, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in Metz or in Istanbul?
A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Istanbul, where all-in costs run around $1,550, than in Metz at $1,858. In Istanbul it covers expenses comfortably, while in Metz it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Metz or Istanbul more family-friendly?
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.
Which city is safer, Metz or Istanbul?
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.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Istanbul. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Metz makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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