Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Modena and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in Istanbul: $1,526 a month against $1,878 in Modena, rent and utilities included – about $4,200 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

92

Cost of Living Index in Modena
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Modena Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index

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Modena

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,878

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,526

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,878 per month in Modena vs $1,526 in Istanbul, rent included.

Modena $1,878
Istanbul $1,526

A couple spends around $3,029 per month in Modena vs $2,399 in Istanbul, rent included.

Modena $3,029
Istanbul $2,399

A family of three spends $4,179 per month in Modena vs $3,272 in Istanbul, rent included.

Modena $4,179
Istanbul $3,272

Modena costs about 23% more than Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Modena and Istanbul sit above the global median – Modena by 40%, Istanbul by 14%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.22 €19.83

$11.88 ₺585

87.04%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$88.7 €79.1

$55.1 ₺2,714

60.94%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.50 €12.05

$9.14 ₺450

47.70%

Cappuccino

$1.91 €1.71

$4.24 ₺209

-54.95%

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

$2.96 €2.64

$1.75 ₺86.0

69.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.65 €1.47

$0.54 ₺26.83

205.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.65 €5.93

$4.69 ₺231

41.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.55 €4.96

$5.97 ₺294

-7.04%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 €1.35

$1.26 ₺62.1

19.84%

White Bread (500g)

$2.54 €2.27

$0.95 ₺46.81

167.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.66 €1.48

$2.31 ₺114

-28.14%

Eggs

$4.87 €4.35

$2.47 ₺122

97.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$20.54 €18.33

$10.55 ₺520

94.69%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.92 €12.42

$5.60 ₺276

148.57%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.10 €18.83

$21.21 ₺1,045

-0.52%

Apples (1kg)

$2.68 €2.39

$1.93 ₺95.1

38.86%

Banana (1kg)

$2.49 €2.22

$2.29 ₺113

8.73%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.22 €2.88

$1.28 ₺63.1

151.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.11 €2.78

$1.84 ₺90.8

69.02%

Potato (1kg)

$2.41 €2.15

$0.67 ₺32.86

259.70%

Onion (1kg)

$1.72 €1.54

$0.59 ₺29.31

191.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.36 €1.22

$1.33 ₺65.4

2.26%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 €0.59

$0.59 ₺29.10

13.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.63 €5.92

$2.36 ₺116

180.93%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.92 €7.96

$13.47 ₺664

-33.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.56 €1.39

$2.42 ₺119

-35.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 €2.25

$3.54 ₺174

-28.81%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.25 €2.01

$0.83 ₺40.64

171.08%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$38.94 €34.75

$66.5 ₺3,273

-41.40%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.68 €5.96

$1.35 ₺66.6

394.81%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.46 €1.31

$0.85 ₺42.05

71.76%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.55 €29.05

$10.86 ₺535

199.72%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.11 €1.88

$1.47 ₺72.3

43.54%

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

$35.8K €32.0K

$51.6K ₺2.5M

-30.64%

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

$36.0K €32.1K

$44.4K ₺2.2M

-18.95%

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

$190 €169

$89.2 ₺4,395

112.80%

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

$13.17 €11.75

$11.60 ₺572

13.53%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.70 €28.29

$16.10 ₺793

96.89%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$79.4 €70.9

$77.3 ₺3,805

2.80%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.90 €20.44

$22.66 ₺1,116

1.06%

Cinema Ticket

$11.03 €9.84

$8.34 ₺411

32.25%

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

$565 €505

$974 ₺48.0K

-41.95%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.2K €13.6K

$25.8K ₺1.3M

-41.00%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$85.4 €76.2

$52.7 ₺2,597

62.09%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.56 €37.98

$39.16 ₺1,929

8.68%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.6 €88.0

$103 ₺5,083

-4.44%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 €93.3

$96.6 ₺4,759

8.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$832 €743

$994 ₺49.0K

-16.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$664 €593

$629 ₺31.0K

5.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,720 €1,535

$2,024 ₺99.7K

-15.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,340 €1,195

$1,155 ₺56.9K

16.00%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,595 €3,208

$3,160 ₺155.7K

13.77%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,144 €1,913

$1,838 ₺90.5K

16.68%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,062 €1,840

$1,203 ₺59.3K

71.31%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.29

41.09

-91.99%

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

Last update for Modena: October 3, 2026

Last update for Istanbul: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Modena

$664 35.2%

Istanbul

$629 41.2% 5.3% $35

Groceries & Markets

Modena

$373 19.7%

Istanbul

$264 17.3% 29.2% $109

Eating Out

Modena

$304 16.1%

Istanbul

$218 14.3% 28.3% $86

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Modena

$235 12.4%

Istanbul

$117 7.7% 50.2% $118

Clothing & Footwear

Modena

$149 7.9%

Istanbul

$131 8.6% 11.9% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Modena

$101 5.4%

Istanbul

$94 6.1% 7.4% $7.5

Getting Around

Modena

$62 3.3%

Istanbul

$75 4.9% 21.7% $13

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $832 in Modena versus $994 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 71% higher in Modena, 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 $89.0 in Modena versus $55.0 in Istanbul. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $373 vs $264 – making Istanbul the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇹 Modena

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

07:07 7:07 AM

08:07 8:07 AM

1 h ahead of Modena

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

184,973

15,701,602

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 TRY = 2.03 USD

100 TRY = 1.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TRY, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 49.26 TRY (100 TRY = 2.03 USD). 1 EUR = 55.25 TRY (100 TRY = 1.81 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Modena Istanbul 1,520 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Modena
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

Modena vs Istanbul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Modena is pricier by about 23%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,817 per month in Modena and $2,289 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 $565 per month in Modena and $974 in Istanbul. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 41% more in Modena, 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 $1,526, than in Modena at $1,878. In Istanbul it covers expenses comfortably, while in Modena 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, Modena makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.