Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nantes and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in Istanbul: $1,550 a month against $1,824 in Nantes, rent and utilities included – about $3,300 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

Nantes
🇫🇷 France
$1,824
/mo nomad
Istanbul
🇹🇷 Turkey
$1,550
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,824 per month in Nantes vs $1,550 in Istanbul, rent included.

  • Nantes $1,824
  • Istanbul $1,550

A couple spends around $2,821 per month in Nantes vs $2,415 in Istanbul, rent included.

  • Nantes $2,821
  • Istanbul $2,415

A family of three spends $3,818 per month in Nantes vs $3,281 in Istanbul, rent included.

  • Nantes $3,818
  • Istanbul $3,281

Nantes costs about 18% more than Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Nantes and Istanbul sit above the global median – Nantes by 35%, Istanbul by 15%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Nantes
Istanbul
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$16.68 €14.87
$12.30 ₺609
35.61%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$55.8 €49.78
$54.7 ₺2,708
2.07%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.21 €9.99
$9.22 ₺456
21.58%
Cappuccino
$3.74 €3.33
$4.40 ₺218
-15.00%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.06 €2.73
$1.68 ₺83.1
82.14%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.57 €1.40
$0.59 ₺29.40
166.10%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$7.72 €6.89
$4.70 ₺233
64.26%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.63 €4.12
$5.91 ₺293
-21.66%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Nantes
Istanbul
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.23 €1.10
$1.21 ₺60.0
1.65%
White Bread (500g)
$3.96 €3.53
$0.89 ₺44.10
344.94%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$3.15 €2.81
$2.19 ₺108
43.84%
Eggs
$3.73 €3.33
$2.35 ₺116
58.72%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$24.91 €22.21
$10.42 ₺516
139.06%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$12.07 €10.76
$5.65 ₺280
113.63%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$15.81 €14.10
$20.94 ₺1,037
-24.50%
Apples (1kg)
$3.00 €2.68
$1.90 ₺94.1
57.89%
Banana (1kg)
$2.64 €2.35
$2.31 ₺114
14.29%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.89 €2.58
$1.28 ₺63.2
125.78%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.93 €2.61
$1.80 ₺89.0
62.78%
Potato (1kg)
$1.90 €1.70
$0.65 ₺32.17
192.31%
Onion (1kg)
$1.90 €1.70
$0.64 ₺31.92
196.87%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.40 €1.25
$1.25 ₺62.1
12.00%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.72 €0.64
$0.56 ₺27.59
28.57%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$14.70 €13.10
$2.37 ₺118
520.25%
Wine (Bottle)
$6.59 €5.87
$13.42 ₺664
-50.89%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$3.53 €3.14
$2.40 ₺119
47.08%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.86 €2.55
$3.48 ₺172
-17.82%
🚌 Getting Around
Nantes
Istanbul
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.03 €1.81
$0.89 ₺43.84
128.09%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$62.9 €56.1
$67.4 ₺3,339
-6.69%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$5.55 €4.95
$1.29 ₺64.1
330.23%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.70 €2.40
$0.92 ₺45.70
193.48%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$35.81 €31.93
$10.96 ₺543
226.73%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.21 €1.97
$1.47 ₺72.9
50.34%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$34.0K €30.3K
$50.8K ₺2.5M
-32.99%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$34.4K €30.7K
$44.5K ₺2.2M
-22.71%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Nantes
Istanbul
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$162 €145
$88.6 ₺4,388
82.95%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$14.29 €12.74
$11.59 ₺574
23.30%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$31.48 €28.07
$15.81 ₺783
99.11%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Nantes
Istanbul
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$27.74 €24.73
$77.2 ₺3,821
-64.05%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$4.35 €3.88
$22.74 ₺1,126
-80.87%
Cinema Ticket
$13.26 €11.82
$8.14 ₺403
62.90%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Nantes
Istanbul
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,065 €950
$1,008 ₺49.9K
5.70%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$19.2K €17.1K
$25.6K ₺1.3M
-24.82%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Nantes
Istanbul
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$93.9 €83.8
$54.0 ₺2,671
74.11%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$34.93 €31.14
$40.83 ₺2,021
-14.45%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$92.8 €82.8
$98.9 ₺4,896
-6.13%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$135 €120
$96.6 ₺4,783
39.41%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Nantes
Istanbul
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$800 €713
$985 ₺48.7K
-18.76%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$654 €583
$650 ₺32.2K
0.63%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,677 €1,496
$1,983 ₺98.2K
-15.42%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,229 €1,096
$1,180 ₺58.4K
4.14%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$5,016 €4,472
$3,138 ₺155.4K
59.83%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,644 €3,249
$1,780 ₺88.1K
104.75%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Nantes
Istanbul
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$2,917 €2,601
$1,205 ₺59.7K
142.00%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.89
40.92
-90.49%

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

Last update for Nantes: October 12, 2026

Last update for Istanbul: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Nantes
$654
Istanbul
$650 0.6% $4.1
Groceries & Markets
Nantes
$379
Istanbul
$260 31.5% $120
Eating Out
Nantes
$278
Istanbul
$223 19.8% $55
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Nantes
$208
Istanbul
$116 44.2% $92
Clothing & Footwear
Nantes
$160
Istanbul
$131 18.6% $30
Getting Around
Nantes
$90
Istanbul
$77 14.6% $13
Sport & Entertainment
Nantes
$54
Istanbul
$93 72.2% $39

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $800 in Nantes 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 142% higher in Nantes, 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 $56.0 in Nantes versus $55.0 in Istanbul. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $379 vs $260 – making Istanbul the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇫🇷 Nantes
🇹🇷 Istanbul
🕒 Local time
03:39 3:39 AM
04:39 4:39 AM
1 h ahead of Nantes
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
323,204
15,701,602
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

TRY, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

Euro exchange rates as of October 16, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of October 16, 2026: 1 USD = 49.51 TRY (100 TRY = 2.02 USD). 1 EUR = 55.51 TRY (100 TRY = 1.8 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Nantes Istanbul 2,520 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Nantes
  • 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
Nantes vs Istanbul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Istanbul cheaper than Nantes?
Yes – Nantes is pricier by about 18%, 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 $2,736 per month in Nantes 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 $1,065 per month in Nantes 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 Nantes and in Istanbul?
Groceries cost about 46% more in Nantes, 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 Nantes or in Istanbul?
A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Istanbul, where all-in costs run around $1,550, than in Nantes at $1,824. In Istanbul it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nantes it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Nantes 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, Nantes 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, Nantes makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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