Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nis and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in Nis: $1,033 a month against $1,526 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $5,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

50

Cost of Living Index in Nis
Learn more

Nis Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index

Jump to prices

Nis

🇷🇸 Serbia

$1,033

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,526

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,033 per month in Nis vs $1,526 in Istanbul, rent included.

Nis $1,033
Istanbul $1,526

A couple spends around $1,512 per month in Nis vs $2,399 in Istanbul, rent included.

Nis $1,512
Istanbul $2,399

A family of three spends $1,991 per month in Nis vs $3,272 in Istanbul, rent included.

Nis $1,991
Istanbul $3,272

Nis is about 32% cheaper than Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Nis sits 23% below the global median, while Istanbul is 14% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.78 RSD 917

$11.88 ₺585

-26.09%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$33.92 RSD 3,541

$55.1 ₺2,715

-38.43%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.57 RSD 999

$9.14 ₺450

4.70%

Cappuccino

$1.97 RSD 206

$4.24 ₺209

-53.54%

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

$2.31 RSD 242

$1.75 ₺86.0

32.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 RSD 182

$0.54 ₺26.84

222.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.61 RSD 377

$4.69 ₺231

-23.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.49 RSD 469

$5.97 ₺294

-24.79%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.14 RSD 120

$1.26 ₺62.1

-9.52%

White Bread (500g)

$0.70 RSD 73.2

$0.95 ₺46.82

-26.32%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.76 RSD 184

$2.31 ₺114

-23.81%

Eggs

$2.35 RSD 246

$2.47 ₺122

-4.86%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.65 RSD 799

$10.55 ₺520

-27.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.72 RSD 597

$5.60 ₺276

2.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.59 RSD 1,105

$21.21 ₺1,045

-50.07%

Apples (1kg)

$1.11 RSD 116

$1.93 ₺95.1

-42.49%

Banana (1kg)

$1.68 RSD 175

$2.29 ₺113

-26.64%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.50 RSD 157

$1.28 ₺63.1

17.19%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.17 RSD 226

$1.84 ₺90.8

17.93%

Potato (1kg)

$0.78 RSD 81.8

$0.67 ₺32.87

16.42%

Onion (1kg)

$0.72 RSD 74.7

$0.59 ₺29.31

22.03%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.64 RSD 66.6

$1.33 ₺65.4

-51.88%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 RSD 60.6

$0.59 ₺29.11

-1.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.42 RSD 461

$2.36 ₺116

87.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.78 RSD 604

$13.47 ₺664

-57.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 RSD 75.3

$2.42 ₺119

-70.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.29 RSD 135

$3.54 ₺174

-63.56%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.83 ₺40.65

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.5 ₺3,274

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 RSD 192

$1.35 ₺66.6

36.30%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.66 RSD 68.8

$0.85 ₺42.06

-22.35%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.29 RSD 866

$10.86 ₺535

-23.66%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.89 RSD 198

$1.47 ₺72.3

28.57%

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

$30.7K RSD 3.2M

$51.6K ₺2.5M

-40.44%

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

$24.0K RSD 2.5M

$44.4K ₺2.2M

-46.05%

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

$160 RSD 16.8K

$89.2 ₺4,396

79.86%

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

$19.03 RSD 1,987

$11.60 ₺572

64.05%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.20 RSD 2,318

$16.10 ₺793

37.89%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.54 RSD 3,188

$77.3 ₺3,806

-60.47%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.65 RSD 1,634

$22.66 ₺1,116

-30.94%

Cinema Ticket

$4.68 RSD 489

$8.34 ₺411

-43.88%

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

$252 RSD 26.4K

$974 ₺48.0K

-74.08%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,989 RSD 520.9K

$25.8K ₺1.3M

-80.64%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.4 RSD 9,234

$52.7 ₺2,597

67.79%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.42 RSD 3,906

$39.16 ₺1,930

-4.44%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.3 RSD 10.4K

$103 ₺5,084

-3.73%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$112 RSD 11.7K

$96.6 ₺4,760

15.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$398 RSD 41.5K

$994 ₺49.0K

-60.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$277 RSD 28.9K

$629 ₺31.0K

-55.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$591 RSD 61.7K

$2,024 ₺99.7K

-70.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$397 RSD 41.5K

$1,155 ₺56.9K

-65.60%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,531 RSD 264.2K

$3,160 ₺155.7K

-19.92%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,884 RSD 196.7K

$1,838 ₺90.5K

2.53%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$901 RSD 94.0K

$1,203 ₺59.3K

-25.15%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.12

41.09

-87.54%

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

Last update for Nis: October 6, 2026

Last update for Istanbul: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nis

$277 27.1%

Istanbul

$629 41.2% 127% $352

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nis

$202 19.7%

Istanbul

$117 7.7% 42% $85

Groceries & Markets

Nis

$182 17.8%

Istanbul

$264 17.3% 45.2% $82

Eating Out

Nis

$166 16.2%

Istanbul

$218 14.3% 31.3% $52

Clothing & Footwear

Nis

$152 14.8%

Istanbul

$131 8.6% 13.4% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Nis

$40 3.9%

Istanbul

$94 6.1% 135% $54

Getting Around

Nis

$5.1 * 0.5%

Istanbul

$75 4.9% 1366% $70

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $398 in Nis 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 34% higher in Istanbul, 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 $34.00 in Nis versus $55.0 in Istanbul. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $182 vs $264 – making Nis the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇷🇸 Nis

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

03:42 3:42 AM

04:42 4:42 AM

1 h ahead of Nis

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

78,470

15,701,602

💱 Currency

Serbian Dinar RSD din

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 RSD = 9.58 USD

1,000 RSD = 8.54 EUR

100 TRY = 2.03 USD

100 TRY = 1.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TRY, USD, EUR to RSD – Serbian Dinar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇷🇸 Serbian Dinar (din)

Serbian Dinar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 104 RSD (1,000 RSD = 9.58 USD). 1 EUR = 117 RSD (1,000 RSD = 8.54 EUR).

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 49.27 TRY (100 TRY = 2.03 USD). 1 EUR = 55.26 TRY (100 TRY = 1.81 EUR).

USD to RSD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Nis Istanbul 640 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Nis
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

Nis vs Istanbul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 48%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,549 per month in Nis 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 Nis, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $34.00 in Nis and $55.0 in Istanbul. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 45% more in Istanbul, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Nis, where all-in costs run around $1,033, than in Istanbul at $1,526. In Nis it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Nis – 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 Nis. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Istanbul makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.