Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Onesti and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in Onesti: $1,042 a month against $1,519 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $5,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

51

Cost of Living Index in Onesti
Learn more

Onesti Living Index
73

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index

Jump to prices

Onesti

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,042

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,519

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,042 per month in Onesti vs $1,519 in Istanbul, rent included.

Onesti $1,042
Istanbul $1,519

A couple spends around $1,597 per month in Onesti vs $2,365 in Istanbul, rent included.

Onesti $1,597
Istanbul $2,365

A family of three spends $2,153 per month in Onesti vs $3,212 in Istanbul, rent included.

Onesti $2,153
Istanbul $3,212

Onesti is about 31% cheaper than Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Onesti sits 23% below the global median, while Istanbul is 12% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.35 RON 49.24

$11.81 ₺591

-12.36%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$41.83 RON 199

$54.9 ₺2,748

-23.82%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.13 RON 33.91

$9.26 ₺463

-23.00%

Cappuccino

$2.97 RON 14.12

$4.30 ₺215

-30.93%

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

$2.20 RON 10.48

$1.77 ₺88.8

24.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 RON 8.46

$0.56 ₺28.26

217.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.16 RON 15.05

$4.69 ₺234

-32.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.72 RON 17.70

$7.12 ₺356

-47.75%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.04 RON 4.93

$1.25 ₺62.6

-16.80%

White Bread (500g)

$1.34 RON 6.38

$0.88 ₺44.07

52.27%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.92 RON 9.15

$2.20 ₺110

-12.73%

Eggs

$2.94 RON 13.97

$2.43 ₺122

20.99%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.46 RON 35.49

$10.48 ₺524

-28.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.56 RON 31.20

$5.31 ₺266

23.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.11 RON 48.10

$21.10 ₺1,056

-52.09%

Apples (1kg)

$1.03 RON 4.91

$1.86 ₺92.9

-44.62%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 RON 6.89

$2.30 ₺115

-36.96%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.68 RON 8.00

$1.22 ₺60.8

37.70%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.06 RON 9.81

$1.80 ₺90.0

14.44%

Potato (1kg)

$0.80 RON 3.81

$0.69 ₺34.75

15.94%

Onion (1kg)

$0.82 RON 3.90

$0.64 ₺32.09

28.12%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 RON 5.32

$1.36 ₺67.8

-17.65%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.61 RON 2.88

$0.58 ₺28.88

5.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.32 RON 30.08

$2.34 ₺117

170.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.34 RON 25.40

$13.03 ₺652

-59.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.34 RON 6.35

$2.36 ₺118

-43.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 RON 10.16

$3.32 ₺166

-35.54%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.70 RON 3.31

$0.88 ₺43.97

-20.45%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.70 RON 108

$66.1 ₺3,309

-65.67%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.80 RON 3.81

$1.28 ₺64.3

-37.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.88 RON 4.16

$0.85 ₺42.70

3.53%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.57 RON 40.77

$11.09 ₺555

-22.72%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.43 RON 6.82

$1.48 ₺73.9

-3.38%

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

$28.5K RON 135.7K

$48.6K ₺2.4M

-41.35%

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

$26.1K RON 124.2K

$42.0K ₺2.1M

-37.81%

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

$186 RON 883

$92.7 ₺4,639

100.15%

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

$7.43 RON 35.34

$11.20 ₺560

-33.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$8.70 RON 41.37

$15.89 ₺795

-45.25%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.79 RON 175

$74.7 ₺3,737

-50.74%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.40 RON 97.1

$22.95 ₺1,149

-11.11%

Cinema Ticket

$8.50 RON 40.44

$8.05 ₺403

5.59%

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

$389 RON 1,850

$948 ₺47.5K

-59.00%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,819 RON 37.2K

$36.9K ₺1.8M

-78.82%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$37.62 RON 179

$53.9 ₺2,696

-30.18%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.20 RON 186

$41.49 ₺2,076

-5.52%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.7 RON 451

$101 ₺5,049

-6.12%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.9 RON 437

$91.3 ₺4,570

0.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$406 RON 1,932

$1,014 ₺50.7K

-59.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$261 RON 1,243

$625 ₺31.3K

-58.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$653 RON 3,104

$2,005 ₺100.4K

-67.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$464 RON 2,205

$1,126 ₺56.3K

-58.83%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,929 RON 9,177

$2,988 ₺149.5K

-35.43%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,329 RON 6,320

$1,730 ₺86.6K

-23.21%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$634 RON 3,017

$1,136 ₺56.9K

-44.19%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.18

40.42

-82.24%

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

Last update for Onesti: November 1, 2026

Last update for Istanbul: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Onesti

$261 25.1%

Istanbul

$625 41.1% 139% $363

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Onesti

$202 19.4%

Istanbul

$120 7.9% 40.6% $82

Groceries & Markets

Onesti

$197 18.9%

Istanbul

$258 17% 31.1% $61

Eating Out

Onesti

$179 17.2%

Istanbul

$221 14.6% 23.4% $42

Clothing & Footwear

Onesti

$119 11.4%

Istanbul

$129 8.5% 9.2% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Onesti

$54 5.2%

Istanbul

$91 6% 68.8% $37

Getting Around

Onesti

$31 2.9%

Istanbul

$75 5% 145% $45

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $406 in Onesti versus $1,014 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 79% higher in Istanbul. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $42 in Onesti versus $55 in Istanbul. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $197 vs $258 – making Onesti the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Onesti

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

09:11 9:11 AM

10:11 10:11 AM

1 h ahead of Onesti

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

57,333

15,701,602

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.21 USD

1 RON = 0.187 EUR

100 TRY = 2 USD

100 TRY = 1.78 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TRY, USD, EUR to RON – Romanian Leu Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇷🇴 Romanian Leu (lei)

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 4.76 RON (1 RON = 0.21 USD). 1 EUR = 5.34 RON (1 RON = 0.187 EUR).

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 50.04 TRY (100 TRY = 2 USD). 1 EUR = 56.18 TRY (100 TRY = 1.78 EUR).

USD to RON in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Onesti Istanbul 610 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Onesti
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

Onesti vs Istanbul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 46%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,563 per month in Onesti and $2,278 in Istanbul. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Onesti, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $406 there versus $1,014 in Istanbul.

Kindergarten costs $389 per month in Onesti and $948 in Istanbul. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 31% more in Istanbul, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,042 in Onesti and $1,519 in Istanbul. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Onesti – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

If budget matters most, go with Onesti. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Istanbul makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.