Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Paphos and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in Istanbul: $1,519 a month against $1,975 in Paphos, rent and utilities included – about $5,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

95

Cost of Living Index in Paphos
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Paphos Living Index
73

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index

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Paphos

🇨🇾 Cyprus

$1,975

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,519

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,975 per month in Paphos vs $1,519 in Istanbul, rent included.

Paphos $1,975
Istanbul $1,519

A couple spends around $2,979 per month in Paphos vs $2,365 in Istanbul, rent included.

Paphos $2,979
Istanbul $2,365

A family of three spends $3,983 per month in Paphos vs $3,212 in Istanbul, rent included.

Paphos $3,983
Istanbul $3,212

Paphos costs about 30% more than Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both Paphos and Istanbul sit above the global median – Paphos by 46%, Istanbul by 12%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.87 €15.03

$11.81 ₺591

42.85%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$56.3 €50.1

$54.9 ₺2,748

2.48%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.17 €8.17

$9.26 ₺463

-0.97%

Cappuccino

$3.65 €3.25

$4.30 ₺215

-15.12%

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

$1.78 €1.59

$1.77 ₺88.8

0.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.13 €1.01

$0.56 ₺28.26

101.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.58 €4.08

$4.69 ₺234

-2.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.90 €3.48

$7.12 ₺356

-45.22%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.01 €1.79

$1.25 ₺62.6

60.80%

White Bread (500g)

$1.48 €1.32

$0.88 ₺44.07

68.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.37 €2.11

$2.20 ₺110

7.73%

Eggs

$5.12 €4.56

$2.43 ₺122

110.70%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.46 €11.99

$10.48 ₺524

28.44%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.76 €7.80

$5.31 ₺266

64.97%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.36 €11.01

$21.10 ₺1,056

-41.42%

Apples (1kg)

$3.23 €2.88

$1.86 ₺92.9

73.66%

Banana (1kg)

$1.79 €1.59

$2.30 ₺115

-22.17%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.04 €1.82

$1.22 ₺60.8

67.21%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.70 €3.29

$1.80 ₺90.0

105.56%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 €1.30

$0.69 ₺34.75

111.59%

Onion (1kg)

$1.20 €1.07

$0.64 ₺32.09

87.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.59 €0.53

$1.36 ₺67.8

-56.62%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.05 €0.94

$0.58 ₺28.88

81.03%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.47 €4.87

$2.34 ₺117

133.76%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.52 €5.81

$13.03 ₺652

-49.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.65 €1.47

$2.36 ₺118

-30.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.99 €1.77

$3.32 ₺166

-40.06%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.21 €1.97

$0.88 ₺43.97

151.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$57.0 €50.8

$66.1 ₺3,309

-13.79%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$11.05 €9.84

$1.28 ₺64.3

763.28%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.84 €1.64

$0.85 ₺42.70

116.47%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$18.94 €16.87

$11.09 ₺555

70.78%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 €1.62

$1.48 ₺73.9

22.97%

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

$31.7K €28.3K

$48.6K ₺2.4M

-34.75%

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

$32.4K €28.9K

$42.0K ₺2.1M

-22.80%

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

$185 €165

$92.7 ₺4,639

100.05%

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

$23.87 €21.26

$11.20 ₺560

113.13%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.20 €30.46

$15.89 ₺795

115.23%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$69.0 €61.5

$74.7 ₺3,737

-7.57%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.59 €22.80

$22.95 ₺1,149

11.50%

Cinema Ticket

$11.31 €10.08

$8.05 ₺403

40.50%

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

$476 €424

$948 ₺47.5K

-49.83%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,962 €7,983

$36.9K ₺1.8M

-75.72%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$81.2 €72.3

$53.9 ₺2,696

50.67%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.41 €40.45

$41.49 ₺2,076

9.45%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.7 €84.4

$101 ₺5,049

-6.11%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.9 €77.4

$91.3 ₺4,570

-4.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,262 €1,124

$1,014 ₺50.7K

24.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$880 €784

$625 ₺31.3K

40.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,209 €1,968

$2,005 ₺100.4K

10.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,556 €1,386

$1,126 ₺56.3K

38.22%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,361 €3,885

$2,988 ₺149.5K

45.97%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,523 €2,248

$1,730 ₺86.6K

45.82%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,882 €1,677

$1,136 ₺56.9K

65.64%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.31

40.42

-91.81%

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

Last update for Paphos: 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

Paphos

$880 44.6%

Istanbul

$625 41.1% 29% $255

Groceries & Markets

Paphos

$287 14.5%

Istanbul

$258 17% 9.9% $28

Eating Out

Paphos

$249 12.6%

Istanbul

$221 14.6% 11.2% $28

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Paphos

$244 12.3%

Istanbul

$120 7.9% 50.8% $124

Clothing & Footwear

Paphos

$139 7%

Istanbul

$129 8.5% 6.7% $9.3

Sport & Entertainment

Paphos

$92 4.6%

Istanbul

$91 6% 1% $0.9

Getting Around

Paphos

$86 4.4%

Istanbul

$75 5% 12.7% $11

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,262 in Paphos 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 66% higher in Paphos. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $56 in Paphos versus $55 in Istanbul. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $287 vs $258 – making Istanbul the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇾 Paphos

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

08:01 8:01 AM

09:01 9:01 AM

1 h ahead of Paphos

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

32,892

15,701,602

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 TRY = 2 USD

100 TRY = 1.78 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Paphos Istanbul 760 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Paphos
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

Paphos vs Istanbul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Paphos is pricier by about 30%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in utilities.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,963 per month in Paphos 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 Istanbul, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,014 there versus $1,262 in Paphos.

Public transport costs about 14% less in Paphos. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Groceries cost about 11% more in Paphos, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$1,500 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,975 in Paphos and $1,519 in Istanbul. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Istanbul has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,519 in Istanbul to $1,975 in Paphos. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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