Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Pau and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in Pau: $1,441 a month against $1,550 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $1,300 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Istanbul outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

70

Cost of Living Index in Pau
Learn more

Pau Living Index
75

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index

Jump to prices

Pau

🇫🇷 France

$1,441

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,441 per month in Pau vs $1,550 in Istanbul, rent included.

Pau $1,441
Istanbul $1,550

A couple spends around $2,269 per month in Pau vs $2,415 in Istanbul, rent included.

Pau $2,269
Istanbul $2,415

A family of three spends $3,097 per month in Pau vs $3,281 in Istanbul, rent included.

Pau $3,097
Istanbul $3,281

Pau is about 7% cheaper than Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Pau and Istanbul sit above the global median – Pau by 7%, Istanbul by 15%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.89 €15.02

$12.30 ₺609

37.32%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.83 €42.54

$54.7 ₺2,708

-12.56%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.18 €9.94

$9.22 ₺456

21.26%

Cappuccino

$3.82 €3.40

$4.40 ₺218

-13.18%

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

$2.51 €2.23

$1.68 ₺83.1

49.40%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.53 €1.36

$0.59 ₺29.40

159.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.55 €4.94

$4.70 ₺233

18.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.79 €3.37

$5.91 ₺292

-35.87%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.03

$1.21 ₺60.0

-4.13%

White Bread (500g)

$2.21 €1.97

$0.89 ₺44.10

148.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.55 €1.37

$2.19 ₺108

-29.22%

Eggs

$5.49 €4.88

$2.35 ₺116

133.62%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$20.38 €18.13

$10.42 ₺516

95.59%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.79 €10.49

$5.65 ₺280

108.67%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$24.95 €22.20

$20.94 ₺1,037

19.15%

Apples (1kg)

$3.74 €3.33

$1.90 ₺94.1

96.84%

Banana (1kg)

$2.25 €2.00

$2.31 ₺114

-2.60%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.04 €1.81

$1.28 ₺63.1

59.38%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.32 €2.95

$1.80 ₺89.0

84.44%

Potato (1kg)

$1.68 €1.50

$0.65 ₺32.16

158.46%

Onion (1kg)

$2.22 €1.97

$0.64 ₺31.91

246.88%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.27 €1.13

$1.25 ₺62.1

1.60%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.69 €0.61

$0.56 ₺27.58

23.21%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.50 €11.12

$2.37 ₺118

427.43%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.92 €8.82

$13.42 ₺664

-26.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.35 €3.87

$2.40 ₺119

81.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.49 €4.88

$3.48 ₺172

57.76%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.32 €1.18

$0.89 ₺43.84

48.31%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.30 €22.51

$67.4 ₺3,338

-62.48%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.29 ₺64.1

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 ₺45.70

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.96 ₺542

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.03 €1.80

$1.47 ₺72.9

38.10%

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

$35.0K €31.1K

$50.8K ₺2.5M

-31.14%

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

$35.8K €31.9K

$44.5K ₺2.2M

-19.58%

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

$86.9 €77.3

$88.6 ₺4,387

-1.90%

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

$31.04 €27.61

$11.59 ₺574

167.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.92 €29.28

$15.81 ₺783

108.22%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.10 €37.44

$77.2 ₺3,820

-45.44%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.74 ₺1,126

Cinema Ticket

$12.19 €10.84

$8.14 ₺403

49.75%

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

$382 €339

$1,008 ₺49.9K

-62.14%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,369 €3,886

$25.6K ₺1.3M

-82.91%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$110 €98.3

$54.0 ₺2,671

104.73%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.30 €29.62

$40.83 ₺2,021

-18.44%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.7 €80.7

$98.9 ₺4,895

-8.28%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 €79.4

$96.6 ₺4,783

-7.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$733 €652

$985 ₺48.7K

-25.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$392 €349

$650 ₺32.2K

-39.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 €956

$1,983 ₺98.2K

-45.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$708 €630

$1,180 ₺58.4K

-40.00%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,411 €2,144

$3,138 ₺155.4K

-23.18%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,991 €1,771

$1,780 ₺88.1K

11.84%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,056 €2,718

$1,205 ₺59.7K

153.53%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.81

40.92

-90.69%

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

Last update for Pau: October 10, 2026

Last update for Istanbul: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Pau

$392 27.2%

Istanbul

$650 41.9% 65.7% $258

Groceries & Markets

Pau

$389 27%

Istanbul

$260 16.8% 33.3% $129

Eating Out

Pau

$266 18.5%

Istanbul

$223 14.4% 16.1% $43

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Pau

$151 10.5%

Istanbul

$116 7.5% 23.1% $35

Clothing & Footwear

Pau

$146 10.1%

Istanbul

$131 8.4% 10.4% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Pau

$66 4.6%

Istanbul

$93 6% 40.6% $27

Getting Around

Pau

$31 * 2.1%

Istanbul

$77 5% 151% $46

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $733 in Pau 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 154% higher in Pau, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $48.00 in Pau versus $55.0 in Istanbul. Groceries tell a different story – $389 in Pau vs $260 in Istanbul – so Istanbul wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇫🇷 Pau

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

00:32 12:32 AM

01:32 1:32 AM

1 h ahead of Pau

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

77,066

15,701,602

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 TRY = 2.02 USD

100 TRY = 1.8 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Pau Istanbul 2,420 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Pau
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

Pau vs Istanbul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 8%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,161 per month in Pau and $2,325 in Istanbul. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Pau, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $382 per month in Pau and $1,008 in Istanbul. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 50% cheaper in Istanbul – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Pau, where all-in costs run around $1,441, than in Istanbul at $1,550. In Pau it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Pau – 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 Pau. 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.