Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Pecs and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in Pecs: $1,338 a month against $1,526 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $2,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

66

Cost of Living Index in Pecs
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Pecs Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index

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Pecs

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,338

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,526

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,338 per month in Pecs vs $1,526 in Istanbul, rent included.

Pecs $1,338
Istanbul $1,526

A couple spends around $2,058 per month in Pecs vs $2,399 in Istanbul, rent included.

Pecs $2,058
Istanbul $2,399

A family of three spends $2,777 per month in Pecs vs $3,272 in Istanbul, rent included.

Pecs $2,777
Istanbul $3,272

Pecs is about 12% cheaper than Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Pecs and Istanbul sit above the global median – Pecs by 0%, Istanbul by 14%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.29 Ft 3,672

$11.88 ₺585

-4.97%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.3 Ft 19.6K

$55.1 ₺2,714

9.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.21 Ft 2,997

$9.14 ₺450

0.77%

Cappuccino

$2.45 Ft 797

$4.24 ₺209

-42.22%

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

$1.34 Ft 436

$1.75 ₺86.0

-23.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.24 Ft 403

$0.54 ₺26.83

129.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.71 Ft 556

$4.69 ₺231

-63.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.23 Ft 724

$5.97 ₺294

-62.65%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.23 Ft 400

$1.26 ₺62.1

-2.38%

White Bread (500g)

$1.57 Ft 509

$0.95 ₺46.81

65.26%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.46 Ft 802

$2.31 ₺114

6.49%

Eggs

$3.28 Ft 1,068

$2.47 ₺122

32.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.14 Ft 3,299

$10.55 ₺520

-3.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.63 Ft 2,156

$5.60 ₺276

18.39%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.95 Ft 5,188

$21.21 ₺1,045

-24.80%

Apples (1kg)

$2.38 Ft 774

$1.93 ₺95.1

23.32%

Banana (1kg)

$2.28 Ft 743

$2.29 ₺113

-0.44%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.53 Ft 824

$1.28 ₺63.1

97.66%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.94 Ft 1,281

$1.84 ₺90.8

114.13%

Potato (1kg)

$1.12 Ft 365

$0.67 ₺32.86

67.16%

Onion (1kg)

$1.35 Ft 438

$0.59 ₺29.31

128.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.87 Ft 608

$1.33 ₺65.4

40.60%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 Ft 190

$0.59 ₺29.10

-1.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.76 Ft 2,851

$2.36 ₺116

271.19%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.63 Ft 1,506

$13.47 ₺664

-65.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.37 Ft 444

$2.42 ₺119

-43.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.61 Ft 850

$3.54 ₺174

-26.27%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.51 Ft 490

$0.83 ₺40.64

81.93%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$23.59 Ft 7,674

$66.5 ₺3,273

-64.50%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.30 Ft 1,075

$1.35 ₺66.6

144.44%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.46 Ft 475

$0.85 ₺42.05

71.76%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.60 Ft 8,005

$10.86 ₺535

126.52%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.79 Ft 583

$1.47 ₺72.3

21.77%

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

$30.0K Ft 9.7M

$51.6K ₺2.5M

-41.98%

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

$36.9K Ft 12.0M

$44.4K ₺2.2M

-16.90%

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

$168 Ft 54.8K

$89.2 ₺4,395

88.80%

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

$20.30 Ft 6,606

$11.60 ₺572

75.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.23 Ft 6,908

$16.10 ₺793

31.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.06 Ft 15.0K

$77.3 ₺3,805

-40.38%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.68 Ft 6,076

$22.66 ₺1,116

-17.56%

Cinema Ticket

$8.81 Ft 2,867

$8.34 ₺411

5.64%

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

$420 Ft 136.5K

$974 ₺48.0K

-56.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,762 Ft 2.5M

$25.8K ₺1.3M

-69.88%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 Ft 32.8K

$52.7 ₺2,597

91.08%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.6 Ft 16.8K

$39.16 ₺1,929

31.84%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.0 Ft 31.9K

$103 ₺5,083

-5.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$109 Ft 35.4K

$96.6 ₺4,759

12.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$619 Ft 201.5K

$994 ₺49.0K

-37.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$444 Ft 144.4K

$629 ₺31.0K

-29.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$987 Ft 321.1K

$2,024 ₺99.7K

-51.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$676 Ft 219.9K

$1,155 ₺56.9K

-41.46%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,296 Ft 1.1M

$3,160 ₺155.7K

4.30%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,804 Ft 912.4K

$1,838 ₺90.5K

52.61%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,056 Ft 343.5K

$1,203 ₺59.3K

-12.28%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

41.09

-80.53%

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

Last update for Pecs: October 5, 2026

Last update for Istanbul: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Pecs

$444 32.9%

Istanbul

$629 41.2% 41.8% $186

Groceries & Markets

Pecs

$260 19.2%

Istanbul

$264 17.3% 1.7% $4.4

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Pecs

$210 15.6%

Istanbul

$117 7.7% 44.3% $93

Eating Out

Pecs

$171 12.6%

Istanbul

$218 14.3% 27.7% $47

Clothing & Footwear

Pecs

$162 12%

Istanbul

$131 8.6% 18.8% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Pecs

$64 4.7%

Istanbul

$94 6.1% 47.5% $30

Getting Around

Pecs

$40 3%

Istanbul

$75 4.9% 87.4% $35

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $619 in Pecs 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 14% 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 $60.0 in Pecs versus $55.0 in Istanbul. Groceries tell a different story – $260 in Pecs vs $264 in Istanbul – so Pecs wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Pecs

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

03:55 3:55 AM

04:55 4:55 AM

1 h ahead of Pecs

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

140,330

15,701,602

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR

100 TRY = 2.03 USD

100 TRY = 1.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TRY, USD, EUR to HUF – Hungarian Forint Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇭🇺 Hungarian Forint (Ft)

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 325 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD). 1 EUR = 365 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR).

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 49.26 TRY (100 TRY = 2.03 USD). 1 EUR = 55.25 TRY (100 TRY = 1.81 EUR).

USD to HUF in detail →

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Pecs Istanbul 1,030 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Pecs
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

Pecs vs Istanbul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 14%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,007 per month in Pecs 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 Pecs, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $420 per month in Pecs and $974 in Istanbul. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 2% 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 $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Pecs, where all-in costs run around $1,338, than in Istanbul at $1,526. In Pecs it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Pecs – 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 Pecs. 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.