Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Perez Zeledon and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in Perez Zeledon: $1,328 a month against $1,525 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $2,400 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Istanbul outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

64

Cost of Living Index in Perez Zeledon
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Perez Zeledon Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index

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Perez Zeledon

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,328

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,525

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,328 per month in Perez Zeledon vs $1,525 in Istanbul, rent included.

Perez Zeledon $1,328
Istanbul $1,525

A couple spends around $2,371 per month in Perez Zeledon vs $2,390 in Istanbul, rent included.

Perez Zeledon $2,371
Istanbul $2,390

A family of three spends $3,414 per month in Perez Zeledon vs $3,256 in Istanbul, rent included.

Perez Zeledon $3,414
Istanbul $3,256

Perez Zeledon is about 13% cheaper than Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Perez Zeledon sits 2% below the global median, while Istanbul is 13% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.34 ₡4,188

$11.96 ₺592

-21.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$36.62 ₡16.4K

$57.2 ₺2,834

-36.01%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.23 ₡3,689

$9.51 ₺471

-13.46%

Cappuccino

$2.70 ₡1,210

$4.40 ₺218

-38.64%

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

$1.96 ₡880

$1.75 ₺86.6

12.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.71 ₡766

$0.56 ₺27.57

205.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.79 ₡804

$4.71 ₺233

-62.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.08 ₡1,380

$6.14 ₺304

-49.84%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.64 ₡735

$1.24 ₺61.6

32.26%

White Bread (500g)

$3.03 ₡1,357

$0.95 ₺47.25

218.95%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.47 ₡1,109

$2.28 ₺113

8.33%

Eggs

$2.48 ₡1,113

$2.45 ₺121

1.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.62 ₡4,763

$10.56 ₺523

0.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.36 ₡4,646

$5.50 ₺272

88.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.82 ₡6,196

$21.65 ₺1,072

-36.17%

Apples (1kg)

$4.99 ₡2,238

$1.83 ₺90.6

172.68%

Banana (1kg)

$1.08 ₡483

$2.29 ₺113

-52.84%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.85 ₡2,174

$1.28 ₺63.4

278.91%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.96 ₡1,777

$1.82 ₺90.1

117.58%

Potato (1kg)

$3.86 ₡1,730

$0.66 ₺32.74

484.85%

Onion (1kg)

$3.78 ₡1,693

$0.63 ₺31.14

500.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.46 ₡205

$1.27 ₺62.8

-63.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.21 ₡1,441

$0.56 ₺27.62

473.21%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.76 ₡2,582

$2.36 ₺117

144.07%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.78 ₡8,870

$12.98 ₺642

52.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.77 ₡1,240

$2.48 ₺123

11.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.50 ₡1,572

$3.50 ₺174

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.77 ₡344

$0.82 ₺40.77

-6.10%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.2 ₺3,228

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$1.33 ₺65.7

88.72%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.61 ₡720

$0.90 ₺44.60

78.89%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.81 ₡3,952

$10.91 ₺540

-19.25%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.54 ₡689

$1.43 ₺70.7

7.69%

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

$22.3K ₡10.0M

$49.6K ₺2.5M

-54.99%

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

$34.8K ₡15.6M

$43.2K ₺2.1M

-19.51%

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

$92.9 ₡41.7K

$88.8 ₺4,395

4.64%

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

$23.91 ₡10.7K

$11.69 ₺579

104.53%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$58.7 ₡26.3K

$16.09 ₺797

264.76%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$72.4 ₡32.5K

$76.3 ₺3,776

-5.06%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.72 ₺1,125

Cinema Ticket

$7.46 ₡3,346

$8.26 ₺409

-9.69%

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

$508 ₡227.7K

$1,015 ₺50.2K

-49.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.9K ₡7.6M

$25.8K ₺1.3M

-34.59%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.9 ₡32.7K

$53.3 ₺2,636

36.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.8 ₡25.5K

$40.55 ₺2,008

40.02%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$129 ₡58.0K

$100 ₺4,956

29.27%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 ₡58.1K

$93.5 ₺4,630

38.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$401 ₡180.0K

$977 ₺48.4K

-58.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$333 ₡149.4K

$627 ₺31.0K

-46.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,898 ₡851.1K

$1,980 ₺98.0K

-4.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,258 ₡564.0K

$1,147 ₺56.8K

9.64%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,095 ₺153.2K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,787 ₺88.5K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,213 ₺60.1K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

40.69

-78.82%

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

Last update for Perez Zeledon: October 20, 2026

Last update for Istanbul: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Perez Zeledon

$382 28.8%

Istanbul

$263 17.2% 31.3% $120

Accommodation & Living

Perez Zeledon

$333 25.1%

Istanbul

$627 41.1% 88.2% $294

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Perez Zeledon

$176 13.2%

Istanbul

$117 7.6% 33.6% $59

Clothing & Footwear

Perez Zeledon

$175 13.2%

Istanbul

$129 8.5% 26.1% $46

Eating Out

Perez Zeledon

$162 12.2%

Istanbul

$222 14.6% 37.5% $61

Sport & Entertainment

Perez Zeledon

$87 6.6%

Istanbul

$93 6.1% 6.3% $5.5

Getting Around

Perez Zeledon

$14 * 1%

Istanbul

$74 4.9% 447% $61

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $401 in Perez Zeledon versus $977 in Istanbul. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $37.00 in Perez Zeledon versus $57.0 in Istanbul. Groceries tell a different story – $382 in Perez Zeledon vs $263 in Istanbul – so Istanbul wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Perez Zeledon

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

04:00 4:00 AM

13:00 1:00 PM

9 h ahead of Perez Zeledon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

135,000

15,701,602

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

100 TRY = 2.02 USD

100 TRY = 1.8 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TRY, USD, EUR to CRC – Costa Rican Colón Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 24, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of October 24, 2026: 1 USD = 49.51 TRY (100 TRY = 2.02 USD). 1 EUR = 55.66 TRY (100 TRY = 1.8 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

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Between locations

Perez Zeledon Istanbul 11,160 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Perez Zeledon
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

Perez Zeledon vs Istanbul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 15%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,992 per month in Perez Zeledon and $2,287 in Istanbul. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Perez Zeledon, 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 $37.00 in Perez Zeledon and $57.0 in Istanbul. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 46% cheaper in Istanbul – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Perez Zeledon, where all-in costs run around $1,328, than in Istanbul at $1,525. In Perez Zeledon it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Perez Zeledon – 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 Perez Zeledon. 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.