Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Plzen and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in Istanbul: $1,550 a month against $1,758 in Plzen, rent and utilities included – about $2,500 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Plzen outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

85

Cost of Living Index in Plzen
Learn more

Plzen Living Index
75

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index

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Plzen

🇨🇿 Czech Republic

$1,758

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,758 per month in Plzen vs $1,550 in Istanbul, rent included.

Plzen $1,758
Istanbul $1,550

A couple spends around $2,442 per month in Plzen vs $2,415 in Istanbul, rent included.

Plzen $2,442
Istanbul $2,415

A family of three spends $3,126 per month in Plzen vs $3,281 in Istanbul, rent included.

Plzen $3,126
Istanbul $3,281

Plzen costs about 13% more than Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Plzen and Istanbul sit above the global median – Plzen by 30%, Istanbul by 15%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.55 Kč 250

$12.30 ₺609

-6.10%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$50.1 Kč 1,084

$54.7 ₺2,708

-8.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.94 Kč 193

$9.22 ₺456

-3.04%

Cappuccino

$3.03 Kč 65.5

$4.40 ₺218

-31.14%

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

$1.99 Kč 42.93

$1.68 ₺83.1

18.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 Kč 38.52

$0.59 ₺29.40

201.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.71 Kč 58.7

$4.70 ₺233

-42.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.80 Kč 60.5

$5.91 ₺292

-52.62%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 Kč 24.43

$1.21 ₺60.0

-6.61%

White Bread (500g)

$1.59 Kč 34.43

$0.89 ₺44.10

78.65%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.98 Kč 64.3

$2.19 ₺108

36.07%

Eggs

$3.84 Kč 83.0

$2.35 ₺116

63.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.58 Kč 294

$10.42 ₺516

30.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.06 Kč 218

$5.65 ₺280

78.05%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.19 Kč 350

$20.94 ₺1,037

-22.68%

Apples (1kg)

$2.18 Kč 47.23

$1.90 ₺94.1

14.74%

Banana (1kg)

$1.86 Kč 40.22

$2.31 ₺114

-19.48%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 Kč 47.39

$1.28 ₺63.1

71.09%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.54 Kč 76.7

$1.80 ₺89.0

96.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.21 Kč 26.13

$0.65 ₺32.16

86.15%

Onion (1kg)

$1.21 Kč 26.15

$0.64 ₺31.91

89.06%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.63 Kč 35.32

$1.25 ₺62.1

30.40%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.76 Kč 16.54

$0.56 ₺27.58

35.71%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.90 Kč 149

$2.37 ₺118

191.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.70 Kč 145

$13.42 ₺664

-50.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.40 Kč 30.31

$2.40 ₺119

-41.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 Kč 37.31

$3.48 ₺172

-50.29%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.29 Kč 27.91

$0.89 ₺43.84

44.94%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.05 Kč 585

$67.4 ₺3,338

-59.88%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.11 Kč 45.54

$1.29 ₺64.1

63.57%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.38 Kč 29.94

$0.92 ₺45.70

50.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.80 Kč 298

$10.96 ₺542

25.91%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.87 Kč 40.39

$1.47 ₺72.9

27.21%

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

$30.2K Kč 652.8K

$50.8K ₺2.5M

-40.56%

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

$29.4K Kč 635.7K

$44.5K ₺2.2M

-33.99%

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

$276 Kč 5,973

$88.6 ₺4,387

211.68%

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

$17.19 Kč 372

$11.59 ₺574

48.32%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.98 Kč 346

$15.81 ₺783

1.08%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$59.5 Kč 1,286

$77.2 ₺3,820

-22.95%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.43 Kč 312

$22.74 ₺1,126

-36.54%

Cinema Ticket

$11.29 Kč 244

$8.14 ₺403

38.70%

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

$331 Kč 7,165

$1,008 ₺49.9K

-67.13%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.9K Kč 236.1K

$25.6K ₺1.3M

-57.29%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$78.9 Kč 1,706

$54.0 ₺2,671

46.17%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.82 Kč 926

$40.83 ₺2,021

4.87%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$86.1 Kč 1,863

$98.9 ₺4,895

-12.89%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 Kč 2,371

$96.6 ₺4,783

13.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$720 Kč 15.6K

$985 ₺48.7K

-26.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$704 Kč 15.2K

$650 ₺32.2K

8.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$928 Kč 20.1K

$1,983 ₺98.2K

-53.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$908 Kč 19.6K

$1,180 ₺58.4K

-23.04%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,061 Kč 109.5K

$3,138 ₺155.4K

61.29%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,070 Kč 88.0K

$1,780 ₺88.1K

128.70%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,905 Kč 41.2K

$1,205 ₺59.7K

58.08%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.8

40.92

-88.27%

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

Last update for Plzen: October 13, 2026

Last update for Istanbul: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Plzen

$704 40.1%

Istanbul

$650 41.9% 7.8% $55

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Plzen

$309 17.6%

Istanbul

$116 7.5% 62.5% $193

Groceries & Markets

Plzen

$288 16.4%

Istanbul

$260 16.8% 9.9% $29

Eating Out

Plzen

$190 10.8%

Istanbul

$223 14.4% 17.6% $33

Clothing & Footwear

Plzen

$143 8.1%

Istanbul

$131 8.4% 8.6% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Plzen

$82 4.7%

Istanbul

$93 6% 13.9% $11

Getting Around

Plzen

$41 2.4%

Istanbul

$77 5% 86.4% $36

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $720 in Plzen 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 58% higher in Plzen, 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 $50.0 in Plzen versus $55.0 in Istanbul. Groceries tell a different story – $288 in Plzen vs $260 in Istanbul – so Istanbul wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇿 Plzen

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

17:51 5:51 PM

18:51 6:51 PM

1 h ahead of Plzen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

168,951

15,701,602

💱 Currency

Czech Koruna CZK Kč

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

📈 Exchange rate

100 CZK = 4.62 USD

100 CZK = 4.11 EUR

100 TRY = 2.02 USD

100 TRY = 1.8 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TRY, USD, EUR to CZK – Czech Koruna Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇿 Czech Koruna (Kč)

Czech Koruna exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 21.63 CZK (100 CZK = 4.62 USD). 1 EUR = 24.31 CZK (100 CZK = 4.11 EUR).

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 49.51 TRY (100 TRY = 2.02 USD). 1 EUR = 55.66 TRY (100 TRY = 1.8 EUR).

USD to CZK in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Plzen Istanbul 1,550 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Plzen
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

Plzen vs Istanbul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Plzen is pricier by about 13%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,637 per month in Plzen 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 Istanbul, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $331 per month in Plzen and $1,008 in Istanbul. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 11% more in Plzen, 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 Istanbul, where all-in costs run around $1,550, than in Plzen at $1,758. In Istanbul it covers expenses comfortably, while in Plzen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Istanbul – 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 Istanbul. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Plzen makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.