Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rakvere and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in Rakvere: $999 a month against $1,519 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $6,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

48

Cost of Living Index in Rakvere
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Rakvere Living Index
73

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index

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Rakvere

🇪🇪 Estonia

$999

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,519

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $999 per month in Rakvere vs $1,519 in Istanbul, rent included.

Rakvere $999
Istanbul $1,519

A couple spends around $1,532 per month in Rakvere vs $2,365 in Istanbul, rent included.

Rakvere $1,532
Istanbul $2,365

A family of three spends $2,066 per month in Rakvere vs $3,212 in Istanbul, rent included.

Rakvere $2,066
Istanbul $3,212

Rakvere is about 34% cheaper than Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Rakvere sits 26% below the global median, while Istanbul is 12% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.12 €9.95

$11.81 ₺592

-5.84%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.0 €59.1

$54.9 ₺2,754

20.27%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.15 €9.97

$9.26 ₺465

20.41%

Cappuccino

$3.77 €3.37

$4.30 ₺216

-12.33%

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

$2.37 €2.12

$1.77 ₺89.0

33.90%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.58 €1.41

$0.56 ₺28.32

182.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.43 €4.86

$4.69 ₺235

15.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 €4.01

$7.12 ₺357

-37.08%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.69 €0.62

$1.25 ₺62.7

-44.80%

White Bread (500g)

$1.87 €1.68

$0.88 ₺44.17

112.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.38 €2.13

$2.20 ₺111

8.18%

Eggs

$2.02 €1.81

$2.43 ₺122

-16.87%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.53 €11.21

$10.48 ₺526

19.56%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.50 €5.81

$5.31 ₺267

22.41%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$4.57 €4.09

$21.10 ₺1,058

-78.34%

Apples (1kg)

$2.11 €1.89

$1.86 ₺93.1

13.44%

Banana (1kg)

$1.47 €1.31

$2.30 ₺115

-36.09%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.05 €1.84

$1.22 ₺61.0

68.03%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.45 €2.19

$1.80 ₺90.2

36.11%

Potato (1kg)

$0.73 €0.66

$0.69 ₺34.83

5.80%

Onion (1kg)

$0.57 €0.51

$0.64 ₺32.16

-10.94%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.87 €1.67

$1.36 ₺68.0

37.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 €1.06

$0.58 ₺28.94

105.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.76 €6.05

$2.34 ₺117

188.89%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.46 €9.36

$13.03 ₺653

-19.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.03 €1.81

$2.36 ₺118

-13.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.43 €2.18

$3.32 ₺166

-26.81%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.88 ₺44.07

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.1 ₺3,316

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.60 €3.22

$1.28 ₺64.4

181.25%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 €0.91

$0.85 ₺42.80

20.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.28 €24.41

$11.09 ₺556

145.99%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.91 €1.71

$1.48 ₺74.0

29.05%

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

$28.2K €25.3K

$48.6K ₺2.4M

-41.94%

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

$30.1K €26.9K

$42.0K ₺2.1M

-28.25%

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

$306 €274

$92.7 ₺4,650

230.58%

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

$17.57 €15.72

$11.20 ₺562

56.88%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.04 €31.36

$15.89 ₺797

120.52%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.7 ₺3,745

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.95 ₺1,151

Cinema Ticket

$4.96 €4.43

$8.05 ₺404

-38.39%

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

$462 €414

$948 ₺47.6K

-51.26%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.7K €10.5K

$36.9K ₺1.9M

-68.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$110 €98.1

$53.9 ₺2,702

103.56%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.10 €43.94

$41.49 ₺2,081

18.34%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €94.6

$101 ₺5,060

4.79%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 €109

$91.3 ₺4,580

33.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,014 ₺50.8K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$625 ₺31.3K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,005 ₺100.6K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,126 ₺56.5K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,988 ₺149.8K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,730 ₺86.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,136 ₺57.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.93

40.42

-90.28%

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

Last update for Rakvere: November 3, 2026

Last update for Istanbul: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rakvere

$359 36%

Istanbul

$120 7.9% 66.6% $239

Groceries & Markets

Rakvere

$228 22.8%

Istanbul

$258 17% 13.4% $30

Eating Out

Rakvere

$220 22%

Istanbul

$221 14.6% 0.6% $1.3

Clothing & Footwear

Rakvere

$174 17.4%

Istanbul

$129 8.5% 25.5% $44

Sport & Entertainment

Rakvere

$9.9 * 1%

Istanbul

$91 6% 816% $81

Getting Around

Rakvere

$8.7 * 0.9%

Istanbul

$75 5% 763% $66

Accommodation & Living

Rakvere

- * 0%

Istanbul

$625 41.1%

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $66 in Rakvere versus $55 in Istanbul. Groceries tell a different story – $228 in Rakvere vs $258 in Istanbul – so Rakvere wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇪🇪 Rakvere

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

23:33 11:33 PM

00:33 12:33 AM

1 h ahead of Rakvere

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

16,953

15,701,602

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 TRY = 1.99 USD

100 TRY = 1.78 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TRY, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 0.895 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 50.15 TRY (100 TRY = 1.99 USD). 1 EUR = 56.05 TRY (100 TRY = 1.78 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Rakvere Istanbul 2,050 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Rakvere
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

Rakvere vs Istanbul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 52%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in leisure.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,498 per month in Rakvere and $2,278 in Istanbul. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $66 in Rakvere and $55 in Istanbul. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 13% more in Istanbul, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Rakvere, where all-in costs run around $999, than in Istanbul at $1,519. In Rakvere it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Istanbul has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $999 in Rakvere to $1,519 in Istanbul. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.