Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Roubaix and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in Istanbul: $1,525 a month against $1,656 in Roubaix, rent and utilities included – about $1,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Roubaix
Learn more

Roubaix Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index

Jump to prices

Roubaix

🇫🇷 France

$1,656

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,525

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,656 per month in Roubaix vs $1,525 in Istanbul, rent included.

Roubaix $1,656
Istanbul $1,525

A couple spends around $2,580 per month in Roubaix vs $2,390 in Istanbul, rent included.

Roubaix $2,580
Istanbul $2,390

A family of three spends $3,505 per month in Roubaix vs $3,256 in Istanbul, rent included.

Roubaix $3,505
Istanbul $3,256

Roubaix costs about 9% more than Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Roubaix and Istanbul sit above the global median – Roubaix by 22%, Istanbul by 13%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.17 €16.16

$11.96 ₺592

51.92%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$74.0 €65.8

$57.2 ₺2,834

29.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.62 €12.11

$9.51 ₺471

43.22%

Cappuccino

$3.83 €3.41

$4.40 ₺218

-12.95%

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

$3.19 €2.84

$1.75 ₺86.6

82.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.64 €1.46

$0.56 ₺27.57

192.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.59 €6.75

$4.71 ₺233

61.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.67 €5.04

$6.14 ₺304

-7.65%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.14 €1.02

$1.24 ₺61.6

-8.06%

White Bread (500g)

$1.59 €1.41

$0.95 ₺47.25

67.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.82 €2.51

$2.28 ₺113

23.68%

Eggs

$2.04 €1.81

$2.45 ₺121

-16.73%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.71 €11.30

$10.56 ₺523

20.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.01 €8.01

$5.50 ₺272

63.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.08 €11.64

$21.65 ₺1,072

-39.58%

Apples (1kg)

$0.98 €0.88

$1.83 ₺90.6

-46.45%

Banana (1kg)

$1.11 €0.98

$2.29 ₺113

-51.53%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 €1.95

$1.28 ₺63.4

71.09%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.70 €2.40

$1.82 ₺90.1

48.35%

Potato (1kg)

$0.76 €0.67

$0.66 ₺32.74

15.15%

Onion (1kg)

$0.92 €0.82

$0.63 ₺31.14

46.03%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.68 €1.49

$1.27 ₺62.8

32.28%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.22 €0.19

$0.56 ₺27.62

-60.71%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.66 €10.37

$2.36 ₺117

394.07%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.48 €7.55

$12.98 ₺642

-34.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.37 €2.10

$2.48 ₺123

-4.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.27 €3.80

$3.50 ₺174

22.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.94 €1.72

$0.82 ₺40.77

136.59%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$48.11 €42.80

$65.2 ₺3,228

-26.21%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.21 €1.97

$1.33 ₺65.7

66.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.15 €1.91

$0.90 ₺44.60

138.89%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.07 €21.41

$10.91 ₺540

120.62%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.07 €1.84

$1.43 ₺70.7

44.76%

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

$28.3K €25.1K

$49.6K ₺2.5M

-42.96%

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

$27.7K €24.6K

$43.2K ₺2.1M

-35.92%

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

$176 €157

$88.8 ₺4,395

98.81%

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

$15.18 €13.50

$11.69 ₺579

29.85%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.56 €27.18

$16.09 ₺797

89.93%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.62 €31.68

$76.3 ₺3,776

-53.29%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.72 ₺1,125

Cinema Ticket

$10.97 €9.76

$8.26 ₺409

32.81%

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

$629 €560

$1,015 ₺50.2K

-38.01%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,319 €7,399

$25.8K ₺1.3M

-67.80%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.0 €77.4

$53.3 ₺2,636

63.46%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.20 €35.76

$40.55 ₺2,008

-0.86%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 €89.5

$100 ₺4,956

0.52%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 €91.1

$93.5 ₺4,630

9.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$756 €672

$977 ₺48.4K

-22.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$604 €537

$627 ₺31.0K

-3.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,360 €1,209

$1,980 ₺98.0K

-31.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,132 €1,007

$1,147 ₺56.8K

-1.29%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,956 €3,519

$3,095 ₺153.2K

27.80%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,007 €2,675

$1,787 ₺88.5K

68.26%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,761 €1,566

$1,213 ₺60.1K

45.17%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.92

40.69

-90.37%

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

Last update for Roubaix: October 18, 2026

Last update for Istanbul: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Roubaix

$604 36.5%

Istanbul

$627 41.1% 3.8% $23

Eating Out

Roubaix

$301 18.2%

Istanbul

$222 14.6% 26.2% $79

Groceries & Markets

Roubaix

$254 15.3%

Istanbul

$263 17.2% 3.5% $8.8

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Roubaix

$222 13.4%

Istanbul

$117 7.6% 47.5% $106

Clothing & Footwear

Roubaix

$149 9%

Istanbul

$129 8.5% 13% $19

Getting Around

Roubaix

$69 4.2%

Istanbul

$74 4.9% 8% $5.5

Sport & Entertainment

Roubaix

$58 3.5%

Istanbul

$93 6.1% 61.2% $35

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $756 in Roubaix 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.

Salaries run about 45% higher in Roubaix, 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 $74.0 in Roubaix versus $57.0 in Istanbul. Groceries tell a different story – $254 in Roubaix vs $263 in Istanbul – so Roubaix wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇫🇷 Roubaix

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

15:15 3:15 PM

16:15 4:15 PM

1 h ahead of Roubaix

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

98,892

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

Roubaix Istanbul 2,250 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Roubaix
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

Roubaix vs Istanbul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Roubaix is pricier by about 9%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,484 per month in Roubaix 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 Istanbul, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $629 per month in Roubaix and $1,015 in Istanbul. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 3% cheaper in Roubaix – 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 Istanbul, where all-in costs run around $1,525, than in Roubaix at $1,656. In Istanbul it covers expenses comfortably, while in Roubaix 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, Roubaix makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.