Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rouen and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in Istanbul: $1,550 a month against $1,709 in Rouen, rent and utilities included – about $1,900 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

83

Cost of Living Index in Rouen
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Rouen Living Index
75

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index

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Rouen

🇫🇷 France

$1,709

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,709 per month in Rouen vs $1,550 in Istanbul, rent included.

Rouen $1,709
Istanbul $1,550

A couple spends around $2,608 per month in Rouen vs $2,415 in Istanbul, rent included.

Rouen $2,608
Istanbul $2,415

A family of three spends $3,507 per month in Rouen vs $3,281 in Istanbul, rent included.

Rouen $3,507
Istanbul $3,281

Rouen costs about 10% more than Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Rouen and Istanbul sit above the global median – Rouen by 27%, Istanbul by 15%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.76 €14.94

$12.30 ₺609

36.26%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.0 €58.9

$54.7 ₺2,708

20.66%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.29 €10.07

$9.22 ₺456

22.45%

Cappuccino

$3.26 €2.91

$4.40 ₺218

-25.91%

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

$3.61 €3.22

$1.68 ₺83.1

114.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.12 €2.78

$0.59 ₺29.40

428.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.17 €6.39

$4.70 ₺233

52.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.59 €5.88

$5.91 ₺293

11.51%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.47 €1.31

$1.21 ₺60.0

21.49%

White Bread (500g)

$1.12 €1.00

$0.89 ₺44.10

25.84%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.12 €1.89

$2.19 ₺108

-3.20%

Eggs

$3.65 €3.26

$2.35 ₺116

55.32%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.91 €15.97

$10.42 ₺516

71.88%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.33 €8.32

$5.65 ₺280

65.13%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$26.54 €23.67

$20.94 ₺1,037

26.74%

Apples (1kg)

$2.51 €2.24

$1.90 ₺94.1

32.11%

Banana (1kg)

$2.96 €2.64

$2.31 ₺114

28.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.43 €2.17

$1.28 ₺63.2

89.84%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.20 €2.86

$1.80 ₺89.0

77.78%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 €1.80

$0.65 ₺32.17

210.77%

Onion (1kg)

$1.48 €1.32

$0.64 ₺31.92

131.25%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.27 €1.13

$1.25 ₺62.1

1.60%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.44 €0.39

$0.56 ₺27.59

-21.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.30 €12.75

$2.37 ₺118

503.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.81 €6.07

$13.42 ₺664

-49.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.56 €2.28

$2.40 ₺119

6.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.16 €2.82

$3.48 ₺172

-9.20%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.05 €1.83

$0.89 ₺43.84

130.34%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$48.42 €43.17

$67.4 ₺3,339

-28.19%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$8.70 €7.76

$1.29 ₺64.1

574.42%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.25 €1.12

$0.92 ₺45.70

35.87%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.20 €29.60

$10.96 ₺543

202.92%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.07 €1.84

$1.47 ₺72.9

40.82%

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

$34.9K €31.1K

$50.8K ₺2.5M

-31.21%

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

$35.7K €31.8K

$44.5K ₺2.2M

-19.83%

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

$210 €187

$88.6 ₺4,388

136.79%

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

$23.13 €20.62

$11.59 ₺574

99.57%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.52 €35.23

$15.81 ₺783

149.97%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.66 €38.04

$77.2 ₺3,821

-44.71%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.77 €14.95

$22.74 ₺1,126

-26.25%

Cinema Ticket

$14.56 €12.98

$8.14 ₺403

78.87%

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

$883 €788

$1,008 ₺49.9K

-12.36%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,874 €8,804

$25.6K ₺1.3M

-61.37%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.3 €75.1

$54.0 ₺2,671

56.16%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.83 ₺2,021

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.7 €84.4

$98.9 ₺4,896

-4.24%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 €94.4

$96.6 ₺4,783

9.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$674 €601

$985 ₺48.7K

-31.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$545 €486

$650 ₺32.2K

-16.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,233 €1,100

$1,983 ₺98.2K

-37.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$924 €824

$1,180 ₺58.4K

-21.69%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,871 €3,451

$3,138 ₺155.4K

23.34%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,327 €2,075

$1,780 ₺88.1K

30.75%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,530 €2,255

$1,205 ₺59.7K

109.85%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.81

40.92

-90.69%

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

Last update for Rouen: October 12, 2026

Last update for Istanbul: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rouen

$545 31.9%

Istanbul

$650 41.9% 19.2% $105

Groceries & Markets

Rouen

$337 19.7%

Istanbul

$260 16.8% 23% $77

Eating Out

Rouen

$283 16.6%

Istanbul

$223 14.4% 21.1% $60

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rouen

$272 15.9%

Istanbul

$116 7.5% 57.4% $156

Clothing & Footwear

Rouen

$128 * 7.5%

Istanbul

$131 8.4% 1.9% $2.4

Sport & Entertainment

Rouen

$72 4.2%

Istanbul

$93 6% 30.2% $22

Getting Around

Rouen

$72 4.2%

Istanbul

$77 5% 7.4% $5.3

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $674 in Rouen 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 110% higher in Rouen, 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 $66.0 in Rouen versus $55.0 in Istanbul. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $337 vs $260 – making Istanbul the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇫🇷 Rouen

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

06:51 6:51 AM

07:51 7:51 AM

1 h ahead of Rouen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

114,083

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

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Between locations

Rouen Istanbul 2,360 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Rouen
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

Rouen vs Istanbul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Rouen is pricier by about 10%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,564 per month in Rouen 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 $883 per month in Rouen 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 30% more in Rouen, 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 Rouen at $1,709. In Istanbul it covers expenses comfortably, while in Rouen 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, Rouen makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.