Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Sebastian and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in Istanbul: $1,550 a month against $1,948 in San Sebastian, rent and utilities included – about $4,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

95

Cost of Living Index in San Sebastian
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San Sebastian Living Index
75

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index

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San Sebastian

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,948

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,948 per month in San Sebastian vs $1,550 in Istanbul, rent included.

San Sebastian $1,948
Istanbul $1,550

A couple spends around $2,889 per month in San Sebastian vs $2,415 in Istanbul, rent included.

San Sebastian $2,889
Istanbul $2,415

A family of three spends $3,830 per month in San Sebastian vs $3,281 in Istanbul, rent included.

San Sebastian $3,830
Istanbul $3,281

San Sebastian costs about 26% more than Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both San Sebastian and Istanbul sit above the global median – San Sebastian by 44%, Istanbul by 15%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.76 €14.90

$12.30 ₺609

36.26%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.6 €53.9

$54.7 ₺2,708

10.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.58 €9.41

$9.22 ₺456

14.75%

Cappuccino

$2.08 €1.85

$4.40 ₺218

-52.73%

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

$2.87 €2.55

$1.68 ₺83.1

70.83%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.62 €1.44

$0.59 ₺29.40

174.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.44 €3.06

$4.70 ₺233

-26.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.62 €3.22

$5.91 ₺292

-38.75%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 €1.01

$1.21 ₺60.0

-6.61%

White Bread (500g)

$1.06 €0.94

$0.89 ₺44.10

19.10%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.75 €1.56

$2.19 ₺108

-20.09%

Eggs

$3.72 €3.31

$2.35 ₺116

58.30%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$22.34 €19.87

$10.42 ₺516

114.40%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.17 €7.27

$5.65 ₺280

44.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.10 €18.77

$20.94 ₺1,037

0.76%

Apples (1kg)

$2.51 €2.24

$1.90 ₺94.1

32.11%

Banana (1kg)

$2.36 €2.10

$2.31 ₺114

2.16%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.34 €2.97

$1.28 ₺63.1

160.94%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.90 €2.58

$1.80 ₺89.0

61.11%

Potato (1kg)

$2.06 €1.83

$0.65 ₺32.16

216.92%

Onion (1kg)

$1.98 €1.76

$0.64 ₺31.91

209.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.18 €1.05

$1.25 ₺62.1

-5.60%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.61 €0.54

$0.56 ₺27.58

8.93%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.07 €5.40

$2.37 ₺118

156.12%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.39 €6.58

$13.42 ₺664

-44.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.08 €0.96

$2.40 ₺119

-55.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.83 €1.63

$3.48 ₺172

-47.41%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.11 €1.88

$0.89 ₺43.84

137.08%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$33.85 €30.11

$67.4 ₺3,338

-49.80%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.57 €5.85

$1.29 ₺64.1

409.30%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.91 €0.81

$0.92 ₺45.70

-1.09%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.70 €20.19

$10.96 ₺542

107.12%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.70 €1.51

$1.47 ₺72.9

15.65%

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

$36.2K €32.2K

$50.8K ₺2.5M

-28.74%

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

$28.7K €25.5K

$44.5K ₺2.2M

-35.53%

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

$136 €121

$88.6 ₺4,387

53.91%

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

$20.40 €18.15

$11.59 ₺574

76.01%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.36 €31.45

$15.81 ₺783

123.66%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.41 €37.73

$77.2 ₺3,820

-45.04%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.95 €17.75

$22.74 ₺1,126

-12.27%

Cinema Ticket

$8.44 €7.50

$8.14 ₺403

3.69%

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

$453 €403

$1,008 ₺49.9K

-55.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.7K €12.2K

$25.6K ₺1.3M

-46.25%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.5 €64.5

$54.0 ₺2,671

34.38%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.46 €27.99

$40.83 ₺2,021

-22.95%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.7 €66.5

$98.9 ₺4,895

-24.42%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$134 €119

$96.6 ₺4,783

38.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,407 €1,252

$985 ₺48.7K

42.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$954 €849

$650 ₺32.2K

46.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,239 €1,992

$1,983 ₺98.2K

12.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,522 €1,354

$1,180 ₺58.4K

29.00%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$9,603 €8,541

$3,138 ₺155.4K

206.01%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,748 €4,223

$1,780 ₺88.1K

166.74%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,027 €2,693

$1,205 ₺59.7K

151.15%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.92

40.92

-92.86%

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

Last update for San Sebastian: 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

San Sebastian

$954 49%

Istanbul

$650 41.9% 31.9% $304

Groceries & Markets

San Sebastian

$316 16.2%

Istanbul

$260 16.8% 17.7% $56

Eating Out

San Sebastian

$233 12%

Istanbul

$223 14.4% 4.2% $9.8

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Sebastian

$192 9.9%

Istanbul

$116 7.5% 39.6% $76

Clothing & Footwear

San Sebastian

$141 7.2%

Istanbul

$131 8.4% 7.1% $10

Sport & Entertainment

San Sebastian

$59 3%

Istanbul

$93 6% 57.6% $34

Getting Around

San Sebastian

$53 2.7%

Istanbul

$77 5% 44% $23

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,407 in San Sebastian 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 151% higher in San Sebastian, 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 $61.0 in San Sebastian versus $55.0 in Istanbul. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $316 vs $260 – making Istanbul the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇪🇸 San Sebastian

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

20:43 8:43 PM

21:43 9:43 PM

1 h ahead of San Sebastian

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

188,743

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

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Between locations

San Sebastian Istanbul 2,550 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

San Sebastian
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

San Sebastian vs Istanbul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – San Sebastian is pricier by about 26%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,922 per month in San Sebastian 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 $453 per month in San Sebastian 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 22% more in San Sebastian, 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 San Sebastian at $1,948. In Istanbul it covers expenses comfortably, while in San Sebastian 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, San Sebastian makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.