Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Saue and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in Saue: $1,107 a month against $1,519 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $4,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Saue, Estonia
Istanbul, Turkey
Saue
🇪🇪 Estonia
$1,107
/mo nomad
Istanbul
🇹🇷 Turkey
$1,519
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,107 per month in Saue vs $1,519 in Istanbul, rent included.

  • Saue $1,107
  • Istanbul $1,519

A couple spends around $1,724 per month in Saue vs $2,365 in Istanbul, rent included.

  • Saue $1,724
  • Istanbul $2,365

A family of three spends $2,342 per month in Saue vs $3,212 in Istanbul, rent included.

  • Saue $2,342
  • Istanbul $3,212

Saue is about 27% cheaper than Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Saue sits 18% below the global median, while Istanbul is 12% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Saue
Istanbul
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$17.00 €15.14
$11.81 ₺591
43.95%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$70.5 €62.8
$54.9 ₺2,748
28.34%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.14 €9.92
$9.26 ₺463
20.30%
Cappuccino
$3.98 €3.55
$4.30 ₺215
-7.44%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.24 €1.99
$1.77 ₺88.8
26.55%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.24 €1.99
$0.56 ₺28.26
300.00%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$6.57 €5.85
$4.69 ₺234
40.09%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$6.83 €6.09
$7.12 ₺356
-4.07%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Saue
Istanbul
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.10 €0.98
$1.25 ₺62.6
-12.00%
White Bread (500g)
$1.38 €1.23
$0.88 ₺44.07
56.82%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.28 €2.03
$2.20 ₺110
3.64%
Eggs
$2.84 €2.53
$2.43 ₺122
16.87%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$11.32 €10.09
$10.48 ₺524
8.02%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.50 €7.57
$5.31 ₺266
60.08%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$15.17 €13.51
$21.10 ₺1,056
-28.10%
Apples (1kg)
$2.13 €1.89
$1.86 ₺92.9
14.52%
Banana (1kg)
$1.39 €1.24
$2.30 ₺115
-39.57%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.43 €2.17
$1.22 ₺60.8
99.18%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.98 €2.65
$1.80 ₺90.0
65.56%
Potato (1kg)
$0.81 €0.72
$0.69 ₺34.75
17.39%
Onion (1kg)
$0.81 €0.72
$0.64 ₺32.09
26.56%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.88 €1.68
$1.36 ₺67.8
38.24%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.92 €0.82
$0.58 ₺28.88
58.62%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$6.94 €6.18
$2.34 ₺117
196.58%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.10 €9.00
$13.03 ₺652
-22.49%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.89 €1.68
$2.36 ₺118
-19.92%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.02 €1.80
$3.32 ₺166
-39.16%
🚌 Getting Around
Saue
Istanbul
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
-
$0.88 ₺43.97
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$66.1 ₺3,309
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.65 €3.25
$1.28 ₺64.3
185.16%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.00 €0.89
$0.85 ₺42.70
17.65%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$26.84 €23.91
$11.09 ₺555
142.02%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.01 €1.79
$1.48 ₺73.9
35.81%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$28.0K €24.9K
$48.6K ₺2.4M
-42.50%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$29.6K €26.4K
$42.0K ₺2.1M
-29.52%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Saue
Istanbul
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$310 €276
$92.7 ₺4,639
234.55%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$17.54 €15.62
$11.20 ₺560
56.61%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$31.83 €28.36
$15.89 ₺795
100.31%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Saue
Istanbul
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
-
$74.7 ₺3,737
-
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$22.95 ₺1,149
-
Cinema Ticket
$11.58 €10.32
$8.05 ₺403
43.85%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Saue
Istanbul
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$470 €419
$948 ₺47.5K
-50.42%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$10.2K €9,116
$36.9K ₺1.8M
-72.28%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Saue
Istanbul
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$100 €89.5
$53.9 ₺2,696
86.38%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$48.01 €42.77
$41.49 ₺2,076
15.71%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$103 €91.7
$101 ₺5,049
2.00%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$118 €106
$91.3 ₺4,570
29.74%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Saue
Istanbul
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
-
$1,014 ₺50.7K
-
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
-
$625 ₺31.3K
-
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
-
$2,005 ₺100.4K
-
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
-
$1,126 ₺56.3K
-
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
-
$2,988 ₺149.5K
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
-
$1,730 ₺86.6K
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Saue
Istanbul
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$1,136 ₺56.9K
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.44
40.42
-91.49%

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

Last update for Saue: 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
Saue
$360
Istanbul
$120 66.7% $240
Eating Out
Saue
$282
Istanbul
$221 21.5% $61
Groceries & Markets
Saue
$267
Istanbul
$258 3.3% $8.9
Clothing & Footwear
Saue
$166
Istanbul
$129 22.2% $37
Sport & Entertainment
Saue
$23 *
Istanbul
$91 292% $68
Getting Around
Saue
$8.7 *
Istanbul
$75 769% $67
Accommodation & Living
Saue
- *
Istanbul
$625

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 $70 in Saue versus $55 in Istanbul. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $267 vs $258 – making Istanbul the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇪🇪 Saue
🇹🇷 Istanbul
🕒 Local time
05:09 5:09 AM
06:09 6:09 AM
1 h ahead of Saue
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
5,810
15,701,602
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

TRY, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

Euro exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 0.891 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 50.04 TRY (100 TRY = 2 USD). 1 EUR = 56.18 TRY (100 TRY = 1.78 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Saue Istanbul 2,060 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Saue
  • 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
Saue vs Istanbul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Saue cheaper than Istanbul?
Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 37%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in leisure.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,660 per month in Saue and $2,278 in Istanbul. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Is eating out cheaper in Saue or in Istanbul?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $70 in Saue and $55 in Istanbul. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
How do food prices compare in Saue and in Istanbul?
Interestingly, groceries are about 3% cheaper in Istanbul – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in Saue or in Istanbul?
A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Saue, where all-in costs run around $1,107, than in Istanbul at $1,519. In Saue it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is it better to live in Saue or in Istanbul?
It depends on your priorities. Istanbul has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,107 in Saue to $1,519 in Istanbul. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.
Which city is safer, Saue or Istanbul?
Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

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