Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Siena and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in Istanbul: $1,550 a month against $1,836 in Siena, rent and utilities included – about $3,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

90

Cost of Living Index in Siena
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Siena Living Index
75

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index

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Siena

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,836

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,836 per month in Siena vs $1,550 in Istanbul, rent included.

Siena $1,836
Istanbul $1,550

A couple spends around $2,784 per month in Siena vs $2,415 in Istanbul, rent included.

Siena $2,784
Istanbul $2,415

A family of three spends $3,733 per month in Siena vs $3,281 in Istanbul, rent included.

Siena $3,733
Istanbul $3,281

Siena costs about 18% more than Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Siena and Istanbul sit above the global median – Siena by 36%, Istanbul by 15%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.36 €13.66

$12.30 ₺609

24.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$90.9 €80.9

$54.7 ₺2,708

66.18%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.54 €12.05

$9.22 ₺456

46.85%

Cappuccino

$1.89 €1.68

$4.40 ₺218

-57.05%

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

$2.96 €2.63

$1.68 ₺83.1

76.19%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 €1.26

$0.59 ₺29.40

138.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.19 €5.51

$4.70 ₺233

31.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.59 €4.98

$5.91 ₺292

-5.41%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.45 €1.29

$1.21 ₺60.0

19.83%

White Bread (500g)

$2.24 €2.00

$0.89 ₺44.10

151.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.64 €1.46

$2.19 ₺108

-25.11%

Eggs

$4.03 €3.58

$2.35 ₺116

71.49%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.54 €12.04

$10.42 ₺516

29.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.93 €10.61

$5.65 ₺280

111.15%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.56 €19.18

$20.94 ₺1,037

2.96%

Apples (1kg)

$2.57 €2.29

$1.90 ₺94.1

35.26%

Banana (1kg)

$2.15 €1.91

$2.31 ₺114

-6.93%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.13 €2.79

$1.28 ₺63.1

144.53%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.16 €2.81

$1.80 ₺89.0

75.56%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.62

$0.65 ₺32.16

180.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.57 €1.40

$0.64 ₺31.91

145.31%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.37 €1.22

$1.25 ₺62.1

9.60%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 €0.46

$0.56 ₺27.58

-7.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.66 €5.93

$2.37 ₺118

181.01%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.53 €5.81

$13.42 ₺664

-51.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.51 €1.34

$2.40 ₺119

-37.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.62 €2.33

$3.48 ₺172

-24.71%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.94 €1.73

$0.89 ₺43.84

117.98%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.73 €37.12

$67.4 ₺3,338

-38.11%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.45 €5.74

$1.29 ₺64.1

400.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.39 €1.24

$0.92 ₺45.70

51.09%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.32 €28.74

$10.96 ₺542

194.89%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.08 €1.85

$1.47 ₺72.9

41.50%

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

$27.6K €24.6K

$50.8K ₺2.5M

-45.65%

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

$35.5K €31.6K

$44.5K ₺2.2M

-20.17%

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

$194 €173

$88.6 ₺4,387

119.25%

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

$13.47 €11.98

$11.59 ₺574

16.22%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.20 €27.75

$15.81 ₺783

97.34%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$70.4 €62.7

$77.2 ₺3,820

-8.71%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.74 ₺1,126

Cinema Ticket

$11.30 €10.05

$8.14 ₺403

38.82%

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

$576 €513

$1,008 ₺49.9K

-42.84%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.7K €13.1K

$25.6K ₺1.3M

-42.43%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.0 €74.7

$54.0 ₺2,671

55.66%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.04 €32.95

$40.83 ₺2,021

-9.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.9 €85.3

$98.9 ₺4,895

-2.97%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 €95.0

$96.6 ₺4,783

10.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,138 €1,013

$985 ₺48.7K

15.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$725 €645

$650 ₺32.2K

11.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,720 €1,530

$1,983 ₺98.2K

-13.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,122 €998

$1,180 ₺58.4K

-4.90%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,381 €3,897

$3,138 ₺155.4K

39.60%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,930 €3,495

$1,780 ₺88.1K

120.79%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,882 €1,674

$1,205 ₺59.7K

56.12%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.29

40.92

-91.96%

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

Last update for Siena: October 10, 2026

Last update for Istanbul: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Siena

$725 39.5%

Istanbul

$650 41.9% 10.4% $75

Groceries & Markets

Siena

$325 17.7%

Istanbul

$260 16.8% 20% $65

Eating Out

Siena

$246 13.4%

Istanbul

$223 14.4% 9.2% $23

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Siena

$239 13%

Istanbul

$116 7.5% 51.4% $123

Clothing & Footwear

Siena

$146 7.9%

Istanbul

$131 8.4% 10.3% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Siena

$93 5.1%

Istanbul

$93 6% 0.4% $0.4

Getting Around

Siena

$63 3.4%

Istanbul

$77 5% 22.2% $14

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,138 in Siena 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 56% higher in Siena, 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 $91.0 in Siena versus $55.0 in Istanbul. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $325 vs $260 – making Istanbul the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇹 Siena

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

22:48 10:48 PM

23:48 11:48 PM

1 h ahead of Siena

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

53,903

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

Siena Istanbul 1,470 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

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Siena
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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

Siena vs Istanbul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Siena is pricier by about 18%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,754 per month in Siena 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 $576 per month in Siena 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 25% more in Siena, 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 Siena at $1,836. In Istanbul it covers expenses comfortably, while in Siena 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, Siena makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.