Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sighetu Marmatiei and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in Sighetu Marmatiei: $958 a month against $1,516 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $6,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

46

Cost of Living Index in Sighetu Marmatiei
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Sighetu Marmatiei Living Index
73

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index

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Sighetu Marmatiei

🇷🇴 Romania

$958

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,516

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $958 per month in Sighetu Marmatiei vs $1,516 in Istanbul, rent included.

Sighetu Marmatiei $958
Istanbul $1,516

A couple spends around $1,401 per month in Sighetu Marmatiei vs $2,356 in Istanbul, rent included.

Sighetu Marmatiei $1,401
Istanbul $2,356

A family of three spends $1,843 per month in Sighetu Marmatiei vs $3,197 in Istanbul, rent included.

Sighetu Marmatiei $1,843
Istanbul $3,197

Sighetu Marmatiei is about 37% cheaper than Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Sighetu Marmatiei sits 30% below the global median, while Istanbul is 11% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.62 RON 41.42

$11.59 ₺577

-25.63%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$20.80 RON 100.0

$54.7 ₺2,725

-61.96%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.31 RON 35.14

$9.39 ₺468

-22.15%

Cappuccino

$2.68 RON 12.89

$4.23 ₺211

-36.64%

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

$1.84 RON 8.86

$1.72 ₺85.6

6.98%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.77 RON 8.51

$0.57 ₺28.26

210.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.06 RON 9.89

$4.65 ₺232

-55.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.15 RON 15.12

$6.84 ₺341

-53.95%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.44 RON 6.92

$1.20 ₺60.0

20.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.01 RON 4.87

$0.94 ₺46.97

7.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.20 RON 5.77

$2.24 ₺112

-46.43%

Eggs

$2.83 RON 13.61

$2.42 ₺121

16.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.02 RON 38.54

$10.24 ₺510

-21.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.34 RON 30.45

$5.38 ₺268

17.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.18 RON 44.10

$21.19 ₺1,056

-56.68%

Apples (1kg)

$1.12 RON 5.38

$1.89 ₺94.3

-40.74%

Banana (1kg)

$1.49 RON 7.16

$2.22 ₺111

-32.88%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.49 RON 7.17

$1.26 ₺62.7

18.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.36 RON 6.56

$1.81 ₺90.0

-24.86%

Potato (1kg)

$0.86 RON 4.16

$0.70 ₺34.84

22.86%

Onion (1kg)

$0.95 RON 4.57

$0.64 ₺32.13

48.44%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.69 RON 3.32

$1.22 ₺60.9

-43.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.84 RON 4.01

$0.55 ₺27.35

52.73%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.46 RON 26.23

$2.32 ₺116

135.34%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.77 RON 27.73

$13.31 ₺663

-56.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.03 RON 4.95

$2.33 ₺116

-55.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.76 RON 8.44

$3.46 ₺172

-49.13%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.76 RON 3.64

$0.91 ₺45.18

-16.48%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.76 RON 105

$66.3 ₺3,306

-67.20%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.72 RON 3.45

$1.29 ₺64.2

-44.19%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.77 RON 3.69

$0.86 ₺42.66

-10.47%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.41 RON 35.63

$11.09 ₺553

-33.18%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.73 RON 8.31

$1.42 ₺70.8

21.83%

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

$29.0K RON 139.3K

$49.2K ₺2.5M

-41.08%

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

$25.5K RON 122.5K

$42.8K ₺2.1M

-40.46%

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

$138 RON 663

$87.7 ₺4,373

57.12%

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

$6.50 RON 31.22

$11.28 ₺562

-42.38%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$7.73 RON 37.13

$15.89 ₺792

-51.35%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.48 RON 185

$75.9 ₺3,783

-49.30%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.29 RON 97.5

$23.04 ₺1,148

-11.94%

Cinema Ticket

$4.31 RON 20.73

$8.20 ₺409

-47.44%

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

$396 RON 1,904

$1,028 ₺51.2K

-61.46%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,844 RON 42.5K

$26.0K ₺1.3M

-65.94%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.9 RON 288

$53.3 ₺2,658

12.34%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.56 RON 180

$39.69 ₺1,978

-5.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$54.8 RON 263

$99.8 ₺4,972

-45.05%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$63.4 RON 305

$93.5 ₺4,661

-32.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$378 RON 1,818

$1,003 ₺50.0K

-62.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$290 RON 1,392

$628 ₺31.3K

-53.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$602 RON 2,893

$1,963 ₺97.8K

-69.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$441 RON 2,120

$1,122 ₺55.9K

-60.67%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,865 RON 8,961

$3,075 ₺153.2K

-39.36%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,333 RON 6,404

$1,753 ₺87.3K

-23.97%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$522 RON 2,510

$1,180 ₺58.8K

-55.73%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.1

40.69

-82.55%

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

Last update for Sighetu Marmatiei: October 25, 2026

Last update for Istanbul: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sighetu Marmatiei

$290 30.2%

Istanbul

$628 41.5% 117% $339

Groceries & Markets

Sighetu Marmatiei

$189 19.7%

Istanbul

$258 17% 36.8% $69

Eating Out

Sighetu Marmatiei

$154 16.1%

Istanbul

$218 14.4% 41.3% $64

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sighetu Marmatiei

$152 15.9%

Istanbul

$115 7.6% 24.4% $37

Clothing & Footwear

Sighetu Marmatiei

$97 10.1%

Istanbul

$129 8.5% 32.7% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Sighetu Marmatiei

$47 4.9%

Istanbul

$92 6.1% 96% $45

Getting Around

Sighetu Marmatiei

$29 3.1%

Istanbul

$76 5% 157% $46

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $378 in Sighetu Marmatiei versus $1,003 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 in Istanbul are about 2.3 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $21 in Sighetu Marmatiei versus $55 in Istanbul. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $189 vs $258 – making Sighetu Marmatiei the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Sighetu Marmatiei

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

23:49 11:49 PM

00:49 12:49 AM

1 h ahead of Sighetu Marmatiei

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

37,640

15,701,602

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.208 USD

1 RON = 0.187 EUR

100 TRY = 2.01 USD

100 TRY = 1.8 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TRY, USD, EUR to RON – Romanian Leu Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇷🇴 Romanian Leu (lei)

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 4.81 RON (1 RON = 0.208 USD). 1 EUR = 5.35 RON (1 RON = 0.187 EUR).

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 49.83 TRY (100 TRY = 2.01 USD). 1 EUR = 55.48 TRY (100 TRY = 1.8 EUR).

USD to RON in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Sighetu Marmatiei Istanbul 870 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Sighetu Marmatiei
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

Sighetu Marmatiei vs Istanbul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 58%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,437 per month in Sighetu Marmatiei and $2,274 in Istanbul. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Sighetu Marmatiei, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $378 there versus $1,003 in Istanbul.

Kindergarten costs $396 per month in Sighetu Marmatiei and $1,028 in Istanbul. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 37% more in Istanbul, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Sighetu Marmatiei, where all-in costs run around $958, than in Istanbul at $1,516. In Sighetu Marmatiei it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Sighetu Marmatiei – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

If budget matters most, go with Sighetu Marmatiei. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Istanbul makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.