Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sligo and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in Istanbul: $1,525 a month against $1,784 in Sligo, rent and utilities included – about $3,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

87

Cost of Living Index in Sligo
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Sligo Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index

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Sligo

🇮🇪 Ireland

$1,784

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,525

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,784 per month in Sligo vs $1,525 in Istanbul, rent included.

Sligo $1,784
Istanbul $1,525

A couple spends around $2,736 per month in Sligo vs $2,390 in Istanbul, rent included.

Sligo $2,736
Istanbul $2,390

A family of three spends $3,688 per month in Sligo vs $3,256 in Istanbul, rent included.

Sligo $3,688
Istanbul $3,256

Sligo costs about 17% more than Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Sligo and Istanbul sit above the global median – Sligo by 32%, Istanbul by 13%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.00 €15.12

$11.96 ₺592

42.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$77.8 €69.2

$57.2 ₺2,834

35.91%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.98 €7.99

$9.51 ₺471

-5.57%

Cappuccino

$3.67 €3.26

$4.40 ₺218

-16.59%

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

$2.57 €2.29

$1.75 ₺86.6

46.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.88 €1.67

$0.56 ₺27.57

235.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.42 €5.71

$4.71 ₺233

36.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.07 €5.40

$6.14 ₺304

-1.14%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.47 €1.31

$1.24 ₺61.6

18.55%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 €1.28

$0.95 ₺47.25

51.58%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.57 €1.40

$2.28 ₺113

-31.14%

Eggs

$3.53 €3.14

$2.45 ₺121

44.08%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.54 €7.59

$10.56 ₺523

-19.13%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.05 €8.05

$5.50 ₺272

64.55%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.18 €9.94

$21.65 ₺1,072

-48.36%

Apples (1kg)

$2.08 €1.85

$1.83 ₺90.6

13.66%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 €1.56

$2.29 ₺113

-23.58%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.84 €2.52

$1.28 ₺63.4

121.87%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.75 €2.45

$1.82 ₺90.1

51.10%

Potato (1kg)

$1.71 €1.52

$0.66 ₺32.74

159.09%

Onion (1kg)

$1.18 €1.05

$0.63 ₺31.14

87.30%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.26 €1.12

$1.27 ₺62.8

-0.79%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.64 €1.46

$0.56 ₺27.62

192.86%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$17.28 €15.37

$2.36 ₺117

632.20%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.43 €10.17

$12.98 ₺642

-11.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.64 €2.34

$2.48 ₺123

6.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.84 €3.42

$3.50 ₺174

9.71%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.20 €1.96

$0.82 ₺40.77

168.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.2 ₺3,228

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.72 €5.09

$1.33 ₺65.7

330.08%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 €1.28

$0.90 ₺44.60

60.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$67.4 €60.0

$10.91 ₺540

517.87%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.00 €1.78

$1.43 ₺70.7

39.86%

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

$39.7K €35.3K

$49.6K ₺2.5M

-19.91%

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

$37.1K €33.0K

$43.2K ₺2.1M

-14.12%

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

$166 €147

$88.8 ₺4,395

86.66%

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

$22.20 €19.75

$11.69 ₺579

89.91%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$46.25 €41.14

$16.09 ₺797

187.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$65.6 €58.3

$76.3 ₺3,776

-14.02%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.19 €9.95

$22.72 ₺1,125

-50.75%

Cinema Ticket

$10.99 €9.78

$8.26 ₺409

33.05%

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

$807 €718

$1,015 ₺50.2K

-20.49%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,248 €2,000

$25.8K ₺1.3M

-91.30%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.7 €78.9

$53.3 ₺2,636

66.52%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.13 €25.02

$40.55 ₺2,008

-30.63%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$73.8 €65.6

$100 ₺4,956

-26.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.3 €80.3

$93.5 ₺4,630

-3.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,378 €1,226

$977 ₺48.4K

41.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$770 €685

$627 ₺31.0K

22.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,286 €2,034

$1,980 ₺98.0K

15.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,360 €1,210

$1,147 ₺56.8K

18.58%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,114 €1,880

$3,095 ₺153.2K

-31.71%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,787 ₺88.5K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,161 €3,701

$1,213 ₺60.1K

242.99%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.6

40.69

-91.15%

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

Last update for Sligo: October 17, 2026

Last update for Istanbul: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sligo

$770 43.1%

Istanbul

$627 41.1% 18.5% $143

Groceries & Markets

Sligo

$276 15.5%

Istanbul

$263 17.2% 4.8% $13

Eating Out

Sligo

$269 15.1%

Istanbul

$222 14.6% 17.4% $47

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sligo

$234 13.1%

Istanbul

$117 7.6% 50.2% $118

Clothing & Footwear

Sligo

$126 7.1%

Istanbul

$129 8.5% 2.4% $3

Sport & Entertainment

Sligo

$88 4.9%

Istanbul

$93 6.1% 6% $5.2

Getting Around

Sligo

$22 * 1.2%

Istanbul

$74 4.9% 243% $53

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,378 in Sligo versus $977 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 243% higher in Sligo, 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 $78.0 in Sligo versus $57.0 in Istanbul. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $276 vs $263 – making Istanbul the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇪 Sligo

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

09:52 9:52 AM

11:52 11:52 AM

2 h ahead of Sligo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

20,608

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

Sligo Istanbul 3,120 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Sligo
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

Sligo vs Istanbul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Sligo is pricier by about 17%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,676 per month in Sligo and $2,287 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $78.0 in Sligo and $57.0 in Istanbul. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 5% more in Sligo, 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 $1,525, than in Sligo at $1,784. In Istanbul it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sligo 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, Sligo makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.