Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Spain and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in Istanbul: $1,526 a month against $1,783 in Spain, rent and utilities included – about $3,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

🇪🇸 Spain
$1,783
/mo nomad
Istanbul
🇹🇷 Turkey
$1,526
/mo nomad
😐 Solo nomad: Spain is 0.2% more expensive than Istanbul without rent, and 16.8% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Spain is 1.9% more expensive than Istanbul without rent, and 4.8% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Spain
Istanbul
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$16.95 €15.12
$11.88 ₺585
42.68%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$56.7 €50.6
$55.1 ₺2,714
2.87%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.32 €10.10
$9.14 ₺450
23.85%
Cappuccino
$2.33 €2.08
$4.24 ₺209
-45.05%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.67 €2.39
$1.75 ₺86.0
52.57%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.86 €1.66
$0.54 ₺26.83
244.44%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.27 €2.92
$4.69 ₺231
-30.28%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.96 €3.53
$5.97 ₺294
-33.67%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Spain
Istanbul
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.22 €1.09
$1.26 ₺62.1
-3.17%
White Bread (500g)
$1.47 €1.31
$0.95 ₺46.81
54.74%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.67 €1.49
$2.31 ₺114
-27.71%
Eggs
$3.45 €3.08
$2.47 ₺122
39.68%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$14.14 €12.62
$10.55 ₺520
34.03%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.30 €7.41
$5.60 ₺276
48.21%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$15.99 €14.27
$21.21 ₺1,045
-24.61%
Apples (1kg)
$2.44 €2.18
$1.93 ₺95.1
26.42%
Banana (1kg)
$1.97 €1.76
$2.29 ₺113
-13.97%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.16 €1.93
$1.28 ₺63.1
68.75%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.58 €2.30
$1.84 ₺90.8
40.22%
Potato (1kg)
$1.86 €1.66
$0.67 ₺32.86
177.61%
Onion (1kg)
$1.95 €1.74
$0.59 ₺29.31
230.51%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.35 €1.21
$1.33 ₺65.4
1.50%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.72 €0.65
$0.59 ₺29.10
22.03%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$6.36 €5.68
$2.36 ₺116
169.49%
Wine (Bottle)
$5.59 €4.99
$13.47 ₺664
-58.50%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.25 €1.11
$2.42 ₺119
-48.35%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.04 €1.82
$3.54 ₺174
-42.37%
🚌 Getting Around
Spain
Istanbul
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.65 €1.47
$0.83 ₺40.64
98.80%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$33.88 €30.24
$66.5 ₺3,273
-49.01%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.45 €3.97
$1.35 ₺66.6
229.63%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.44 €1.29
$0.85 ₺42.05
69.41%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$24.55 €21.91
$10.86 ₺535
126.06%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.74 €1.56
$1.47 ₺72.3
18.37%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$36.0K €32.1K
$51.6K ₺2.5M
-30.35%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$29.8K €26.6K
$44.4K ₺2.2M
-32.89%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Spain
Istanbul
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$151 €135
$89.2 ₺4,395
69.66%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$17.62 €15.72
$11.60 ₺572
51.90%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$32.06 €28.61
$16.10 ₺793
99.13%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Spain
Istanbul
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$45.30 €40.42
$77.3 ₺3,805
-41.36%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$15.11 €13.49
$22.66 ₺1,116
-33.32%
Cinema Ticket
$9.27 €8.27
$8.34 ₺411
11.15%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Spain
Istanbul
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$531 €474
$974 ₺48.0K
-45.49%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$10.4K €9,278
$25.8K ₺1.3M
-59.66%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Spain
Istanbul
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$86.4 €77.1
$52.7 ₺2,597
63.84%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$37.02 €33.04
$39.16 ₺1,929
-5.46%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$90.9 €81.1
$103 ₺5,083
-11.92%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$104 €92.9
$96.6 ₺4,759
7.78%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Spain
Istanbul
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$993 €886
$994 ₺49.0K
-0.08%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$791 €706
$629 ₺31.0K
25.67%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,606 €1,433
$2,024 ₺99.7K
-20.68%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,197 €1,068
$1,155 ₺56.9K
3.63%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,073 €3,635
$3,160 ₺155.7K
28.90%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,601 €2,321
$1,838 ₺90.5K
41.55%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Spain
Istanbul
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$2,001 €1,786
$1,203 ₺59.3K
66.27%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.29
41.09
-91.99%

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

Last update for Spain: October 4, 2026

Last update for Istanbul: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Spain
$791
Istanbul
$629 20.4% $162
Groceries & Markets
Spain
$270
Istanbul
$264 2.2% $5.9
Eating Out
Spain
$240
Istanbul
$218 9.2% $22
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Spain
$201
Istanbul
$117 41.8% $84
Clothing & Footwear
Spain
$143
Istanbul
$131 8.4% $12
Sport & Entertainment
Spain
$64
Istanbul
$94 47.1% $30
Getting Around
Spain
$52
Istanbul
$75 44.6% $23
Good to know
🇪🇸 Spain
🇹🇷 Istanbul
🕒 Local time
05:16 5:16 AM
06:16 6:16 AM
1 h ahead of Spain
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
47,415,750
15,701,602
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

TRY, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

Euro exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 49.26 TRY (100 TRY = 2.03 USD). 1 EUR = 55.25 TRY (100 TRY = 1.81 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Spain Istanbul 2,740 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Spain
  • 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

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