Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Split and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in Istanbul: $1,526 a month against $1,819 in Split, rent and utilities included – about $3,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

90

Cost of Living Index in Split
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Split Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index

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Split

🇭🇷 Croatia

$1,819

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,526

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,819 per month in Split vs $1,526 in Istanbul, rent included.

Split $1,819
Istanbul $1,526

A couple spends around $2,815 per month in Split vs $2,399 in Istanbul, rent included.

Split $2,815
Istanbul $2,399

A family of three spends $3,810 per month in Split vs $3,272 in Istanbul, rent included.

Split $3,810
Istanbul $3,272

Split costs about 19% more than Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Split and Istanbul sit above the global median – Split by 36%, Istanbul by 14%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.92 €15.10

$11.88 ₺585

42.42%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$74.3 €66.3

$55.1 ₺2,714

34.82%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.40 €10.17

$9.14 ₺450

24.73%

Cappuccino

$2.86 €2.55

$4.24 ₺209

-32.55%

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

$4.11 €3.67

$1.75 ₺86.0

134.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.95 €2.63

$0.54 ₺26.83

446.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.75 €4.24

$4.69 ₺231

1.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.91 €4.38

$5.97 ₺294

-17.76%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.32 €1.18

$1.26 ₺62.1

4.76%

White Bread (500g)

$2.16 €1.93

$0.95 ₺46.81

127.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.69 €3.29

$2.31 ₺114

59.74%

Eggs

$4.21 €3.75

$2.47 ₺122

70.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.85 €12.36

$10.55 ₺520

31.28%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.54 €8.52

$5.60 ₺276

70.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.20 €11.78

$21.21 ₺1,045

-37.77%

Apples (1kg)

$2.20 €1.96

$1.93 ₺95.1

13.99%

Banana (1kg)

$1.82 €1.62

$2.29 ₺113

-20.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.91 €1.70

$1.28 ₺63.1

49.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.80 €2.50

$1.84 ₺90.8

52.17%

Potato (1kg)

$1.52 €1.35

$0.67 ₺32.86

126.87%

Onion (1kg)

$1.18 €1.05

$0.59 ₺29.31

100.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.35 €1.20

$1.33 ₺65.4

1.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 €1.08

$0.59 ₺29.10

105.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.63 €5.02

$2.36 ₺116

138.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.93 €7.97

$13.47 ₺664

-33.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.72 €1.54

$2.42 ₺119

-28.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.24 €2.00

$3.54 ₺174

-36.72%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.70 €1.52

$0.83 ₺40.64

104.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$39.64 €35.38

$66.5 ₺3,273

-40.35%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.76 €3.36

$1.35 ₺66.6

178.52%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.14 €1.91

$0.85 ₺42.05

151.76%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.30 €26.15

$10.86 ₺535

169.80%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.89 €1.69

$1.47 ₺72.3

28.57%

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

$28.3K €25.3K

$51.6K ₺2.5M

-45.16%

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

$24.5K €21.9K

$44.4K ₺2.2M

-44.83%

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

$207 €185

$89.2 ₺4,395

131.83%

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

$20.38 €18.19

$11.60 ₺572

75.69%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.24 €37.69

$16.10 ₺793

162.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$60.9 €54.3

$77.3 ₺3,805

-21.22%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.12 €11.70

$22.66 ₺1,116

-42.10%

Cinema Ticket

$9.22 €8.23

$8.34 ₺411

10.55%

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

$622 €555

$974 ₺48.0K

-36.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K €10.4K

$25.8K ₺1.3M

-54.87%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$93.6 €83.5

$52.7 ₺2,597

77.52%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.70 €36.32

$39.16 ₺1,929

3.93%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$115 €102

$103 ₺5,083

11.22%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.7 €88.1

$96.6 ₺4,759

2.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,008 €900

$994 ₺49.0K

1.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$727 €649

$629 ₺31.0K

15.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,921 €1,715

$2,024 ₺99.7K

-5.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,309 €1,168

$1,155 ₺56.9K

13.31%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,330 €6,541

$3,160 ₺155.7K

131.95%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,057 €4,512

$1,838 ₺90.5K

175.16%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,601 €1,429

$1,203 ₺59.3K

33.04%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.44

41.09

-91.63%

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

Last update for Split: October 3, 2026

Last update for Istanbul: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Split

$727 39.2%

Istanbul

$629 41.2% 13.5% $98

Groceries & Markets

Split

$297 16%

Istanbul

$264 17.3% 11% $33

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Split

$269 14.5%

Istanbul

$117 7.7% 56.6% $153

Eating Out

Split

$266 14.3%

Istanbul

$218 14.3% 18% $48

Clothing & Footwear

Split

$156 8.4%

Istanbul

$131 8.6% 16.1% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Split

$79 4.3%

Istanbul

$94 6.1% 18.4% $15

Getting Around

Split

$61 3.3%

Istanbul

$75 4.9% 23.8% $14

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,008 in Split versus $994 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 33% higher in Split, 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 $74.0 in Split versus $55.0 in Istanbul. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $297 vs $264 – making Istanbul the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇷 Split

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

03:32 3:32 AM

04:32 4:32 AM

1 h ahead of Split

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,830

15,701,602

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 TRY = 2.03 USD

100 TRY = 1.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TRY, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

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).

USD to EUR in detail →

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Between locations

Split Istanbul 1,070 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

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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

Split vs Istanbul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Split is pricier by about 19%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,729 per month in Split and $2,289 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 $622 per month in Split and $974 in Istanbul. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 12% more in Split, 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 $1,526, than in Split at $1,819. In Istanbul it covers expenses comfortably, while in Split 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, Split makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.