Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sveti Nikole and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in Sveti Nikole: $847 a month against $1,526 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $8,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

41

Cost of Living Index in Sveti Nikole
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Sveti Nikole Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index

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Sveti Nikole

🇲🇰 North Macedonia

$847

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,526

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $847 per month in Sveti Nikole vs $1,526 in Istanbul, rent included.

Sveti Nikole $847
Istanbul $1,526

A couple spends around $1,299 per month in Sveti Nikole vs $2,399 in Istanbul, rent included.

Sveti Nikole $1,299
Istanbul $2,399

A family of three spends $1,752 per month in Sveti Nikole vs $3,272 in Istanbul, rent included.

Sveti Nikole $1,752
Istanbul $3,272

Sveti Nikole is about 44% cheaper than Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Sveti Nikole sits 37% below the global median, while Istanbul is 14% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.91 MKD 488

$11.88 ₺585

-25.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$34.23 MKD 1,876

$55.1 ₺2,714

-37.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.31 MKD 291

$9.14 ₺450

-41.90%

Cappuccino

$1.62 MKD 88.8

$4.24 ₺209

-61.79%

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

$1.40 MKD 76.7

$1.75 ₺86.0

-20.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.98 MKD 53.6

$0.54 ₺26.83

81.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.59 MKD 87.0

$4.69 ₺231

-66.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.81 MKD 99.1

$5.97 ₺294

-69.68%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 MKD 71.1

$1.26 ₺62.1

3.17%

White Bread (500g)

$0.59 MKD 32.37

$0.95 ₺46.81

-37.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.15 MKD 63.2

$2.31 ₺114

-50.22%

Eggs

$2.50 MKD 137

$2.47 ₺122

1.21%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.98 MKD 492

$10.55 ₺520

-14.88%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.62 MKD 253

$5.60 ₺276

-17.50%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.02 MKD 659

$21.21 ₺1,045

-43.33%

Apples (1kg)

$1.35 MKD 74.0

$1.93 ₺95.1

-30.05%

Banana (1kg)

$1.24 MKD 67.8

$2.29 ₺113

-45.85%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.23 MKD 67.7

$1.28 ₺63.1

-3.91%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.70 MKD 93.3

$1.84 ₺90.8

-7.61%

Potato (1kg)

$0.74 MKD 40.77

$0.67 ₺32.86

10.45%

Onion (1kg)

$1.16 MKD 63.8

$0.59 ₺29.31

96.61%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.80 MKD 43.74

$1.33 ₺65.4

-39.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.42 MKD 23.08

$0.59 ₺29.10

-28.81%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.03 MKD 166

$2.36 ₺116

28.39%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.41 MKD 351

$13.47 ₺664

-52.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.98 MKD 53.5

$2.42 ₺119

-59.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.42 MKD 77.7

$3.54 ₺174

-59.89%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.72 MKD 39.23

$0.83 ₺40.64

-13.25%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$23.30 MKD 1,277

$66.5 ₺3,273

-64.94%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.43 MKD 78.6

$1.35 ₺66.6

5.93%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.99 MKD 54.1

$0.85 ₺42.05

16.47%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.71 MKD 203

$10.86 ₺535

-65.84%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 MKD 80.7

$1.47 ₺72.3

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

$34.4K MKD 1.9M

$51.6K ₺2.5M

-33.40%

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

$27.3K MKD 1.5M

$44.4K ₺2.2M

-38.57%

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

$128 MKD 7,030

$89.2 ₺4,395

43.78%

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

$15.35 MKD 841

$11.60 ₺572

32.33%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.85 MKD 649

$16.10 ₺793

-26.40%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$22.65 MKD 1,241

$77.3 ₺3,805

-70.68%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.14 MKD 884

$22.66 ₺1,116

-28.77%

Cinema Ticket

$4.93 MKD 270

$8.34 ₺411

-40.89%

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

$303 MKD 16.6K

$974 ₺48.0K

-68.87%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,086 MKD 169.1K

$25.8K ₺1.3M

-88.03%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.7 MKD 3,982

$52.7 ₺2,597

37.85%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.69 MKD 1,736

$39.16 ₺1,929

-19.08%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$82.5 MKD 4,523

$103 ₺5,083

-20.01%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.5 MKD 4,684

$96.6 ₺4,759

-11.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$239 MKD 13.1K

$994 ₺49.0K

-75.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$182 MKD 9,990

$629 ₺31.0K

-71.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$539 MKD 29.5K

$2,024 ₺99.7K

-73.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$262 MKD 14.3K

$1,155 ₺56.9K

-77.35%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,505 MKD 82.5K

$3,160 ₺155.7K

-52.37%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,149 MKD 63.0K

$1,838 ₺90.5K

-37.47%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$548 MKD 30.0K

$1,203 ₺59.3K

-54.50%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.23

41.09

-89.71%

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

Last update for Sveti Nikole: October 5, 2026

Last update for Istanbul: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sveti Nikole

$182 21.9%

Istanbul

$629 41.2% 245% $447

Groceries & Markets

Sveti Nikole

$181 21.7%

Istanbul

$264 17.3% 46.2% $83

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sveti Nikole

$155 18.7%

Istanbul

$117 7.7% 24.8% $39

Eating Out

Sveti Nikole

$128 15.3%

Istanbul

$218 14.3% 70.6% $90

Clothing & Footwear

Sveti Nikole

$123 14.7%

Istanbul

$131 8.6% 7.1% $8.7

Getting Around

Sveti Nikole

$33 3.9%

Istanbul

$75 4.9% 132% $43

Sport & Entertainment

Sveti Nikole

$33 3.9%

Istanbul

$94 6.1% 189% $61

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $239 in Sveti Nikole 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 120% higher in Istanbul, 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 $34.00 in Sveti Nikole versus $55.0 in Istanbul. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $181 vs $264 – making Sveti Nikole the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇰 Sveti Nikole

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

10:00 10:00 AM

11:00 11:00 AM

1 h ahead of Sveti Nikole

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

13,220

15,701,602

💱 Currency

North Macedonian Denar MKD ден

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

📈 Exchange rate

100 MKD = 1.82 USD

100 MKD = 1.63 EUR

100 TRY = 2.03 USD

100 TRY = 1.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TRY, USD, EUR to MKD – North Macedonian Denar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇰 North Macedonian Denar (ден)

North Macedonian Denar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 54.8 MKD (100 MKD = 1.82 USD). 1 EUR = 61.46 MKD (100 MKD = 1.63 EUR).

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 MKD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Sveti Nikole Istanbul 590 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Sveti Nikole
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

Sveti Nikole vs Istanbul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 80%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,271 per month in Sveti Nikole 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 Sveti Nikole, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $303 per month in Sveti Nikole 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 46% more in Istanbul, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Sveti Nikole, where all-in costs run around $847, than in Istanbul at $1,526. In Sveti Nikole it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Sveti Nikole – 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 Sveti Nikole. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Istanbul makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.