Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Szekesfehervar and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in Szekesfehervar: $1,092 a month against $1,550 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $5,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

53

Cost of Living Index in Szekesfehervar
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Szekesfehervar Living Index
75

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index

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Szekesfehervar

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,092

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,092 per month in Szekesfehervar vs $1,550 in Istanbul, rent included.

Szekesfehervar $1,092
Istanbul $1,550

A couple spends around $1,793 per month in Szekesfehervar vs $2,415 in Istanbul, rent included.

Szekesfehervar $1,793
Istanbul $2,415

A family of three spends $2,494 per month in Szekesfehervar vs $3,281 in Istanbul, rent included.

Szekesfehervar $2,494
Istanbul $3,281

Szekesfehervar is about 30% cheaper than Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Szekesfehervar sits 19% below the global median, while Istanbul is 15% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.28 Ft 2,998

$12.30 ₺609

-24.55%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$57.0 Ft 18.4K

$54.7 ₺2,708

4.24%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.35 Ft 2,696

$9.22 ₺456

-9.44%

Cappuccino

$2.15 Ft 695

$4.40 ₺218

-51.14%

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

$1.42 Ft 458

$1.68 ₺83.1

-15.48%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.07 Ft 346

$0.59 ₺29.40

81.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.01 Ft 650

$4.70 ₺233

-57.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.22 Ft 717

$5.91 ₺292

-62.44%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.22 Ft 394

$1.21 ₺60.0

0.83%

White Bread (500g)

$1.35 Ft 435

$0.89 ₺44.10

51.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 Ft 812

$2.19 ₺108

14.61%

Eggs

$3.37 Ft 1,089

$2.35 ₺116

43.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.76 Ft 3,476

$10.42 ₺516

3.26%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.18 Ft 1,997

$5.65 ₺280

9.38%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.27 Ft 5,256

$20.94 ₺1,037

-22.30%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 Ft 696

$1.90 ₺94.1

13.16%

Banana (1kg)

$2.25 Ft 728

$2.31 ₺114

-2.60%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.98 Ft 640

$1.28 ₺63.1

54.69%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.15 Ft 1,018

$1.80 ₺89.0

75.00%

Potato (1kg)

$0.98 Ft 318

$0.65 ₺32.16

50.77%

Onion (1kg)

$1.08 Ft 350

$0.64 ₺31.91

68.75%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.65 Ft 533

$1.25 ₺62.1

32.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 Ft 157

$0.56 ₺27.58

-12.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.40 Ft 2,067

$2.37 ₺118

170.04%

Wine (Bottle)

$3.07 Ft 993

$13.42 ₺664

-77.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.25 Ft 405

$2.40 ₺119

-47.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.02 Ft 653

$3.48 ₺172

-41.95%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.23 Ft 399

$0.89 ₺43.84

38.20%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.59 Ft 8,589

$67.4 ₺3,338

-60.57%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.97 Ft 960

$1.29 ₺64.1

130.23%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.73 Ft 558

$0.92 ₺45.70

88.04%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$18.60 Ft 6,011

$10.96 ₺542

69.71%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.90 Ft 613

$1.47 ₺72.9

29.25%

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

$29.7K Ft 9.6M

$50.8K ₺2.5M

-41.59%

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

$30.8K Ft 10.0M

$44.5K ₺2.2M

-30.79%

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

$129 Ft 41.5K

$88.6 ₺4,387

45.13%

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

$26.81 Ft 8,662

$11.59 ₺574

131.32%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.60 Ft 6,333

$15.81 ₺783

23.97%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.64 Ft 15.1K

$77.2 ₺3,820

-39.55%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.74 ₺1,126

Cinema Ticket

$8.73 Ft 2,819

$8.14 ₺403

7.25%

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

$244 Ft 78.9K

$1,008 ₺49.9K

-75.77%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,665 Ft 2.2M

$25.6K ₺1.3M

-73.93%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.1 Ft 22.6K

$54.0 ₺2,671

29.90%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.67 Ft 7,970

$40.83 ₺2,021

-39.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.5 Ft 24.7K

$98.9 ₺4,895

-22.60%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.0 Ft 27.5K

$96.6 ₺4,783

-12.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$395 Ft 127.7K

$985 ₺48.7K

-59.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$302 Ft 97.5K

$650 ₺32.2K

-53.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$614 Ft 198.5K

$1,983 ₺98.2K

-69.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$653 Ft 210.9K

$1,180 ₺58.4K

-44.70%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,394 Ft 1.1M

$3,138 ₺155.4K

8.14%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,080 Ft 995.0K

$1,780 ₺88.1K

73.04%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,456 Ft 470.5K

$1,205 ₺59.7K

20.82%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.67

40.92

-83.70%

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

Last update for Szekesfehervar: October 13, 2026

Last update for Istanbul: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Szekesfehervar

$302 27.6%

Istanbul

$650 41.9% 115% $348

Groceries & Markets

Szekesfehervar

$243 22.3%

Istanbul

$260 16.8% 6.8% $17

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Szekesfehervar

$175 16%

Istanbul

$116 7.5% 33.7% $59

Eating Out

Szekesfehervar

$150 13.7%

Istanbul

$223 14.4% 49.3% $74

Clothing & Footwear

Szekesfehervar

$115 10.6%

Istanbul

$131 8.4% 13.2% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Szekesfehervar

$64 5.9%

Istanbul

$93 6% 45.8% $29

Getting Around

Szekesfehervar

$43 4%

Istanbul

$77 5% 78.3% $34

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $395 in Szekesfehervar versus $985 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 21% higher in Szekesfehervar, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $57.0 in Szekesfehervar versus $55.0 in Istanbul. Groceries tell a different story – $243 in Szekesfehervar vs $260 in Istanbul – so Szekesfehervar wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Szekesfehervar

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

01:40 1:40 AM

02:40 2:40 AM

1 h ahead of Szekesfehervar

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

96,024

15,701,602

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR

100 TRY = 2.02 USD

100 TRY = 1.8 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TRY, USD, EUR to HUF – Hungarian Forint Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇭🇺 Hungarian Forint (Ft)

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 323 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 363 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR).

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 49.51 TRY (100 TRY = 2.02 USD). 1 EUR = 55.66 TRY (100 TRY = 1.8 EUR).

USD to HUF in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Szekesfehervar Istanbul 1,090 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Szekesfehervar
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

Szekesfehervar vs Istanbul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 42%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,638 per month in Szekesfehervar and $2,325 in Istanbul. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Szekesfehervar, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $244 per month in Szekesfehervar and $1,008 in Istanbul. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 7% 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 $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Szekesfehervar, where all-in costs run around $1,092, than in Istanbul at $1,550. In Szekesfehervar it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Szekesfehervar – 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 Szekesfehervar. 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.