Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Szekszard and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in Szekszard: $1,184 a month against $1,550 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $4,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Szekszard
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Szekszard Living Index
75

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index

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Szekszard

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,184

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,184 per month in Szekszard vs $1,550 in Istanbul, rent included.

Szekszard $1,184
Istanbul $1,550

A couple spends around $1,818 per month in Szekszard vs $2,415 in Istanbul, rent included.

Szekszard $1,818
Istanbul $2,415

A family of three spends $2,452 per month in Szekszard vs $3,281 in Istanbul, rent included.

Szekszard $2,452
Istanbul $3,281

Szekszard is about 24% cheaper than Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Szekszard sits 12% below the global median, while Istanbul is 15% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.34 Ft 3,986

$12.30 ₺609

0.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.10 Ft 14.9K

$54.7 ₺2,708

-15.72%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.09 Ft 2,938

$9.22 ₺456

-1.41%

Cappuccino

$1.51 Ft 489

$4.40 ₺218

-65.68%

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

$1.92 Ft 620

$1.68 ₺83.1

14.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.15 Ft 371

$0.59 ₺29.40

94.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.02 Ft 976

$4.70 ₺233

-35.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 Ft 889

$5.91 ₺292

-53.47%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 Ft 366

$1.21 ₺60.0

-6.61%

White Bread (500g)

$1.39 Ft 448

$0.89 ₺44.10

56.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.36 Ft 761

$2.19 ₺108

7.76%

Eggs

$3.14 Ft 1,014

$2.35 ₺116

33.62%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.96 Ft 3,542

$10.42 ₺516

5.18%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.42 Ft 2,075

$5.65 ₺280

13.63%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.68 Ft 4,420

$20.94 ₺1,037

-34.67%

Apples (1kg)

$1.65 Ft 534

$1.90 ₺94.1

-13.16%

Banana (1kg)

$1.97 Ft 636

$2.31 ₺114

-14.72%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.94 Ft 628

$1.28 ₺63.1

51.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.68 Ft 866

$1.80 ₺89.0

48.89%

Potato (1kg)

$1.05 Ft 338

$0.65 ₺32.16

61.54%

Onion (1kg)

$1.30 Ft 419

$0.64 ₺31.91

103.13%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.68 Ft 544

$1.25 ₺62.1

34.40%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.47 Ft 153

$0.56 ₺27.58

-16.07%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.74 Ft 2,502

$2.37 ₺118

226.58%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.02 Ft 1,944

$13.42 ₺664

-55.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.13 Ft 366

$2.40 ₺119

-52.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.51 Ft 489

$3.48 ₺172

-56.61%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.21 Ft 390

$0.89 ₺43.84

35.96%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.94 Ft 8,703

$67.4 ₺3,338

-60.05%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.15 Ft 1,018

$1.29 ₺64.1

144.19%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.50 Ft 485

$0.92 ₺45.70

63.04%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$18.22 Ft 5,886

$10.96 ₺542

66.24%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.83 Ft 590

$1.47 ₺72.9

24.49%

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

$32.7K Ft 10.6M

$50.8K ₺2.5M

-35.68%

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

$33.5K Ft 10.8M

$44.5K ₺2.2M

-24.84%

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

$120 Ft 38.9K

$88.6 ₺4,387

35.82%

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

$18.05 Ft 5,833

$11.59 ₺574

55.74%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.16 Ft 7,482

$15.81 ₺783

46.49%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$47.14 Ft 15.2K

$77.2 ₺3,820

-38.91%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.37 Ft 5,935

$22.74 ₺1,126

-19.22%

Cinema Ticket

$7.49 Ft 2,419

$8.14 ₺403

-7.99%

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

$252 Ft 81.5K

$1,008 ₺49.9K

-74.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,566 Ft 2.8M

$25.6K ₺1.3M

-66.49%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.8 Ft 20.0K

$54.0 ₺2,671

14.51%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.55 Ft 7,932

$40.83 ₺2,021

-39.87%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 Ft 29.6K

$98.9 ₺4,895

-7.49%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$76.4 Ft 24.7K

$96.6 ₺4,783

-20.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$524 Ft 169.3K

$985 ₺48.7K

-46.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$393 Ft 126.9K

$650 ₺32.2K

-39.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$752 Ft 243.1K

$1,983 ₺98.2K

-62.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$650 Ft 209.9K

$1,180 ₺58.4K

-44.94%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,584 Ft 511.7K

$3,138 ₺155.4K

-49.53%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,204 Ft 388.9K

$1,780 ₺88.1K

-32.37%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$919 Ft 296.8K

$1,205 ₺59.7K

-23.79%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.25

40.92

-79.84%

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

Last update for Szekszard: October 12, 2026

Last update for Istanbul: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Szekszard

$393 33.2%

Istanbul

$650 41.9% 65.5% $257

Groceries & Markets

Szekszard

$233 19.7%

Istanbul

$260 16.8% 11.3% $26

Eating Out

Szekszard

$177 15%

Istanbul

$223 14.4% 26.1% $46

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Szekszard

$162 13.7%

Istanbul

$116 7.5% 28.2% $46

Clothing & Footwear

Szekszard

$114 9.7%

Istanbul

$131 8.4% 14.2% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Szekszard

$62 5.3%

Istanbul

$93 6% 50.4% $31

Getting Around

Szekszard

$42 3.6%

Istanbul

$77 5% 81.3% $34

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $524 in Szekszard 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 31% 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 $46.00 in Szekszard versus $55.0 in Istanbul. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $233 vs $260 – making Szekszard the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Szekszard

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

22:56 10:56 PM

23:56 11:56 PM

1 h ahead of Szekszard

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

29,707

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

Szekszard Istanbul 1,020 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Szekszard
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

Szekszard vs Istanbul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 31%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,775 per month in Szekszard 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 Szekszard, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $252 per month in Szekszard 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 11% 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 Szekszard, where all-in costs run around $1,184, than in Istanbul at $1,550. In Szekszard it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Szekszard – 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 Szekszard. 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.