Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tamarisi and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in Tamarisi: $575 a month against $1,525 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $11,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

28

Cost of Living Index in Tamarisi
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Tamarisi Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index

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Tamarisi

🇬🇪 Georgia

$575

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,525

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $575 per month in Tamarisi vs $1,525 in Istanbul, rent included.

Tamarisi $575
Istanbul $1,525

A couple spends around $938 per month in Tamarisi vs $2,390 in Istanbul, rent included.

Tamarisi $938
Istanbul $2,390

A family of three spends $1,302 per month in Tamarisi vs $3,256 in Istanbul, rent included.

Tamarisi $1,302
Istanbul $3,256

Tamarisi is about 62% cheaper than Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Tamarisi sits 58% below the global median, while Istanbul is 13% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.16 ₾26.30

$11.96 ₺592

-15.05%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.37 ₾78.6

$57.2 ₺2,834

-46.93%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.83 ₾28.02

$9.51 ₺471

13.88%

Cappuccino

$2.05 ₾5.32

$4.40 ₺218

-53.41%

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

$0.82 ₾2.13

$1.75 ₺86.6

-53.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.55 ₾1.43

$0.56 ₺27.57

-1.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.22 ₾3.15

$4.71 ₺233

-74.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.91 ₾4.95

$6.14 ₺304

-68.89%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.75 ₾4.53

$1.24 ₺61.6

41.13%

White Bread (500g)

$0.51 ₾1.31

$0.95 ₺47.25

-46.32%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.28 ₾3.30

$2.28 ₺113

-43.86%

Eggs

$2.29 ₾5.92

$2.45 ₺121

-6.53%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.17 ₾15.98

$10.56 ₺523

-41.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.82 ₾12.48

$5.50 ₺272

-12.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.55 ₾27.30

$21.65 ₺1,072

-51.27%

Apples (1kg)

$1.19 ₾3.09

$1.83 ₺90.6

-34.97%

Banana (1kg)

$1.54 ₾3.99

$2.29 ₺113

-32.75%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.49 ₾3.86

$1.28 ₺63.4

16.41%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.78 ₾4.61

$1.82 ₺90.1

-2.20%

Potato (1kg)

$0.77 ₾2.00

$0.66 ₺32.74

16.67%

Onion (1kg)

$0.67 ₾1.73

$0.63 ₺31.14

6.35%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.22 ₾3.15

$1.27 ₺62.8

-3.94%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.69 ₾1.78

$0.56 ₺27.62

23.21%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.01 ₾7.79

$2.36 ₺117

27.54%

Wine (Bottle)

$3.93 ₾10.16

$12.98 ₺642

-69.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 ₾4.22

$2.48 ₺123

-34.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 ₾6.48

$3.50 ₺174

-28.57%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.82 ₺40.77

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.2 ₺3,228

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.75 ₾1.94

$1.33 ₺65.7

-43.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.74 ₾1.91

$0.90 ₺44.60

-17.78%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.88 ₾15.21

$10.91 ₺540

-46.10%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 ₾3.32

$1.43 ₺70.7

-10.49%

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

$22.9K ₾59.3K

$49.6K ₺2.5M

-53.80%

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

$22.2K ₾57.5K

$43.2K ₺2.1M

-48.60%

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

$77.9 ₾202

$88.8 ₺4,395

-12.25%

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

$8.62 ₾22.33

$11.69 ₺579

-26.26%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$14.84 ₾38.42

$16.09 ₺797

-7.77%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$76.3 ₺3,776

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.72 ₺1,125

Cinema Ticket

$4.94 ₾12.79

$8.26 ₺409

-40.19%

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

$128 ₾331

$1,015 ₺50.2K

-87.41%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,719 ₾7,038

$25.8K ₺1.3M

-89.48%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.5 ₾146

$53.3 ₺2,636

6.18%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.57 ₾102

$40.55 ₺2,008

-2.42%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$97.5 ₾252

$100 ₺4,956

-2.58%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$87.1 ₾226

$93.5 ₺4,630

-6.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$977 ₺48.4K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$627 ₺31.0K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,980 ₺98.0K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,147 ₺56.8K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,095 ₺153.2K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,787 ₺88.5K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,213 ₺60.1K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

15.67

40.69

-61.49%

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

Last update for Tamarisi: October 18, 2026

Last update for Istanbul: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Tamarisi

$179 31.1%

Istanbul

$263 17.2% 46.7% $84

Eating Out

Tamarisi

$154 26.8%

Istanbul

$222 14.6% 44.4% $68

Clothing & Footwear

Tamarisi

$126 22%

Istanbul

$129 8.5% 2.4% $3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tamarisi

$101 17.6%

Istanbul

$117 7.6% 15% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Tamarisi

$9.9 * 1.7%

Istanbul

$93 6.1% 839% $83

Getting Around

Tamarisi

$4.4 * 0.8%

Istanbul

$74 4.9% 1578% $70

Accommodation & Living

Tamarisi

- * 0%

Istanbul

$627 41.1%

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $30.00 in Tamarisi versus $57.0 in Istanbul. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $179 vs $263 – making Tamarisi the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇪 Tamarisi

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

22:51 10:51 PM

21:51 9:51 PM

1 h behind Tamarisi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,000

15,701,602

💱 Currency

Georgian Lari GEL ₾

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

📈 Exchange rate

1 GEL = 0.386 USD

1 GEL = 0.344 EUR

100 TRY = 2.02 USD

100 TRY = 1.8 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TRY, USD, EUR to GEL – Georgian Lari Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇪 Georgian Lari (₾)

Georgian Lari exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 2.59 GEL (1 GEL = 0.386 USD). 1 EUR = 2.91 GEL (1 GEL = 0.344 EUR).

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 49.51 TRY (100 TRY = 2.02 USD). 1 EUR = 55.66 TRY (100 TRY = 1.8 EUR).

USD to GEL in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Tamarisi Istanbul 1,320 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Tamarisi
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

Tamarisi vs Istanbul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 165%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $862 per month in Tamarisi and $2,287 in Istanbul. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $30.00 in Tamarisi and $57.0 in Istanbul. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 47% 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 $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Tamarisi, where all-in costs run around $575, than in Istanbul at $1,525. In Tamarisi it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Tamarisi – 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 Tamarisi. 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.