Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Targu Mures and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in Targu Mures: $1,038 a month against $1,519 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $5,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

49

Cost of Living Index in Targu Mures
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Targu Mures Living Index
73

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index

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Targu Mures

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,038

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,519

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,038 per month in Targu Mures vs $1,519 in Istanbul, rent included.

Targu Mures $1,038
Istanbul $1,519

A couple spends around $1,544 per month in Targu Mures vs $2,365 in Istanbul, rent included.

Targu Mures $1,544
Istanbul $2,365

A family of three spends $2,049 per month in Targu Mures vs $3,212 in Istanbul, rent included.

Targu Mures $2,049
Istanbul $3,212

Targu Mures is about 32% cheaper than Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Targu Mures sits 23% below the global median, while Istanbul is 12% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.64 RON 41.04

$11.81 ₺592

-26.84%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$41.79 RON 199

$54.9 ₺2,754

-23.89%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.26 RON 39.23

$9.26 ₺465

-10.80%

Cappuccino

$2.12 RON 10.07

$4.30 ₺216

-50.70%

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

$1.58 RON 7.51

$1.77 ₺89.0

-10.73%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.19 RON 5.65

$0.56 ₺28.32

112.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.66 RON 7.88

$4.69 ₺235

-64.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 RON 10.82

$7.12 ₺357

-67.98%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.40 RON 6.65

$1.25 ₺62.7

12.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.07 RON 5.06

$0.88 ₺44.17

21.59%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.40 RON 6.68

$2.20 ₺111

-36.36%

Eggs

$2.84 RON 13.52

$2.43 ₺122

16.87%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.17 RON 38.82

$10.48 ₺526

-22.04%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.89 RON 27.99

$5.31 ₺267

10.92%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.33 RON 49.07

$21.10 ₺1,058

-51.04%

Apples (1kg)

$1.00 RON 4.75

$1.86 ₺93.1

-46.24%

Banana (1kg)

$1.30 RON 6.19

$2.30 ₺115

-43.48%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.45 RON 6.91

$1.22 ₺61.0

18.85%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.76 RON 8.37

$1.80 ₺90.2

-2.22%

Potato (1kg)

$0.76 RON 3.62

$0.69 ₺34.83

10.14%

Onion (1kg)

$0.53 RON 2.54

$0.64 ₺32.16

-17.19%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.88 RON 4.17

$1.36 ₺68.0

-35.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.76 RON 3.61

$0.58 ₺28.94

31.03%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.86 RON 27.82

$2.34 ₺117

150.43%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.22 RON 34.31

$13.03 ₺653

-44.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.03 RON 4.91

$2.36 ₺118

-56.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.61 RON 7.65

$3.32 ₺166

-51.51%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.64 RON 3.04

$0.88 ₺44.07

-27.27%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.66 RON 122

$66.1 ₺3,316

-61.19%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.24 RON 5.87

$1.28 ₺64.4

-3.13%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.28 RON 6.11

$0.85 ₺42.80

50.59%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$12.29 RON 58.4

$11.09 ₺556

10.82%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.87 RON 8.89

$1.48 ₺74.0

26.35%

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

$29.1K RON 138.1K

$48.6K ₺2.4M

-40.25%

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

$25.8K RON 122.4K

$42.0K ₺2.1M

-38.65%

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

$102 RON 485

$92.7 ₺4,650

10.02%

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

$9.50 RON 45.16

$11.20 ₺562

-15.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$7.88 RON 37.46

$15.89 ₺797

-50.41%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.39 RON 182

$74.7 ₺3,745

-48.59%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.37 RON 87.3

$22.95 ₺1,151

-19.96%

Cinema Ticket

$6.34 RON 30.14

$8.05 ₺404

-21.24%

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

$1,322 RON 6,282

$948 ₺47.6K

39.41%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.9K ₺1.9M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.4 RON 244

$53.9 ₺2,702

-4.60%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.33 RON 144

$41.49 ₺2,081

-26.90%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.2 RON 358

$101 ₺5,060

-25.42%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$77.4 RON 368

$91.3 ₺4,580

-15.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$466 RON 2,214

$1,014 ₺50.8K

-54.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$391 RON 1,855

$625 ₺31.3K

-37.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$702 RON 3,334

$2,005 ₺100.6K

-65.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$548 RON 2,604

$1,126 ₺56.5K

-51.32%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,493 RON 11.8K

$2,988 ₺149.8K

-16.55%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,631 RON 7,750

$1,730 ₺86.8K

-5.73%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,030 RON 4,894

$1,136 ₺57.0K

-9.35%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.47

40.42

-81.52%

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

Last update for Targu Mures: November 1, 2026

Last update for Istanbul: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Targu Mures

$391 37.6%

Istanbul

$625 41.1% 59.9% $234

Groceries & Markets

Targu Mures

$193 18.6%

Istanbul

$258 17% 33.9% $65

Eating Out

Targu Mures

$143 13.8%

Istanbul

$221 14.6% 54.3% $78

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Targu Mures

$119 11.5%

Istanbul

$120 7.9% 0.3% $0.4

Clothing & Footwear

Targu Mures

$105 10.2%

Istanbul

$129 8.5% 22.7% $24

Sport & Entertainment

Targu Mures

$51 4.9%

Istanbul

$91 6% 77.7% $40

Getting Around

Targu Mures

$36 3.5%

Istanbul

$75 5% 110% $39

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $466 in Targu Mures versus $1,014 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 10% 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 $42 in Targu Mures versus $55 in Istanbul. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $193 vs $258 – making Targu Mures the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Targu Mures

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

14:59 2:59 PM

15:59 3:59 PM

1 h ahead of Targu Mures

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

134,290

15,701,602

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.21 USD

1 RON = 0.187 EUR

100 TRY = 1.99 USD

100 TRY = 1.78 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TRY, USD, EUR to RON – Romanian Leu Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇷🇴 Romanian Leu (lei)

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 4.75 RON (1 RON = 0.21 USD). 1 EUR = 5.34 RON (1 RON = 0.187 EUR).

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 50.15 TRY (100 TRY = 1.99 USD). 1 EUR = 56.33 TRY (100 TRY = 1.78 EUR).

USD to RON in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Targu Mures Istanbul 710 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Targu Mures
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

Targu Mures vs Istanbul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 46%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,558 per month in Targu Mures and $2,278 in Istanbul. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Targu Mures, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $466 there versus $1,014 in Istanbul.

Kindergarten costs $1,322 per month in Targu Mures and $948 in Istanbul. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 34% more in Istanbul, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,038 in Targu Mures and $1,519 in Istanbul. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Istanbul has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,038 in Targu Mures to $1,519 in Istanbul. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

If budget matters most, go with Targu Mures. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Istanbul makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.