Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tetovo and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in Tetovo: $995 a month against $1,550 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $6,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

48

Cost of Living Index in Tetovo
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Tetovo Living Index
75

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index

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Tetovo

🇲🇰 North Macedonia

$995

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $995 per month in Tetovo vs $1,550 in Istanbul, rent included.

Tetovo $995
Istanbul $1,550

A couple spends around $1,498 per month in Tetovo vs $2,415 in Istanbul, rent included.

Tetovo $1,498
Istanbul $2,415

A family of three spends $2,001 per month in Tetovo vs $3,281 in Istanbul, rent included.

Tetovo $2,001
Istanbul $3,281

Tetovo is about 36% cheaper than Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Tetovo sits 26% below the global median, while Istanbul is 15% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.35 MKD 401

$12.30 ₺609

-40.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$27.44 MKD 1,497

$54.7 ₺2,708

-49.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.84 MKD 319

$9.22 ₺456

-36.66%

Cappuccino

$1.49 MKD 81.4

$4.40 ₺218

-66.14%

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

$1.48 MKD 80.7

$1.68 ₺83.1

-11.90%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.92 MKD 50.4

$0.59 ₺29.40

55.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.16 MKD 118

$4.70 ₺233

-54.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.20 MKD 120

$5.91 ₺292

-62.77%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 MKD 68.2

$1.21 ₺60.0

3.31%

White Bread (500g)

$0.63 MKD 34.44

$0.89 ₺44.10

-29.21%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.30 MKD 71.0

$2.19 ₺108

-40.64%

Eggs

$2.12 MKD 116

$2.35 ₺116

-9.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.23 MKD 394

$10.42 ₺516

-30.61%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.34 MKD 291

$5.65 ₺280

-5.49%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.05 MKD 548

$20.94 ₺1,037

-52.01%

Apples (1kg)

$1.43 MKD 78.1

$1.90 ₺94.1

-24.74%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 MKD 79.2

$2.31 ₺114

-37.23%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.99 MKD 54.0

$1.28 ₺63.1

-22.66%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.88 MKD 103

$1.80 ₺89.0

4.44%

Potato (1kg)

$0.90 MKD 49.04

$0.65 ₺32.16

38.46%

Onion (1kg)

$0.69 MKD 37.87

$0.64 ₺31.91

7.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.58 MKD 31.79

$1.25 ₺62.1

-53.60%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.50 MKD 27.27

$0.56 ₺27.58

-10.71%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.04 MKD 166

$2.37 ₺118

28.27%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.50 MKD 245

$13.42 ₺664

-66.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.01 MKD 55.1

$2.40 ₺119

-57.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.43 MKD 78.1

$3.48 ₺172

-58.91%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.37 MKD 20.19

$0.89 ₺43.84

-58.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$10.77 MKD 588

$67.4 ₺3,338

-84.03%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.07 MKD 58.6

$1.29 ₺64.1

-17.05%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.56 MKD 30.35

$0.92 ₺45.70

-39.13%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.71 MKD 421

$10.96 ₺542

-29.65%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 MKD 81.4

$1.47 ₺72.9

1.36%

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

$35.9K MKD 2.0M

$50.8K ₺2.5M

-29.24%

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

$27.7K MKD 1.5M

$44.5K ₺2.2M

-37.69%

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

$158 MKD 8,610

$88.6 ₺4,387

78.13%

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

$17.78 MKD 970

$11.59 ₺574

53.41%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.94 MKD 1,033

$15.81 ₺783

19.80%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$70.1 MKD 3,822

$77.2 ₺3,820

-9.20%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.00 MKD 982

$22.74 ₺1,126

-20.84%

Cinema Ticket

$5.49 MKD 300

$8.14 ₺403

-32.56%

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

$220 MKD 12.0K

$1,008 ₺49.9K

-78.20%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,152 MKD 117.4K

$25.6K ₺1.3M

-91.58%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.9 MKD 3,430

$54.0 ₺2,671

16.57%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.22 MKD 1,976

$40.83 ₺2,021

-11.29%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.6 MKD 5,435

$98.9 ₺4,895

0.76%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$112 MKD 6,104

$96.6 ₺4,783

15.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$353 MKD 19.3K

$985 ₺48.7K

-64.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$275 MKD 15.0K

$650 ₺32.2K

-57.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$575 MKD 31.4K

$1,983 ₺98.2K

-71.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$489 MKD 26.7K

$1,180 ₺58.4K

-58.52%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,214 MKD 66.2K

$3,138 ₺155.4K

-61.32%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,079 MKD 58.8K

$1,780 ₺88.1K

-39.40%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$858 MKD 46.8K

$1,205 ₺59.7K

-28.83%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.75

40.92

-90.84%

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

Last update for Tetovo: 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

Tetovo

$275 27.6%

Istanbul

$650 41.9% 137% $375

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tetovo

$195 19.6%

Istanbul

$116 7.5% 40.4% $79

Groceries & Markets

Tetovo

$170 17.1%

Istanbul

$260 16.8% 53.1% $90

Clothing & Footwear

Tetovo

$140 14.1%

Istanbul

$131 8.4% 6.6% $9.2

Eating Out

Tetovo

$119 12%

Istanbul

$223 14.4% 87.6% $104

Sport & Entertainment

Tetovo

$81 8.2%

Istanbul

$93 6% 15.3% $12

Getting Around

Tetovo

$16 1.6%

Istanbul

$77 5% 377% $61

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $353 in Tetovo 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 41% 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 $27.00 in Tetovo versus $55.0 in Istanbul. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $170 vs $260 – making Tetovo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇰 Tetovo

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

11:58 11:58 AM

12:58 12:58 PM

1 h ahead of Tetovo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

53,000

15,701,602

💱 Currency

North Macedonian Denar MKD ден

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

📈 Exchange rate

100 MKD = 1.83 USD

100 MKD = 1.63 EUR

100 TRY = 2.02 USD

100 TRY = 1.8 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 18, 2026: 1 USD = 54.55 MKD (100 MKD = 1.83 USD). 1 EUR = 61.33 MKD (100 MKD = 1.63 EUR).

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 49.51 TRY (100 TRY = 2.02 USD). 1 EUR = 55.66 TRY (100 TRY = 1.8 EUR).

USD to MKD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Tetovo Istanbul 680 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Tetovo
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

Tetovo vs Istanbul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 56%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,492 per month in Tetovo 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 Tetovo, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $220 per month in Tetovo 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 53% 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 Tetovo, where all-in costs run around $995, than in Istanbul at $1,550. In Tetovo it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Tetovo – 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 Tetovo. 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.