Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Trieste and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in Istanbul: $1,526 a month against $1,890 in Trieste, rent and utilities included – about $4,400 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

92

Cost of Living Index in Trieste
Learn more

Trieste Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index

Jump to prices

Trieste

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,890

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,526

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,890 per month in Trieste vs $1,526 in Istanbul, rent included.

Trieste $1,890
Istanbul $1,526

A couple spends around $2,892 per month in Trieste vs $2,399 in Istanbul, rent included.

Trieste $2,892
Istanbul $2,399

A family of three spends $3,893 per month in Trieste vs $3,272 in Istanbul, rent included.

Trieste $3,893
Istanbul $3,272

Trieste costs about 24% more than Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Trieste and Istanbul sit above the global median – Trieste by 41%, Istanbul by 14%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.49 €20.07

$11.88 ₺585

89.31%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$72.6 €64.8

$55.1 ₺2,714

31.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.19 €11.77

$9.14 ₺450

44.31%

Cappuccino

$2.15 €1.92

$4.24 ₺209

-49.29%

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

$3.85 €3.43

$1.75 ₺86.0

120.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.19 €1.96

$0.54 ₺26.83

305.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.79 €5.16

$4.69 ₺231

23.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 €5.13

$5.97 ₺294

-3.69%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.26 €2.02

$1.26 ₺62.1

79.37%

White Bread (500g)

$3.12 €2.79

$0.95 ₺46.81

228.42%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.84 €3.43

$2.31 ₺114

66.23%

Eggs

$4.16 €3.71

$2.47 ₺122

68.42%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.20 €13.57

$10.55 ₺520

44.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.70 €10.44

$5.60 ₺276

108.93%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.61 €15.71

$21.21 ₺1,045

-16.97%

Apples (1kg)

$2.77 €2.48

$1.93 ₺95.1

43.52%

Banana (1kg)

$2.12 €1.89

$2.29 ₺113

-7.42%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.03 €2.71

$1.28 ₺63.1

136.72%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.28 €3.82

$1.84 ₺90.8

132.61%

Potato (1kg)

$2.35 €2.10

$0.67 ₺32.86

250.75%

Onion (1kg)

$2.56 €2.28

$0.59 ₺29.31

333.90%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.29 €2.04

$1.33 ₺65.4

72.18%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.78 €0.70

$0.59 ₺29.10

32.20%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.65 €5.93

$2.36 ₺116

181.78%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.90 €7.05

$13.47 ₺664

-41.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 €1.58

$2.42 ₺119

-26.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.45 €2.19

$3.54 ₺174

-30.79%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.65 €1.47

$0.83 ₺40.64

98.80%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$43.88 €39.15

$66.5 ₺3,273

-33.97%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$8.65 €7.72

$1.35 ₺66.6

540.74%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.82 €1.62

$0.85 ₺42.05

114.12%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$34.13 €30.46

$10.86 ₺535

214.27%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.18 €1.95

$1.47 ₺72.3

48.30%

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

$37.0K €33.0K

$51.6K ₺2.5M

-28.42%

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

$36.2K €32.3K

$44.4K ₺2.2M

-18.53%

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

$221 €197

$89.2 ₺4,395

147.56%

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

$9.88 €8.81

$11.60 ₺572

-14.83%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.44 €28.06

$16.10 ₺793

95.28%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.9 €45.38

$77.3 ₺3,805

-34.16%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$41.32 €36.87

$22.66 ₺1,116

82.35%

Cinema Ticket

$9.01 €8.04

$8.34 ₺411

8.03%

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

$793 €708

$974 ₺48.0K

-18.57%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.8K €10.5K

$25.8K ₺1.3M

-54.38%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$111 €99.0

$52.7 ₺2,597

110.47%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.39 €31.58

$39.16 ₺1,929

-9.63%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$114 €102

$103 ₺5,083

10.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$134 €120

$96.6 ₺4,759

38.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$818 €730

$994 ₺49.0K

-17.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$654 €583

$629 ₺31.0K

3.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,389 €1,240

$2,024 ₺99.7K

-31.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,038 €927

$1,155 ₺56.9K

-10.08%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,619 €3,229

$3,160 ₺155.7K

14.51%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,143 €1,912

$1,838 ₺90.5K

16.60%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,904 €1,699

$1,203 ₺59.3K

58.17%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.26

41.09

-92.07%

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

Last update for Trieste: October 3, 2026

Last update for Istanbul: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Trieste

$654 34.3%

Istanbul

$629 41.2% 3.7% $24

Groceries & Markets

Trieste

$363 19.1%

Istanbul

$264 17.3% 27.3% $99

Eating Out

Trieste

$310 16.3%

Istanbul

$218 14.3% 29.7% $92

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Trieste

$262 13.8%

Istanbul

$117 7.7% 55.4% $145

Clothing & Footwear

Trieste

$178 9.3%

Istanbul

$131 8.6% 26.1% $46

Sport & Entertainment

Trieste

$69 3.6%

Istanbul

$94 6.1% 36.4% $25

Getting Around

Trieste

$68 3.6%

Istanbul

$75 4.9% 10.5% $7.2

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $818 in Trieste versus $994 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 58% higher in Trieste, 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 $73.0 in Trieste versus $55.0 in Istanbul. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $363 vs $264 – making Istanbul the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇹 Trieste

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

09:30 9:30 AM

10:30 10:30 AM

1 h ahead of Trieste

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

200,609

15,701,602

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 TRY = 2.03 USD

100 TRY = 1.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TRY, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 49.26 TRY (100 TRY = 2.03 USD). 1 EUR = 55.25 TRY (100 TRY = 1.81 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Trieste Istanbul 1,330 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Trieste
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

Trieste vs Istanbul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Trieste is pricier by about 24%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,835 per month in Trieste and $2,289 in Istanbul. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Kindergarten costs $793 per month in Trieste and $974 in Istanbul. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 38% more in Trieste, 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 Istanbul, where all-in costs run around $1,526, than in Trieste at $1,890. In Istanbul it covers expenses comfortably, while in Trieste it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Istanbul – 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 Istanbul. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Trieste makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.