Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Turku and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in Istanbul: $1,519 a month against $1,890 in Turku, rent and utilities included – about $4,500 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

90

Cost of Living Index in Turku
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Turku Living Index
73

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index

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Turku

🇫🇮 Finland

$1,890

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,519

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,890 per month in Turku vs $1,519 in Istanbul, rent included.

Turku $1,890
Istanbul $1,519

A couple spends around $2,992 per month in Turku vs $2,365 in Istanbul, rent included.

Turku $2,992
Istanbul $2,365

A family of three spends $4,093 per month in Turku vs $3,212 in Istanbul, rent included.

Turku $4,093
Istanbul $3,212

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

Both Turku and Istanbul sit above the global median – Turku by 40%, Istanbul by 12%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.52 €14.78

$11.81 ₺592

39.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$102 €91.1

$54.9 ₺2,754

85.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.48 €11.17

$9.26 ₺465

34.77%

Cappuccino

$4.75 €4.25

$4.30 ₺216

10.47%

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

$2.80 €2.50

$1.77 ₺89.0

58.19%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 €1.67

$0.56 ₺28.32

233.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.43 €8.44

$4.69 ₺235

101.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.66 €8.64

$7.12 ₺357

35.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 €1.41

$1.25 ₺62.7

25.60%

White Bread (500g)

$2.45 €2.19

$0.88 ₺44.17

178.41%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.63 €2.35

$2.20 ₺111

19.55%

Eggs

$3.58 €3.21

$2.43 ₺122

47.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.98 €7.14

$10.48 ₺526

-23.85%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.38 €12.87

$5.31 ₺267

170.81%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.75 €16.78

$21.10 ₺1,058

-11.14%

Apples (1kg)

$2.69 €2.41

$1.86 ₺93.1

44.62%

Banana (1kg)

$2.14 €1.92

$2.30 ₺115

-6.96%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.32 €2.08

$1.22 ₺61.0

90.16%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.51 €4.03

$1.80 ₺90.2

150.56%

Potato (1kg)

$1.41 €1.27

$0.69 ₺34.83

104.35%

Onion (1kg)

$1.58 €1.42

$0.64 ₺32.16

146.88%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.93 €1.73

$1.36 ₺68.0

41.91%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.90 €1.70

$0.58 ₺28.94

227.59%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.49 €12.07

$2.34 ₺117

476.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.16 €13.57

$13.03 ₺653

16.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.98 €3.56

$2.36 ₺118

68.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.73 €3.34

$3.32 ₺166

12.35%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.45 €3.09

$0.88 ₺44.07

292.05%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$62.8 €56.2

$66.1 ₺3,316

-5.04%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$8.25 €7.39

$1.28 ₺64.4

544.53%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.53 €1.37

$0.85 ₺42.80

80.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$64.8 €58.0

$11.09 ₺556

484.49%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.36 €2.11

$1.48 ₺74.0

59.46%

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

$36.8K €32.9K

$48.6K ₺2.4M

-24.41%

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

$37.3K €33.4K

$42.0K ₺2.1M

-11.18%

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

$133 €119

$92.7 ₺4,650

43.59%

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

$29.19 €26.12

$11.20 ₺562

160.63%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.53 €20.16

$15.89 ₺797

41.79%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.08 €38.54

$74.7 ₺3,745

-42.31%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.01 €25.07

$22.95 ₺1,151

22.05%

Cinema Ticket

$21.02 €18.81

$8.05 ₺404

161.12%

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

$551 €493

$948 ₺47.6K

-41.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.1K €9,075

$36.9K ₺1.9M

-72.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$94.3 €84.4

$53.9 ₺2,702

75.04%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.53 €38.95

$41.49 ₺2,081

4.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 €93.2

$101 ₺5,060

3.20%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 €98.4

$91.3 ₺4,580

20.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$850 €760

$1,014 ₺50.8K

-16.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$687 €615

$625 ₺31.3K

10.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,469 €1,315

$2,005 ₺100.6K

-26.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,171 €1,048

$1,126 ₺56.5K

4.02%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,148 €3,711

$2,988 ₺149.8K

38.83%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,793 €2,499

$1,730 ₺86.8K

61.43%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,643 €2,365

$1,136 ₺57.0K

132.61%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.94

40.42

-90.25%

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

Last update for Turku: November 2, 2026

Last update for Istanbul: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Turku

$687 36.3%

Istanbul

$625 41.1% 9.1% $62

Groceries & Markets

Turku

$371 19.6%

Istanbul

$258 17% 30.4% $113

Eating Out

Turku

$312 16.5%

Istanbul

$221 14.6% 29.1% $91

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Turku

$185 9.8%

Istanbul

$120 7.9% 35.2% $65

Clothing & Footwear

Turku

$158 8.4%

Istanbul

$129 8.5% 18.3% $29

Getting Around

Turku

$93 4.9%

Istanbul

$75 5% 18.7% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Turku

$85 4.5%

Istanbul

$91 6% 6.6% $5.7

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $850 in Turku 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 in Turku are about 2.3 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $102 in Turku versus $55 in Istanbul. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $371 vs $258 – making Istanbul the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇫🇮 Turku

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

15:14 3:14 PM

16:14 4:14 PM

1 h ahead of Turku

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

201,889

15,701,602

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 TRY = 1.99 USD

100 TRY = 1.78 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TRY, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 0.895 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

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 EUR in detail →

On the map

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Turku Istanbul 2,210 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Turku
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

Turku vs Istanbul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

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

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,836 per month in Turku 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 Turku, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $850 there versus $1,014 in Istanbul.

Kindergarten costs $551 per month in Turku 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 44% more in Turku, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$1,500 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,890 in Turku and $1,519 in Istanbul. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Istanbul costs $1,519 versus $1,890 in Turku. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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 Istanbul. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Turku makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.