Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Utena and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in Utena: $1,364 a month against $1,519 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $1,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

65

Cost of Living Index in Utena
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Utena Living Index
73

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index

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Utena

🇱🇹 Lithuania

$1,364

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,519

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,364 per month in Utena vs $1,519 in Istanbul, rent included.

Utena $1,364
Istanbul $1,519

A couple spends around $2,065 per month in Utena vs $2,365 in Istanbul, rent included.

Utena $2,065
Istanbul $2,365

A family of three spends $2,766 per month in Utena vs $3,212 in Istanbul, rent included.

Utena $2,766
Istanbul $3,212

Utena is about 10% cheaper than Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.41 €11.05

$11.81 ₺592

5.08%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$49.93 €44.46

$54.9 ₺2,754

-9.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.78 €6.04

$9.26 ₺465

-26.78%

Cappuccino

$3.20 €2.85

$4.30 ₺216

-25.58%

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

$2.63 €2.35

$1.77 ₺89.0

48.59%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.92 €1.71

$0.56 ₺28.32

242.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.46 €4.86

$4.69 ₺235

16.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.13 €4.57

$7.12 ₺357

-27.95%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.28 €1.14

$1.25 ₺62.7

2.40%

White Bread (500g)

$1.50 €1.34

$0.88 ₺44.17

70.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 €1.58

$2.20 ₺111

-19.55%

Eggs

$2.85 €2.54

$2.43 ₺122

17.28%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.99 €8.89

$10.48 ₺526

-4.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.82 €5.18

$5.31 ₺267

9.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.59 €8.53

$21.10 ₺1,058

-54.55%

Apples (1kg)

$1.59 €1.41

$1.86 ₺93.1

-14.52%

Banana (1kg)

$1.39 €1.24

$2.30 ₺115

-39.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.65 €1.47

$1.22 ₺61.0

35.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.06 €2.72

$1.80 ₺90.2

70.00%

Potato (1kg)

$0.78 €0.70

$0.69 ₺34.83

13.04%

Onion (1kg)

$0.93 €0.83

$0.64 ₺32.16

45.31%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.53 €1.36

$1.36 ₺68.0

12.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.78 €0.70

$0.58 ₺28.94

34.48%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.90 €5.26

$2.34 ₺117

152.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.28 €7.37

$13.03 ₺653

-36.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 €1.44

$2.36 ₺118

-31.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.67 €1.49

$3.32 ₺166

-49.70%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.14 €1.02

$0.88 ₺44.07

29.55%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$32.91 €29.31

$66.1 ₺3,316

-50.23%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.04 €2.70

$1.28 ₺64.4

137.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.87 €0.77

$0.85 ₺42.80

2.35%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.25 €11.80

$11.09 ₺556

19.48%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.81 €1.61

$1.48 ₺74.0

22.30%

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

$26.8K €23.9K

$48.6K ₺2.4M

-44.87%

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

$27.2K €24.3K

$42.0K ₺2.1M

-35.10%

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

$201 €179

$92.7 ₺4,650

117.01%

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

$13.62 €12.13

$11.20 ₺562

21.61%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.99 €9.79

$15.89 ₺797

-30.84%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.11 €34.82

$74.7 ₺3,745

-47.63%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.04 €19.62

$22.95 ₺1,151

-3.97%

Cinema Ticket

$8.76 €7.80

$8.05 ₺404

8.82%

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

$512 €456

$948 ₺47.6K

-46.01%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,122 €8,123

$36.9K ₺1.9M

-75.29%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$137 €122

$53.9 ₺2,702

153.82%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$64.1 €57.1

$41.49 ₺2,081

54.50%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$82.0 €73.0

$101 ₺5,060

-18.76%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$184 €163

$91.3 ₺4,580

101.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$583 €519

$1,014 ₺50.8K

-42.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$393 €350

$625 ₺31.3K

-37.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$834 €743

$2,005 ₺100.6K

-58.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$653 €581

$1,126 ₺56.5K

-42.01%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,031 €2,699

$2,988 ₺149.8K

1.46%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,893 €1,685

$1,730 ₺86.8K

9.39%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,197 €1,066

$1,136 ₺57.0K

5.34%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.97

40.42

-90.18%

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

Last update for Utena: 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

Utena

$393 28.8%

Istanbul

$625 41.1% 58.8% $231

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Utena

$226 16.6%

Istanbul

$120 7.9% 46.9% $106

Groceries & Markets

Utena

$220 16.1%

Istanbul

$258 17% 17.4% $38

Eating Out

Utena

$214 15.7%

Istanbul

$221 14.6% 3.4% $7.2

Clothing & Footwear

Utena

$210 15.4%

Istanbul

$129 8.5% 38.3% $80

Sport & Entertainment

Utena

$57 4.2%

Istanbul

$91 6% 60.3% $34

Getting Around

Utena

$45 3.3%

Istanbul

$75 5% 67.6% $30

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $583 in Utena 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 5% higher in Utena, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $50 in Utena versus $55 in Istanbul. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $220 vs $258 – making Utena the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇱🇹 Utena

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

08:10 8:10 AM

09:10 9:10 AM

1 h ahead of Utena

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

28,997

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

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Between locations

Utena Istanbul 1,630 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Utena
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

Utena vs Istanbul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 11%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,046 per month in Utena 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 Utena, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $583 there versus $1,014 in Istanbul.

Kindergarten costs $512 per month in Utena 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 17% more in Istanbul, though the gap depends on what you buy.

Families tend to lean toward Utena – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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

For expats, Utena is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 10% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.