Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Zugdidi and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in Zugdidi: $701 a month against $1,525 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $9,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

34

Cost of Living Index in Zugdidi
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Zugdidi Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index

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Zugdidi

🇬🇪 Georgia

$701

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,525

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $701 per month in Zugdidi vs $1,525 in Istanbul, rent included.

Zugdidi $701
Istanbul $1,525

A couple spends around $1,134 per month in Zugdidi vs $2,390 in Istanbul, rent included.

Zugdidi $1,134
Istanbul $2,390

A family of three spends $1,567 per month in Zugdidi vs $3,256 in Istanbul, rent included.

Zugdidi $1,567
Istanbul $3,256

Zugdidi is about 54% cheaper than Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Zugdidi sits 48% below the global median, while Istanbul is 13% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.18 ₾28.93

$11.96 ₺592

-6.52%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$31.24 ₾80.9

$57.2 ₺2,834

-45.41%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.92 ₾15.32

$9.51 ₺471

-37.75%

Cappuccino

$3.48 ₾9.01

$4.40 ₺218

-20.91%

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

$0.54 ₾1.41

$1.75 ₺86.6

-69.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.26 ₾0.67

$0.56 ₺27.57

-53.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.69 ₾6.96

$4.71 ₺233

-42.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.15 ₾8.15

$6.14 ₺304

-48.70%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.15 ₾5.56

$1.24 ₺61.6

73.39%

White Bread (500g)

$0.79 ₾2.05

$0.95 ₺47.25

-16.84%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.81 ₾4.69

$2.28 ₺113

-20.61%

Eggs

$2.75 ₾7.13

$2.45 ₺121

12.24%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.31 ₾24.10

$10.56 ₺523

-11.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.39 ₾16.53

$5.50 ₺272

16.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.12 ₾33.95

$21.65 ₺1,072

-39.40%

Apples (1kg)

$1.61 ₾4.17

$1.83 ₺90.6

-12.02%

Banana (1kg)

$1.86 ₾4.82

$2.29 ₺113

-18.78%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.93 ₾5.00

$1.28 ₺63.4

50.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.39 ₾6.19

$1.82 ₺90.1

31.32%

Potato (1kg)

$0.88 ₾2.28

$0.66 ₺32.74

33.33%

Onion (1kg)

$0.69 ₾1.80

$0.63 ₺31.14

9.52%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.42 ₾3.67

$1.27 ₺62.8

11.81%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.47 ₾1.23

$0.56 ₺27.62

-16.07%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.41 ₾8.82

$2.36 ₺117

44.49%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.85 ₾20.32

$12.98 ₺642

-39.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.71 ₾4.42

$2.48 ₺123

-31.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.30 ₾5.95

$3.50 ₺174

-34.29%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.18 ₾0.46

$0.82 ₺40.77

-78.05%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.2 ₺3,228

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.14 ₾2.96

$1.33 ₺65.7

-14.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.74 ₾1.91

$0.90 ₺44.60

-17.78%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.84 ₾30.65

$10.91 ₺540

8.52%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.92 ₾2.37

$1.43 ₺70.7

-35.66%

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

$18.3K ₾47.5K

$49.6K ₺2.5M

-63.00%

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

$21.6K ₾55.9K

$43.2K ₺2.1M

-49.98%

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

$89.5 ₾232

$88.8 ₺4,395

0.86%

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

$12.90 ₾33.40

$11.69 ₺579

10.35%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.38 ₾50.2

$16.09 ₺797

20.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$24.73 ₾64.0

$76.3 ₺3,776

-67.57%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.72 ₺1,125

Cinema Ticket

$4.72 ₾12.23

$8.26 ₺409

-42.86%

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

$374 ₾968

$1,015 ₺50.2K

-63.17%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.7K ₾27.8K

$25.8K ₺1.3M

-58.47%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$23.62 ₾61.1

$53.3 ₺2,636

-55.64%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.47 ₾102

$40.55 ₺2,008

-2.66%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$118 ₾305

$100 ₺4,956

17.80%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$126 ₾326

$93.5 ₺4,630

34.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$977 ₺48.4K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$627 ₺31.0K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,980 ₺98.0K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,147 ₺56.8K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,095 ₺153.2K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,787 ₺88.5K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$268 ₾694

$1,213 ₺60.1K

-77.91%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.62

40.69

-68.99%

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

Last update for Zugdidi: October 19, 2026

Last update for Istanbul: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Zugdidi

$230 32.8%

Istanbul

$263 17.2% 14.2% $33

Eating Out

Zugdidi

$172 24.5%

Istanbul

$222 14.6% 29.2% $50

Clothing & Footwear

Zugdidi

$138 19.7%

Istanbul

$129 8.5% 6.3% $8.7

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Zugdidi

$122 17.4%

Istanbul

$117 7.6% 4.3% $5.3

Sport & Entertainment

Zugdidi

$34 4.9%

Istanbul

$93 6.1% 171% $59

Getting Around

Zugdidi

$5.6 * 0.8%

Istanbul

$74 4.9% 1239% $69

Accommodation & Living

Zugdidi

- * 0%

Istanbul

$627 41.1%

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Salaries run about 353% 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 $31.00 in Zugdidi versus $57.0 in Istanbul. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $230 vs $263 – making Zugdidi the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇪 Zugdidi

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

02:40 2:40 AM

01:40 1:40 AM

1 h behind Zugdidi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

41,332

15,701,602

💱 Currency

Georgian Lari GEL ₾

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

📈 Exchange rate

1 GEL = 0.386 USD

1 GEL = 0.344 EUR

100 TRY = 2.02 USD

100 TRY = 1.8 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TRY, USD, EUR to GEL – Georgian Lari Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇪 Georgian Lari (₾)

Georgian Lari exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 2.59 GEL (1 GEL = 0.386 USD). 1 EUR = 2.91 GEL (1 GEL = 0.344 EUR).

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 49.51 TRY (100 TRY = 2.02 USD). 1 EUR = 55.66 TRY (100 TRY = 1.8 EUR).

USD to GEL in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Zugdidi Istanbul 1,080 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Zugdidi
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

Zugdidi vs Istanbul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 117%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,052 per month in Zugdidi and $2,287 in Istanbul. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $31.00 in Zugdidi and $57.0 in Istanbul. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 14% 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 Zugdidi, where all-in costs run around $701, than in Istanbul at $1,525. In Zugdidi it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Zugdidi – 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 Zugdidi. 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.