Istanbul at a glance
- Istanbul is the most expensive of Turkey's 7 priced cities: $1,142 a month in essentials, 134% above Gaziantep at $487.
- The average net salary of $1,240 covers that 1.1×.
- 101.3 men per 100 women aged 20–39, measured at province level.
- PM2.5 averages 22.6 µg/m³ a year, 5× the WHO guideline of 5.
Green is the better side of each figure. Every line is computed from the tables below.
Monthly cost breakdown
Rent outside centre plus utilities, groceries, dining and local transport make up the essentials figure. Not a full lifestyle budget. The middle column is the median across the 7 Turkey cities we track, so every row says whether Istanbul is the cheap side of its own market or the dear one. Green is the better side of each row.
| Essentials, monthlyrent outside centre + bills + food + transit | $1,142 | $878 | 1.30× as much |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rent, 1-bed outside centremonthly, USD | $632 | $433 | 1.46× as much |
| Rent, 1-bed city centremonthly, USD | $967 | $568 | 1.70× as much |
| Groceriesmonthly, one person | $104 | $98 | $6 |
| Dining outmonthly, one person | $238 | $200 | $38 |
| Utilitiesmonthly: power, water, heating, internet | $106 | $92 | $14 |
| Local transportmonthly pass or fare equivalent | $62 | $36 | 1.72× as much |
| Average net salarymonthly, after tax; average, not median | $1,240 | $1,132 | $108 |
| Rent, 3-bed outside centremonthly, USD | $1,148 | $706 | 1.63× as much |
| Rent, 3-bed city centremonthly, USD | $1,919 | $941 | 2.04× as much |
Single person, USD. Data updated August 6, 2026.
Everyday prices
What single items cost in Istanbul, in USD. The monthly figures above are built from these. Cheaper side of each row in green.
Eating out
| Meal, inexpensive restaurant | $10.56 | $9.51 | $1.05 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Meal for 2, mid-range, three courses | $52.81 | $38.02 | 1.39× as much |
| McMeal at McDonald's | $9.44 | $8.34 | $1.10 |
| Cappuccino, regular | $4.07 | $3.75 | $0.32 |
| Domestic beer, 0.5 L draught | $4.22 | $3.17 | 1.33× as much |
| Imported beer, 0.33 L bottle | $5.69 | $5.28 | $0.41 |
| Coke/Pepsi, 0.33 L | $1.72 | $1.57 | $0.15 |
| Water, 0.33 L bottle | $0.58 | $0.58 | same |
Groceries
| Milk, 1 L | $1.28 | $1.07 | $0.21 |
|---|---|---|---|
| White bread, 500 g | $0.84 | $0.90 | $0.06 |
| White rice, 1 kg | $2.51 | $2.32 | $0.19 |
| Eggs, 12 | $2.49 | $2.29 | $0.20 |
| Local cheese, 1 kg | $10.45 | $9.44 | $1.01 |
| Chicken fillets, 1 kg | $5.42 | $5.11 | $0.31 |
| Apples, 1 kg | $2.02 | $1.79 | $0.23 |
| Bananas, 1 kg | $2.28 | $2.04 | $0.24 |
| Tomatoes, 1 kg | $2.10 | $1.45 | 1.45× as much |
| Potatoes, 1 kg | $0.58 | $0.58 | same |
| Onions, 1 kg | $0.47 | $0.41 | $0.06 |
| Water, 1.5 L bottle | $0.60 | $0.65 | $0.05 |
Transport & bills
| One-way ticket, local transport | $0.89 | $0.88 | $0.01 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly transit pass | $61.68 | $39.08 | 1.58× as much |
| Taxi start | $1.37 | $1.06 | 1.29× as much |
| Taxi, 1 km | $0.91 | $0.74 | $0.17 |
| Gasoline, 1 L | $1.34 | $1.29 | $0.05 |
| Basic utilities, 85 m² flat | $90.29 | $78.50 | $11.79 |
| Internet, 60 Mbps+ | $15.86 | $14.99 | $0.87 |
| Mobile plan, monthly | $11.80 | $10.83 | $0.97 |
Leisure
| Gym, monthly | $69.17 | $66.47 | $2.70 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cinema, one seat | $8.45 | $7.39 | $1.06 |
Dating-age sex ratio
Istanbul has 101.3 men per 100 women aged 20–39 (province level). That is the 5th-highest of 7 Turkey cities we track. Turkey's national figure is 104, so Istanbul runs 3 below the country as a whole.
A supply figure, 20–39. The dating-pool model is in Pro.
How Istanbul ranks against every city we track
Istanbul sits ahead of 48% of the 542 cities we track on cost of living. On local salary it is ahead of 48% of 545. Its weakest measure is clean air, ahead of only 15% of 898.
Longer is better on every row: bar length is where Istanbul sits among all the cities carrying that measure, which is why the count differs by row.
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Photo: Hunanuk, CC0.
