Cost of living: Athens vs Istanbul

Choose where you live now and another city. You'll see what a normal month costs in each: rent, food, transport, bills and going out.

Where you live now City to compare

Household

Rent

Istanbul is 5% cheaper than Athens.

Monthly cost for one person, renting in the city centre. Includes rent, food, transport, bills and going out.

Where you live now

Monthly costs by category

Show amounts in

Category	Athens	Istanbul	Difference
Rent	536	625	+17%
Groceries	244	200	−18%
Eating out	157	109	−30%
Getting around	71	53	−26%
Bills	140	111	−20%
Going out	61	46	−24%
Clothes	18	17	−8%
Total per month	1,227	1,161	−5%

Istanbul is 5% cheaper than Athens for one person renting in the city centre. The biggest gap is eating out (−30%); clothes is the closest (−8%). Someone spending €1,227 a month in Athens would need about TRY 64,712 in Istanbul for the same lifestyle. Rent takes 54% of the monthly budget in Istanbul and 44% in Athens.

Istanbul: no reports yet, so these numbers are starting estimates from the city's overall price level.How this is calculated

Prices

Everyday prices in Istanbul

The typical price people paid recently, and how it compares with Athens. "Estimated" means we don't have many reports yet.

Show amounts in

Item	Typical price	vs Athens	Reports
Cappuccino, regularEstimated	€1.51	−31% vs Athens	0 reports
Meal at an inexpensive restaurantEstimated	€6.20	−33% vs Athens	0 reports
Monthly public transport passEstimated	€43.99	−26% vs Athens	0 reports
1-bedroom flat, city centreEstimated	€625	+17% vs Athens	0 reports
1-bedroom flat, outside the centreEstimated	€450	+17% vs Athens	0 reports
Milk, 1 LEstimated	€0.64	−17% vs Athens	0 reports
Eggs, 12Estimated	€2.24	−19% vs Athens	0 reports
Chicken fillets, 1 kgEstimated	€6.42	−17% vs Athens	0 reports
Electricity, water, heating and cooling for 85 m²Estimated	€85.23	−22% vs Athens	0 reports
Home internet, 60 Mbps or fasterEstimated	€29.11	−19% vs Athens	0 reports
Mobile plan with calls and 10 GB+ dataEstimated	€26.87	−19% vs Athens	0 reports
Gym membership, monthlyEstimated	€33.10	−24% vs Athens	0 reports
Cinema ticketEstimated	€6.62	−24% vs Athens	0 reports
Jeans, Levi's 501 or similarEstimated	€45.35	−7% vs Athens	0 reports

Most reports (10th–90th percentile) Middle half of reports Same item in Athens

All prices in Istanbul

Method

Where the numbers come from

People who live in each city share what they paid. Every price is checked before it counts.

People share prices
Anyone can add what they paid, in their own currency. No account needed. A quick automatic check keeps bots out.
We check every price
Typos, wrong currencies and impossible amounts are caught. An unusual price only counts after someone else reports something similar.
We work out the typical price
We use the middle price of recent reports. When a city has only a few reports, we estimate the rest and label it "Estimated".

No reports in the last 30 days yet. When they arrive, you'll see here how many were counted, held for a second opinion or turned down.

Rankings

Most and least expensive cities

Monthly cost for one person renting in the city centre, in euros. Pick a city to compare it with Athens. See all 118 cities

Most expensive

Least expensive

Comparisons

Popular comparisons

Cities people often weigh up against each other. Monthly cost for one person, rent in the centre included.

Browse cities by region

Rent, groceries, eating out and monthly budgets for every city we cover.

Asia 33

Europe 37

Americas 25

Middle East & Africa 17

Oceania 6

FAQ

Athens vs Istanbul: common questions

Is Istanbul cheaper than Athens?

Yes. One person renting a 1-bedroom flat in the centre spends about TRY 64,712 (about €1,161) a month in Istanbul, against €1,227 in Athens: 5% less.

How much is rent in Istanbul compared with Athens?

A 1-bedroom flat in the centre of Istanbul rents for about TRY 34,819 (about €625) a month, +17% compared with €536 in Athens. Outside the centre it's about TRY 25,070 against €386.

How much money do I need to move from Athens to Istanbul?

To keep the lifestyle that costs €1,227 a month in Athens, plan on about TRY 64,712 in Istanbul for one person. A family of four would need about TRY 181,612, compared with €3,708 in Athens.

How much does eating out cost in Istanbul vs Athens?

A meal at an inexpensive restaurant is about TRY 345 (about €6.20) in Istanbul and €9.22 in Athens. A regular cappuccino is about TRY 83.87 against €2.17.

Know what things cost where you live?

Add what you paid for rent, groceries or a bus ticket. It takes about a minute and you don't need an account.

Anonymous. We never ask for your name or email.
Enter prices in your own currency. We convert them.
You'll see how your prices compare as soon as you type them.

Add prices for Athens