Where you live now
BucharestRomania
RON 6,110
per month
Cost of living: Bucharest 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.
Household
Rent
Popular:London vs New YorkLisbon vs LondonHong Kong vs SingaporeNew York vs TokyoBerlin vs LondonDubai vs London
Istanbul costs about the same as Bucharest.
Monthly cost for one person, renting in the city centre. Includes rent, food, transport, bills and going out.
City to compare
IstanbulTürkiye
TRY 64,712
per month, about RON 6,212
Monthly costs by category
Show amounts in
| Category | Bucharest | Istanbul | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rent | 2,865 | 3,342 | +17% |
| Groceries | 1,178 | 1,070 | −9% |
| Eating out | 698 | 585 | −16% |
| Getting around | 327 | 282 | −14% |
| Bills | 666 | 596 | −11% |
| Going out | 283 | 248 | −13% |
| Clothes | 93 | 90 | −4% |
| Total per month | 6,110 | 6,212 | +2% |
Istanbul and Bucharest cost about the same for one person renting in the city centre. The biggest gap is rent (+17%); clothes is the closest (−4%). Someone spending RON 6,110 a month in Bucharest would need about TRY 64,712 in Istanbul for the same lifestyle. Rent takes 54% of the monthly budget in Istanbul and 47% in Bucharest.
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 Bucharest. "Estimated" means we don't have many reports yet.
Show amounts in
| Item | Typical price | What people paid | vs Bucharest | Reports |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cappuccino, regularEstimated | RON 8.05 | −16% vs Bucharest | 0 reports | |
| Meal at an inexpensive restaurantEstimated | RON 33.16 | −18% vs Bucharest | 0 reports | |
| Monthly public transport passEstimated | RON 235 | −14% vs Bucharest | 0 reports | |
| 1-bedroom flat, city centreEstimated | RON 3,342 | +17% vs Bucharest | 0 reports | |
| 1-bedroom flat, outside the centreEstimated | RON 2,407 | +17% vs Bucharest | 0 reports | |
| Milk, 1 LEstimated | RON 3.44 | −9% vs Bucharest | 0 reports | |
| Eggs, 12Estimated | RON 11.98 | −10% vs Bucharest | 0 reports | |
| Chicken fillets, 1 kgEstimated | RON 34.37 | −9% vs Bucharest | 0 reports | |
| Electricity, water, heating and cooling for 85 m²Estimated | RON 456 | −11% vs Bucharest | 0 reports | |
| Home internet, 60 Mbps or fasterEstimated | RON 156 | −10% vs Bucharest | 0 reports | |
| Mobile plan with calls and 10 GB+ dataEstimated | RON 144 | −10% vs Bucharest | 0 reports | |
| Gym membership, monthlyEstimated | RON 177 | −13% vs Bucharest | 0 reports | |
| Cinema ticketEstimated | RON 35.41 | −13% vs Bucharest | 0 reports | |
| Jeans, Levi's 501 or similarEstimated | RON 243 | −4% vs Bucharest | 0 reports |
Most reports (10th–90th percentile)
Middle half of reports
Same item in Bucharest
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 Romanian lei. Pick a city to compare it with Bucharest. See all 118 cities
Most expensive
Comparisons
Popular comparisons
Cities people often weigh up against each other. Monthly cost for one person, rent in the centre included.
- London vs New YorkRON 19,788 → RON 27,175+37%
- Lisbon vs LondonRON 10,703 → RON 19,788+85%
- Hong Kong vs SingaporeRON 15,754 → RON 20,346+29%
- New York vs TokyoRON 27,175 → RON 9,434−65%
- Berlin vs LondonRON 11,075 → RON 19,788+79%
- Dubai vs LondonRON 15,850 → RON 19,788+25%
- Amsterdam vs BerlinRON 15,770 → RON 11,075−30%
- Barcelona vs MadridRON 10,632 → RON 10,271−3%
- Lisbon vs PortoRON 10,703 → RON 8,787−18%
- Melbourne vs SydneyRON 13,382 → RON 16,643+24%
- Toronto vs VancouverRON 14,337 → RON 14,815+3%
- Beijing vs ShanghaiRON 8,227 → RON 8,787+7%
- Osaka vs TokyoRON 7,518 → RON 9,434+25%
- Bangkok vs SingaporeRON 6,224 → RON 20,346+227%
- Mexico City vs New YorkRON 8,020 → RON 27,175+239%
- Seoul vs TokyoRON 9,363 → RON 9,434+1%
- London vs ParisRON 19,788 → RON 13,144−34%
- Dubai vs SingaporeRON 15,850 → RON 20,346+28%
- New York vs San FranciscoRON 27,175 → RON 23,159−15%
- Bangkok vs Chiang MaiRON 6,224 → RON 4,287−31%
- Buenos Aires vs São PauloRON 6,283 → RON 6,3080%
- London vs SydneyRON 19,788 → RON 16,643−16%
- Austin vs San FranciscoRON 14,733 → RON 23,159+57%
- Hong Kong vs TaipeiRON 15,754 → RON 6,802−57%
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Rent, groceries, eating out and monthly budgets for every city we cover.
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FAQ
Bucharest vs Istanbul: common questions
Is Istanbul cheaper than Bucharest?
They cost about the same. One person renting a 1-bedroom flat in the centre spends about TRY 64,712 (about RON 6,212) a month in Istanbul and RON 6,110 in Bucharest.
How much is rent in Istanbul compared with Bucharest?
A 1-bedroom flat in the centre of Istanbul rents for about TRY 34,819 (about RON 3,342) a month, +17% compared with RON 2,865 in Bucharest. Outside the centre it's about TRY 25,070 against RON 2,063.
How much money do I need to move from Bucharest to Istanbul?
To keep the lifestyle that costs RON 6,110 a month in Bucharest, plan on about TRY 64,712 in Istanbul for one person. A family of four would need about TRY 181,612, compared with RON 17,961 in Bucharest.
How much does eating out cost in Istanbul vs Bucharest?
A meal at an inexpensive restaurant is about TRY 345 (about RON 33.16) in Istanbul and RON 40.25 in Bucharest. A regular cappuccino is about TRY 83.87 against RON 9.63.
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