The cost of living in Istanbul is high compared to most Turkish cities, but compared to the rest of Europe and North America, it’s lower. If you live in Istanbul, public transport should be your go-to for getting around.
You can buy a standard basic card for 2.15 TL (0.25 USD). There are a number of subscription options available too – from monthly passes to student and senior discounts. Food Costs in Istanbul If you live in Istanbul, food will take up a significant portion of your budget – not only because it’s tasty, but because it’s so readily available and cheap. What Is the Average Salary in Istanbul? If you plan on working or moving to Turkey, then knowing what the average salary is for a decent job is essential knowledge.”
While the cost of living in Istanbul is high compared to most Turkish cities, it’s lower than in other European and North American cities.
The following table compares the average monthly expenses for one person living in Istanbul with the average monthly expenses for one person living in London:
Public Transportation in Istanbul
Public transportation is affordable, reliable and convenient in Istanbul. You can buy a standard basic card for 2.15 TL (0.25 USD) from ticket offices or vending machines at bus and metro stations. There are also a number of subscription options available too – from monthly passes to student and senior discounts.
Istanbul currently has five subway lines that run across the city: M1 (Asian side), M2 (European side), M3 (Asian side) and two suburban lines that connect with M2 at Yenikapi on the European side and Kadikoy on the Asian side. The city government plans to add three more lines in coming years, including one connecting Yenikapi with Kartal via Ataturk Airport.
If you live in Istanbul, public transport should be your go-to for getting around. It’s cheap, convenient, and reliable.
To get a metro card (the card that allows you to buy tickets on the metro), visit any station and purchase a rechargeable card for 2.15 TL (0.25 USD). You can keep this card forever or just use it until you run out of money on it, then recharge it with more money when necessary. The price of a single ride is 1.60 TL (0.20 USD) and if you are traveling with someone else they will pay half of that amount so long as they have their own ticket too! If both parties don’t have one yet then make sure that one person goes to the machine first before purchasing yours because otherwise only one ticket will work per device at a time which means whoever gets there first will end up paying more than their share if he/she doesn’t need theirs anymore either because there isn’t enough space left on theirs after buying them both together…
You can buy a standard basic card for 2.15 TL (0.25 USD) at the airport or bus station.
A standard card allows you to travel on all public transport in Istanbul, including both metro and bus services, trams and ferries; as well as most private lines such as Kabataş-Taksim Funicular and Tünel funicular.
There are a number of subscription options available too – from monthly passes to student and senior discounts.
Food Costs in Istanbul
The cost of food in Istanbul is higher than most other cities in Turkey. An average meal costs between 15-20 TL (about $6-$8 USD), while a kebab sandwich can be easily bought for 6 TL (roughly $2 USD). If you’re looking to eat at an upscale restaurant, expect to pay about 30-40 TL ($12-$16 USD) for dinner for two with drinks. For example, you may want to try the famous Turkish dish called doner kebap (also known as shwarma) which is made from lamb meat cooked on a vertical rotisserie. It’s then sliced off and served on pita bread with salad, pickled vegetables and sauce—all for about 10-15 TL ($4-$5 USD). If you’re looking for something less messy and more healthy, try köfte or börek which are similar to doner kebap but made from ground beef or chicken instead of lamb meat respectively; they also come with the same toppings except they’re served over rice rather than pita breads.*
If you live in Istanbul, food will take up a significant portion of your budget – not only because it’s tasty, but because it’s so readily available and cheap. I was amazed at how many restaurants there were that served what seemed like a never-ending variety of meat dishes. There is also some fantastic local produce grown in Turkey, which is why prices for fresh fruits and vegetables are high compared to other countries. A pineapple can cost as much as $10 USD! Food costs tend to be high when the inflation rate is high (this happens when there’s too much money chasing too few goods). Inflation increases the cost of living because people need more money to buy the same amount of stuff they would have bought before inflation started happening.
What Is the Average Salary in Istanbul?
The average salary in Istanbul is $1,000 per month. This is lower than the average salaries in Turkey ($1,300), Europe ($2,000), and the United States ($3,000).
If you plan on working or moving to Turkey, then knowing what the average salary is for a decent job is essential knowledge.
Knowing what the average salary is in your city can help you determine if you’re being paid a fair wage by local standards and whether or not it makes sense to take that job offer.
While I was living in Istanbul, I made $500 USD per month. This was quite low compared with other expats who worked at international organizations or large companies. They earned around $2,000 per month for their positions as executives and professionals in their field of expertise. The minimum wage in Turkey is currently 1,300 Turkish Lira (around $250) but that doesn’t mean most people make this much due to high unemployment rates and a lack of professional opportunities for young people starting out on their own careers!
How Is Inflation in Turkey?
Inflation in Turkey is low. In fact, it has been low for the past decade, and we expect that trend to continue. According to the World Bank, annual inflation in Turkey was 1.5% as of 2019 (it was 1% in 2018). That’s a significant contrast with other countries like Brazil (6%) or India (4%), where inflation is much higher than it is in Turkey.
Even more promising: The IMF predicts that this trend will continue—that is, they expect annual inflation rates in 2020–21 to remain below 2%. This means that even though your salary might not grow at an exponential rate every year, you can still expect stable prices and steady returns on your savings—a great situation when compared with other economies around the world!
The cost of living in Istanbul is high compared to most Turkish cities
Istanbul is a popular destination for expats, especially those from Western Europe and North America. The cost of living in Istanbul is high compared to most Turkish cities but lower than the rest of Europe and North America.
However, if you live in one of the other major Turkish cities such as Ankara or Izmir where you can find a similar standard of living at a much lower cost.
We hope this guide has given you a good idea about what it costs to live in Istanbul.
Recent Comments