# Istanbul — relocation profile

Istanbul, Turkey · Hybrid regime · livability 54/100

## At a glance

- **Country:** Turkey
- **Region:** Europe
- **Estimated monthly cost of living (solo, renting in the centre):** $2,444/month
- **Livability score:** 54 / 100 (rank 113 of 132 Townleap cities)
- **Settler safety score:** 61 / 100 (rank 87 of 132)
- **Cost vs New York City:** 72% cheaper
- **Also appears in:** Remote Workers, Lowest Crime, Budget Maximizers, European Dream, Startup Cities, Sun + Beach, Rising Stars, Remote Work Visa Cities, Hidden Gems, Warm & Affordable Europe, Eastern Europe, Young Professionals, Tech Settler, Open Door Cities, Leaving the UK, Freelance-Friendly

## Cost of living

| Item | USD / month |
| --- | --- |
| Rent — 1-bed, city centre | $1,070 |
| Rent — 1-bed, outside centre | $640 |
| Rent — 3-bed, city centre | $1,969 |
| Average net salary (after tax) | $1,190 |
| **Total monthly cost (solo, rent included)** | **$2,444** |

One-off cost to land (deposit, agency fee, furnishing, first admin): $3,987.

Reference point: 72% cheaper than NYC.

## Settling

- **Democracy index (EIU, 0–10):** 4.3
- **Regime type:** Hybrid regime
- **Homicide rate:** 2.6 per 100,000/year
- **Time to permanent residency:** 8 years
- **Time to citizenship:** 5 years
- **English proficiency:** Low (EF EPI 488)
- **Main languages:** Turkish

## Day to day

- **Summer (low–high):** 20–28°C
- **Winter (low–high):** 5–10°C
- **Internet speed:** 50.79 Mbps
- **Healthcare index (0–100):** 69.5
- **Natural features:** sea

## Economy

- **GDP per capita:** $45,639 (2024, country-level)
- **Inflation:** 58.5% (2024)
- **Unemployment:** 8.5% (2025)
- **Population:** 15,840,000

## Similar cities

| City | Country | Rent (1-bed, centre) | Monthly cost | Page |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Bilbao | Spain | $1,259 | $3,036 | /cities/bilbao |
| Malaga | Spain | $1,392 | $3,101 | /cities/malaga |
| Marseille | France | $902 | $2,711 | /cities/marseille |
| Montpellier | France | $930 | $2,601 | /cities/montpellier |
| Nice | France | $1,142 | $3,050 | /cities/nice |

## Related pages

- Cost of living breakdown: /cost-of-living/istanbul
- Compare with another city: /cities/compare
- Visa and residency paths: /cities/istanbul/visa

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Source: [Townleap](https://www.townleap.com/cities/istanbul) — permanent-relocation data for people picking a country to actually live in, not visit.

Cost figures are Numbeo-derived and in USD unless labelled otherwise. Economics are World Bank. Every number on this page is also on the HTML page at the same URL — this variant exists so you do not have to parse a React app to read a rent figure.