Cost of living comparison
Waterbury vs. Istanbul Cost of Living Summary
Waterbury is 2.0 times more expensive than Istanbul.
- Restaurants
-
pay 78.9% more in Waterbury
- Groceries
-
pay 3.0 times more in Waterbury
- Transportation
-
pay 16.1% less in Waterbury
- Housing
-
pay 3.1 times more in Waterbury
- Childcare
-
pay 72.6% more in Waterbury
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 66.9% more in Waterbury
- Clothing
-
pay 1.5% less in Waterbury
The cost of housing, groceries, restaurants, childcare, and entertainment and sports in Waterbury are more expensive than in Istanbul. Expenses including transportation and clothing are lower in Waterbury. Notably, housing, groceries, and restaurants are significantly more expensive in Waterbury.
Waterbury vs. Istanbul Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Waterbury instead of Istanbul, you would:
pay 78.9% more for restaurants
|
Istanbul
|
Waterbury
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$12.19
TRY611.44
|
$26.50
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$9.35
TRY468.77
|
$9.00
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$1.73
TRY86.80
|
$3.95
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$0.58
TRY29.01
|
$2.97
|
|
pay 3.0 times more for groceries
|
Istanbul
|
Waterbury
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$0.92
TRY46.16
|
$4.78
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$5.28
TRY264.59
|
$9.47
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$4.69
TRY234.91
|
$5.13
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$2.41
TRY120.90
|
$6.03
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$2.54
TRY127.30
|
$7.93
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$0.85
TRY42.69
|
$3.11
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$1.03
TRY51.51
|
$0.96
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$0.57
TRY28.70
|
$2.83
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$0.84
TRY41.89
|
$3.08
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.31
TRY15.56
|
$1.83
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$0.29
TRY14.35
|
$2.04
|
|
pay 16.1% less for transportation
|
Istanbul
|
Waterbury
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$5.43
TRY272.44
|
$3.64
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$67.03
TRY3,360.91
|
$63.00
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$50,810.11
TRY3M
|
$35,458.00
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$8.40
TRY421.37
|
$20.44
|
|
pay 3.1 times more for housing
|
Istanbul
|
Waterbury
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$16.15
TRY809.55
|
$71.57
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$996.85
TRY49,983.16
|
$1,850.00
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$647.83
TRY32,482.99
|
$3,500.00
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$68.87
TRY3,453.27
|
$164.80
|
|
pay 72.6% more for childcare
|
Istanbul
|
Waterbury
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,021.62
TRY51,225.46
|
$1,300.00
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$25,999.20
TRY1M
|
$60,882.67
|
|
pay 66.9% more for entertainment and sports
|
Istanbul
|
Waterbury
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$4.78
TRY239.48
|
$8.50
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$4.31
TRY216.34
|
$5.00
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$2.34
TRY117.19
|
$19.00
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$76.22
TRY3,821.53
|
$53.00
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$8.13
TRY407.63
|
$22.00
|
|
pay 1.5% less for clothing
|
Istanbul
|
Waterbury
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$53.35
TRY2,674.81
|
$40.00
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$39.62
TRY1,986.48
|
$45.00
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$99.91
TRY5,009.73
|
$80.00
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$95.52
TRY4,789.65
|
$132.00
|
|
We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world. Sources: MyLifeElsewhere's cost-of-living dataset (prices updated November 2026). How we calculate this
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