✦ Compare
Florence vs
Istanbul
Cost-of-living comparison and salary equivalence. Enter your current salary to see what you'd need to earn to live equally well.
Florence, IT vs Istanbul, TR at a glance — Istanbul, TR is 45% cheaper than Florence, IT overall. Median 1-bed rent runs about $650/mo versus $900/mo. Top income tax: 40% vs 43%.
To keep the same standard of living in Istanbul, TR, you'd need
$41,242 / year
Istanbul, TR is 45% cheaper overall
Category breakdown (Istanbul, TR vs Florence, IT)
- Housing-42%
- Food & groceries-50%
- Transport-49%
- Utilities-49%
- Healthcare-44%
- Goods & services-43%
◎ How Florence, IT and Istanbul, TR compare
Index vs the US average — the line marks 100. Lower is cheaper.
▤ Full comparison
| Florence, IT | Istanbul, TR | |
|---|---|---|
| Cost of living | ||
| Overall cost index | 98 | 54 |
| Housing | 95 | 55 |
| Food | 104 | 52 |
| Transport | 78 | 40 |
| Utilities | 118 | 60 |
| Healthcare | 80 | 45 |
| Goods & services | 106 | 60 |
| Housing | ||
| Rent, 1-bed centre | $900/mo | $650/mo |
| Rent, 1-bed outside | $680/mo | $400/mo |
| Rent, 3-bed centre | $1,700/mo | $1,300/mo |
| Buy price / m² centre | $4,800 | $2,500 |
| Money & purchasing power | ||
| $1,000 goes as far as | $1,018 | $1,852 |
| Inexpensive meal | $15 | $6 |
| Monthly transit pass | $40 | $30 |
| Taxes | ||
| Income tax (top rate) | 43% | 40% |
| VAT / sales tax | 22% | 20% |
| Social security (employee) | — | 15% |
| Corporate tax | 24% | 25% |
| Capital gains | 26% | — |
| Economy & salaries | ||
| Avg net salary | $1,900/mo | $700/mo |
| Minimum wage | — | $600/mo |
| GDP per capita | $43,309 | $15,666 |
| Inflation (annual) | 1.5% | 44% |
| Work & digital nomad | ||
| Digital-nomad visa | Yes | Yes |
| English proficiency | Moderate | Moderate |
| Coworking spaces | 18 | 50 |
| Time zone | UTC+1 | UTC+3 |
| Quality of life | ||
| Safety index | 60 | 58 |
| Healthcare index | 80 | 65 |
| Pollution index | 48 | 62 |
| Internet speed | 120 Mbps | 60 Mbps |
| Walkability | 84 | 70 |
| Public transport | 68 | 72 |
| Family-friendly | 66 | 60 |
| Tap water | Safe to drink | Use caution |
| Life expectancy | 84 yr | 78 yr |
| LGBTQ+ acceptance | Moderate | Low |
| Climate | ||
| January avg | +7 °C | +6 °C |
| July avg | +26 °C | +24 °C |
| Sunny days / year | 240 | 190 |
| Rainfall / year | 830 mm | 810 mm |
| Connectivity | ||
| Flight to nearest hub | 1 h | 3 h |
Taxes & Economy & salaries: Italy vs Turkey. Estimates use approximate cost-of-living indices (US average = 100) and are for general guidance only.
Good to know before you move to Florence
An open-air museum in the Tuscan hills — Renaissance art, Chianti country on the doorstep and a walkable historic core. Tourism keeps the centre pricey and busy, but salaries are modest and it runs cheaper than Milan or Rome overall.
- Currency
- Euro (€ EUR)
- Languages
- Italian
- Time zone
- UTC+1
- Internet
- 120 Mbps
- English
- Fairly common
- Safety
- 60/100
- Climate
- ❄ 7°C · ☀ 26°C · 240 sunny days/yr
- Tap water
- Safe to drink
- Power
- F/L · 230V
- Driving
- Right-hand side
- Popular areas
- Oltrarno · Santa Croce · San Marco · Campo di Marte
Good to know before you move to Istanbul
The only megacity straddling two continents — 15 million people where Europe meets Asia. Big-city energy, deep history and world-class food at a fraction of Western-European prices, offset by a volatile lira and long cross-Bosphorus commutes.
- Currency
- Turkish lira (₺ TRY)
- Languages
- Turkish
- Time zone
- UTC+3
- Internet
- 60 Mbps
- English
- Fairly common
- Safety
- 58/100
- Climate
- ❄ 6°C · ☀ 24°C · 190 sunny days/yr
- Tap water
- Bottled recommended
- Power
- C/F · 230V
- Driving
- Right-hand side
- Popular areas
- Kadıköy · Beşiktaş · Cihangir · Şişli
Plan your move to Florence
Everything you will book for the move — sorted, and updated as we add partners.
- FlightsCheapvuelos
- FlightsAviasales
- HotelsNH Hotels
- Car rentalLocalrent
- Airport transferWelcome Pickups
- Tours & ticketsKlook
- Tours & ticketsTiqets
- InsuranceSafetyWing
- eSIM / dataAiralo
- Luggage storageRadical Storage
- Flight compensationAirHelp
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Plan your move to Istanbul
Everything you will book for the move — sorted, and updated as we add partners.
- FlightsCheapvuelos
- FlightsAviasales
- Car rentalLocalrent
- Tours & ticketsKlook
- Tours & ticketsTiqets
- InsuranceSafetyWing
- eSIM / dataAiralo
- Luggage storageRadical Storage
- MoreAvitoVIP
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? Frequently asked questions
Moving from Florence to Istanbul: cheaper or more expensive?
Moving from Florence to Istanbul, your cost of living will be roughly 45% cheaper. Istanbul’s cost-of-living index is 54 versus 98 for Florence (US = 100). Use the salary tool above to see the income you’d need to keep the same lifestyle.
Is Florence cheaper than Istanbul?
Istanbul is about 45% cheaper than Florence overall — its cost-of-living index is 54 versus 98 for Florence.
How much do you need to earn in Istanbul to live like in Florence?
To keep the same standard of living, a $75,000 salary in Florence is worth about $41,242 in Istanbul. Enter your own figure in the calculator above.
Which has lower taxes, Florence or Istanbul?
Turkey has the lower top income-tax rate — 40% versus 43% in Italy.
◷ More comparisons from Florence
Estimates use approximate cost-of-living indices (US average = 100) and are for general guidance only.