How Istanbul and Athens compare on cost, visas, working hours, weather, internet and safety. Every figure comes from our city guides and tools, checked and dated there.
The short answer
Istanbul Pick it for a lower visa income bar.
Athens Pick it for a lower US travel advisory level.
Everyday costsEven
What we have checked of rent, a coworking desk, weekday lunches and getting around comes to $577 to $1,280 (£434 to £964) a month in Istanbul, against $915 to $1,180 (£688 to £883) in Athens. We can't call it: Istanbul has no checked figure for a desk and lunch, so that total leaves it out.
The visaIstanbul
Istanbul asks for less income. Istanbul: Digital Nomad Visa (Digital Nomad Identification Certificate), $3,000 a month. Athens: Digital nomad visa and residence permit, about $3,930 a month (EUR 3,500 a month).
A London 9 to 5Even
Normal hours in both: 11:00 to 19:00 in Istanbul, 11:00 to 19:00 in Athens.
A New York 9 to 5Even
A late finish in both: 16:00 to 00:00 in Istanbul, 16:00 to 00:00 in Athens.
WeatherEven
Comfortable months on our best-time rule: 6 in Istanbul, 6 in Athens. Both are comfortable in May, June, August, September and October.
InternetEven
Much the same. Typical download speed: 55 Mbps in Istanbul, 58 to 61 Mbps in Athens, from each guide.
SafetyAthens
Athens. The US State Department puts Turkey at level 2 and Greece at level 1.
Side by side
Measure
Istanbul
Athens
Country
Turkey
Greece
Language
Turkish
Greek
Currency
Turkish lira (TRY)
Euro (EUR)
Plugs
Type C and F, 230V. UK plugs need an adapter
Type C and F, 230V
Time zone
UTC+3 today
UTC+3 today
A month's basics
$577 to $1,280 (£434 to £964), with a desk and lunch missing
$915 to $1,180 (£688 to £883)
Remote work visa
Digital Nomad Visa (Digital Nomad Identification Certificate)
Digital nomad visa and residence permit
Income needed
$3,000 a month
About $3,930 a month (EUR 3,500 a month)
Without a visa
British passports: 90 days in any 180, tourism only. American: 90 days in any 180, with no e-visa needed
British and American passports: 90 days in any 180 across Schengen
Tax residency
More than six months in a calendar year, or a legal home in Turkey or an intention to settle there
More than 183 days in any 12 months, and then you are resident from your first day
Download speed
55 Mbps
58 to 61 Mbps
Comfortable months
May, June, July, August, September and October
April, May, June, August, September and October
US travel advice
Level 2: increased caution
Level 1: normal precautions
Meetups
1 regular group still running
2 regular groups still running
Dollars and pounds at today's exchange rate. Download speeds are the typical figure from each guide, which says where it comes from: some are for the city, some for the whole country, so treat a small gap as no gap.
What a month costs
Rent, a coworking desk, a cheap lunch on each of 22 working days, and getting around: the same four costs our budget calculator uses. The rent figures aren't always the same kind of figure (some are furnished one-beds, some are averages across every size of flat), so read the note under each.
Istanbul
$577 to $1,280£434 to £964 a month
Rent
$504 to $1,210One-bed in Besiktas, asking, from listings reported in the press (WEAK). The Central Bank index for a 100 m2 flat of any type is TRY 40,453. TRY 25,000 to 60,000
A desk
No checked figureNo checked monthly coworking price. Regus charges TRY 1,249 for a hot desk for a day, or from TRY 209 a person a day on a 24-month contract
Weekday lunches
No checked figureNo checked price for a cheap weekday lunch (esnaf lokantasi)
Getting around
$73Full-fare monthly Istanbulkart pass, from 20 July 2026. TRY 3,628
Digital Nomad Visa (Digital Nomad Identification Certificate)
Income needed
$3,000 a month; in pounds, about £2,250 a month
How long
Not stated, including on the official application page
What it leads to
Not known whether nomad time counts. Long-term residence needs 8 years of continuous legal residence, citizenship 5
Without a visa
British passports: 90 days in any 180, tourism only. American: 90 days in any 180, with no e-visa needed
The catch. Earning the money is not enough. You must hold a university degree and, according to EY (April 2024), be aged 21 to 55 and have a passport from the list.
Athens
Digital nomad visa and residence permit
Income needed
About $3,930 a month (EUR 3,500 a month); in pounds, about £2,950 a month
How long
A visa of up to a year, then a two-year permit, renewable
What it leads to
EU long-term residence after five years, if nomad years count, which Greek law does not confirm. Citizenship after seven, holding a long-term permit
Without a visa
British and American passports: 90 days in any 180 across Schengen
The catch. Since February 2026 you must apply at a consulate before you go: applying from inside Greece no longer works.
The average high in °C each month, coloured by the rule on our best-time page: green is a high of 20 to 32°C with under 150mm of rain; red is a high of 38°C or more or under 12°C, 250mm of rain or more, or 33°C or more with 150mm of rain or more. Hover over a month for its rain.
Terrorist attacks are likely. Istanbul has had several, including a shooting near the Israeli Consulate in April 2026, and regular protests, some of which turn violent.
The US level is for the whole country, as the State Department sets it, and some countries have stricter advice for particular regions.
Who each one suits
From each city guide, word for word.
Istanbul
It suits
British and American passport holders who want 90 days in any 180 without any paperwork. Graduates aged 21 to 55 (according to EY, April 2024) earning at least USD 3,000 a month from a foreign employer or foreign clients, who can use the nomad visa to stay longer. Anyone who likes warm, dry city weather: May to September have highs of about 22 to 30 degrees and under 8 rain days a month.
It doesn't suit
Anyone without a degree, or over 55 according to EY (April 2024): the nomad visa is closed to them. Anyone who wants predictable costs: the average new-tenant rent rose about 10 per cent from the end of 2025, and a monthly transit pass went from TRY 3,298 to TRY 3,628 in July 2026. Anyone who posts political opinions online, because insulting the nation, the flag, the President or Ataturk is a criminal offence. Anyone who wants to forget about terrorism: GOV.UK says attacks are likely, and the US cites arbitrary detentions. And anyone who hates wet, grey winters: December to February bring 14 to 16 rain days a month.
Remote workers on a solid foreign salary who want winter sun and a proper city rather than a resort, and who treat spring and autumn as the best months. Daily life is cheap even where rent is not: lunch is a EUR 4 gyros, the transport pass is EUR 27 a month and the Acropolis Museum stays open until 10pm on Fridays. It works best if you arrive on a D visa arranged in advance, and either stay under 183 days or budget for Greek tax.
It doesn't suit
Anyone who needs a bearable summer: July and August heatwaves reach 38 degrees and more, and in July 2025 the Acropolis shut in the afternoons. Anyone who needs fast home broadband guaranteed, or a bureaucracy in English. Remote employees counting on the famous 50 per cent tax break, which does not cover them. And anyone planning to fly in visa-free and sort out a permit later: that door closed in February 2026.
