Climate
Bursa logs 26 hot days a year to Istanbul's 9 — Istanbul wins by 17. Bursa also leads on outdoor-dinner months by 1.
Bursa
Feels-like °C
Dinner outside
Istanbul
Feels-like °C
Dinner outside
Cost of Living
Istanbul averages $1,616/mo for balanced living; Bursa has no cost baseline yet.
Istanbul
$1,616monthly · balanced
Mobility
Istanbul scores 3.2 on mobility (0–5 scale); Bursa has no mobility baseline.
Culture
Istanbul's culture score of 4.2 sits well above Bursa's 0.0.
Nature & Outdoors
Istanbul scores 3.8 on nature & outdoors (0–5 scale); Bursa has no nature & outdoors baseline.
Safety
Istanbul scores 1.6 on safety (0–5 scale); Bursa has no safety baseline.
Career
Istanbul scores 3.8 on career (0–5 scale); Bursa has no career baseline.
Social & Community
Istanbul scores 3.6 on social & community (0–5 scale); Bursa has no social & community baseline.
Food & Dining
Istanbul scores 3.6 on food & dining (0–5 scale); Bursa has no food & dining baseline.
Family
Istanbul scores 2.9 on family (0–5 scale); Bursa has no family baseline.
Healthcare
Istanbul scores 4.1 on healthcare (0–5 scale); Bursa has no healthcare baseline.
Air Quality
Bursa averages 22.5 µg/m³ (sensitive-groups) PM2.5 annually versus Istanbul's 18.7 µg/m³ (sensitive-groups) — Istanbul breathes ~17% cleaner air (3.8 µg/m³ lower).
Bursa
Istanbul
PM2.5 annual average
WHO classification
City Scale
Both maps at the same real-world scale — 1 cm on either map is the same distance.
Bursa (2.4M) and Istanbul (14.2M) are 6.0x in population — Istanbul is the larger metro, Bursa the smaller; on land area Istanbul spans roughly 5.9x more ground.
Istanbul is roughly 5.9x the scale of Bursa
Combined population & area comparison
City Scale Rankings
Bursa
Istanbul
Who Thrives Here
Bursa favours the winter escapist, while Istanbul suits the big city energy. Both cities work well for the sunshine lover.
Also compared
Frequently asked about Bursa vs Istanbul
▶Which is cheaper, Bursa or Istanbul?
▶How does the climate compare between Bursa and Istanbul?
▶Is Bursa or Istanbul safer?
▶Should I move to Bursa or Istanbul?
The best city depends on what matters to you
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