Climate
Istanbul logs 0 frost days a year to Samsun's 8 — Istanbul wins by 8. Istanbul also leads on sunny days by 17.
Istanbul
Feels-like °C
Dinner outside
Samsun
Feels-like °C
Dinner outside
Cost of Living
Istanbul averages $1,616/mo for balanced living; Samsun has no cost baseline yet.
Istanbul
$1,616monthly · balanced
Mobility
Istanbul scores 3.2 on mobility (0–5 scale); Samsun has no mobility baseline.
Culture
Istanbul's culture score of 4.2 sits well above Samsun's 0.0.
Nature & Outdoors
Istanbul scores 3.8 on nature & outdoors (0–5 scale); Samsun has no nature & outdoors baseline.
Safety
Istanbul scores 1.6 on safety (0–5 scale); Samsun has no safety baseline.
Career
Istanbul scores 3.8 on career (0–5 scale); Samsun has no career baseline.
Social & Community
Istanbul scores 3.6 on social & community (0–5 scale); Samsun has no social & community baseline.
Food & Dining
Istanbul scores 3.6 on food & dining (0–5 scale); Samsun has no food & dining baseline.
Family
Istanbul scores 2.9 on family (0–5 scale); Samsun has no family baseline.
Healthcare
Istanbul scores 4.1 on healthcare (0–5 scale); Samsun has no healthcare baseline.
Air Quality
Istanbul averages 18.7 µg/m³ (sensitive-groups) PM2.5 annually versus Samsun's 17.8 µg/m³ (sensitive-groups) — Samsun breathes ~5% cleaner air (0.9 µg/m³ lower).
Istanbul
Samsun
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.
Istanbul (14.2M) and Samsun (644K) are 22x in population — Istanbul is the larger metro, Samsun the smaller; on land area Istanbul spans roughly 16x more ground.
Istanbul is roughly 19x the scale of Samsun
Combined population & area comparison
IstanbulSamsunCity Scale Rankings
Istanbul14.2M22xSamsun644K1xIstanbul1,269 km²16xSamsun77 km²1xIstanbul
Samsun
Who Thrives Here
Istanbul favours the big city energy, while Samsun suits the winter escapist. Both cities work well for the clean air seeker.
Also compared
Berlin 
Cairo 
Dubai Frequently asked about Istanbul vs Samsun
▶Which is cheaper, Istanbul or Samsun?
▶How does the climate compare between Istanbul and Samsun?
▶Is Istanbul or Samsun safer?
▶Should I move to Istanbul or Samsun?
The best city depends on what matters to you
This comparison shows how Istanbul and Samsun stack up on the data. But your climate preferences, budget, career needs, and lifestyle priorities can shift the picture entirely. A personalized diagnostic finds what fits your life.
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