Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Aksaray and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in Aksaray: $883 a month against $1,525 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $7,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

43

Cost of Living Index in Aksaray
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Aksaray Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index

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Aksaray

🇹🇷 Turkey

$883

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,525

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Aksaray and in Istanbul

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Aksaray and in Istanbul actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $883 per month in Aksaray vs $1,525 in Istanbul, rent included.

Aksaray $883
Istanbul $1,525

A couple spends around $1,372 per month in Aksaray vs $2,390 in Istanbul, rent included.

Aksaray $1,372
Istanbul $2,390

A family of three spends $1,861 per month in Aksaray vs $3,256 in Istanbul, rent included.

Aksaray $1,861
Istanbul $3,256

Aksaray is about 42% cheaper than Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Aksaray sits 35% below the global median, while Istanbul is 13% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.22 ₺308

$11.96 ₺592

-47.99%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.35 ₺1,206

$57.2 ₺2,834

-57.45%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.92 ₺343

$9.51 ₺471

-27.23%

Cappuccino

$2.85 ₺141

$4.40 ₺218

-35.23%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.16 ₺57.5

$1.75 ₺86.6

-33.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.34 ₺16.96

$0.56 ₺27.57

-39.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.19 ₺109

$4.71 ₺233

-53.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.64 ₺180

$6.14 ₺304

-40.72%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.99 ₺49.26

$1.24 ₺61.6

-20.16%

White Bread (500g)

$0.89 ₺44.05

$0.95 ₺47.25

-6.32%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 ₺87.7

$2.28 ₺113

-22.37%

Eggs

$1.65 ₺81.7

$2.45 ₺121

-32.65%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.22 ₺308

$10.56 ₺523

-41.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.20 ₺159

$5.50 ₺272

-41.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.27 ₺1,053

$21.65 ₺1,072

-1.76%

Apples (1kg)

$2.17 ₺107

$1.83 ₺90.6

18.58%

Banana (1kg)

$1.84 ₺90.9

$2.29 ₺113

-19.65%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.13 ₺55.7

$1.28 ₺63.4

-11.72%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.05 ₺51.9

$1.82 ₺90.1

-42.31%

Potato (1kg)

$0.38 ₺18.72

$0.66 ₺32.74

-42.42%

Onion (1kg)

$0.33 ₺16.50

$0.63 ₺31.14

-47.62%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.88 ₺43.32

$1.27 ₺62.8

-30.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.17 ₺8.48

$0.56 ₺27.62

-69.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.07 ₺102

$2.36 ₺117

-12.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.40 ₺713

$12.98 ₺642

10.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.88 ₺93.1

$2.48 ₺123

-24.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.45 ₺122

$3.50 ₺174

-30.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.71 ₺35.33

$0.82 ₺40.77

-13.41%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.2 ₺3,228

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.79 ₺39.25

$1.33 ₺65.7

-40.60%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 ₺42.05

$0.90 ₺44.60

-5.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.97 ₺295

$10.91 ₺540

-45.28%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.25 ₺61.7

$1.43 ₺70.7

-12.59%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$42.2K ₺2.1M

$49.6K ₺2.5M

-14.89%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$38.7K ₺1.9M

$43.2K ₺2.1M

-10.34%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$57.5 ₺2,846

$88.8 ₺4,395

-35.25%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$7.34 ₺363

$11.69 ₺579

-37.21%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$13.57 ₺672

$16.09 ₺797

-15.66%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.3 ₺2,590

$76.3 ₺3,776

-31.39%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.72 ₺1,125

Cinema Ticket

$2.95 ₺146

$8.26 ₺409

-64.29%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$312 ₺15.4K

$1,015 ₺50.2K

-69.27%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.0K ₺544.0K

$25.8K ₺1.3M

-57.47%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$31.64 ₺1,566

$53.3 ₺2,636

-40.58%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$23.35 ₺1,156

$40.55 ₺2,008

-42.42%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.6 ₺3,939

$100 ₺4,956

-20.52%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.6 ₺3,893

$93.5 ₺4,630

-15.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$422 ₺20.9K

$977 ₺48.4K

-56.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$300 ₺14.9K

$627 ₺31.0K

-52.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$777 ₺38.5K

$1,980 ₺98.0K

-60.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$561 ₺27.8K

$1,147 ₺56.8K

-51.07%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,303 ₺64.5K

$3,095 ₺153.2K

-57.90%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$999 ₺49.5K

$1,787 ₺88.5K

-44.09%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$801 ₺39.7K

$1,213 ₺60.1K

-33.94%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

47.67

40.69

17.15%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Aksaray: October 18, 2026

Last update for Istanbul: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Aksaray

$300 34%

Istanbul

$627 41.1% 109% $327

Groceries & Markets

Aksaray

$213 24.1%

Istanbul

$263 17.2% 23.2% $49

Eating Out

Aksaray

$129 14.6%

Istanbul

$222 14.6% 72.1% $93

Clothing & Footwear

Aksaray

$96 10.9%

Istanbul

$129 8.5% 34.8% $33

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Aksaray

$78 8.9%

Istanbul

$117 7.6% 48.7% $38

Sport & Entertainment

Aksaray

$58 6.6%

Istanbul

$93 6.1% 59.3% $35

Getting Around

Aksaray

$7.9 * 0.9%

Istanbul

$74 4.9% 842% $66

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $422 in Aksaray versus $977 in Istanbul. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 51% higher in Istanbul, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $24.00 in Aksaray versus $57.0 in Istanbul. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $213 vs $263 – making Aksaray the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Aksaray

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

17:02 5:02 PM

Same time as Aksaray

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

423,011

15,701,602

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 2.02 USD

100 TRY = 1.8 EUR

100 TRY = 2.02 USD

100 TRY = 1.8 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Aksaray Istanbul 520 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Aksaray
Istanbul

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated June 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Aksaray vs Istanbul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $883 in Aksaray, $1,525 in Istanbul – roughly 73% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,324 per month in Aksaray and $2,287 in Istanbul. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Aksaray, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $24.00 in Aksaray and $57.0 in Istanbul. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 23% more in Istanbul, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Aksaray, where all-in costs run around $883, than in Istanbul at $1,525. In Aksaray it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Istanbul has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $883 in Aksaray to $1,525 in Istanbul. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Aksaray. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Istanbul makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.