Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Aktau and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in Aktau: $798 a month against $1,519 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $8,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

38

Cost of Living Index in Aktau
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Aktau Living Index
73

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index

Jump to prices

Aktau

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$798

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,519

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Aktau 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 Aktau and in Istanbul actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $798 per month in Aktau vs $1,519 in Istanbul, rent included.

Aktau $798
Istanbul $1,519

A couple spends around $1,321 per month in Aktau vs $2,365 in Istanbul, rent included.

Aktau $1,321
Istanbul $2,365

A family of three spends $1,844 per month in Aktau vs $3,212 in Istanbul, rent included.

Aktau $1,844
Istanbul $3,212

Aktau is about 47% cheaper than Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Aktau sits 41% below the global median, while Istanbul is 12% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.26 ₸5,075

$11.81 ₺592

-4.66%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.53 ₸19.6K

$54.9 ₺2,754

-20.72%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.11 ₸4,556

$9.26 ₺465

9.18%

Cappuccino

$2.56 ₸1,154

$4.30 ₺216

-40.47%

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

$0.75 ₸339

$1.77 ₺89.0

-57.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.45 ₸205

$0.56 ₺28.32

-19.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.29 ₸582

$4.69 ₺235

-72.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.53 ₸692

$7.12 ₺357

-78.51%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.45 ₸655

$1.25 ₺62.7

16.00%

White Bread (500g)

$0.57 ₸256

$0.88 ₺44.17

-35.23%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.82 ₸822

$2.20 ₺111

-17.27%

Eggs

$1.73 ₸780

$2.43 ₺122

-28.81%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.77 ₸4,406

$10.48 ₺526

-6.77%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.21 ₸1,900

$5.31 ₺267

-20.72%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.55 ₸3,855

$21.10 ₺1,058

-59.48%

Apples (1kg)

$1.51 ₸681

$1.86 ₺93.1

-18.82%

Banana (1kg)

$2.23 ₸1,004

$2.30 ₺115

-3.04%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.40 ₸1,083

$1.22 ₺61.0

96.72%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.86 ₸1,290

$1.80 ₺90.2

58.89%

Potato (1kg)

$0.66 ₸297

$0.69 ₺34.83

-4.35%

Onion (1kg)

$0.52 ₸236

$0.64 ₺32.16

-18.75%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 ₸660

$1.36 ₺68.0

7.35%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.95 ₸430

$0.58 ₺28.94

63.79%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.60 ₸1,170

$2.34 ₺117

11.11%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.49 ₸4,279

$13.03 ₺653

-27.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.76 ₸341

$2.36 ₺118

-67.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.90 ₸407

$3.32 ₺166

-72.89%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.16 ₸72.1

$0.88 ₺44.07

-81.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.1 ₺3,316

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.13 ₸508

$1.28 ₺64.4

-11.72%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.64 ₸289

$0.85 ₺42.80

-24.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.09 ₺556

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.67 ₸300

$1.48 ₺74.0

-54.73%

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

$48.6K ₺2.4M

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

$31.2K ₸14.1M

$42.0K ₺2.1M

-25.61%

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

$46.54 ₸21.0K

$92.7 ₺4,650

-49.80%

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

$8.14 ₸3,668

$11.20 ₺562

-27.32%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.99 ₸4,956

$15.89 ₺797

-30.84%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.51 ₸16.5K

$74.7 ₺3,745

-51.11%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.95 ₺1,151

Cinema Ticket

$3.12 ₸1,407

$8.05 ₺404

-61.24%

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

$146 ₸65.7K

$948 ₺47.6K

-84.64%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,643 ₸1.2M

$36.9K ₺1.9M

-92.84%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$67.5 ₸30.4K

$53.9 ₺2,702

25.19%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.11 ₸17.6K

$41.49 ₺2,081

-5.74%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$71.7 ₸32.3K

$101 ₺5,060

-28.94%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.0 ₸39.7K

$91.3 ₺4,580

-3.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$325 ₸146.6K

$1,014 ₺50.8K

-67.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$199 ₸89.8K

$625 ₺31.3K

-68.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$547 ₸246.5K

$2,005 ₺100.6K

-72.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$393 ₸177.2K

$1,126 ₺56.5K

-65.10%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$810 ₸365.3K

$2,988 ₺149.8K

-72.88%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$645 ₸290.8K

$1,730 ₺86.8K

-62.72%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$569 ₸256.4K

$1,136 ₺57.0K

-49.95%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.42

-65.36%

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

Last update for Aktau: October 31, 2026

Last update for Istanbul: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Aktau

$200 25.1%

Istanbul

$258 17% 29% $58

Accommodation & Living

Aktau

$199 25%

Istanbul

$625 41.1% 214% $425

Eating Out

Aktau

$165 20.7%

Istanbul

$221 14.6% 33.5% $56

Clothing & Footwear

Aktau

$120 15%

Istanbul

$129 8.5% 8% $9.6

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Aktau

$66 8.2%

Istanbul

$120 7.9% 82.4% $54

Sport & Entertainment

Aktau

$43 5.4%

Istanbul

$91 6% 112% $48

Getting Around

Aktau

$5 * 0.6%

Istanbul

$75 5% 1413% $70

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $325 in Aktau versus $1,014 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 100% higher in Istanbul. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44 in Aktau versus $55 in Istanbul. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $200 vs $258 – making Aktau the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇰🇿 Aktau

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

17:29 5:29 PM

15:29 3:29 PM

2 h behind Aktau

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

273,830

15,701,602

💱 Currency

Kazakhstani Tenge KZT ₸

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 KZT = 2.22 USD

1,000 KZT = 1.98 EUR

100 TRY = 1.99 USD

100 TRY = 1.78 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TRY, USD, EUR to KZT – Kazakhstani Tenge Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇰🇿 Kazakhstani Tenge (₸)

Kazakhstani Tenge exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 451 KZT (1,000 KZT = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 506 KZT (1,000 KZT = 1.98 EUR).

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 50.15 TRY (100 TRY = 1.99 USD). 1 EUR = 56.33 TRY (100 TRY = 1.78 EUR).

USD to KZT in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Aktau Istanbul 1,840 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Aktau
Istanbul

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

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

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

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Aktau vs Istanbul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Istanbul costs about 90% more than Aktau, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,197 per month in Aktau and $2,278 in Istanbul. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Aktau, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $325 there versus $1,014 in Istanbul.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44 in Aktau and $55 in Istanbul. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 29% more in Istanbul, though the gap depends on what you buy.

Families tend to lean toward Aktau – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

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