Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Aktobe and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in Aktobe: $874 a month against $1,519 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $7,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

42

Cost of Living Index in Aktobe
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Aktobe Living Index
73

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index

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Aktobe

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$874

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,519

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $874 per month in Aktobe vs $1,519 in Istanbul, rent included.

Aktobe $874
Istanbul $1,519

A couple spends around $1,378 per month in Aktobe vs $2,365 in Istanbul, rent included.

Aktobe $1,378
Istanbul $2,365

A family of three spends $1,883 per month in Aktobe vs $3,212 in Istanbul, rent included.

Aktobe $1,883
Istanbul $3,212

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

Aktobe sits 35% below the global median, while Istanbul is 12% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.65 ₸3,900

$11.81 ₺592

-26.76%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$39.43 ₸17.8K

$54.9 ₺2,754

-28.19%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.05 ₸3,179

$9.26 ₺465

-23.87%

Cappuccino

$2.45 ₸1,104

$4.30 ₺216

-43.02%

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

$1.24 ₸558

$1.77 ₺89.0

-29.94%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₸265

$0.56 ₺28.32

5.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.93 ₸872

$4.69 ₺235

-58.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.00 ₸1,351

$7.12 ₺357

-57.87%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.37 ₸618

$1.25 ₺62.7

9.60%

White Bread (500g)

$0.42 ₸190

$0.88 ₺44.17

-52.27%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.97 ₸436

$2.20 ₺111

-55.91%

Eggs

$1.74 ₸785

$2.43 ₺122

-28.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.05 ₸3,630

$10.48 ₺526

-23.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.83 ₸2,628

$5.31 ₺267

9.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.91 ₸4,015

$21.10 ₺1,058

-57.77%

Apples (1kg)

$1.59 ₸717

$1.86 ₺93.1

-14.52%

Banana (1kg)

$2.22 ₸1,001

$2.30 ₺115

-3.48%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.36 ₸1,066

$1.22 ₺61.0

93.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.89 ₸853

$1.80 ₺90.2

5.00%

Potato (1kg)

$0.77 ₸348

$0.69 ₺34.83

11.59%

Onion (1kg)

$0.37 ₸169

$0.64 ₺32.16

-42.19%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.09 ₸489

$1.36 ₺68.0

-19.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.73 ₸331

$0.58 ₺28.94

25.86%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.48 ₸1,116

$2.34 ₺117

5.98%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.89 ₸2,654

$13.03 ₺653

-54.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.09 ₸493

$2.36 ₺118

-53.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 ₸786

$3.32 ₺166

-47.59%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.20 ₸90.1

$0.88 ₺44.07

-77.27%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$17.72 ₸7,988

$66.1 ₺3,316

-73.20%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.14 ₸512

$1.28 ₺64.4

-10.94%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.09 ₸490

$0.85 ₺42.80

28.24%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.62 ₸2,532

$11.09 ₺556

-49.32%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.65 ₸293

$1.48 ₺74.0

-56.08%

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

$22.9K ₸10.3M

$48.6K ₺2.4M

-52.85%

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

$30.4K ₸13.7M

$42.0K ₺2.1M

-27.67%

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

$56.1 ₸25.3K

$92.7 ₺4,650

-39.47%

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

$10.39 ₸4,682

$11.20 ₺562

-7.23%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.36 ₸9,628

$15.89 ₺797

34.42%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$47.91 ₸21.6K

$74.7 ₺3,745

-35.85%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.92 ₸5,376

$22.95 ₺1,151

-48.06%

Cinema Ticket

$5.37 ₸2,420

$8.05 ₺404

-33.29%

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

$225 ₸101.5K

$948 ₺47.6K

-76.27%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,221 ₸1.5M

$36.9K ₺1.9M

-91.27%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.8 ₸25.1K

$53.9 ₺2,702

3.49%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.8 ₸25.1K

$41.49 ₺2,081

34.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$116 ₸52.3K

$101 ₺5,060

14.98%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.8 ₸44.1K

$91.3 ₺4,580

7.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$301 ₸135.9K

$1,014 ₺50.8K

-70.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$227 ₸102.4K

$625 ₺31.3K

-63.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$462 ₸208.2K

$2,005 ₺100.6K

-76.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$360 ₸162.1K

$1,126 ₺56.5K

-68.06%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$824 ₸371.7K

$2,988 ₺149.8K

-72.40%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$525 ₸236.5K

$1,730 ₺86.8K

-69.67%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$550 ₸248.0K

$1,136 ₺57.0K

-51.59%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.42

-57.94%

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

Last update for Aktobe: November 3, 2026

Last update for Istanbul: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Aktobe

$227 26%

Istanbul

$625 41.1% 175% $397

Groceries & Markets

Aktobe

$186 21.3%

Istanbul

$258 17% 38.9% $72

Clothing & Footwear

Aktobe

$146 16.8%

Istanbul

$129 8.5% 11.6% $17

Eating Out

Aktobe

$143 16.3%

Istanbul

$221 14.6% 54.8% $78

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Aktobe

$88 10.1%

Istanbul

$120 7.9% 36.3% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Aktobe

$59 6.7%

Istanbul

$91 6% 54.8% $32

Getting Around

Aktobe

$25 2.9%

Istanbul

$75 5% 200% $50

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $301 in Aktobe 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 in Istanbul are about 2.1 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $39 in Aktobe versus $55 in Istanbul. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $186 vs $258 – making Aktobe the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇰🇿 Aktobe

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

11:41 11:41 AM

09:41 9:41 AM

2 h behind Aktobe

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

570,452

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 = 56.3 TRY (100 TRY = 1.78 EUR).

USD to KZT in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Aktobe Istanbul 2,410 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Aktobe
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

Aktobe vs Istanbul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 74%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,311 per month in Aktobe 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 Aktobe, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $301 there versus $1,014 in Istanbul.

Groceries cost about 39% more in Istanbul, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $39 in Aktobe and $55 in Istanbul. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Aktobe, where all-in costs run around $874, than in Istanbul at $1,519. In Aktobe it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

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