Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ankara and Izmir

For one person, living is cheaper in Izmir: $1,212 a month against $1,393 in Ankara, rent and utilities included – about $2,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

67

Cost of Living Index in Ankara
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Ankara Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Izmir
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Izmir Living Index

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Ankara

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,393

/mo nomad

Izmir

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,212

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Ankara and in Izmir

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

A single person spends $1,393 per month in Ankara vs $1,212 in Izmir, rent included.

Ankara $1,393
Izmir $1,212

A couple spends around $2,079 per month in Ankara vs $1,898 in Izmir, rent included.

Ankara $2,079
Izmir $1,898

A family of three spends $2,765 per month in Ankara vs $2,584 in Izmir, rent included.

Ankara $2,765
Izmir $2,584

Ankara costs about 15% more than Izmir, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Ankara sits 2% above the global median, while Izmir is 11% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.90 ₺493

$9.89 ₺493

0.10%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.89 ₺2,137

$35.55 ₺1,772

20.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.31 ₺464

$8.41 ₺419

10.70%

Cappuccino

$4.15 ₺207

$3.64 ₺181

14.01%

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

$1.66 ₺82.6

$1.46 ₺72.7

13.70%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.76 ₺37.94

$0.58 ₺28.86

31.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.15 ₺257

$3.44 ₺172

49.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.85 ₺292

$5.00 ₺249

17.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.20 ₺59.9

$1.08 ₺53.9

11.11%

White Bread (500g)

$0.99 ₺49.46

$1.05 ₺52.6

-5.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.15 ₺107

$2.38 ₺119

-9.66%

Eggs

$2.69 ₺134

$2.46 ₺123

9.35%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.22 ₺510

$9.31 ₺464

9.77%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.45 ₺272

$5.10 ₺254

6.86%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.32 ₺1,013

$21.03 ₺1,048

-3.38%

Apples (1kg)

$1.91 ₺95.0

$1.95 ₺97.4

-2.05%

Banana (1kg)

$2.28 ₺113

$2.18 ₺108

4.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.27 ₺63.2

$1.06 ₺52.7

19.81%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.64 ₺81.7

$1.36 ₺67.9

20.59%

Potato (1kg)

$0.67 ₺33.28

$0.59 ₺29.55

13.56%

Onion (1kg)

$0.57 ₺28.55

$0.40 ₺20.08

42.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.03 ₺51.3

$1.09 ₺54.6

-5.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.64 ₺31.69

$0.73 ₺36.52

-12.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.19 ₺109

$2.22 ₺111

-1.35%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.46 ₺621

$11.15 ₺556

11.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.24 ₺112

$2.06 ₺103

8.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.11 ₺155

$2.99 ₺149

4.01%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.82 ₺40.87

$0.68 ₺34.06

20.59%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.86 ₺591

$43.12 ₺2,149

-72.50%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 ₺63.8

$3.52 ₺175

-63.64%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.81 ₺40.61

$1.02 ₺50.9

-20.59%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.46 ₺322

$5.52 ₺275

17.03%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.40 ₺69.7

$1.35 ₺67.2

3.70%

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

$47.9K ₺2.4M

$46.6K ₺2.3M

2.87%

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

$40.3K ₺2.0M

$43.7K ₺2.2M

-7.67%

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

$93.1 ₺4,639

$82.4 ₺4,104

13.04%

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

$10.72 ₺534

$10.53 ₺525

1.80%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.87 ₺891

$15.87 ₺791

12.60%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$72.2 ₺3,597

$64.2 ₺3,197

12.48%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.34 ₺765

$34.55 ₺1,722

-55.60%

Cinema Ticket

$8.04 ₺401

$8.25 ₺411

-2.55%

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

$1,032 ₺51.4K

$683 ₺34.1K

50.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.2K ₺955.7K

$14.5K ₺720.2K

32.71%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ₺2,659

$45.34 ₺2,260

17.69%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.30 ₺2,407

$37.24 ₺1,856

29.70%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 ₺5,196

$92.0 ₺4,584

13.35%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.0 ₺4,786

$79.8 ₺3,978

20.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$765 ₺38.1K

$587 ₺29.2K

30.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$569 ₺28.4K

$424 ₺21.1K

34.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,127 ₺56.2K

$1,122 ₺55.9K

0.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$893 ₺44.5K

$793 ₺39.5K

12.67%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,678 ₺83.6K

$1,444 ₺72.0K

16.19%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,158 ₺57.7K

$999 ₺49.8K

15.88%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,053 ₺52.5K

$1,134 ₺56.5K

-7.19%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

43.57

42.33

2.93%

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

Last update for Ankara: October 25, 2026

Last update for Izmir: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ankara

$569 40.9%

Izmir

$424 35% 25.4% $145

Groceries & Markets

Ankara

$254 18.2%

Izmir

$245 20.3% 3.3% $8.4

Eating Out

Ankara

$204 14.7%

Izmir

$183 15.1% 10.1% $21

Clothing & Footwear

Ankara

$136 9.8%

Izmir

$114 9.5% 15.8% $21

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ankara

$122 8.7%

Izmir

$109 9% 10.6% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Ankara

$88 6.3%

Izmir

$81 6.7% 8.6% $7.6

Getting Around

Ankara

$21 1.5%

Izmir

$54 4.5% 166% $34

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $765 in Ankara versus $587 in Izmir. 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 8% higher in Izmir, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Ankara versus $36 in Izmir. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $254 vs $245 – making Izmir the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Ankara

🇹🇷 Izmir

🕒 Local time

23:33 11:33 PM

Same time as Ankara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,864,049 Capital

4,493,242

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 2.01 USD

100 TRY = 1.8 EUR

100 TRY = 2.01 USD

100 TRY = 1.8 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Ankara Izmir 520 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Ankara
Izmir

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

Ankara vs Izmir: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ankara costs about 15% more than Izmir, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from clothing. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,090 per month in Ankara and $1,818 in Izmir. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Izmir, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $587 there versus $765 in Ankara.

Kindergarten costs $1,032 per month in Ankara and $683 in Izmir. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 3% more in Ankara, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,393 in Ankara and $1,212 in Izmir. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Izmir costs $1,212 versus $1,393 in Ankara. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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