Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ankara and Karakol

For one person, living is cheaper in Karakol: $436 a month against $1,389 in Ankara, rent and utilities included – about $11,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

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Cost of Living Index in Ankara
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Ankara Living Index

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Ankara

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,389

/mo nomad

Karakol

🇰🇬 Kyrgyzstan

$436

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Ankara and in Karakol

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 Karakol actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,389 per month in Ankara vs $436 in Karakol, rent included.

Ankara $1,389
Karakol $436

A couple spends around $2,087 per month in Ankara vs $644 in Karakol, rent included.

Ankara $2,087
Karakol $644

A family of three spends $2,785 per month in Ankara vs $853 in Karakol, rent included.

Ankara $2,785
Karakol $853

Ankara costs about 219% more than Karakol, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Ankara sits 3% above the global median, while Karakol is 68% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.10 ₺507

$2.25 KGS 197

348.89%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.81 ₺2,197

$9.42 KGS 825

365.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.78 ₺490

Cappuccino

$4.12 ₺207

$1.74 KGS 153

136.78%

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

$1.68 ₺84.3

$0.56 KGS 48.78

200.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.72 ₺36.05

$0.28 KGS 24.32

157.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.02 ₺252

$1.16 KGS 101

332.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.60 ₺331

$1.69 KGS 148

290.53%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 ₺58.4

$0.77 KGS 67.5

50.65%

White Bread (500g)

$0.96 ₺48.39

$0.22 KGS 19.22

336.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.25 ₺113

$1.40 KGS 123

60.71%

Eggs

$2.66 ₺134

$1.63 KGS 143

63.19%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.09 ₺506

$6.84 KGS 599

47.51%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.43 ₺272

$3.94 KGS 345

37.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.99 ₺1,003

$5.67 KGS 497

252.56%

Apples (1kg)

$1.91 ₺95.8

$0.82 KGS 72.0

132.93%

Banana (1kg)

$2.18 ₺109

$1.33 KGS 117

63.91%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.26 ₺63.3

Tomato (1kg)

$1.65 ₺82.6

$1.15 KGS 101

43.48%

Potato (1kg)

$0.65 ₺32.69

$0.55 KGS 48.29

18.18%

Onion (1kg)

$0.55 ₺27.40

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.99 ₺49.75

$0.36 KGS 31.25

175.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.66 ₺32.90

$0.56 KGS 48.86

17.86%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.25 ₺113

$1.75 KGS 153

28.57%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.37 ₺620

$5.18 KGS 454

138.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.12 ₺106

$1.17 KGS 102

81.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.20 ₺161

$2.25 KGS 197

42.22%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.77 ₺38.86

$0.21 KGS 18.65

266.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.85 ₺595

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 ₺64.3

$1.26 KGS 111

1.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.84 ₺42.02

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.22 ₺412

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.39 ₺69.5

$1.04 KGS 91.0

33.65%

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

$48.4K ₺2.4M

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

$40.2K ₺2.0M

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

$99.9 ₺5,011

$38.16 KGS 3,343

161.82%

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

$11.15 ₺559

$4.38 KGS 384

154.57%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.94 ₺900

$9.80 KGS 858

83.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$72.0 ₺3,611

$15.55 KGS 1,362

362.96%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.80 ₺742

Cinema Ticket

$7.77 ₺390

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

$1,084 ₺54.3K

$91.0 KGS 7,972

1090.45%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.5K ₺1.1M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ₺2,677

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.87 ₺2,401

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 ₺5,229

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.8 ₺4,905

$34.33 KGS 3,007

184.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$748 ₺37.5K

$233 KGS 20.4K

221.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$557 ₺27.9K

$171 KGS 15.0K

225.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,142 ₺57.3K

$282 KGS 24.7K

305.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$902 ₺45.2K

$286 KGS 25.0K

215.73%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,644 ₺82.5K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,142 ₺57.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,058 ₺53.1K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

43.85

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

Last update for Ankara: November 2, 2026

Last update for Karakol: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ankara

$557 40.1%

Karakol

–

Groceries & Markets

Ankara

$251 18.1%

Karakol

–

Eating Out

Ankara

$208 14.9%

Karakol

–

Clothing & Footwear

Ankara

$136 9.8%

Karakol

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ankara

$129 9.3%

Karakol

–

Sport & Entertainment

Ankara

$88 6.3%

Karakol

–

Getting Around

Ankara

$20 1.5%

Karakol

–

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $748 in Ankara versus $233 in Karakol. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44 in Ankara versus $9 in Karakol. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $251 vs $128 – making Karakol the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Ankara

🇰🇬 Karakol

🕒 Local time

15:16 3:16 PM

18:16 6:16 PM

3 h ahead of Ankara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,864,049 Capital

63,400

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Kyrgyzstani Som KGS сом

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 1.99 USD

100 TRY = 1.78 EUR

100 KGS = 1.14 USD

100 KGS = 1.02 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

KGS, USD, EUR to TRY – Turkish Lira Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇷 Turkish Lira (₺)

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).

Kyrgyzstani Som exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 87.59 KGS (100 KGS = 1.14 USD). 1 EUR = 98.37 KGS (100 KGS = 1.02 EUR).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Ankara Karakol 3,770 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Ankara
Karakol

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 Karakol: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ankara costs about 219% more than Karakol, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,083 per month in Ankara and $653 in Karakol. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Karakol, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $233 there versus $748 in Ankara.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44 in Ankara and $9 in Karakol. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 97% more in Ankara, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Karakol, where all-in costs run around $436, than in Ankara at $1,389. In Karakol it covers expenses comfortably, while in Ankara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Karakol – 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.