Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ankara and Kathmandu

For one person, living is cheaper in Kathmandu: $496 a month against $1,389 in Ankara, rent and utilities included – about $10,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Ankara, Turkey
Kathmandu, Nepal
Ankara
🇹🇷 Turkey
$1,389
/mo nomad
Kathmandu
🇳🇵 Nepal
$496
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Ankara and in Kathmandu

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

A single person spends $1,389 per month in Ankara vs $496 in Kathmandu, rent included.

  • Ankara $1,389
  • Kathmandu $496

A couple spends around $2,087 per month in Ankara vs $795 in Kathmandu, rent included.

  • Ankara $2,087
  • Kathmandu $795

A family of three spends $2,785 per month in Ankara vs $1,094 in Kathmandu, rent included.

  • Ankara $2,785
  • Kathmandu $1,094

Ankara costs about 180% more than Kathmandu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Ankara sits 3% above the global median, while Kathmandu is 63% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Ankara
Kathmandu
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$10.10 ₺507
$2.03 NPR 306
397.54%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$43.81 ₺2,197
$21.67 NPR 3,277
102.17%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.78 ₺490
$7.92 NPR 1,198
23.48%
Cappuccino
$4.12 ₺207
$1.56 NPR 235
164.10%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.68 ₺84.3
$0.56 NPR 84.2
200.00%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.72 ₺36.05
$0.13 NPR 20.09
453.85%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$5.02 ₺252
$3.11 NPR 470
61.41%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$6.60 ₺331
$3.39 NPR 512
94.69%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Ankara
Kathmandu
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.16 ₺58.4
$0.76 NPR 114
52.63%
White Bread (500g)
$0.96 ₺48.39
$0.63 NPR 95.2
52.38%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.25 ₺113
$0.94 NPR 143
139.36%
Eggs
$2.66 ₺134
$1.70 NPR 257
56.47%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.09 ₺506
$7.70 NPR 1,164
31.04%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$5.43 ₺272
$3.17 NPR 480
71.29%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$19.99 ₺1,003
$5.72 NPR 865
249.48%
Apples (1kg)
$1.91 ₺95.8
$2.02 NPR 306
-5.45%
Banana (1kg)
$2.18 ₺109
$1.16 NPR 176
87.93%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.26 ₺63.3
$1.34 NPR 202
-5.97%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.65 ₺82.6
$0.55 NPR 82.9
200.00%
Potato (1kg)
$0.65 ₺32.69
$0.39 NPR 58.5
66.67%
Onion (1kg)
$0.55 ₺27.40
$0.55 NPR 82.7
-
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.99 ₺49.75
$0.48 NPR 73.0
106.25%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.66 ₺32.90
$0.24 NPR 36.38
175.00%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.25 ₺113
$2.63 NPR 398
-14.45%
Wine (Bottle)
$12.37 ₺620
$9.00 NPR 1,361
37.44%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.12 ₺106
$2.20 NPR 333
-3.64%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.20 ₺161
$3.08 NPR 465
3.90%
🚌 Getting Around
Ankara
Kathmandu
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.77 ₺38.86
$0.22 NPR 33.17
250.00%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$11.85 ₺595
$9.88 NPR 1,494
19.94%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.28 ₺64.3
$1.68 NPR 255
-23.81%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.84 ₺42.02
$1.22 NPR 184
-31.15%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$8.22 ₺412
$3.25 NPR 491
152.92%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.39 ₺69.5
$1.42 NPR 215
-2.11%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$48.4K ₺2.4M
$35.7K NPR 5.4M
35.54%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$40.2K ₺2.0M
$36.2K NPR 5.5M
11.27%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Ankara
Kathmandu
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$99.9 ₺5,011
$31.50 NPR 4,763
217.17%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$11.15 ₺559
$3.53 NPR 534
215.86%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$17.94 ₺900
$8.96 NPR 1,354
100.22%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Ankara
Kathmandu
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$72.0 ₺3,611
$24.91 NPR 3,766
189.00%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$14.80 ₺742
$7.01 NPR 1,059
111.13%
Cinema Ticket
$7.77 ₺390
$2.89 NPR 437
168.86%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Ankara
Kathmandu
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,084 ₺54.3K
$67.5 NPR 10.2K
1505.50%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$22.5K ₺1.1M
$14.9K NPR 2.3M
50.96%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Ankara
Kathmandu
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$53.4 ₺2,677
$21.64 NPR 3,272
146.67%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$47.87 ₺2,401
$26.51 NPR 4,009
80.57%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$104 ₺5,229
$63.1 NPR 9,536
65.33%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$97.8 ₺4,905
$28.01 NPR 4,235
249.16%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Ankara
Kathmandu
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$748 ₺37.5K
$233 NPR 35.3K
220.43%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$557 ₺27.9K
$109 NPR 16.4K
412.82%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,142 ₺57.3K
$444 NPR 67.1K
157.35%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$902 ₺45.2K
$207 NPR 31.3K
335.02%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,644 ₺82.5K
$2,324 NPR 351.4K
-29.27%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,142 ₺57.3K
$1,315 NPR 198.8K
-13.14%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Ankara
Kathmandu
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,058 ₺53.1K
$285 NPR 43.1K
271.48%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
43.85
9.98
339.38%

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

Last update for Ankara: November 2, 2026

Last update for Kathmandu: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Ankara
$557
Kathmandu
$109 80.5% $448
Groceries & Markets
Ankara
$251
Kathmandu
$148 41% $103
Eating Out
Ankara
$208
Kathmandu
$84 59.7% $124
Clothing & Footwear
Ankara
$136
Kathmandu
$63 54.1% $74
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Ankara
$129
Kathmandu
$44 65.9% $85
Sport & Entertainment
Ankara
$88
Kathmandu
$31 65% $57
Getting Around
Ankara
$20
Kathmandu
$19 9.3% $1.9

Cost Breakdown

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

Salaries in Ankara are about 3.7 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44 in Ankara versus $22 in Kathmandu. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $251 vs $148 – making Kathmandu the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇹🇷 Ankara
🇳🇵 Kathmandu
🕒 Local time
18:06 6:06 PM
20:51 8:51 PM
2 h 45 min ahead of Ankara
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
5,864,049 Capital
975,000 Capital
💱 Currency
Nepalese Rupee NPR रु
Exchange rates and currency converter

NPR, USD, EUR to TRY – Turkish Lira Converter

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).

Nepalese Rupee exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 151 NPR (1,000 NPR = 6.61 USD). 1 EUR = 170 NPR (1,000 NPR = 5.89 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Ankara Kathmandu 4,960 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Ankara
  • Kathmandu

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 Kathmandu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Ankara or Kathmandu?
Ankara costs about 180% more than Kathmandu, 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.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Ankara and in Kathmandu?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,083 per month in Ankara and $744 in Kathmandu. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, Ankara or Kathmandu?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Kathmandu, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $233 there versus $748 in Ankara.
How do childcare costs compare in Ankara and in Kathmandu?
Kindergarten costs $1,084 per month in Ankara and $67 in Kathmandu. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Are groceries more expensive in Ankara or in Kathmandu?
Groceries cost about 70% more in Ankara, though the gap depends on what you buy.
Can you live on $800/month in Ankara or in Kathmandu?
A $800 monthly budget goes further in Kathmandu, where all-in costs run around $496, than in Ankara at $1,389. In Kathmandu it covers expenses comfortably, while in Ankara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Which city is better for families?
Families tend to lean toward Kathmandu – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Should I move to Ankara or to Kathmandu?
If budget matters most, go with Kathmandu. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Ankara makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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