Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ankara and Samsun

For one person, living is cheaper in Samsun: $950 a month against $1,397 in Ankara, rent and utilities included – about $5,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

68

Cost of Living Index in Ankara
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Ankara Living Index
47

Cost of Living Index in Samsun
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Samsun Living Index

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Ankara

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,397

/mo nomad

Samsun

🇹🇷 Turkey

$950

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Ankara and in Samsun

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

A single person spends $1,397 per month in Ankara vs $950 in Samsun, rent included.

Ankara $1,397
Samsun $950

A couple spends around $2,075 per month in Ankara vs $1,647 in Samsun, rent included.

Ankara $2,075
Samsun $1,647

A family of three spends $2,753 per month in Ankara vs $2,344 in Samsun, rent included.

Ankara $2,753
Samsun $2,344

Ankara costs about 47% more than Samsun, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Ankara sits 4% above the global median, while Samsun is 30% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.10 ₺500

$10.15 ₺503

-0.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.03 ₺2,130

$60.6 ₺3,001

-29.02%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.87 ₺489

$10.54 ₺522

-6.36%

Cappuccino

$4.17 ₺206

$3.94 ₺195

5.84%

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

$1.74 ₺86.2

$0.79 ₺39.25

120.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.77 ₺38.35

$0.29 ₺14.32

165.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.12 ₺254

$1.77 ₺87.8

189.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.21 ₺308

$2.05 ₺101

202.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 ₺57.2

$1.18 ₺58.2

-1.69%

White Bread (500g)

$0.93 ₺46.15

$2.00 ₺99.2

-53.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.30 ₺114

$2.67 ₺132

-13.86%

Eggs

$2.66 ₺132

$2.48 ₺123

7.26%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.07 ₺499

$8.50 ₺421

18.47%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.53 ₺274

$5.65 ₺280

-2.12%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.03 ₺992

$26.52 ₺1,313

-24.47%

Apples (1kg)

$1.97 ₺97.7

$2.33 ₺116

-15.45%

Banana (1kg)

$2.16 ₺107

$2.47 ₺122

-12.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.33 ₺65.6

$1.53 ₺75.8

-13.07%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.68 ₺83.0

$1.04 ₺51.6

61.54%

Potato (1kg)

$0.63 ₺31.18

$0.44 ₺21.59

43.18%

Onion (1kg)

$0.54 ₺26.73

$0.36 ₺17.89

50.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.01 ₺49.86

$0.83 ₺41.25

21.69%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.69 ₺34.25

$0.68 ₺33.65

1.47%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.16 ₺107

$2.11 ₺105

2.37%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.54 ₺621

$9.19 ₺455

36.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.26 ₺112

$1.66 ₺82.0

36.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.23 ₺160

$2.24 ₺111

44.20%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.70 ₺34.62

$0.62 ₺30.48

12.90%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.35 ₺611

$12.22 ₺605

1.06%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.29 ₺64.1

$1.99 ₺98.3

-35.18%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.80 ₺39.43

$0.62 ₺30.92

29.03%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.79 ₺336

$6.34 ₺314

7.10%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 ₺71.4

$1.33 ₺65.8

8.27%

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

$48.0K ₺2.4M

$41.6K ₺2.1M

15.38%

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

$41.7K ₺2.1M

$40.6K ₺2.0M

2.55%

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

$92.9 ₺4,600

$88.1 ₺4,360

5.50%

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

$10.81 ₺535

$12.35 ₺612

-12.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.73 ₺878

$12.44 ₺616

42.52%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$72.5 ₺3,589

$30.40 ₺1,505

138.45%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.27 ₺756

$5.95 ₺294

156.64%

Cinema Ticket

$8.09 ₺400

$4.13 ₺204

95.88%

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

$1,038 ₺51.4K

$252 ₺12.5K

311.15%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.5K ₺966.2K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.7 ₺2,656

$24.48 ₺1,212

119.16%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.13 ₺2,383

$30.45 ₺1,507

58.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 ₺5,149

$72.1 ₺3,569

44.28%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.3 ₺4,815

$60.6 ₺2,999

60.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$747 ₺37.0K

$349 ₺17.3K

113.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$569 ₺28.2K

$248 ₺12.3K

128.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,140 ₺56.5K

$755 ₺37.4K

51.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$873 ₺43.2K

$613 ₺30.4K

42.33%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,674 ₺82.9K

$976 ₺48.3K

71.54%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,174 ₺58.1K

$656 ₺32.5K

78.90%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,068 ₺52.9K

$918 ₺45.5K

16.34%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

43.57

-11.08%

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

Last update for Ankara: October 12, 2026

Last update for Samsun: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ankara

$569 40.7%

Samsun

$248 26.2% 56.3% $320

Groceries & Markets

Ankara

$253 18.1%

Samsun

$268 28.3% 5.9% $15

Eating Out

Ankara

$209 14.9%

Samsun

$177 18.7% 14.9% $31

Clothing & Footwear

Ankara

$136 9.8%

Samsun

$84 8.9% 38.1% $52

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ankara

$121 8.7%

Samsun

$113 11.9% 7.1% $8.6

Sport & Entertainment

Ankara

$89 6.3%

Samsun

$39 4.1% 56.4% $50

Getting Around

Ankara

$20 1.5%

Samsun

$20 2.1% 3.1% $0.6

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $747 in Ankara versus $349 in Samsun. 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 16% higher in Ankara, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43.00 in Ankara versus $61.0 in Samsun. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $253 vs $268 – making Ankara the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Ankara

🇹🇷 Samsun

🕒 Local time

12:29 12:29 PM

Same time as Ankara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,864,049 Capital

1,295,927

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 2.02 USD

100 TRY = 1.8 EUR

100 TRY = 2.02 USD

100 TRY = 1.8 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Ankara Samsun 330 km

From you

Ankara
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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 Samsun: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ankara costs about 47% more than Samsun, 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 $2,096 per month in Ankara and $1,425 in Samsun. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Samsun, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $1,038 per month in Ankara and $252 in Samsun. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 6% cheaper in Ankara – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Samsun, where all-in costs run around $950, than in Ankara at $1,397. In Samsun it covers expenses comfortably, while in Ankara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Samsun costs $950 versus $1,397 in Ankara. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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