Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ankara and Side

For one person, living is cheaper in Side: $1,144 a month against $1,393 in Ankara, rent and utilities included – about $3,000 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Ankara outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

67

Cost of Living Index in Ankara
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Ankara Living Index
55

Cost of Living Index in Side
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Side Living Index

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Ankara

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,393

/mo nomad

Side

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,144

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Ankara and in Side

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

A single person spends $1,393 per month in Ankara vs $1,144 in Side, rent included.

Ankara $1,393
Side $1,144

A couple spends around $2,079 per month in Ankara vs $1,790 in Side, rent included.

Ankara $2,079
Side $1,790

A family of three spends $2,765 per month in Ankara vs $2,435 in Side, rent included.

Ankara $2,765
Side $2,435

Ankara costs about 22% more than Side, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Ankara sits 2% above the global median, while Side is 16% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.90 ₺493

$10.26 ₺511

-3.51%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.89 ₺2,137

$29.76 ₺1,483

44.12%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.31 ₺464

$9.45 ₺471

-1.48%

Cappuccino

$4.15 ₺207

$3.44 ₺171

20.64%

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

$1.66 ₺82.6

$2.19 ₺109

-24.20%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.76 ₺37.93

$0.39 ₺19.48

94.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.15 ₺257

$4.01 ₺200

28.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.85 ₺291

$6.07 ₺302

-3.62%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.20 ₺59.9

$1.07 ₺53.1

12.15%

White Bread (500g)

$0.99 ₺49.44

$0.97 ₺48.31

2.06%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.15 ₺107

$2.61 ₺130

-17.62%

Eggs

$2.69 ₺134

$2.29 ₺114

17.47%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.22 ₺509

$13.70 ₺683

-25.40%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.45 ₺272

$6.16 ₺307

-11.53%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.32 ₺1,012

$26.79 ₺1,335

-24.15%

Apples (1kg)

$1.91 ₺95.0

$1.57 ₺78.2

21.66%

Banana (1kg)

$2.28 ₺113

$2.46 ₺123

-7.32%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.27 ₺63.1

$1.39 ₺69.1

-8.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.64 ₺81.7

$1.27 ₺63.5

29.13%

Potato (1kg)

$0.67 ₺33.27

$0.79 ₺39.50

-15.19%

Onion (1kg)

$0.57 ₺28.54

$0.71 ₺35.37

-19.72%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.03 ₺51.3

$1.74 ₺86.9

-40.80%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.64 ₺31.68

$0.76 ₺37.62

-15.79%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.19 ₺109

$2.78 ₺139

-21.22%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.46 ₺621

$13.85 ₺690

-10.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.24 ₺112

$1.69 ₺84.1

32.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.11 ₺155

$3.13 ₺156

-0.64%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.82 ₺40.86

$0.69 ₺34.54

18.84%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.86 ₺591

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 ₺63.7

$1.24 ₺61.7

3.23%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.81 ₺40.60

$1.00 ₺49.63

-19.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.46 ₺322

$6.69 ₺333

-3.44%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.40 ₺69.7

$1.51 ₺75.2

-7.28%

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

$47.9K ₺2.4M

$42.1K ₺2.1M

13.86%

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

$40.3K ₺2.0M

$38.2K ₺1.9M

5.47%

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

$93.1 ₺4,638

$76.7 ₺3,822

21.34%

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

$10.72 ₺534

$10.57 ₺527

1.42%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.87 ₺891

$23.12 ₺1,152

-22.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$72.2 ₺3,596

$52.8 ₺2,631

36.66%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.34 ₺764

Cinema Ticket

$8.04 ₺401

$8.06 ₺402

-0.25%

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

$1,032 ₺51.4K

$507 ₺25.3K

103.44%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.2K ₺955.5K

$10.9K ₺544.0K

75.64%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ₺2,658

$46.20 ₺2,302

15.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.30 ₺2,406

$58.9 ₺2,936

-18.04%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 ₺5,194

$157 ₺7,810

-33.50%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.0 ₺4,784

$117 ₺5,840

-18.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$765 ₺38.1K

$420 ₺20.9K

82.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$569 ₺28.3K

$302 ₺15.1K

88.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,127 ₺56.2K

$761 ₺37.9K

48.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$893 ₺44.5K

$573 ₺28.5K

55.97%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,678 ₺83.6K

$1,431 ₺71.3K

17.24%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,158 ₺57.7K

$1,018 ₺50.7K

13.79%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,053 ₺52.4K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

43.57

38.25

13.91%

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

Last update for Ankara: October 25, 2026

Last update for Side: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ankara

$569 40.9%

Side

$302 26.4% 46.9% $267

Groceries & Markets

Ankara

$254 18.2%

Side

$289 25.3% 13.8% $35

Eating Out

Ankara

$204 14.7%

Side

$194 17% 4.8% $9.8

Clothing & Footwear

Ankara

$136 9.8%

Side

$171 14.9% 25.6% $35

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ankara

$122 8.7%

Side

$110 9.7% 9.3% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Ankara

$88 6.3%

Side

$69 6% 21.9% $19

Getting Around

Ankara

$21 1.5%

Side

$9 * 0.8% 56.1% $12

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $765 in Ankara versus $420 in Side. 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 $43 in Ankara versus $30 in Side. Groceries tell a different story – $254 in Ankara vs $289 in Side – so Ankara wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Ankara

🇹🇷 Side

🕒 Local time

21:38 9:38 PM

Same time as Ankara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,864,049 Capital

12,500

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Ankara Side 370 km

From you

Ankara
Side

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 Side: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ankara costs about 22% more than Side, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from leisure. 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 $1,717 in Side. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Side, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $420 there versus $765 in Ankara.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Ankara and $30 in Side. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 12% cheaper in Ankara – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

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

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.