Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ankara and Urumqi

For one person, living is cheaper in Urumqi: $605 a month against $1,389 in Ankara, rent and utilities included – about $9,400 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
29

Cost of Living Index in Urumqi
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Urumqi Living Index

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Ankara

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,389

/mo nomad

Urumqi

🇨🇳 China

$605

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Ankara and in Urumqi

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

A single person spends $1,389 per month in Ankara vs $605 in Urumqi, rent included.

Ankara $1,389
Urumqi $605

A couple spends around $2,087 per month in Ankara vs $960 in Urumqi, rent included.

Ankara $2,087
Urumqi $960

A family of three spends $2,785 per month in Ankara vs $1,315 in Urumqi, rent included.

Ankara $2,785
Urumqi $1,315

Ankara costs about 130% more than Urumqi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Ankara sits 3% above the global median, while Urumqi is 55% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.10 ₺507

$3.34 ¥22.25

202.40%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.81 ₺2,197

$18.34 ¥122

138.88%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.78 ₺490

$5.18 ¥34.51

88.80%

Cappuccino

$4.12 ₺207

$2.84 ¥18.92

45.07%

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

$1.68 ₺84.3

$0.43 ¥2.85

290.70%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.72 ₺36.05

$0.26 ¥1.74

176.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.02 ₺252

$1.11 ¥7.40

352.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.60 ₺331

$1.86 ¥12.37

254.84%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 ₺58.4

$1.23 ¥8.16

-5.69%

White Bread (500g)

$0.96 ₺48.39

$0.87 ¥5.79

10.34%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.25 ₺113

$0.65 ¥4.36

246.15%

Eggs

$2.66 ₺134

$1.48 ¥9.84

79.73%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.09 ₺506

$5.86 ¥39.06

72.18%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.43 ₺272

$2.41 ¥16.07

125.31%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.99 ₺1,003

$9.54 ¥63.6

109.54%

Apples (1kg)

$1.91 ₺95.8

$2.03 ¥13.49

-5.91%

Banana (1kg)

$2.18 ₺109

$1.15 ¥7.65

89.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.26 ₺63.3

$1.84 ¥12.28

-31.52%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.65 ₺82.6

$0.78 ¥5.22

111.54%

Potato (1kg)

$0.65 ₺32.69

$0.51 ¥3.37

27.45%

Onion (1kg)

$0.55 ₺27.40

$0.63 ¥4.16

-12.70%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.99 ₺49.75

$0.55 ¥3.65

80.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.66 ₺32.90

$0.46 ¥3.06

43.48%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.25 ₺113

$2.94 ¥19.57

-23.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.37 ₺620

$10.38 ¥69.1

19.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.12 ₺106

$1.16 ¥7.70

82.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.20 ₺161

$1.52 ¥10.12

110.53%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.77 ₺38.86

$0.31 ¥2.08

148.39%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.85 ₺595

$18.03 ¥120

-34.28%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 ₺64.3

$1.47 ¥9.78

-12.93%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.84 ₺42.02

$0.31 ¥2.08

170.97%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.22 ₺412

$7.38 ¥49.14

11.38%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.39 ₺69.5

$1.20 ¥8.00

15.83%

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

$48.4K ₺2.4M

$17.9K ¥119.3K

170.58%

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

$40.2K ₺2.0M

$14.3K ¥95.2K

181.68%

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

$99.9 ₺5,011

$67.5 ¥450

47.93%

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

$11.15 ₺559

$5.53 ¥36.85

101.63%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.94 ₺900

$11.25 ¥74.9

59.47%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$72.0 ₺3,611

$22.23 ¥148

223.84%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.80 ₺742

$10.06 ¥67.0

47.12%

Cinema Ticket

$7.77 ₺390

$5.86 ¥39.06

32.59%

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

$1,084 ₺54.3K

$148 ¥984

633.37%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.5K ₺1.1M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ₺2,677

$51.6 ¥343

3.53%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.87 ₺2,401

$22.81 ¥152

109.86%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 ₺5,229

$107 ¥712

-2.52%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.8 ₺4,905

$44.15 ¥294

121.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$748 ₺37.5K

$266 ¥1,772

181.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$557 ₺27.9K

$118 ¥787

370.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,142 ₺57.3K

$411 ¥2,737

177.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$902 ₺45.2K

$253 ¥1,683

256.76%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,644 ₺82.5K

$1,869 ¥12.5K

-12.06%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,142 ₺57.3K

$1,175 ¥7,828

-2.83%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,058 ₺53.1K

$1,139 ¥7,585

-7.06%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

43.85

3.39

1193.51%

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

Last update for Ankara: November 2, 2026

Last update for Urumqi: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ankara

$557 40.1%

Urumqi

$118 19.6% 78.8% $439

Groceries & Markets

Ankara

$251 18.1%

Urumqi

$156 25.8% 37.8% $95

Eating Out

Ankara

$208 14.9%

Urumqi

$88 14.6% 57.4% $119

Clothing & Footwear

Ankara

$136 9.8%

Urumqi

$101 16.8% 25.7% $35

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ankara

$129 9.3%

Urumqi

$84 13.9% 34.6% $45

Sport & Entertainment

Ankara

$88 6.3%

Urumqi

$34 5.6% 61.2% $54

Getting Around

Ankara

$20 1.5%

Urumqi

$22 3.7% 9.3% $1.9

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $748 in Ankara versus $266 in Urumqi. 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 Urumqi, 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 $44 in Ankara versus $18 in Urumqi. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $251 vs $156 – making Urumqi the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Ankara

🇨🇳 Urumqi

🕒 Local time

23:44 11:44 PM

02:44 2:44 AM

3 h ahead of Ankara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,864,049 Capital

4,054,369

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 1.99 USD

100 TRY = 1.78 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.134 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CNY, 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 = 56.05 TRY (100 TRY = 1.78 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 6.66 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.44 CNY (1 CNY = 0.134 EUR).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Ankara Urumqi 4,470 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Ankara
Urumqi

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 Urumqi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ankara costs about 130% more than Urumqi, 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 $907 in Urumqi. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Urumqi, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $266 there versus $748 in Ankara.

Kindergarten costs $1,084 per month in Ankara and $148 in Urumqi. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 61% more in Ankara, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Urumqi, where all-in costs run around $605, than in Ankara at $1,389. In Urumqi it covers expenses comfortably, while in Ankara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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