Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ankara and Van

For one person, living is cheaper in Van: $956 a month against $1,393 in Ankara, rent and utilities included – about $5,200 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
46

Cost of Living Index in Van
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Van Living Index

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Ankara

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,393

/mo nomad

Van

🇹🇷 Turkey

$956

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Ankara and in Van

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

A single person spends $1,393 per month in Ankara vs $956 in Van, rent included.

Ankara $1,393
Van $956

A couple spends around $2,079 per month in Ankara vs $1,536 in Van, rent included.

Ankara $2,079
Van $1,536

A family of three spends $2,765 per month in Ankara vs $2,116 in Van, rent included.

Ankara $2,765
Van $2,116

Ankara costs about 46% more than Van, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Ankara sits 2% above the global median, while Van is 30% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.90 ₺493

$7.48 ₺373

32.35%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.89 ₺2,137

$34.59 ₺1,724

24.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.31 ₺464

$7.93 ₺395

17.40%

Cappuccino

$4.15 ₺207

$3.57 ₺178

16.25%

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

$1.66 ₺82.6

$1.14 ₺56.6

45.61%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.76 ₺37.94

$0.42 ₺21.18

80.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.15 ₺257

$3.33 ₺166

54.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.85 ₺292

$3.10 ₺154

88.71%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.20 ₺59.9

$0.96 ₺47.68

25.00%

White Bread (500g)

$0.99 ₺49.46

$1.00 ₺49.81

-1.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.15 ₺107

$2.25 ₺112

-4.44%

Eggs

$2.69 ₺134

$1.48 ₺73.9

81.76%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.22 ₺510

$8.99 ₺448

13.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.45 ₺272

$4.07 ₺203

33.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.32 ₺1,013

$22.62 ₺1,127

-10.17%

Apples (1kg)

$1.91 ₺95.0

$1.82 ₺90.9

4.95%

Banana (1kg)

$2.28 ₺113

$1.83 ₺91.1

24.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.27 ₺63.2

$1.09 ₺54.4

16.51%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.64 ₺81.7

$1.15 ₺57.4

42.61%

Potato (1kg)

$0.67 ₺33.28

$0.52 ₺25.74

28.85%

Onion (1kg)

$0.57 ₺28.55

$0.35 ₺17.45

62.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.03 ₺51.3

$0.74 ₺36.88

39.19%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.64 ₺31.69

$0.61 ₺30.54

4.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.19 ₺109

$2.16 ₺108

1.39%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.46 ₺621

$10.36 ₺516

20.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.24 ₺112

$2.01 ₺100.0

11.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.11 ₺155

$2.79 ₺139

11.47%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.82 ₺40.87

$0.73 ₺36.60

12.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.86 ₺591

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 ₺63.8

$1.30 ₺64.6

-1.54%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.81 ₺40.61

$0.76 ₺37.86

6.58%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.46 ₺322

$7.21 ₺359

-10.40%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.40 ₺69.7

$1.28 ₺64.0

9.37%

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

$47.9K ₺2.4M

$42.2K ₺2.1M

13.47%

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

$40.3K ₺2.0M

$38.9K ₺1.9M

3.69%

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

$93.1 ₺4,639

$79.9 ₺3,982

16.51%

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

$10.72 ₺534

$10.46 ₺522

2.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.87 ₺891

$13.39 ₺667

33.46%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$72.2 ₺3,597

$57.0 ₺2,842

26.57%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.34 ₺765

Cinema Ticket

$8.04 ₺401

$6.49 ₺324

23.88%

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

$1,032 ₺51.4K

$624 ₺31.1K

65.20%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.2K ₺955.7K

$11.4K ₺566.2K

68.79%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ₺2,659

$45.86 ₺2,285

16.35%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.30 ₺2,407

$33.35 ₺1,662

44.83%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 ₺5,196

$79.7 ₺3,970

30.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.0 ₺4,786

$88.8 ₺4,426

8.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$765 ₺38.1K

$469 ₺23.4K

63.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$569 ₺28.4K

$278 ₺13.9K

104.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,127 ₺56.2K

$816 ₺40.7K

38.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$893 ₺44.5K

$586 ₺29.2K

52.39%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,678 ₺83.6K

$1,491 ₺74.3K

12.54%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,158 ₺57.7K

$968 ₺48.2K

19.68%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,053 ₺52.5K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

43.57

41.33

5.42%

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

Last update for Ankara: October 25, 2026

Last update for Van: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ankara

$569 40.9%

Van

$278 29.1% 51.1% $291

Groceries & Markets

Ankara

$254 18.2%

Van

$229 23.9% 9.9% $25

Eating Out

Ankara

$204 14.7%

Van

$156 16.3% 23.8% $49

Clothing & Footwear

Ankara

$136 9.8%

Van

$111 11.7% 18% $24

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ankara

$122 8.7%

Van

$104 10.9% 14.7% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Ankara

$88 6.3%

Van

$70 7.3% 20.7% $18

Getting Around

Ankara

$21 1.5%

Van

$8 * 0.8% 60.8% $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 $469 in Van. 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 $35 in Van. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $254 vs $229 – making Van the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Ankara

🇹🇷 Van

🕒 Local time

16:00 4:00 PM

Same time as Ankara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,864,049 Capital

1,141,015

💱 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 Van 920 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Ankara
Van

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 Van: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ankara costs about 46% more than Van, 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 $2,090 per month in Ankara and $1,434 in Van. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Van, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $469 there versus $765 in Ankara.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Ankara and $35 in Van. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 11% more in Ankara, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

Families tend to lean toward Van – 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.