Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ashgabat and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in Istanbul: $1,519 a month against $3,421 in Ashgabat, rent and utilities included – about $22,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

164

Cost of Living Index in Ashgabat
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Ashgabat Living Index
73

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index

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Ashgabat

🇹🇲 Turkmenistan

$3,421

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,519

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Ashgabat and in Istanbul

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Ashgabat and in Istanbul actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,421 in Ashgabat versus $1,519 in Istanbul.

Ashgabat $3,421
Istanbul $1,519

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,126 in Ashgabat versus $2,365 in Istanbul.

Ashgabat $5,126
Istanbul $2,365

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,831 in Ashgabat versus $3,212 in Istanbul.

Ashgabat $6,831
Istanbul $3,212

Living in Ashgabat is roughly 125% more expensive than in Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Ashgabat 153% above, Istanbul 12% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$31.59 TMT 106

$11.81 ₺592

167.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$86.0 TMT 289

$54.9 ₺2,754

56.69%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.90 TMT 43.34

$9.26 ₺465

39.31%

Cappuccino

$6.98 TMT 23.46

$4.30 ₺216

62.33%

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

$1.61 TMT 5.42

$1.77 ₺89.0

-9.04%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.90 TMT 3.01

$0.56 ₺28.32

60.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.78 TMT 19.41

$4.69 ₺235

23.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$13.56 TMT 45.55

$7.12 ₺357

90.45%

Milk (1 liter)

$4.46 TMT 14.99

$1.25 ₺62.7

256.80%

White Bread (500g)

$2.03 TMT 6.81

$0.88 ₺44.17

130.68%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.89 TMT 19.79

$2.20 ₺111

167.73%

Eggs

$6.19 TMT 20.80

$2.43 ₺122

154.73%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$37.71 TMT 127

$10.48 ₺526

259.83%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$19.99 TMT 67.2

$5.31 ₺267

276.46%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$23.57 TMT 79.2

$21.10 ₺1,058

11.71%

Apples (1kg)

$5.25 TMT 17.63

$1.86 ₺93.1

182.26%

Banana (1kg)

$8.59 TMT 28.88

$2.30 ₺115

273.48%

Oranges (1kg)

$7.49 TMT 25.16

$1.22 ₺61.0

513.93%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.82 TMT 12.82

$1.80 ₺90.2

112.22%

Potato (1kg)

$2.33 TMT 7.83

$0.69 ₺34.83

237.68%

Onion (1kg)

$1.43 TMT 4.80

$0.64 ₺32.16

123.44%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.67 TMT 8.96

$1.36 ₺68.0

96.32%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.10 TMT 3.68

$0.58 ₺28.94

89.66%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$25.93 TMT 87.1

$2.34 ₺117

1008.12%

Wine (Bottle)

$41.76 TMT 140

$13.03 ₺653

220.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.22 TMT 17.53

$2.36 ₺118

121.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.93 TMT 9.85

$3.32 ₺166

-11.75%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.12 TMT 0.41

$0.88 ₺44.07

-86.36%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$10.04 TMT 33.73

$66.1 ₺3,316

-84.82%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.97 TMT 9.98

$1.28 ₺64.4

132.03%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.90 TMT 3.01

$0.85 ₺42.80

5.88%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.90 TMT 29.89

$11.09 ₺556

-19.75%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.45 TMT 1.50

$1.48 ₺74.0

-69.59%

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

$44.7K TMT 150.1K

$48.6K ₺2.4M

-8.17%

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

$57.9K TMT 194.4K

$42.0K ₺2.1M

37.85%

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

$571 TMT 1,920

$92.7 ₺4,650

516.24%

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

$56.9 TMT 191

$11.20 ₺562

407.77%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$106 TMT 355

$15.89 ₺797

564.76%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$198 TMT 666

$74.7 ₺3,745

165.55%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$45.91 TMT 154

$22.95 ₺1,151

100.04%

Cinema Ticket

$8.82 TMT 29.64

$8.05 ₺404

9.57%

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

$23.34 TMT 78.4

$948 ₺47.6K

-97.54%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$27.2K TMT 91.5K

$36.9K ₺1.9M

-26.22%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.3 TMT 186

$53.9 ₺2,702

2.64%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$114 TMT 382

$41.49 ₺2,081

174.19%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$365 TMT 1,226

$101 ₺5,060

261.59%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$194 TMT 652

$91.3 ₺4,580

112.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,443 TMT 4,850

$1,014 ₺50.8K

42.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,011 TMT 3,398

$625 ₺31.3K

61.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,270 TMT 7,627

$2,005 ₺100.6K

13.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,925 TMT 6,466

$1,126 ₺56.5K

70.93%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,521 TMT 11.8K

$2,988 ₺149.8K

17.84%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,844 TMT 9,556

$1,730 ₺86.8K

64.38%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$767 TMT 2,576

$1,136 ₺57.0K

-32.53%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

9.5

40.42

-76.50%

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

Last update for Ashgabat: November 1, 2026

Last update for Istanbul: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ashgabat

$1K 29.6%

Istanbul

$625 41.1% 38.3% $387

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ashgabat

$734 21.5%

Istanbul

$120 7.9% 83.7% $614

Groceries & Markets

Ashgabat

$673 19.7%

Istanbul

$258 17% 61.6% $415

Eating Out

Ashgabat

$441 12.9%

Istanbul

$221 14.6% 49.9% $220

Clothing & Footwear

Ashgabat

$328 9.6%

Istanbul

$129 8.5% 60.5% $198

Sport & Entertainment

Ashgabat

$216 6.3%

Istanbul

$91 6% 58% $125

Getting Around

Ashgabat

$18 0.5%

Istanbul

$75 5% 318% $57

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,443 in Ashgabat and $1,014 in Istanbul. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Istanbul pays 48% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $86 in Ashgabat vs $55 in Istanbul for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $673 vs $258 per month, with Istanbul cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇲 Ashgabat

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

13:54 1:54 PM

11:54 11:54 AM

2 h behind Ashgabat

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

909,000 Capital

15,701,602

💱 Currency

Turkmenistani Manat TMT m

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

📈 Exchange rate

1 TMT = 0.298 USD

1 TMT = 0.265 EUR

100 TRY = 1.99 USD

100 TRY = 1.78 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TRY, USD, EUR to TMT – Turkmenistani Manat Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇲 Turkmenistani Manat (m)

Turkmenistani Manat exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 3.36 TMT (1 TMT = 0.298 USD). 1 EUR = 3.77 TMT (1 TMT = 0.265 EUR).

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).

USD to TMT in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Ashgabat Istanbul 2,530 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Ashgabat
Istanbul

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

Ashgabat vs Istanbul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $3,421 in Ashgabat and $1,519 in Istanbul, so Istanbul is about 56% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 33% lower in Ashgabat. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,443 in Ashgabat versus $1,014 in Istanbul. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $23 in Ashgabat versus $948 in Istanbul. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 161% higher in Ashgabat. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,500. Istanbul is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Ashgabat and Istanbul are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.