Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bakuriani and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in Bakuriani: $695 a month against $1,525 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $10,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

34

Cost of Living Index in Bakuriani
Learn more

Bakuriani Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index

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Bakuriani

🇬🇪 Georgia

$695

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,525

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bakuriani 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 Bakuriani and in Istanbul actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $695 per month in Bakuriani vs $1,525 in Istanbul, rent included.

Bakuriani $695
Istanbul $1,525

A couple spends around $1,134 per month in Bakuriani vs $2,390 in Istanbul, rent included.

Bakuriani $1,134
Istanbul $2,390

A family of three spends $1,573 per month in Bakuriani vs $3,256 in Istanbul, rent included.

Bakuriani $1,573
Istanbul $3,256

Bakuriani is about 54% cheaper than Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Bakuriani sits 49% below the global median, while Istanbul is 13% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.55 ₾29.90

$11.96 ₺592

-3.43%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.97 ₾85.4

$57.2 ₺2,834

-42.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.15 ₾28.86

$9.51 ₺471

17.25%

Cappuccino

$3.67 ₾9.51

$4.40 ₺218

-16.59%

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

$0.99 ₾2.57

$1.75 ₺86.6

-43.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.55 ₾1.43

$0.56 ₺27.57

-1.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.84 ₾4.77

$4.71 ₺233

-60.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.30 ₾5.97

$6.14 ₺304

-62.54%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.08 ₾5.37

$1.24 ₺61.6

67.74%

White Bread (500g)

$0.73 ₾1.90

$0.95 ₺47.25

-23.16%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.60 ₾4.15

$2.28 ₺113

-29.82%

Eggs

$2.71 ₾7.02

$2.45 ₺121

10.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.55 ₾24.73

$10.56 ₺523

-9.56%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.04 ₾15.65

$5.50 ₺272

9.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.94 ₾25.74

$21.65 ₺1,072

-54.09%

Apples (1kg)

$1.53 ₾3.96

$1.83 ₺90.6

-16.39%

Banana (1kg)

$1.97 ₾5.11

$2.29 ₺113

-13.97%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.29 ₾3.35

$1.28 ₺63.4

0.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.10 ₾5.43

$1.82 ₺90.1

15.38%

Potato (1kg)

$0.94 ₾2.42

$0.66 ₺32.74

42.42%

Onion (1kg)

$0.63 ₾1.62

$0.63 ₺31.14

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 ₾3.80

$1.27 ₺62.8

15.75%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.73 ₾1.88

$0.56 ₺27.62

30.36%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.11 ₾8.05

$2.36 ₺117

31.78%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.91 ₾15.29

$12.98 ₺642

-54.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.51 ₾3.92

$2.48 ₺123

-39.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.10 ₾5.43

$3.50 ₺174

-40.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.82 ₺40.77

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.2 ₺3,228

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.18 ₾3.05

$1.33 ₺65.7

-11.28%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.63 ₾1.63

$0.90 ₺44.60

-30.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$12.19 ₾31.55

$10.91 ₺540

11.73%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ₾3.85

$1.43 ₺70.7

4.20%

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

$15.6K ₾40.5K

$49.6K ₺2.5M

-68.44%

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

$20.7K ₾53.5K

$43.2K ₺2.1M

-52.11%

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

$79.4 ₾206

$88.8 ₺4,395

-10.56%

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

$9.41 ₾24.37

$11.69 ₺579

-19.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.75 ₾40.78

$16.09 ₺797

-2.11%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$76.3 ₺3,776

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.72 ₺1,125

Cinema Ticket

$6.79 ₾17.57

$8.26 ₺409

-17.80%

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

$294 ₾760

$1,015 ₺50.2K

-71.06%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,162 ₾8,186

$25.8K ₺1.3M

-87.76%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$93.9 ₾243

$53.3 ₺2,636

76.34%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.48 ₾99.6

$40.55 ₺2,008

-5.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$133 ₾344

$100 ₺4,956

32.94%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$116 ₾299

$93.5 ₺4,630

23.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$977 ₺48.4K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$627 ₺31.0K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,980 ₺98.0K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,147 ₺56.8K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,095 ₺153.2K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,787 ₺88.5K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,213 ₺60.1K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.55

40.69

-69.16%

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

Last update for Bakuriani: October 18, 2026

Last update for Istanbul: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Bakuriani

$211 30.4%

Istanbul

$263 17.2% 24.2% $51

Eating Out

Bakuriani

$190 27.3%

Istanbul

$222 14.6% 16.9% $32

Clothing & Footwear

Bakuriani

$171 24.7%

Istanbul

$129 8.5% 24.6% $42

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bakuriani

$105 15%

Istanbul

$117 7.6% 11.5% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Bakuriani

$14 * 2%

Istanbul

$93 6.1% 583% $79

Getting Around

Bakuriani

$4.3 * 0.6%

Istanbul

$74 4.9% 1617% $70

Accommodation & Living

Bakuriani

- * 0%

Istanbul

$627 41.1%

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $33.00 in Bakuriani versus $57.0 in Istanbul. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $211 vs $263 – making Bakuriani the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇪 Bakuriani

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

16:27 4:27 PM

15:27 3:27 PM

1 h behind Bakuriani

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,800

15,701,602

💱 Currency

Georgian Lari GEL ₾

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

📈 Exchange rate

1 GEL = 0.386 USD

1 GEL = 0.344 EUR

100 TRY = 2.02 USD

100 TRY = 1.8 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TRY, USD, EUR to GEL – Georgian Lari Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇪 Georgian Lari (₾)

Georgian Lari exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 2.59 GEL (1 GEL = 0.386 USD). 1 EUR = 2.91 GEL (1 GEL = 0.344 EUR).

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 49.51 TRY (100 TRY = 2.02 USD). 1 EUR = 55.66 TRY (100 TRY = 1.8 EUR).

USD to GEL in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Bakuriani Istanbul 1,220 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Bakuriani
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

Bakuriani vs Istanbul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Istanbul costs about 119% more than Bakuriani, 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 $1,043 per month in Bakuriani and $2,287 in Istanbul. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $695 in Bakuriani and $1,525 in Istanbul. That's a gap of about 119%.

Kindergarten costs $294 per month in Bakuriani and $1,015 in Istanbul. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Bakuriani, where all-in costs run around $695, than in Istanbul at $1,525. In Bakuriani it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Bakuriani costs $695 versus $1,525 in Istanbul. 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 Bakuriani. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Istanbul makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.