Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Batumi, Ajara and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in Batumi, Ajara: $1,155 a month against $1,526 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $4,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

55

Cost of Living Index in Batumi, Ajara
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Batumi, Ajara Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index

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Batumi, Ajara

🇬🇪 Georgia

$1,155

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,526

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,155 per month in Batumi, Ajara vs $1,526 in Istanbul, rent included.

Batumi, Ajara $1,155
Istanbul $1,526

A couple spends around $1,812 per month in Batumi, Ajara vs $2,399 in Istanbul, rent included.

Batumi, Ajara $1,812
Istanbul $2,399

A family of three spends $2,468 per month in Batumi, Ajara vs $3,272 in Istanbul, rent included.

Batumi, Ajara $2,468
Istanbul $3,272

Batumi, Ajara is about 24% cheaper than Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Batumi, Ajara sits 14% below the global median, while Istanbul is 14% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.49 ₾29.80

$11.88 ₺585

-3.28%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.88 ₾85.2

$55.1 ₺2,715

-40.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.34 ₾29.40

$9.14 ₺450

24.07%

Cappuccino

$3.71 ₾9.62

$4.24 ₺209

-12.50%

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

$0.95 ₾2.46

$1.75 ₺86.0

-45.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.58 ₾1.51

$0.54 ₺26.84

7.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.82 ₾4.71

$4.69 ₺231

-61.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.29 ₾5.93

$5.97 ₺294

-61.64%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.13 ₾5.52

$1.26 ₺62.1

69.05%

White Bread (500g)

$0.68 ₾1.78

$0.95 ₺46.82

-28.42%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.63 ₾4.24

$2.31 ₺114

-29.44%

Eggs

$2.67 ₾6.93

$2.47 ₺122

8.10%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.64 ₾24.99

$10.55 ₺520

-8.63%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.18 ₾16.02

$5.60 ₺276

10.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.64 ₾24.98

$21.21 ₺1,045

-54.55%

Apples (1kg)

$1.48 ₾3.83

$1.93 ₺95.1

-23.32%

Banana (1kg)

$2.01 ₾5.22

$2.29 ₺113

-12.23%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.35 ₾3.50

$1.28 ₺63.1

5.47%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.22 ₾5.74

$1.84 ₺90.8

20.65%

Potato (1kg)

$0.95 ₾2.47

$0.67 ₺32.87

41.79%

Onion (1kg)

$0.63 ₾1.63

$0.59 ₺29.31

6.78%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.54 ₾3.98

$1.33 ₺65.4

15.79%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.75 ₾1.95

$0.59 ₺29.11

27.12%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.07 ₾7.96

$2.36 ₺116

30.08%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 ₾14.55

$13.47 ₺664

-58.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.44 ₾3.74

$2.42 ₺119

-40.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 ₾5.34

$3.54 ₺174

-41.81%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.26 ₾0.67

$0.83 ₺40.65

-68.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.43 ₾29.63

$66.5 ₺3,274

-82.80%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.19 ₾3.08

$1.35 ₺66.6

-11.85%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.63 ₾1.65

$0.85 ₺42.06

-25.88%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.85 ₾30.72

$10.86 ₺535

9.12%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.43 ₾3.71

$1.47 ₺72.3

-2.72%

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

$16.0K ₾41.5K

$51.6K ₺2.5M

-69.00%

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

$20.9K ₾54.1K

$44.4K ₺2.2M

-53.07%

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

$78.3 ₾203

$89.2 ₺4,396

-12.25%

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

$9.02 ₾23.39

$11.60 ₺572

-22.24%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.15 ₾41.85

$16.10 ₺793

0.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.7 ₾150

$77.3 ₺3,806

-25.27%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.35 ₾39.78

$22.66 ₺1,116

-32.26%

Cinema Ticket

$7.11 ₾18.42

$8.34 ₺411

-14.75%

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

$299 ₾776

$974 ₺48.0K

-69.27%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,211 ₾8,323

$25.8K ₺1.3M

-87.54%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$95.5 ₾247

$52.7 ₺2,597

81.09%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.34 ₾99.4

$39.16 ₺1,930

-2.09%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$132 ₾342

$103 ₺5,084

27.80%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$116 ₾302

$96.6 ₺4,760

20.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$509 ₾1,319

$994 ₺49.0K

-48.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$374 ₾971

$629 ₺31.0K

-40.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$970 ₾2,515

$2,024 ₺99.7K

-52.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$701 ₾1,816

$1,155 ₺56.9K

-39.34%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,713 ₾4,441

$3,160 ₺155.7K

-45.79%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,247 ₾3,233

$1,838 ₺90.5K

-32.13%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$574 ₾1,488

$1,203 ₺59.3K

-52.29%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.55

41.09

-69.46%

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

Last update for Batumi, Ajara: October 4, 2026

Last update for Istanbul: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Batumi, Ajara

$374 32.8%

Istanbul

$629 41.2% 68.1% $255

Groceries & Markets

Batumi, Ajara

$212 18.6%

Istanbul

$264 17.3% 24.6% $52

Eating Out

Batumi, Ajara

$190 16.7%

Istanbul

$218 14.3% 14.5% $28

Clothing & Footwear

Batumi, Ajara

$172 15.1%

Istanbul

$131 8.6% 23.7% $41

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Batumi, Ajara

$103 9.1%

Istanbul

$117 7.7% 13% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Batumi, Ajara

$72 6.3%

Istanbul

$94 6.1% 30.5% $22

Getting Around

Batumi, Ajara

$17 1.5%

Istanbul

$75 4.9% 348% $59

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $509 in Batumi, Ajara versus $994 in Istanbul. 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 110% higher in Istanbul, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $33.00 in Batumi, Ajara versus $55.0 in Istanbul. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $212 vs $264 – making Batumi, Ajara the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇪 Batumi, Ajara

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

08:41 8:41 AM

07:41 7:41 AM

1 h behind Batumi, Ajara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

186,949

15,701,602

💱 Currency

Georgian Lari GEL ₾

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

📈 Exchange rate

1 GEL = 0.386 USD

1 GEL = 0.344 EUR

100 TRY = 2.03 USD

100 TRY = 1.81 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 10, 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 49.27 TRY (100 TRY = 2.03 USD). 1 EUR = 55.26 TRY (100 TRY = 1.81 EUR).

USD to GEL in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Batumi, Ajara Istanbul 1,060 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Batumi, Ajara
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

Batumi, Ajara vs Istanbul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,155 in Batumi, Ajara, $1,526 in Istanbul – roughly 32% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,732 per month in Batumi, Ajara and $2,289 in Istanbul. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Batumi, Ajara, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,155 in Batumi, Ajara and $1,526 in Istanbul. That's a gap of about 32%.

Public transport costs about 481% less in Batumi, Ajara. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Batumi, Ajara, where all-in costs run around $1,155, than in Istanbul at $1,526. In Batumi, Ajara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Batumi, Ajara has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,155 in Batumi, Ajara to $1,526 in Istanbul. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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 Batumi, Ajara. 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.