Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Diyarbakir and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in Diyarbakir: $1,035 a month against $1,516 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $5,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

50

Cost of Living Index in Diyarbakir
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Diyarbakir Living Index
73

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index

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Diyarbakir

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,035

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,516

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,035 per month in Diyarbakir vs $1,516 in Istanbul, rent included.

Diyarbakir $1,035
Istanbul $1,516

A couple spends around $1,533 per month in Diyarbakir vs $2,356 in Istanbul, rent included.

Diyarbakir $1,533
Istanbul $2,356

A family of three spends $2,031 per month in Diyarbakir vs $3,197 in Istanbul, rent included.

Diyarbakir $2,031
Istanbul $3,197

Diyarbakir is about 32% cheaper than Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Diyarbakir sits 24% below the global median, while Istanbul is 11% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.64 ₺231

$11.59 ₺577

-59.97%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.95 ₺994

$54.7 ₺2,725

-63.51%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.70 ₺434

$9.39 ₺468

-7.35%

Cappuccino

$3.39 ₺169

$4.23 ₺211

-19.86%

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

$1.09 ₺54.3

$1.72 ₺85.6

-36.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.32 ₺15.93

$0.57 ₺28.26

-43.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.98 ₺149

$4.65 ₺232

-35.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.56 ₺177

$6.84 ₺341

-47.95%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.90 ₺44.62

$1.20 ₺60.0

-25.00%

White Bread (500g)

$0.62 ₺30.94

$0.94 ₺46.97

-34.04%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.99 ₺49.21

$2.24 ₺112

-55.80%

Eggs

$1.83 ₺91.2

$2.42 ₺121

-24.38%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.78 ₺338

$10.24 ₺510

-33.79%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.76 ₺287

$5.38 ₺268

7.06%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.95 ₺795

$21.19 ₺1,056

-24.73%

Apples (1kg)

$1.31 ₺65.5

$1.89 ₺94.3

-30.69%

Banana (1kg)

$1.52 ₺75.6

$2.22 ₺111

-31.53%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.76 ₺38.05

$1.26 ₺62.7

-39.68%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.01 ₺50.3

$1.81 ₺90.0

-44.20%

Potato (1kg)

$0.55 ₺27.32

$0.70 ₺34.84

-21.43%

Onion (1kg)

$0.45 ₺22.42

$0.64 ₺32.13

-29.69%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.77 ₺38.22

$1.22 ₺60.9

-36.89%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ₺26.10

$0.55 ₺27.35

-5.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.17 ₺108

$2.32 ₺116

-6.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.94 ₺296

$13.31 ₺663

-55.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.18 ₺109

$2.33 ₺116

-6.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.64 ₺181

$3.46 ₺172

5.20%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.48 ₺24.09

$0.91 ₺45.18

-47.25%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.3 ₺3,306

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.70 ₺34.81

$1.29 ₺64.2

-45.74%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.58 ₺29.12

$0.86 ₺42.66

-32.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.09 ₺553

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 ₺64.9

$1.42 ₺70.8

-8.45%

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

$41.8K ₺2.1M

$49.2K ₺2.5M

-15.02%

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

$38.2K ₺1.9M

$42.8K ₺2.1M

-10.69%

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

$90.7 ₺4,521

$87.7 ₺4,373

3.39%

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

$10.08 ₺503

$11.28 ₺562

-10.64%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.85 ₺790

$15.89 ₺792

-0.25%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$78.9 ₺3,932

$75.9 ₺3,783

3.97%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$40.59 ₺2,023

$23.04 ₺1,148

76.17%

Cinema Ticket

$5.38 ₺268

$8.20 ₺409

-34.39%

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

$1,028 ₺51.2K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$26.0K ₺1.3M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.7 ₺2,726

$53.3 ₺2,658

2.59%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.78 ₺2,481

$39.69 ₺1,978

25.42%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.5 ₺4,808

$99.8 ₺4,972

-3.30%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 ₺5,335

$93.5 ₺4,661

14.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$406 ₺20.2K

$1,003 ₺50.0K

-59.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$364 ₺18.1K

$628 ₺31.3K

-42.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$696 ₺34.7K

$1,963 ₺97.8K

-64.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$570 ₺28.4K

$1,122 ₺55.9K

-49.19%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,075 ₺153.2K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,753 ₺87.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$822 ₺41.0K

$1,180 ₺58.8K

-30.31%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.69

-28.73%

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

Last update for Diyarbakir: October 25, 2026

Last update for Istanbul: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Diyarbakir

$364 35.2%

Istanbul

$628 41.5% 72.5% $264

Groceries & Markets

Diyarbakir

$189 18.3%

Istanbul

$258 17% 36.4% $69

Clothing & Footwear

Diyarbakir

$139 13.4%

Istanbul

$129 8.5% 7% $9.8

Eating Out

Diyarbakir

$132 12.7%

Istanbul

$218 14.4% 65.4% $86

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Diyarbakir

$117 11.3%

Istanbul

$115 7.6% 1.5% $1.7

Sport & Entertainment

Diyarbakir

$90 8.7%

Istanbul

$92 6.1% 3% $2.7

Getting Around

Diyarbakir

$5.6 * 0.5%

Istanbul

$76 5% 1261% $70

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $406 in Diyarbakir versus $1,003 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 43% 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 $20 in Diyarbakir versus $55 in Istanbul. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $189 vs $258 – making Diyarbakir the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Diyarbakir

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

21:01 9:01 PM

Same time as Diyarbakir

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,804,880

15,701,602

💱 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

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Between locations

Diyarbakir Istanbul 1,030 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

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Diyarbakir
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

Diyarbakir vs Istanbul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,035 in Diyarbakir, $1,516 in Istanbul – roughly 46% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,553 per month in Diyarbakir and $2,274 in Istanbul. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Diyarbakir, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $406 there versus $1,003 in Istanbul.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $20 in Diyarbakir and $55 in Istanbul. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,035 in Diyarbakir and $1,516 in Istanbul. That’s a gap of about 46%.

$2,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,035 in Diyarbakir and $1,516 in Istanbul, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Istanbul has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,035 in Diyarbakir to $1,516 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 Diyarbakir. 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.