Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Iran and Turkey

For one person, living is cheaper in Iran: $497 a month against $1,212 in Turkey, rent and utilities included – about $8,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

Iran
Turkey
🇮🇷 Iran
$497
/mo nomad
🇹🇷 Turkey
$1,212
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Iran and in Turkey

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

A single person spends $497 per month in Iran vs $1,212 in Turkey, rent included.

  • Iran $497
  • Turkey $1,212

A couple spends around $809 per month in Iran vs $1,844 in Turkey, rent included.

  • Iran $809
  • Turkey $1,844

A family of three spends $1,121 per month in Iran vs $2,475 in Turkey, rent included.

  • Iran $1,121
  • Turkey $2,475

The regional cost range is wider in Turkey ($656–$1,765) than in Iran ($361–$874), so city choice matters more there.

The cost of living in Iran is roughly 59% lower than in Turkey on average.

Both Iran and Turkey are more affordable than the global median – Iran 63% lower, Turkey 11% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Iran
Turkey
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$3.41 $3.41
$9.14 ₺455
-62.69%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$15.99 $15.99
$40.12 ₺1,998
-60.14%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$3.95 $3.95
$8.91 ₺444
-55.67%
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$0.85 $0.85
-
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.11 $1.11
-
-
Cappuccino
$1.18 $1.18
$3.75 ₺187
-68.53%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.53 $0.53
$1.47 ₺73.3
-63.95%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.85 $0.85
$0.56 ₺27.64
51.79%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
-
$3.84 ₺191
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$4.91 ₺245
-
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Iran
Turkey
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$0.62 $0.62
$1.02 ₺51.0
-39.22%
White Bread (500g)
$0.48 $0.48
$1.00 ₺49.89
-52.00%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.35 $2.35
$2.20 ₺110
6.82%
Eggs
$1.11 $1.11
$2.21 ₺110
-49.77%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$3.74 $3.74
$9.72 ₺484
-61.52%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.00 $3.00
$4.86 ₺242
-38.27%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$9.85 $9.85
$20.09 ₺1,000
-50.97%
Apples (1kg)
$0.97 $0.97
$1.86 ₺92.4
-47.85%
Banana (1kg)
$1.47 $1.47
$1.98 ₺98.8
-25.76%
Oranges (1kg)
$0.89 $0.89
$1.06 ₺53.0
-16.04%
Tomato (1kg)
$0.58 $0.58
$1.36 ₺67.8
-57.35%
Potato (1kg)
$0.51 $0.51
$0.54 ₺26.84
-5.56%
Onion (1kg)
$0.46 $0.46
$0.45 ₺22.29
2.22%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.51 $0.51
$1.00 ₺49.57
-49.00%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.23 $0.23
$0.69 ₺34.21
-66.67%
Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)
$1.01 $1.01
-
-
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$0.53 $0.53
-
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.44 $1.44
-
-
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.21 $2.21
$2.26 ₺113
-2.21%
Wine (Bottle)
-
$11.91 ₺593
-
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
-
$2.24 ₺112
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$2.85 ₺142
-
🚌 Getting Around
Iran
Turkey
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.15 $0.15
$0.76 ₺37.98
-80.26%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$10.20 $10.20
$39.49 ₺1,967
-74.17%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.52 $0.52
$1.42 ₺70.9
-63.38%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.31 $0.31
$0.84 ₺41.63
-63.10%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$2.43 $2.43
$7.98 ₺397
-69.55%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.28 $0.28
$1.38 ₺68.8
-79.71%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$59.2K $59.2K
$41.6K ₺2.1M
42.14%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$52.7K $52.7K
$40.3K ₺2.0M
30.66%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Iran
Turkey
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$13.72 $13.72
$75.0 ₺3,733
-81.70%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$2.30 $2.30
$10.38 ₺517
-77.84%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$6.70 $6.70
$15.56 ₺775
-56.94%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Iran
Turkey
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$16.70 $16.70
$55.2 ₺2,751
-69.76%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$12.24 $12.24
$21.01 ₺1,047
-41.74%
Cinema Ticket
$1.54 $1.54
$6.87 ₺342
-77.58%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Iran
Turkey
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$81.3 $81.3
$680 ₺33.9K
-88.05%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$1,146 $1,146
$15.9K ₺791.9K
-92.79%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Iran
Turkey
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$22.85 $22.85
$54.7 ₺2,722
-58.20%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$26.56 $26.56
$42.98 ₺2,141
-38.20%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$100 $100
$102 ₺5,070
-1.45%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$62.5 $62.5
$93.9 ₺4,674
-33.37%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Iran
Turkey
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$252 $252
$614 ₺30.6K
-58.99%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$180 $180
$441 ₺21.9K
-59.22%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$556 $556
$1,011 ₺50.4K
-45.05%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$345 $345
$703 ₺35.0K
-50.97%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$994 $994
$1,710 ₺85.2K
-41.89%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$585 $585
$1,115 ₺55.5K
-47.57%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Iran
Turkey
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$243 $243
$1,061 ₺52.8K
-77.12%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
23.39
41.67
-43.87%

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

Last update for Iran: October 25, 2026

Last update for Turkey: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Iran
$180
Turkey
$441 145% $261
Groceries & Markets
Iran
$108
Turkey
$239 122% $131
Clothing & Footwear
Iran
$96
Turkey
$132 38.2% $36
Eating Out
Iran
$59
Turkey
$182 210% $123
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Iran
$23
Turkey
$101 344% $78
Sport & Entertainment
Iran
$20
Turkey
$69 249% $49
Getting Around
Iran
$13
Turkey
$48 274% $35

Cost Breakdown

Average rent: $295 in Iran vs $446 in Turkey. For reference, capital cities sit at $430 in Tehran and $765 in Ankara.

Average salary: $268 in Iran vs $1,034 in Turkey. The income gap affects purchasing power and how far your budget stretches in each country.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 51% higher in Turkey.

Dining out costs 113% more in Turkey.

Public transport is 230% more expensive in Turkey.

Salaries are about 3.9 times higher in Turkey, and purchasing power comes out stronger in Turkey.

Good to know
🇮🇷 Iran
🇹🇷 Turkey
🕒 Local time
20:39 8:39 PM
20:09 8:09 PM
30 min behind Iran
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
86,758,304
85,372,377
💱 Currency
USD USD
Exchange rates and currency converter

TRY, EUR to USD – USD Converter

USD exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.896 EUR).

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 49.8 TRY (100 TRY = 2.01 USD). 1 EUR = 55.58 TRY (100 TRY = 1.8 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Iran Turkey 1,690 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Iran
  • Turkey

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
Iran vs Turkey: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which country is cheaper: Iran or Turkey?
Iran is the cheaper option – living costs run roughly 59% lower on average.
Is rent more expensive in Iran or in Turkey?
Housing costs more in Turkey: a central one-bedroom averages $446 versus $295 in Iran.
How do daily expenses compare in Iran vs Turkey?
Groceries, public transport, and eating out all cost less in Iran – part of why living there is about 59% cheaper overall.
Can you live in both Iran and Turkey on $800 per month?
$800 buys a comfortable lifestyle in Iran, but in Turkey it only works with careful planning outside the capital. Same money, very different lives.
Which country is better for expats: Iran or Turkey?
Iran is the budget-friendly choice for expats. But cost isn’t everything: visa policies, language, healthcare quality, and job markets all weigh in too.

Iran vs other spots: cost of living compared

Similar countries

Show times on the 12-hour clock, temperatures in °F and distances in miles?