Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Abasha

For one person, living is cheaper in Abasha: $740 a month against $1,526 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $9,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

74

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index
36

Cost of Living Index in Abasha
Learn more

Abasha Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,526

/mo nomad

Abasha

🇬🇪 Georgia

$740

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Abasha

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

A single person spends $1,526 per month in Istanbul vs $740 in Abasha, rent included.

Istanbul $1,526
Abasha $740

A couple spends around $2,399 per month in Istanbul vs $1,207 in Abasha, rent included.

Istanbul $2,399
Abasha $1,207

A family of three spends $3,272 per month in Istanbul vs $1,674 in Abasha, rent included.

Istanbul $3,272
Abasha $1,674

Istanbul costs about 106% more than Abasha, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Istanbul sits 14% above the global median, while Abasha is 45% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.88 ₺585

$11.44 ₾29.65

3.85%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.1 ₺2,714

$38.61 ₾100

42.68%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.14 ₺450

$9.64 ₾25.00

-5.19%

Cappuccino

$4.24 ₺209

$3.45 ₾8.93

22.90%

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

$1.75 ₺86.0

$1.08 ₾2.81

62.04%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.54 ₺26.83

$0.59 ₾1.53

-8.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.69 ₺231

$2.72 ₾7.04

72.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.97 ₺294

$3.32 ₾8.62

79.82%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.26 ₺62.1

$2.23 ₾5.77

-43.50%

White Bread (500g)

$0.95 ₺46.81

$0.74 ₾1.91

28.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.31 ₺114

$1.67 ₾4.32

38.32%

Eggs

$2.47 ₺122

$2.73 ₾7.09

-9.52%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.55 ₺520

$9.37 ₾24.27

12.59%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.60 ₺276

$6.72 ₾17.42

-16.67%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.21 ₺1,045

$12.58 ₾32.59

68.60%

Apples (1kg)

$1.93 ₺95.1

$1.70 ₾4.42

13.53%

Banana (1kg)

$2.29 ₺113

$1.76 ₾4.55

30.11%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.1

$1.87 ₾4.84

-31.55%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.84 ₺90.8

$2.48 ₾6.43

-25.81%

Potato (1kg)

$0.67 ₺32.86

$0.87 ₾2.24

-22.99%

Onion (1kg)

$0.59 ₺29.31

$0.70 ₾1.81

-15.71%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.33 ₺65.4

$1.34 ₾3.47

-0.75%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₺29.10

$0.78 ₾2.03

-24.36%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.36 ₺116

$3.38 ₾8.76

-30.18%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.47 ₺664

$7.85 ₾20.34

71.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.42 ₺119

$1.68 ₾4.35

44.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.54 ₺174

$2.39 ₾6.19

48.12%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.83 ₺40.64

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.5 ₺3,273

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.35 ₺66.6

$1.17 ₾3.03

15.38%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 ₺42.05

$0.80 ₾2.07

6.25%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.86 ₺535

$11.41 ₾29.57

-4.82%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ₺72.3

$1.40 ₾3.64

5.00%

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

$51.6K ₺2.5M

$25.0K ₾64.7K

106.89%

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

$44.4K ₺2.2M

$21.5K ₾55.8K

106.35%

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

$89.2 ₺4,395

$87.8 ₾227

1.66%

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

$11.60 ₺572

$13.03 ₾33.78

-10.97%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.10 ₺793

$19.42 ₾50.3

-17.10%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.3 ₺3,805

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.66 ₺1,116

Cinema Ticket

$8.34 ₺411

$6.39 ₾16.56

30.52%

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

$974 ₺48.0K

$373 ₾968

160.89%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.8K ₺1.3M

$10.8K ₾28.0K

138.63%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.7 ₺2,597

$102 ₾264

-48.18%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.16 ₺1,929

$39.36 ₾102

-0.51%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 ₺5,083

$115 ₾299

-10.52%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.6 ₺4,759

$122 ₾315

-20.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$994 ₺49.0K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$629 ₺31.0K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,024 ₺99.7K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,155 ₺56.9K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,160 ₺155.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,838 ₺90.5K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,203 ₺59.3K

$350 ₾907

243.97%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

41.09

12.59

226.37%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 3, 2026

Last update for Abasha: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$629 41.2%

Abasha

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$264 17.3%

Abasha

$233 31.9% 11.6% $31

Eating Out

Istanbul

$218 14.3%

Abasha

$189 25.8% 13.4% $29

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$131 8.6%

Abasha

$170 23.3% 29.6% $39

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$117 7.7%

Abasha

$120 16.5% 2.8% $3.3

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$94 6.1%

Abasha

$13 * 1.8% 86.4% $81

Getting Around

Istanbul

$75 4.9%

Abasha

$5.2 * 0.7% 93.2% $70

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

Cost Breakdown

Salaries run about 244% 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 $55.0 in Istanbul versus $39.00 in Abasha. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $264 vs $233 – making Abasha the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇬🇪 Abasha

🕒 Local time

08:28 8:28 AM

09:28 9:28 AM

1 h ahead of Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

4,900

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Georgian Lari GEL ₾

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 2.03 USD

100 TRY = 1.81 EUR

1 GEL = 0.386 USD

1 GEL = 0.344 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

GEL, USD, EUR to TRY – Turkish Lira Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇷 Turkish Lira (₺)

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 49.26 TRY (100 TRY = 2.03 USD). 1 EUR = 55.25 TRY (100 TRY = 1.81 EUR).

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).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Istanbul Abasha 1,110 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Abasha

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

Istanbul vs Abasha: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,526 in Istanbul, $740 in Abasha – roughly 106% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in leisure.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,289 per month in Istanbul and $1,111 in Abasha. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,526 in Istanbul and $740 in Abasha. That's a gap of about 106%.

Kindergarten costs $974 per month in Istanbul and $373 in Abasha. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Abasha, where all-in costs run around $740, than in Istanbul at $1,526. In Abasha it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Istanbul has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $740 in Abasha 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 Abasha. 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.