Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Abbottabad

For one person, living is cheaper in Abbottabad: $316 a month against $1,519 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $14,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

73

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index
15

Cost of Living Index in Abbottabad
Learn more

Abbottabad Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,519

/mo nomad

Abbottabad

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$316

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Abbottabad

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 Abbottabad actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,519 per month in Istanbul vs $316 in Abbottabad, rent included.

Istanbul $1,519
Abbottabad $316

A couple spends around $2,365 per month in Istanbul vs $472 in Abbottabad, rent included.

Istanbul $2,365
Abbottabad $472

A family of three spends $3,212 per month in Istanbul vs $628 in Abbottabad, rent included.

Istanbul $3,212
Abbottabad $628

Istanbul costs about 380% more than Abbottabad, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Istanbul sits 12% above the global median, while Abbottabad is 77% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.81 ₺592

$1.84 PKR 508

541.85%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.9 ₺2,754

$9.13 PKR 2,526

501.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.26 ₺465

$5.40 PKR 1,493

71.48%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.21 PKR 611

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.76 PKR 487

Cappuccino

$4.30 ₺216

$1.22 PKR 336

252.46%

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

$1.77 ₺89.0

$0.34 PKR 95.3

420.59%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺28.32

$0.19 PKR 52.1

194.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.69 ₺235

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.12 ₺357

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 ₺62.7

$0.82 PKR 227

52.44%

White Bread (500g)

$0.88 ₺44.17

$0.96 PKR 266

-8.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 ₺111

$1.09 PKR 303

101.83%

Eggs

$2.43 ₺122

$1.19 PKR 328

104.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.48 ₺526

$3.62 PKR 1,001

189.50%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.31 ₺267

$2.36 PKR 653

125.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.10 ₺1,058

$5.91 PKR 1,635

257.02%

Apples (1kg)

$1.86 ₺93.1

$1.10 PKR 304

69.09%

Banana (1kg)

$2.30 ₺115

$0.90 PKR 248

155.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.22 ₺61.0

$0.81 PKR 224

50.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺90.2

$0.43 PKR 118

318.60%

Potato (1kg)

$0.69 ₺34.83

$0.24 PKR 66.0

187.50%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺32.16

$0.45 PKR 124

42.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.36 ₺68.0

$0.57 PKR 157

138.60%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 ₺28.94

$0.30 PKR 82.2

93.33%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$4.78 PKR 1,323

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.75 PKR 208

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.75 PKR 209

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.34 ₺117

$1.61 PKR 446

45.34%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.03 ₺653

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.36 ₺118

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.32 ₺166

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.88 ₺44.07

$0.20 PKR 55.4

340.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.1 ₺3,316

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 ₺64.4

$1.05 PKR 291

21.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 ₺42.80

$0.35 PKR 96.6

142.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.09 ₺556

$1.48 PKR 409

649.32%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 ₺74.0

$1.18 PKR 328

25.42%

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

$48.6K ₺2.4M

$21.6K PKR 6.0M

125.51%

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

$42.0K ₺2.1M

$23.3K PKR 6.5M

79.92%

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

$92.7 ₺4,650

$54.7 PKR 15.1K

69.49%

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

$11.20 ₺562

$3.52 PKR 973

218.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.89 ₺797

$12.70 PKR 3,513

25.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.7 ₺3,745

$9.07 PKR 2,507

723.37%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.95 ₺1,151

Cinema Ticket

$8.05 ₺404

$2.01 PKR 555

300.50%

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

$948 ₺47.6K

$26.97 PKR 7,460

3416.65%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.9K ₺1.9M

$530 PKR 146.7K

6860.24%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₺2,702

$7.06 PKR 1,954

663.17%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.49 ₺2,081

$7.18 PKR 1,985

477.86%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 ₺5,060

$51.6 PKR 14.3K

95.52%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.3 ₺4,580

$10.73 PKR 2,968

750.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,014 ₺50.8K

$81.9 PKR 22.6K

1138.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$625 ₺31.3K

$55.7 PKR 15.4K

1022.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,005 ₺100.6K

$162 PKR 44.7K

1141.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,126 ₺56.5K

$83.6 PKR 23.1K

1247.13%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,988 ₺149.8K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,730 ₺86.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,136 ₺57.0K

$191 PKR 52.9K

493.82%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.42

267.45%

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

Last update for Istanbul: November 2, 2026

Last update for Abbottabad: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$625 41.1%

Abbottabad

$56 17.6% 91.1% $569

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$258 17%

Abbottabad

$91 28.8% 64.7% $167

Eating Out

Istanbul

$221 14.6%

Abbottabad

$48 15.1% 78.4% $173

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$129 8.5%

Abbottabad

$34 10.9% 73.4% $95

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$120 7.9%

Abbottabad

$71 22.4% 40.8% $49

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$91 6%

Abbottabad

$13 4.1% 85.6% $78

Getting Around

Istanbul

$75 5%

Abbottabad

$3.6 * 1.1% 95.2% $72

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,014 in Istanbul versus $82 in Abbottabad. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Istanbul are about 5.9 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55 in Istanbul versus $9 in Abbottabad. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $91 – making Abbottabad the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇵🇰 Abbottabad

🕒 Local time

16:23 4:23 PM

18:23 6:23 PM

2 h ahead of Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

208,491

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Pakistani Rupee PKR ₨

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 1.99 USD

100 TRY = 1.78 EUR

1,000 PKR = 3.62 USD

1,000 PKR = 3.22 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PKR, USD, EUR to TRY – Turkish Lira Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇷 Turkish Lira (₺)

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 50.15 TRY (100 TRY = 1.99 USD). 1 EUR = 56.33 TRY (100 TRY = 1.78 EUR).

Pakistani Rupee exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 277 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.62 USD). 1 EUR = 311 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.22 EUR).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Istanbul Abbottabad 3,930 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Abbottabad

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 Abbottabad: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Istanbul costs about 380% more than Abbottabad, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,278 per month in Istanbul and $475 in Abbottabad. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Abbottabad, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $82 there versus $1,014 in Istanbul.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55 in Istanbul and $9 in Abbottabad. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 184% more in Istanbul, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $800 monthly budget goes further in Abbottabad, where all-in costs run around $316, than in Istanbul at $1,519. In Abbottabad it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Abbottabad – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Abbottabad. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Istanbul makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.