Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Ajka

For one person, living is cheaper in Ajka: $1,250 a month against $1,550 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $3,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

75

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Ajka
Learn more

Ajka Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

Ajka

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,250

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Ajka

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,550 in Istanbul versus $1,250 in Ajka.

Istanbul $1,550
Ajka $1,250

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,415 in Istanbul versus $1,798 in Ajka.

Istanbul $2,415
Ajka $1,798

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,281 in Istanbul versus $2,346 in Ajka.

Istanbul $3,281
Ajka $2,346

Living in Istanbul is roughly 24% more expensive than in Ajka, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Istanbul is 15% above, Ajka is 7% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.30 ₺609

$9.21 Ft 2,974

33.55%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.7 ₺2,708

$22.56 Ft 7,287

142.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.22 ₺456

$7.71 Ft 2,491

19.58%

Cappuccino

$4.40 ₺218

$1.09 Ft 351

303.67%

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

$1.68 ₺83.1

$1.13 Ft 365

48.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₺29.40

$0.57 Ft 185

3.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.70 ₺233

$1.26 Ft 408

273.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.91 ₺292

$1.14 Ft 367

418.42%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 ₺60.0

$1.17 Ft 378

3.42%

White Bread (500g)

$0.89 ₺44.10

$1.36 Ft 439

-34.56%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.19 ₺108

$2.42 Ft 783

-9.50%

Eggs

$2.35 ₺116

$3.71 Ft 1,200

-36.66%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.42 ₺516

$10.47 Ft 3,383

-0.48%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.65 ₺280

$6.39 Ft 2,064

-11.58%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.94 ₺1,037

$16.37 Ft 5,288

27.92%

Apples (1kg)

$1.90 ₺94.1

$2.26 Ft 731

-15.93%

Banana (1kg)

$2.31 ₺114

$2.16 Ft 697

6.94%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.1

$2.06 Ft 666

-37.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺89.0

$3.36 Ft 1,084

-46.43%

Potato (1kg)

$0.65 ₺32.16

$1.03 Ft 334

-36.89%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺31.91

$1.10 Ft 354

-41.82%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 ₺62.1

$1.60 Ft 517

-21.88%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.58

$0.55 Ft 177

1.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.37 ₺118

$8.01 Ft 2,588

-70.41%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.42 ₺664

$5.44 Ft 1,758

146.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₺119

$1.21 Ft 391

98.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 ₺172

$2.06 Ft 666

68.93%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.89 ₺43.84

$1.29 Ft 415

-31.01%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.4 ₺3,338

$24.41 Ft 7,886

176.24%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.29 ₺64.1

$3.03 Ft 977

-57.43%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 ₺45.70

$1.73 Ft 559

-46.82%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.96 ₺542

$18.19 Ft 5,878

-39.75%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ₺72.9

$1.83 Ft 592

-19.67%

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

$50.8K ₺2.5M

$29.4K Ft 9.5M

72.62%

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

$44.5K ₺2.2M

$37.4K Ft 12.1M

19.20%

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

$88.6 ₺4,387

$129 Ft 41.7K

-31.32%

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

$11.59 ₺574

$21.99 Ft 7,106

-47.29%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.81 ₺783

$20.10 Ft 6,494

-21.34%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.2 ₺3,820

$46.90 Ft 15.2K

64.52%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.74 ₺1,126

$19.02 Ft 6,146

19.56%

Cinema Ticket

$8.14 ₺403

$8.70 Ft 2,811

-6.44%

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

$1,008 ₺49.9K

$253 Ft 81.6K

298.90%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.6K ₺1.3M

$6,842 Ft 2.2M

273.57%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.0 ₺2,671

$116 Ft 37.6K

-53.64%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.83 ₺2,021

$33.27 Ft 10.7K

22.72%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.9 ₺4,895

$92.3 Ft 29.8K

7.11%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.6 ₺4,783

$111 Ft 35.8K

-12.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$985 ₺48.7K

$587 Ft 189.7K

67.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$650 ₺32.2K

$439 Ft 141.8K

48.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,983 ₺98.2K

$664 Ft 214.7K

198.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,180 ₺58.4K

$603 Ft 194.9K

95.61%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,138 ₺155.4K

$2,832 Ft 915.0K

10.80%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,780 ₺88.1K

$2,573 Ft 831.4K

-30.83%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,205 ₺59.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.92

6.67

513.49%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 13, 2026

Last update for Ajka: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$650 41.9%

Ajka

$439 35.1% 32.5% $211

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$260 16.8%

Ajka

$251 20.1% 3.4% $8.8

Eating Out

Istanbul

$223 14.4%

Ajka

$125 10% 43.9% $98

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$131 8.4%

Ajka

$159 12.7% 21.5% $28

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$116 7.5%

Ajka

$171 13.7% 47.5% $55

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$93 6%

Ajka

$64 5.1% 31.2% $29

Getting Around

Istanbul

$77 5%

Ajka

$41 3.3% 46.4% $36

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $985 in Istanbul and $587 in Ajka. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $55.0 in Istanbul vs $23.00 in Ajka for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $260 vs $251 per month, with Ajka cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇭🇺 Ajka

🕒 Local time

00:56 12:56 AM

23:56 11:56 PM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

26,408

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 2.02 USD

100 TRY = 1.8 EUR

1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

HUF, USD, EUR to TRY – Turkish Lira Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇷 Turkish Lira (₺)

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 49.51 TRY (100 TRY = 2.02 USD). 1 EUR = 55.66 TRY (100 TRY = 1.8 EUR).

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 323 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 363 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Istanbul Ajka 1,130 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Ajka

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 Ajka: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Istanbul and Ajka differ by about 24% in total monthly costs ($1,550 vs $1,250 including rent). Ajka is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $2,325 in Istanbul and $1,875 in Ajka to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $985 in Istanbul versus $587 in Ajka. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Ajka runs roughly 176% less than in Istanbul. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $1,008 in Istanbul versus $253 in Ajka. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,250 in Ajka versus $1,550 in Istanbul, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Ajka but tight or insufficient in Istanbul. The gap between the two cities makes Ajka the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Istanbul and Ajka are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Ajka gentler on the wallet – expenses run 24% less than in Istanbul. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.