Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Aksaray

For one person, living is cheaper in Aksaray: $883 a month against $1,525 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $7,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

74

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index
43

Cost of Living Index in Aksaray
Learn more

Aksaray Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,525

/mo nomad

Aksaray

🇹🇷 Turkey

$883

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Aksaray

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

A single person spends $1,525 per month in Istanbul vs $883 in Aksaray, rent included.

Istanbul $1,525
Aksaray $883

A couple spends around $2,390 per month in Istanbul vs $1,372 in Aksaray, rent included.

Istanbul $2,390
Aksaray $1,372

A family of three spends $3,256 per month in Istanbul vs $1,861 in Aksaray, rent included.

Istanbul $3,256
Aksaray $1,861

Istanbul costs about 73% more than Aksaray, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Istanbul sits 13% above the global median, while Aksaray is 35% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.96 ₺592

$6.22 ₺308

92.28%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$57.2 ₺2,834

$24.35 ₺1,206

135.03%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.51 ₺471

$6.92 ₺343

37.43%

Cappuccino

$4.40 ₺218

$2.85 ₺141

54.39%

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

$1.75 ₺86.6

$1.16 ₺57.5

50.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.57

$0.34 ₺16.96

64.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.71 ₺233

$2.19 ₺109

115.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.14 ₺304

$3.64 ₺180

68.68%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.24 ₺61.6

$0.99 ₺49.26

25.25%

White Bread (500g)

$0.95 ₺47.25

$0.89 ₺44.05

6.74%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.28 ₺113

$1.77 ₺87.7

28.81%

Eggs

$2.45 ₺121

$1.65 ₺81.7

48.48%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.56 ₺523

$6.22 ₺308

69.77%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.50 ₺272

$3.20 ₺159

71.87%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.65 ₺1,072

$21.27 ₺1,053

1.79%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 ₺90.6

$2.17 ₺107

-15.67%

Banana (1kg)

$2.29 ₺113

$1.84 ₺90.9

24.46%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.4

$1.13 ₺55.7

13.27%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.82 ₺90.1

$1.05 ₺51.9

73.33%

Potato (1kg)

$0.66 ₺32.74

$0.38 ₺18.72

73.68%

Onion (1kg)

$0.63 ₺31.14

$0.33 ₺16.50

90.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.27 ₺62.8

$0.88 ₺43.32

44.32%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.62

$0.17 ₺8.48

229.41%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.36 ₺117

$2.07 ₺102

14.01%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.98 ₺642

$14.40 ₺713

-9.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.48 ₺123

$1.88 ₺93.1

31.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.50 ₺174

$2.45 ₺122

42.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.82 ₺40.77

$0.71 ₺35.33

15.49%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.2 ₺3,228

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.33 ₺65.7

$0.79 ₺39.25

68.35%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.90 ₺44.60

$0.85 ₺42.05

5.88%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.91 ₺540

$5.97 ₺295

82.75%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.43 ₺70.7

$1.25 ₺61.7

14.40%

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

$49.6K ₺2.5M

$42.2K ₺2.1M

17.50%

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

$43.2K ₺2.1M

$38.7K ₺1.9M

11.53%

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

$88.8 ₺4,395

$57.5 ₺2,846

54.44%

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

$11.69 ₺579

$7.34 ₺363

59.26%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.09 ₺797

$13.57 ₺672

18.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$76.3 ₺3,776

$52.3 ₺2,590

45.76%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.72 ₺1,125

Cinema Ticket

$8.26 ₺409

$2.95 ₺146

180.00%

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

$1,015 ₺50.2K

$312 ₺15.4K

225.38%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.8K ₺1.3M

$11.0K ₺544.0K

135.14%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.3 ₺2,636

$31.64 ₺1,566

68.30%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.55 ₺2,008

$23.35 ₺1,156

73.66%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100 ₺4,956

$79.6 ₺3,939

25.82%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.5 ₺4,630

$78.6 ₺3,893

18.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$977 ₺48.4K

$422 ₺20.9K

131.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$627 ₺31.0K

$300 ₺14.9K

108.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,980 ₺98.0K

$777 ₺38.5K

154.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,147 ₺56.8K

$561 ₺27.8K

104.37%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,095 ₺153.2K

$1,303 ₺64.5K

137.53%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,787 ₺88.5K

$999 ₺49.5K

78.85%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,213 ₺60.1K

$801 ₺39.7K

51.39%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.69

47.67

-14.64%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 19, 2026

Last update for Aksaray: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$627 41.1%

Aksaray

$300 34% 52.1% $327

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$263 17.2%

Aksaray

$213 24.1% 18.8% $49

Eating Out

Istanbul

$222 14.6%

Aksaray

$129 14.6% 41.9% $93

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$129 8.5%

Aksaray

$96 10.9% 25.8% $33

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$117 7.6%

Aksaray

$78 8.9% 32.7% $38

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$93 6.1%

Aksaray

$58 6.6% 37.2% $35

Getting Around

Istanbul

$74 4.9%

Aksaray

$7.9 * 0.9% 89.4% $66

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $977 in Istanbul versus $422 in Aksaray. 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 51% 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 $57.0 in Istanbul versus $24.00 in Aksaray. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $263 vs $213 – making Aksaray the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇹🇷 Aksaray

🕒 Local time

19:22 7:22 PM

Same time as Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

423,011

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 2.02 USD

100 TRY = 1.8 EUR

100 TRY = 2.02 USD

100 TRY = 1.8 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Istanbul Aksaray 520 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Aksaray

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 Aksaray: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,525 in Istanbul, $883 in Aksaray – roughly 73% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,287 per month in Istanbul and $1,324 in Aksaray. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Aksaray, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $57.0 in Istanbul and $24.00 in Aksaray. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 23% more in Istanbul, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Aksaray, where all-in costs run around $883, than in Istanbul at $1,525. In Aksaray 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 $883 in Aksaray to $1,525 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 Aksaray. 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.