Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Aktau

For one person, living is cheaper in Aktau: $798 a month against $1,519 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $8,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

73

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index
38

Cost of Living Index in Aktau
Learn more

Aktau Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,519

/mo nomad

Aktau

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$798

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Aktau

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

A single person spends $1,519 per month in Istanbul vs $798 in Aktau, rent included.

Istanbul $1,519
Aktau $798

A couple spends around $2,365 per month in Istanbul vs $1,321 in Aktau, rent included.

Istanbul $2,365
Aktau $1,321

A family of three spends $3,212 per month in Istanbul vs $1,844 in Aktau, rent included.

Istanbul $3,212
Aktau $1,844

Istanbul costs about 90% more than Aktau, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Istanbul sits 12% above the global median, while Aktau is 41% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.81 ₺592

$11.26 ₸5,075

4.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.9 ₺2,754

$43.53 ₸19.6K

26.14%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.26 ₺465

$10.11 ₸4,556

-8.41%

Cappuccino

$4.30 ₺216

$2.56 ₸1,154

67.97%

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

$1.77 ₺89.0

$0.75 ₸339

136.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺28.32

$0.45 ₸205

24.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.69 ₺235

$1.29 ₸582

263.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.12 ₺357

$1.53 ₸692

365.36%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 ₺62.7

$1.45 ₸655

-13.79%

White Bread (500g)

$0.88 ₺44.17

$0.57 ₸256

54.39%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 ₺111

$1.82 ₸822

20.88%

Eggs

$2.43 ₺122

$1.73 ₸780

40.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.48 ₺526

$9.77 ₸4,406

7.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.31 ₺267

$4.21 ₸1,900

26.13%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.10 ₺1,058

$8.55 ₸3,855

146.78%

Apples (1kg)

$1.86 ₺93.1

$1.51 ₸681

23.18%

Banana (1kg)

$2.30 ₺115

$2.23 ₸1,004

3.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.22 ₺61.0

$2.40 ₸1,083

-49.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺90.2

$2.86 ₸1,290

-37.06%

Potato (1kg)

$0.69 ₺34.83

$0.66 ₸297

4.55%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺32.16

$0.52 ₸236

23.08%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.36 ₺68.0

$1.46 ₸660

-6.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 ₺28.94

$0.95 ₸430

-38.95%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.34 ₺117

$2.60 ₸1,170

-10.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.03 ₺653

$9.49 ₸4,279

37.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.36 ₺118

$0.76 ₸341

210.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.32 ₺166

$0.90 ₸407

268.89%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.88 ₺44.07

$0.16 ₸72.1

450.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.1 ₺3,316

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 ₺64.4

$1.13 ₸508

13.27%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 ₺42.80

$0.64 ₸289

32.81%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.09 ₺556

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 ₺74.0

$0.67 ₸300

120.90%

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

$48.6K ₺2.4M

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

$42.0K ₺2.1M

$31.2K ₸14.1M

34.42%

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

$92.7 ₺4,650

$46.54 ₸21.0K

99.20%

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

$11.20 ₺562

$8.14 ₸3,668

37.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.89 ₺797

$10.99 ₸4,956

44.59%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.7 ₺3,745

$36.51 ₸16.5K

104.55%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.95 ₺1,151

Cinema Ticket

$8.05 ₺404

$3.12 ₸1,407

158.01%

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

$948 ₺47.6K

$146 ₸65.7K

551.13%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.9K ₺1.9M

$2,643 ₸1.2M

1297.05%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₺2,702

$67.5 ₸30.4K

-20.12%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.49 ₺2,081

$39.11 ₸17.6K

6.09%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 ₺5,060

$71.7 ₸32.3K

40.73%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.3 ₺4,580

$88.0 ₸39.7K

3.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,014 ₺50.8K

$325 ₸146.6K

211.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$625 ₺31.3K

$199 ₸89.8K

213.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,005 ₺100.6K

$547 ₸246.5K

266.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,126 ₺56.5K

$393 ₸177.2K

186.50%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,988 ₺149.8K

$810 ₸365.3K

268.70%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,730 ₺86.8K

$645 ₸290.8K

168.25%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,136 ₺57.0K

$569 ₸256.4K

99.78%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.42

188.71%

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

Last update for Istanbul: November 2, 2026

Last update for Aktau: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$625 41.1%

Aktau

$199 25% 68.1% $425

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$258 17%

Aktau

$200 25.1% 22.5% $58

Eating Out

Istanbul

$221 14.6%

Aktau

$165 20.7% 25.1% $56

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$129 8.5%

Aktau

$120 15% 7.4% $9.6

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$120 7.9%

Aktau

$66 8.2% 45.2% $54

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$91 6%

Aktau

$43 5.4% 52.9% $48

Getting Around

Istanbul

$75 5%

Aktau

$5 * 0.6% 93.4% $70

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 $325 in Aktau. 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 100% higher in Istanbul. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55 in Istanbul versus $44 in Aktau. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $200 – making Aktau the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇰🇿 Aktau

🕒 Local time

16:17 4:17 PM

18:17 6:17 PM

2 h ahead of Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

273,830

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Kazakhstani Tenge KZT ₸

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 1.99 USD

100 TRY = 1.78 EUR

1,000 KZT = 2.22 USD

1,000 KZT = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

KZT, 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).

Kazakhstani Tenge exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 451 KZT (1,000 KZT = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 506 KZT (1,000 KZT = 1.98 EUR).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Istanbul Aktau 1,840 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Aktau

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 Aktau: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Istanbul costs about 90% more than Aktau, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. 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 $1,197 in Aktau. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Aktau, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $325 there versus $1,014 in Istanbul.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55 in Istanbul and $44 in Aktau. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 29% more in Istanbul, though the gap depends on what you buy.

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

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

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