Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Aktobe

For one person, living is cheaper in Aktobe: $874 a month against $1,519 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $7,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

73

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index
42

Cost of Living Index in Aktobe
Learn more

Aktobe Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,519

/mo nomad

Aktobe

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$874

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Aktobe

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

A single person spends $1,519 per month in Istanbul vs $874 in Aktobe, rent included.

Istanbul $1,519
Aktobe $874

A couple spends around $2,365 per month in Istanbul vs $1,378 in Aktobe, rent included.

Istanbul $2,365
Aktobe $1,378

A family of three spends $3,212 per month in Istanbul vs $1,883 in Aktobe, rent included.

Istanbul $3,212
Aktobe $1,883

Istanbul costs about 74% more than Aktobe, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Istanbul sits 12% above the global median, while Aktobe is 35% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.81 ₺592

$8.65 ₸3,900

36.53%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.9 ₺2,754

$39.43 ₸17.8K

39.26%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.26 ₺465

$7.05 ₸3,179

31.35%

Cappuccino

$4.30 ₺216

$2.45 ₸1,104

75.51%

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

$1.77 ₺89.0

$1.24 ₸558

42.74%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺28.32

$0.59 ₸265

-5.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.69 ₺235

$1.93 ₸872

143.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.12 ₺357

$3.00 ₸1,351

137.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 ₺62.7

$1.37 ₸618

-8.76%

White Bread (500g)

$0.88 ₺44.17

$0.42 ₸190

109.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 ₺111

$0.97 ₸436

126.80%

Eggs

$2.43 ₺122

$1.74 ₸785

39.66%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.48 ₺526

$8.05 ₸3,630

30.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.31 ₺267

$5.83 ₸2,628

-8.92%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.10 ₺1,058

$8.91 ₸4,015

136.81%

Apples (1kg)

$1.86 ₺93.1

$1.59 ₸717

16.98%

Banana (1kg)

$2.30 ₺115

$2.22 ₸1,001

3.60%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.22 ₺61.0

$2.36 ₸1,066

-48.31%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺90.2

$1.89 ₸853

-4.76%

Potato (1kg)

$0.69 ₺34.83

$0.77 ₸348

-10.39%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺32.16

$0.37 ₸169

72.97%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.36 ₺68.0

$1.09 ₸489

24.77%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 ₺28.94

$0.73 ₸331

-20.55%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.34 ₺117

$2.48 ₸1,116

-5.65%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.03 ₺653

$5.89 ₸2,654

121.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.36 ₺118

$1.09 ₸493

116.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.32 ₺166

$1.74 ₸786

90.80%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.88 ₺44.07

$0.20 ₸90.1

340.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.1 ₺3,316

$17.72 ₸7,988

273.14%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 ₺64.4

$1.14 ₸512

12.28%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 ₺42.80

$1.09 ₸490

-22.02%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.09 ₺556

$5.62 ₸2,532

97.33%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 ₺74.0

$0.65 ₸293

127.69%

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

$48.6K ₺2.4M

$22.9K ₸10.3M

112.09%

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

$42.0K ₺2.1M

$30.4K ₸13.7M

38.26%

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

$92.7 ₺4,650

$56.1 ₸25.3K

65.20%

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

$11.20 ₺562

$10.39 ₸4,682

7.80%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.89 ₺797

$21.36 ₸9,628

-25.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.7 ₺3,745

$47.91 ₸21.6K

55.88%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.95 ₺1,151

$11.92 ₸5,376

92.53%

Cinema Ticket

$8.05 ₺404

$5.37 ₸2,420

49.91%

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

$948 ₺47.6K

$225 ₸101.5K

321.38%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.9K ₺1.9M

$3,221 ₸1.5M

1046.01%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₺2,702

$55.8 ₸25.1K

-3.37%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.49 ₺2,081

$55.8 ₸25.1K

-25.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 ₺5,060

$116 ₸52.3K

-13.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.3 ₺4,580

$97.8 ₸44.1K

-6.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,014 ₺50.8K

$301 ₸135.9K

236.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$625 ₺31.3K

$227 ₸102.4K

175.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,005 ₺100.6K

$462 ₸208.2K

334.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,126 ₺56.5K

$360 ₸162.1K

213.13%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,988 ₺149.8K

$824 ₸371.7K

262.38%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,730 ₺86.8K

$525 ₸236.5K

229.76%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,136 ₺57.0K

$550 ₸248.0K

106.58%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.42

137.76%

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

Last update for Istanbul: November 2, 2026

Last update for Aktobe: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$625 41.1%

Aktobe

$227 26% 63.6% $397

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$258 17%

Aktobe

$186 21.3% 28% $72

Eating Out

Istanbul

$221 14.6%

Aktobe

$143 16.3% 35.4% $78

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$129 8.5%

Aktobe

$146 16.8% 13.1% $17

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$120 7.9%

Aktobe

$88 10.1% 26.6% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$91 6%

Aktobe

$59 6.7% 35.4% $32

Getting Around

Istanbul

$75 5%

Aktobe

$25 2.9% 66.6% $50

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,014 in Istanbul versus $301 in Aktobe. 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 2.1 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55 in Istanbul versus $39 in Aktobe. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $186 – making Aktobe the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇰🇿 Aktobe

🕒 Local time

05:30 5:30 AM

07:30 7:30 AM

2 h ahead of Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

570,452

💱 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 = 56.3 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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Between locations

Istanbul Aktobe 2,410 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Aktobe

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 Aktobe: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 74%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,278 per month in Istanbul and $1,311 in Aktobe. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Aktobe, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $301 there versus $1,014 in Istanbul.

Groceries cost about 39% more in Istanbul, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55 in Istanbul and $39 in Aktobe. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Aktobe, where all-in costs run around $874, than in Istanbul at $1,519. In Aktobe it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Aktobe – 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 Aktobe. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Istanbul makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.