Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Ashgabat

For one person, living is cheaper in Istanbul: $1,519 a month against $3,421 in Ashgabat, rent and utilities included – about $22,800 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
164

Cost of Living Index in Ashgabat
Learn more

Ashgabat Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,519

/mo nomad

Ashgabat

🇹🇲 Turkmenistan

$3,421

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Ashgabat

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,519 in Istanbul versus $3,421 in Ashgabat.

Istanbul $1,519
Ashgabat $3,421

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,365 in Istanbul versus $5,126 in Ashgabat.

Istanbul $2,365
Ashgabat $5,126

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,212 in Istanbul versus $6,831 in Ashgabat.

Istanbul $3,212
Ashgabat $6,831

Living in Istanbul costs roughly 56% less than in Ashgabat, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Istanbul 12% above, Ashgabat 153% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.81 ₺591

$31.59 TMT 106

-62.61%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.9 ₺2,747

$86.0 TMT 289

-36.18%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.26 ₺463

$12.90 TMT 43.34

-28.22%

Cappuccino

$4.30 ₺215

$6.98 TMT 23.46

-38.40%

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

$1.77 ₺88.8

$1.61 TMT 5.42

9.94%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺28.25

$0.90 TMT 3.01

-37.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.69 ₺234

$5.78 TMT 19.41

-18.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.12 ₺356

$13.56 TMT 45.55

-47.49%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 ₺62.6

$4.46 TMT 14.99

-71.97%

White Bread (500g)

$0.88 ₺44.05

$2.03 TMT 6.81

-56.65%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 ₺110

$5.89 TMT 19.79

-62.65%

Eggs

$2.43 ₺122

$6.19 TMT 20.80

-60.74%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.48 ₺524

$37.71 TMT 127

-72.21%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.31 ₺266

$19.99 TMT 67.2

-73.44%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.10 ₺1,056

$23.57 TMT 79.2

-10.48%

Apples (1kg)

$1.86 ₺92.8

$5.25 TMT 17.63

-64.57%

Banana (1kg)

$2.30 ₺115

$8.59 TMT 28.88

-73.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.22 ₺60.8

$7.49 TMT 25.16

-83.71%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺89.9

$3.82 TMT 12.82

-52.88%

Potato (1kg)

$0.69 ₺34.74

$2.33 TMT 7.83

-70.39%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺32.08

$1.43 TMT 4.80

-55.24%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.36 ₺67.8

$2.67 TMT 8.96

-49.06%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 ₺28.87

$1.10 TMT 3.68

-47.27%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.34 ₺117

$25.93 TMT 87.1

-90.98%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.03 ₺652

$41.76 TMT 140

-68.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.36 ₺118

$5.22 TMT 17.53

-54.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.32 ₺166

$2.93 TMT 9.85

13.31%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.88 ₺43.96

$0.12 TMT 0.41

633.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.1 ₺3,307

$10.04 TMT 33.73

558.57%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 ₺64.3

$2.97 TMT 9.98

-56.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 ₺42.69

$0.90 TMT 3.01

-5.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.09 ₺555

$8.90 TMT 29.89

24.61%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 ₺73.8

$0.45 TMT 1.50

228.89%

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

$48.6K ₺2.4M

$44.7K TMT 150.1K

8.90%

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

$42.0K ₺2.1M

$57.9K TMT 194.4K

-27.46%

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

$92.7 ₺4,638

$571 TMT 1,920

-83.77%

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

$11.20 ₺560

$56.9 TMT 191

-80.31%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.89 ₺795

$106 TMT 355

-84.96%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.7 ₺3,736

$198 TMT 666

-62.34%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.95 ₺1,148

$45.91 TMT 154

-50.01%

Cinema Ticket

$8.05 ₺403

$8.82 TMT 29.64

-8.73%

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

$948 ₺47.4K

$23.34 TMT 78.4

3963.58%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.9K ₺1.8M

$27.2K TMT 91.5K

35.54%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₺2,695

$55.3 TMT 186

-2.57%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.49 ₺2,075

$114 TMT 382

-63.53%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 ₺5,047

$365 TMT 1,226

-72.34%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.3 ₺4,568

$194 TMT 652

-52.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,014 ₺50.7K

$1,443 TMT 4,850

-29.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$625 ₺31.2K

$1,011 TMT 3,398

-38.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,005 ₺100.3K

$2,270 TMT 7,627

-11.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,126 ₺56.3K

$1,925 TMT 6,466

-41.50%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,988 ₺149.5K

$3,521 TMT 11.8K

-15.14%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,730 ₺86.5K

$2,844 TMT 9,556

-39.17%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,136 ₺56.8K

$767 TMT 2,576

48.22%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.42

9.5

325.47%

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

Last update for Istanbul: November 2, 2026

Last update for Ashgabat: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$625 41.1%

Ashgabat

$1K 29.6% 61.9% $387

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$258 17%

Ashgabat

$673 19.7% 161% $415

Eating Out

Istanbul

$221 14.6%

Ashgabat

$441 12.9% 99.7% $220

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$129 8.5%

Ashgabat

$328 9.6% 153% $198

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$120 7.9%

Ashgabat

$734 21.5% 513% $614

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$91 6%

Ashgabat

$216 6.3% 138% $125

Getting Around

Istanbul

$75 5%

Ashgabat

$18 0.5% 76.1% $57

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,014 in Istanbul and $1,443 in Ashgabat. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Istanbul pays 48% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $55 in Istanbul vs $86 in Ashgabat for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $258 vs $673 per month, with Istanbul cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇹🇲 Ashgabat

🕒 Local time

19:58 7:58 PM

21:58 9:58 PM

2 h ahead of Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

909,000 Capital

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Turkmenistani Manat TMT m

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 2 USD

100 TRY = 1.78 EUR

1 TMT = 0.298 USD

1 TMT = 0.265 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TMT, USD, EUR to TRY – Turkish Lira Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇷 Turkish Lira (₺)

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 50.02 TRY (100 TRY = 2 USD). 1 EUR = 56.21 TRY (100 TRY = 1.78 EUR).

Turkmenistani Manat exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 3.36 TMT (1 TMT = 0.298 USD). 1 EUR = 3.78 TMT (1 TMT = 0.265 EUR).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Istanbul Ashgabat 2,530 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Ashgabat

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 Ashgabat: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,519 in Istanbul and $3,421 in Ashgabat, so Istanbul is about 56% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 48% higher in Istanbul, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,014 in Istanbul versus $1,443 in Ashgabat. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $948 in Istanbul versus $23 in Ashgabat. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 161% higher in Ashgabat. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,500. Istanbul is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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 Ashgabat are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.