Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Astana

For one person, living is cheaper in Astana: $1,130 a month against $1,519 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $4,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

73

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index
54

Cost of Living Index in Astana
Learn more

Astana Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,519

/mo nomad

Astana

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$1,130

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Astana

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

A single person spends $1,519 per month in Istanbul vs $1,130 in Astana, rent included.

Istanbul $1,519
Astana $1,130

A couple spends around $2,365 per month in Istanbul vs $1,808 in Astana, rent included.

Istanbul $2,365
Astana $1,808

A family of three spends $3,212 per month in Istanbul vs $2,485 in Astana, rent included.

Istanbul $3,212
Astana $2,485

Istanbul costs about 34% more than Astana, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Istanbul sits 12% above the global median, while Astana is 16% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.81 ₺592

$11.05 ₸4,982

6.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.9 ₺2,754

$37.29 ₸16.8K

47.25%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.26 ₺465

$7.97 ₸3,591

16.19%

Cappuccino

$4.30 ₺216

$2.51 ₸1,130

71.31%

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

$1.77 ₺89.0

$1.11 ₸498

59.46%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺28.32

$0.62 ₸280

-9.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.69 ₺235

$1.32 ₸593

255.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.12 ₺357

$2.17 ₸980

228.11%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 ₺62.7

$1.32 ₸596

-5.30%

White Bread (500g)

$0.88 ₺44.17

$0.65 ₸293

35.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 ₺111

$1.56 ₸704

41.03%

Eggs

$2.43 ₺122

$2.24 ₸1,011

8.48%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.48 ₺526

$12.54 ₸5,655

-16.43%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.31 ₺267

$6.04 ₸2,723

-12.09%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.10 ₺1,058

$10.76 ₸4,851

96.10%

Apples (1kg)

$1.86 ₺93.1

$1.76 ₸795

5.68%

Banana (1kg)

$2.30 ₺115

$2.33 ₸1,050

-1.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.22 ₺61.0

$2.20 ₸992

-44.55%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺90.2

$2.10 ₸946

-14.29%

Potato (1kg)

$0.69 ₺34.83

$0.71 ₸319

-2.82%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺32.16

$0.44 ₸197

45.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.36 ₺68.0

$1.49 ₸672

-8.72%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 ₺28.94

$0.95 ₸430

-38.95%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.34 ₺117

$2.35 ₸1,059

-0.43%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.03 ₺653

$11.22 ₸5,058

16.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.36 ₺118

$1.31 ₸592

80.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.32 ₺166

$2.34 ₸1,055

41.88%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.88 ₺44.07

$0.25 ₸113

252.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.1 ₺3,316

$16.64 ₸7,500

297.36%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 ₺64.4

$1.10 ₸495

16.36%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 ₺42.80

$1.13 ₸511

-24.78%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.09 ₺556

$5.94 ₸2,678

86.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 ₺74.0

$0.68 ₸307

117.65%

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

$48.6K ₺2.4M

$29.1K ₸13.1M

67.28%

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

$42.0K ₺2.1M

$31.0K ₸14.0M

35.25%

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

$92.7 ₺4,650

$67.2 ₸30.3K

38.00%

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

$11.20 ₺562

$9.93 ₸4,476

12.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.89 ₺797

$17.45 ₸7,867

-8.94%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.7 ₺3,745

$55.1 ₸24.8K

35.61%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.95 ₺1,151

$20.83 ₸9,388

10.18%

Cinema Ticket

$8.05 ₺404

$6.71 ₸3,023

19.97%

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

$948 ₺47.6K

$492 ₸221.9K

92.71%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.9K ₺1.9M

$21.5K ₸9.7M

71.32%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₺2,702

$65.6 ₸29.6K

-17.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.49 ₺2,081

$45.64 ₸20.6K

-9.09%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 ₺5,060

$117 ₸52.5K

-13.40%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.3 ₺4,580

$130 ₸58.7K

-29.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,014 ₺50.8K

$567 ₸255.5K

78.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$625 ₺31.3K

$390 ₸175.9K

60.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,005 ₺100.6K

$1,131 ₸509.8K

77.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,126 ₺56.5K

$771 ₸347.7K

46.00%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,988 ₺149.8K

$1,650 ₸744.1K

81.02%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,730 ₺86.8K

$1,153 ₸520.0K

50.00%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,136 ₺57.0K

$919 ₸414.3K

23.65%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.42

14.83

172.56%

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

Last update for Istanbul: November 2, 2026

Last update for Astana: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$625 41.1%

Astana

$390 34.5% 37.5% $234

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$258 17%

Astana

$231 20.5% 10.5% $27

Eating Out

Istanbul

$221 14.6%

Astana

$160 14.2% 27.5% $61

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$129 8.5%

Astana

$161 14.3% 24.5% $32

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$120 7.9%

Astana

$95 8.4% 21.1% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$91 6%

Astana

$68 6.1% 24.6% $22

Getting Around

Istanbul

$75 5%

Astana

$24 2.2% 67.5% $51

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,014 in Istanbul versus $567 in Astana. 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 24% 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 $55 in Istanbul versus $37 in Astana. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $231 – making Astana the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇰🇿 Astana

🕒 Local time

10:44 10:44 AM

12:44 12:44 PM

2 h ahead of Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

814,400 Capital

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Istanbul Astana 3,410 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Astana

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 Astana: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,519 in Istanbul, $1,130 in Astana – Astana comes out roughly 26% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,278 per month in Istanbul and $1,695 in Astana. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Astana, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $567 there versus $1,014 in Istanbul.

Kindergarten costs $948 per month in Istanbul and $492 in Astana. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 12% more in Istanbul, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$2,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,519 in Istanbul and $1,130 in Astana, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Astana has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,130 in Astana to $1,519 in Istanbul. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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