Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Atyrau

For one person, living is cheaper in Atyrau: $1,015 a month against $1,519 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $6,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

73

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index
49

Cost of Living Index in Atyrau
Learn more

Atyrau Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,519

/mo nomad

Atyrau

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$1,015

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Atyrau

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

A single person spends $1,519 per month in Istanbul vs $1,015 in Atyrau, rent included.

Istanbul $1,519
Atyrau $1,015

A couple spends around $2,365 per month in Istanbul vs $1,678 in Atyrau, rent included.

Istanbul $2,365
Atyrau $1,678

A family of three spends $3,212 per month in Istanbul vs $2,340 in Atyrau, rent included.

Istanbul $3,212
Atyrau $2,340

Istanbul costs about 50% more than Atyrau, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Istanbul sits 12% above the global median, while Atyrau is 25% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.81 ₺592

$9.81 ₸4,424

20.39%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.9 ₺2,754

$36.84 ₸16.6K

49.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.26 ₺465

$7.45 ₸3,358

24.30%

Cappuccino

$4.30 ₺216

$2.12 ₸957

102.83%

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

$1.77 ₺89.0

$1.11 ₸502

59.46%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺28.32

$0.83 ₸373

-32.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.69 ₺235

$1.69 ₸763

177.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.12 ₺357

$2.06 ₸927

245.63%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 ₺62.7

$1.73 ₸779

-27.75%

White Bread (500g)

$0.88 ₺44.17

$0.44 ₸199

100.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 ₺111

$2.01 ₸907

9.45%

Eggs

$2.43 ₺122

$1.55 ₸700

56.77%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.48 ₺526

$11.20 ₸5,047

-6.43%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.31 ₺267

$8.48 ₸3,823

-37.38%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.10 ₺1,058

$8.01 ₸3,613

163.42%

Apples (1kg)

$1.86 ₺93.1

$1.76 ₸793

5.68%

Banana (1kg)

$2.30 ₺115

$2.69 ₸1,215

-14.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.22 ₺61.0

$2.31 ₸1,041

-47.19%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺90.2

$1.74 ₸787

3.45%

Potato (1kg)

$0.69 ₺34.83

$0.66 ₸297

4.55%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺32.16

$0.44 ₸199

45.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.36 ₺68.0

$1.25 ₸562

8.80%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 ₺28.94

$0.97 ₸438

-40.21%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.34 ₺117

$2.41 ₸1,086

-2.90%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.03 ₺653

$9.62 ₸4,336

35.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.36 ₺118

$1.32 ₸597

78.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.32 ₺166

$1.45 ₸653

128.97%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.88 ₺44.07

$0.34 ₸154

158.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.1 ₺3,316

$21.76 ₸9,811

203.86%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 ₺64.4

$1.51 ₸681

-15.23%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 ₺42.80

$0.66 ₸298

28.79%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.09 ₺556

$6.56 ₸2,956

69.05%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 ₺74.0

$0.67 ₸304

120.90%

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

$48.6K ₺2.4M

$17.6K ₸7.9M

176.12%

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

$42.0K ₺2.1M

$29.8K ₸13.4M

41.07%

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

$92.7 ₺4,650

$52.3 ₸23.6K

77.13%

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

$11.20 ₺562

$10.98 ₸4,950

2.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.89 ₺797

$14.33 ₸6,459

10.89%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.7 ₺3,745

$63.8 ₸28.8K

17.05%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.95 ₺1,151

$9.91 ₸4,466

131.58%

Cinema Ticket

$8.05 ₺404

$6.31 ₸2,844

27.58%

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

$948 ₺47.6K

$289 ₸130.1K

228.57%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.9K ₺1.9M

$3,495 ₸1.6M

956.27%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₺2,702

$33.49 ₸15.1K

60.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.49 ₺2,081

$43.97 ₸19.8K

-5.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 ₺5,060

$87.8 ₸39.6K

14.92%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.3 ₺4,580

$88.3 ₸39.8K

3.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,014 ₺50.8K

$509 ₸229.5K

99.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$625 ₺31.3K

$345 ₸155.5K

81.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,005 ₺100.6K

$1,113 ₸501.7K

80.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,126 ₺56.5K

$776 ₸349.9K

45.04%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,988 ₺149.8K

$939 ₸423.4K

218.13%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,730 ₺86.8K

$749 ₸337.8K

130.91%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,136 ₺57.0K

$724 ₸326.4K

56.95%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.42

34.73%

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

Last update for Istanbul: November 2, 2026

Last update for Atyrau: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$625 41.1%

Atyrau

$345 34% 44.8% $279

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$258 17%

Atyrau

$227 22.4% 12% $31

Eating Out

Istanbul

$221 14.6%

Atyrau

$147 14.5% 33.6% $74

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$129 8.5%

Atyrau

$114 11.2% 11.8% $15

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$120 7.9%

Atyrau

$78 7.7% 35.2% $42

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$91 6%

Atyrau

$76 7.5% 15.8% $14

Getting Around

Istanbul

$75 5%

Atyrau

$28 2.8% 62.8% $47

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,014 in Istanbul versus $509 in Atyrau. 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 57% higher in Istanbul. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55 in Istanbul versus $37 in Atyrau. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $227 – making Atyrau the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇰🇿 Atyrau

🕒 Local time

13:40 1:40 PM

15:40 3:40 PM

2 h ahead of Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

323,295

💱 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 Atyrau 1,950 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Atyrau

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 Atyrau: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,519 in Istanbul, $1,015 in Atyrau – Atyrau comes out roughly 33% 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 $1,522 in Atyrau. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Atyrau, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $509 there versus $1,014 in Istanbul.

Kindergarten costs $948 per month in Istanbul and $289 in Atyrau. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 14% 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 $1,015 in Atyrau, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

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