Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Bakaly

For one person, living is cheaper in Bakaly: $1,149 a month against $1,519 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $4,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

73

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index
55

Cost of Living Index in Bakaly
Learn more

Bakaly Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,519

/mo nomad

Bakaly

🇷🇺 Russia

$1,149

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Bakaly

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

A single person spends $1,519 per month in Istanbul vs $1,149 in Bakaly, rent included.

Istanbul $1,519
Bakaly $1,149

A couple spends around $2,365 per month in Istanbul vs $1,781 in Bakaly, rent included.

Istanbul $2,365
Bakaly $1,781

A family of three spends $3,212 per month in Istanbul vs $2,413 in Bakaly, rent included.

Istanbul $3,212
Bakaly $2,413

Istanbul costs about 32% more than Bakaly, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Istanbul sits 12% above the global median, while Bakaly is 15% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.81 ₺592

$12.30 ₽1,007

-3.98%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.9 ₺2,754

$37.14 ₽3,042

47.85%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.26 ₺465

$10.87 ₽890

-14.81%

Cappuccino

$4.30 ₺216

$3.04 ₽249

41.45%

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

$1.77 ₺89.0

$0.88 ₽72.0

101.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺28.32

$0.63 ₽52.0

-11.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.69 ₺235

$1.19 ₽97.8

294.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.12 ₺357

$1.08 ₽88.8

559.26%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 ₺62.7

$0.95 ₽77.9

31.58%

White Bread (500g)

$0.88 ₺44.17

$0.72 ₽58.8

22.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 ₺111

$1.30 ₽106

69.23%

Eggs

$2.43 ₺122

$1.42 ₽116

71.13%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.48 ₺526

$10.65 ₽872

-1.60%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.31 ₺267

$5.50 ₽451

-3.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.10 ₺1,058

$10.13 ₽830

108.29%

Apples (1kg)

$1.86 ₺93.1

$1.86 ₽153

Banana (1kg)

$2.30 ₺115

$1.62 ₽133

41.98%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.22 ₺61.0

$1.88 ₽154

-35.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺90.2

$3.21 ₽263

-43.93%

Potato (1kg)

$0.69 ₺34.83

$0.80 ₽65.6

-13.75%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺32.16

$0.56 ₽45.97

14.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.36 ₺68.0

$1.55 ₽127

-12.26%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 ₺28.94

$0.65 ₽53.2

-10.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.34 ₺117

$2.87 ₽235

-18.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.03 ₺653

$8.88 ₽727

46.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.36 ₺118

$1.09 ₽89.1

116.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.32 ₺166

$1.81 ₽149

83.43%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.88 ₺44.07

$0.54 ₽44.02

62.96%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.1 ₺3,316

$25.54 ₽2,093

158.89%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 ₺64.4

$1.56 ₽128

-17.95%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 ₺42.80

$0.24 ₽19.54

254.17%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.09 ₺556

$7.55 ₽619

46.89%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 ₺74.0

$0.86 ₽70.5

72.09%

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

$48.6K ₺2.4M

$52.7K ₽4.3M

-7.69%

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

$42.0K ₺2.1M

$42.1K ₽3.5M

-0.38%

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

$92.7 ₺4,650

$147 ₽12.0K

-36.93%

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

$11.20 ₺562

$7.20 ₽590

55.56%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.89 ₺797

$6.95 ₽570

128.63%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.7 ₺3,745

$35.94 ₽2,944

107.79%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.95 ₺1,151

$22.15 ₽1,815

3.61%

Cinema Ticket

$8.05 ₺404

$5.98 ₽490

34.62%

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

$948 ₺47.6K

$384 ₽31.5K

146.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.9K ₺1.9M

$5,556 ₽455.2K

564.43%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₺2,702

$73.3 ₽6,008

-26.53%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.49 ₺2,081

$24.87 ₽2,037

66.83%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 ₺5,060

$148 ₽12.1K

-31.89%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.3 ₺4,580

$169 ₽13.8K

-45.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,014 ₺50.8K

$468 ₽38.3K

116.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$625 ₺31.3K

$337 ₽27.6K

85.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,005 ₺100.6K

$804 ₽65.8K

149.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,126 ₺56.5K

$623 ₽51.0K

80.80%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,988 ₺149.8K

$2,074 ₽169.9K

44.03%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,730 ₺86.8K

$1,516 ₽124.2K

14.16%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,136 ₺57.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.42

83.73%

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

Last update for Istanbul: November 2, 2026

Last update for Bakaly: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$625 41.1%

Bakaly

$337 29.3% 46.1% $288

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$258 17%

Bakaly

$204 17.8% 20.9% $54

Eating Out

Istanbul

$221 14.6%

Bakaly

$182 15.8% 17.8% $39

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$129 8.5%

Bakaly

$187 16.3% 44.4% $58

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$120 7.9%

Bakaly

$161 14% 34.5% $41

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$91 6%

Bakaly

$48 4.2% 47.2% $43

Getting Around

Istanbul

$75 5%

Bakaly

$30 2.7% 59.5% $45

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,014 in Istanbul versus $468 in Bakaly. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55 in Istanbul versus $37 in Bakaly. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $204 – making Bakaly the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇷🇺 Bakaly

🕒 Local time

18:07 6:07 PM

20:07 8:07 PM

2 h ahead of Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

10,000

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Russian Ruble RUB ₽

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 1.99 USD

100 TRY = 1.78 EUR

100 RUB = 1.22 USD

100 RUB = 1.09 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RUB, 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).

Russian Ruble exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 81.92 RUB (100 RUB = 1.22 USD). 1 EUR = 92.01 RUB (100 RUB = 1.09 EUR).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Istanbul Bakaly 2,400 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Bakaly

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 Bakaly: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Istanbul costs about 32% more than Bakaly, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. 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 $1,724 in Bakaly. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Bakaly, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $468 there versus $1,014 in Istanbul.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55 in Istanbul and $37 in Bakaly. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,519 in Istanbul and $1,149 in Bakaly. That makes Bakaly about 24% cheaper.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,519 in Istanbul and $1,149 in Bakaly. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

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

For expats, Bakaly is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 24% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.