Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Bakixanov

For one person, living is cheaper in Bakixanov: $520 a month against $1,550 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $12,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

75

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index
25

Cost of Living Index in Bakixanov
Learn more

Bakixanov Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

Bakixanov

🇦🇿 Azerbaijan

$520

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Bakixanov

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,550 in Istanbul versus $520 in Bakixanov.

Istanbul $1,550
Bakixanov $520

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,415 in Istanbul versus $900 in Bakixanov.

Istanbul $2,415
Bakixanov $900

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,281 in Istanbul versus $1,280 in Bakixanov.

Istanbul $3,281
Bakixanov $1,280

Living in Istanbul is roughly 198% more expensive than in Bakixanov, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Istanbul is 15% above, Bakixanov is 61% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.30 ₺609

$8.96 ₼15.23

37.28%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.7 ₺2,708

$40.14 ₼68.2

36.27%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.22 ₺456

$6.03 ₼10.24

52.90%

Cappuccino

$4.40 ₺218

$2.74 ₼4.66

60.58%

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

$1.68 ₺83.1

$0.85 ₼1.44

97.65%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₺29.40

$0.60 ₼1.02

-1.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.70 ₺233

$1.17 ₼1.99

301.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.91 ₺292

$2.30 ₼3.92

156.96%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 ₺60.0

$1.35 ₼2.30

-10.37%

White Bread (500g)

$0.89 ₺44.10

$0.33 ₼0.55

169.70%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.19 ₺108

$2.39 ₼4.06

-8.37%

Eggs

$2.35 ₺116

$1.14 ₼1.94

106.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.42 ₺516

$2.80 ₼4.76

272.14%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.65 ₺280

$4.46 ₼7.58

26.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.94 ₺1,037

$9.03 ₼15.35

131.89%

Apples (1kg)

$1.90 ₺94.1

$0.68 ₼1.15

179.41%

Banana (1kg)

$2.31 ₺114

$1.56 ₼2.64

48.08%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.1

$1.37 ₼2.33

-6.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺89.0

$1.06 ₼1.80

69.81%

Potato (1kg)

$0.65 ₺32.16

$0.60 ₼1.02

8.33%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺31.91

$0.51 ₼0.87

25.49%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 ₺62.1

$0.43 ₼0.73

190.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.58

$0.58 ₼0.99

-3.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.37 ₺118

$2.87 ₼4.88

-17.42%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.42 ₺664

$5.27 ₼8.96

154.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₺119

$0.91 ₼1.54

163.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 ₺172

$1.85 ₼3.15

88.11%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.89 ₺43.84

$0.30 ₼0.51

196.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.4 ₺3,338

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.29 ₺64.1

$0.28 ₼0.47

360.71%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 ₺45.70

$0.28 ₼0.47

228.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.96 ₺542

$3.63 ₼6.17

201.93%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ₺72.9

$0.70 ₼1.19

110.00%

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

$50.8K ₺2.5M

$23.2K ₼39.5K

118.67%

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

$44.5K ₺2.2M

$20.6K ₼35.0K

116.33%

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

$88.6 ₺4,387

$34.20 ₼58.1

159.09%

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

$11.59 ₺574

$11.54 ₼19.61

0.43%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.81 ₺783

$14.45 ₼24.56

9.41%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.2 ₺3,820

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.74 ₺1,126

Cinema Ticket

$8.14 ₺403

$5.81 ₼9.88

40.10%

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

$1,008 ₺49.9K

$280 ₼475

260.50%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.6K ₺1.3M

$6,817 ₼11.6K

274.93%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.0 ₺2,671

$66.6 ₼113

-18.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.83 ₺2,021

$54.4 ₼92.5

-24.96%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.9 ₺4,895

$126 ₼215

-21.79%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.6 ₺4,783

$117 ₼198

-17.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$985 ₺48.7K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$650 ₺32.2K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,983 ₺98.2K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,180 ₺58.4K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,138 ₺155.4K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,780 ₺88.1K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,205 ₺59.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.92

484.57%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 13, 2026

Last update for Bakixanov: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$650 41.9%

Bakixanov

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$260 16.8%

Bakixanov

$143 27.4% 45.1% $117

Eating Out

Istanbul

$223 14.4%

Bakixanov

$139 26.7% 37.8% $84

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$131 8.4%

Bakixanov

$164 31.5% 25.4% $33

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$116 7.5%

Bakixanov

$60 11.6% 48.1% $56

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$93 6%

Bakixanov

$12 * 2.2% 87.6% $82

Getting Around

Istanbul

$77 5%

Bakixanov

$2.9 * 0.6% 96.3% $74

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $55.0 in Istanbul vs $40.00 in Bakixanov for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $260 vs $143 per month, with Bakixanov cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇦🇿 Bakixanov

🕒 Local time

17:17 5:17 PM

18:17 6:17 PM

1 h ahead of Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

64,700

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Azerbaijani Manat AZN ₼

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 2.02 USD

100 TRY = 1.8 EUR

1 AZN = 0.588 USD

1 AZN = 0.523 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AZN, USD, EUR to TRY – Turkish Lira Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇷 Turkish Lira (₺)

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 49.51 TRY (100 TRY = 2.02 USD). 1 EUR = 55.66 TRY (100 TRY = 1.8 EUR).

Azerbaijani Manat exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 1.7 AZN (1 AZN = 0.588 USD). 1 EUR = 1.91 AZN (1 AZN = 0.523 EUR).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Istanbul Bakixanov 1,770 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Bakixanov

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 Bakixanov: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Istanbul and Bakixanov differ by about 198% in total monthly costs ($1,550 vs $520 including rent). Bakixanov is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $2,325 in Istanbul and $780 in Bakixanov to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Supermarket bills run roughly 82% higher in Istanbul. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,550 per month in Istanbul versus $520 in Bakixanov – a 198% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $520 in Bakixanov versus $1,550 in Istanbul, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Bakixanov but tight or insufficient in Istanbul. The gap between the two cities makes Bakixanov the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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 Bakixanov are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Bakixanov gentler on the wallet – expenses run 198% less than in Istanbul. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.