Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Baku

For one person, living is cheaper in Baku: $1,030 a month against $1,526 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $6,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

74

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index
49

Cost of Living Index in Baku
Learn more

Baku Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,526

/mo nomad

Baku

🇦🇿 Azerbaijan

$1,030

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Baku

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,526 in Istanbul versus $1,030 in Baku.

Istanbul $1,526
Baku $1,030

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,399 in Istanbul versus $1,600 in Baku.

Istanbul $2,399
Baku $1,600

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,272 in Istanbul versus $2,171 in Baku.

Istanbul $3,272
Baku $2,171

Living in Istanbul is roughly 48% more expensive than in Baku, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Istanbul is 14% above, Baku is 23% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.88 ₺585

$8.86 ₼15.06

34.09%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.1 ₺2,714

$40.20 ₼68.3

37.04%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.14 ₺450

$8.02 ₼13.63

13.97%

Cappuccino

$4.24 ₺209

$3.42 ₼5.81

23.98%

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

$1.75 ₺86.0

$1.13 ₼1.91

54.87%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.54 ₺26.83

$0.62 ₼1.06

-12.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.69 ₺231

$1.80 ₼3.06

160.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.97 ₺294

$2.88 ₼4.89

107.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.26 ₺62.1

$1.51 ₼2.56

-16.56%

White Bread (500g)

$0.95 ₺46.81

$0.53 ₼0.90

79.25%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.31 ₺114

$2.49 ₼4.23

-7.23%

Eggs

$2.47 ₺122

$2.07 ₼3.51

19.32%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.55 ₺520

$5.06 ₼8.61

108.50%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.60 ₺276

$5.30 ₼9.00

5.66%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.21 ₺1,045

$11.88 ₼20.19

78.54%

Apples (1kg)

$1.93 ₺95.1

$1.28 ₼2.18

50.78%

Banana (1kg)

$2.29 ₺113

$1.89 ₼3.22

21.16%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.1

$1.61 ₼2.73

-20.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.84 ₺90.8

$1.77 ₼3.01

3.95%

Potato (1kg)

$0.67 ₺32.86

$0.73 ₼1.25

-8.22%

Onion (1kg)

$0.59 ₺29.31

$0.56 ₼0.95

5.36%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.33 ₺65.4

$0.79 ₼1.34

68.35%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₺29.10

$0.72 ₼1.22

-18.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.36 ₺116

$2.96 ₼5.04

-20.27%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.47 ₺664

$8.73 ₼14.83

54.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.42 ₺119

$1.54 ₼2.61

57.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.54 ₺174

$2.82 ₼4.80

25.53%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.83 ₺40.64

$0.34 ₼0.58

144.12%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.5 ₺3,273

$21.52 ₼36.58

208.78%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.35 ₺66.6

$2.02 ₼3.44

-33.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 ₺42.05

$0.61 ₼1.03

39.34%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.86 ₺535

$3.44 ₼5.85

215.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ₺72.3

$0.64 ₼1.09

129.69%

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

$51.6K ₺2.5M

$23.4K ₼39.8K

120.68%

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

$44.4K ₺2.2M

$21.1K ₼35.8K

111.08%

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

$89.2 ₺4,395

$65.5 ₼111

36.30%

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

$11.60 ₺572

$11.24 ₼19.11

3.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.10 ₺793

$15.14 ₼25.73

6.34%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.3 ₺3,805

$48.75 ₼82.9

58.46%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.66 ₺1,116

$16.46 ₼27.98

37.67%

Cinema Ticket

$8.34 ₺411

$5.79 ₼9.84

44.04%

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

$974 ₺48.0K

$326 ₼555

198.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.8K ₺1.3M

$6,787 ₼11.5K

279.74%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.7 ₺2,597

$67.4 ₼115

-21.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.16 ₺1,929

$55.2 ₼93.8

-29.05%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 ₺5,083

$126 ₼214

-18.21%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.6 ₺4,759

$116 ₼197

-16.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$994 ₺49.0K

$543 ₼922

83.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$629 ₺31.0K

$316 ₼537

99.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,024 ₺99.7K

$1,030 ₼1,750

96.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,155 ₺56.9K

$513 ₼872

124.98%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,160 ₺155.7K

$2,188 ₼3,719

44.42%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,838 ₺90.5K

$1,307 ₼2,222

40.56%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,203 ₺59.3K

$564 ₼958

113.45%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

41.09

9.46

334.36%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 3, 2026

Last update for Baku: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$629 41.2%

Baku

$316 31.2% 49.8% $313

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$264 17.3%

Baku

$195 19.2% 26.2% $69

Eating Out

Istanbul

$218 14.3%

Baku

$158 15.6% 27.6% $60

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$131 8.6%

Baku

$164 16.2% 25% $33

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$117 7.7%

Baku

$92 9.1% 21.5% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$94 6.1%

Baku

$60 6% 35.8% $34

Getting Around

Istanbul

$75 4.9%

Baku

$28 2.8% 62.9% $47

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $994 in Istanbul and $543 in Baku. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Istanbul pays 113% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $55.0 in Istanbul vs $40.00 in Baku for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $264 vs $195 per month, with Baku cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇦🇿 Baku

🕒 Local time

11:57 11:57 AM

12:57 12:57 PM

1 h ahead of Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

2,300,500 Capital

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Azerbaijani Manat AZN ₼

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 2.03 USD

100 TRY = 1.81 EUR

1 AZN = 0.588 USD

1 AZN = 0.525 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 49.26 TRY (100 TRY = 2.03 USD). 1 EUR = 55.25 TRY (100 TRY = 1.81 EUR).

Azerbaijani Manat exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.7 AZN (1 AZN = 0.588 USD). 1 EUR = 1.91 AZN (1 AZN = 0.525 EUR).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Istanbul Baku 1,760 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Baku

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 Baku: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Istanbul and Baku differ by about 48% in total monthly costs ($1,526 vs $1,030 including rent). Baku is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 113% 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: $994 in Istanbul versus $543 in Baku. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $974 in Istanbul versus $326 in Baku. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 36% higher in Istanbul. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,030 in Baku versus $1,526 in Istanbul, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Baku but tight or insufficient in Istanbul. The gap between the two cities makes Baku 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 Baku 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 Baku gentler on the wallet – expenses run 48% less than in Istanbul. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.