Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Bakuriani

For one person, living is cheaper in Bakuriani: $695 a month against $1,525 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $10,000 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
34

Cost of Living Index in Bakuriani
Learn more

Bakuriani Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,525

/mo nomad

Bakuriani

🇬🇪 Georgia

$695

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Bakuriani

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

A single person spends $1,525 per month in Istanbul vs $695 in Bakuriani, rent included.

Istanbul $1,525
Bakuriani $695

A couple spends around $2,390 per month in Istanbul vs $1,134 in Bakuriani, rent included.

Istanbul $2,390
Bakuriani $1,134

A family of three spends $3,256 per month in Istanbul vs $1,573 in Bakuriani, rent included.

Istanbul $3,256
Bakuriani $1,573

Istanbul costs about 119% more than Bakuriani, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Istanbul sits 13% above the global median, while Bakuriani is 49% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.96 ₺592

$11.55 ₾29.90

3.55%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$57.2 ₺2,834

$32.97 ₾85.4

73.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.51 ₺471

$11.15 ₾28.86

-14.71%

Cappuccino

$4.40 ₺218

$3.67 ₾9.51

19.89%

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

$1.75 ₺86.6

$0.99 ₾2.57

76.77%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.57

$0.55 ₾1.43

1.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.71 ₺233

$1.84 ₾4.77

155.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.14 ₺304

$2.30 ₾5.97

166.96%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.24 ₺61.6

$2.08 ₾5.37

-40.38%

White Bread (500g)

$0.95 ₺47.25

$0.73 ₾1.90

30.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.28 ₺113

$1.60 ₾4.15

42.50%

Eggs

$2.45 ₺121

$2.71 ₾7.02

-9.59%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.56 ₺523

$9.55 ₾24.73

10.58%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.50 ₺272

$6.04 ₾15.65

-8.94%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.65 ₺1,072

$9.94 ₾25.74

117.81%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 ₺90.6

$1.53 ₾3.96

19.61%

Banana (1kg)

$2.29 ₺113

$1.97 ₾5.11

16.24%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.4

$1.29 ₾3.35

-0.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.82 ₺90.1

$2.10 ₾5.43

-13.33%

Potato (1kg)

$0.66 ₺32.74

$0.94 ₾2.42

-29.79%

Onion (1kg)

$0.63 ₺31.14

$0.63 ₾1.62

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.27 ₺62.8

$1.47 ₾3.80

-13.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.62

$0.73 ₾1.88

-23.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.36 ₺117

$3.11 ₾8.05

-24.12%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.98 ₺642

$5.91 ₾15.29

119.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.48 ₺123

$1.51 ₾3.92

64.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.50 ₺174

$2.10 ₾5.43

66.67%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.82 ₺40.77

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.2 ₺3,228

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.33 ₺65.7

$1.18 ₾3.05

12.71%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.90 ₺44.60

$0.63 ₾1.63

42.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.91 ₺540

$12.19 ₾31.55

-10.50%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.43 ₺70.7

$1.49 ₾3.85

-4.03%

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

$49.6K ₺2.5M

$15.6K ₾40.5K

216.86%

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

$43.2K ₺2.1M

$20.7K ₾53.5K

108.83%

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

$88.8 ₺4,395

$79.4 ₾206

11.80%

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

$11.69 ₺579

$9.41 ₾24.37

24.23%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.09 ₺797

$15.75 ₾40.78

2.16%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$76.3 ₺3,776

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.72 ₺1,125

Cinema Ticket

$8.26 ₺409

$6.79 ₾17.57

21.65%

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

$1,015 ₺50.2K

$294 ₾760

245.60%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.8K ₺1.3M

$3,162 ₾8,186

717.05%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.3 ₺2,636

$93.9 ₾243

-43.29%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.55 ₺2,008

$38.48 ₾99.6

5.38%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100 ₺4,956

$133 ₾344

-24.78%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.5 ₺4,630

$116 ₾299

-19.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$977 ₺48.4K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$627 ₺31.0K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,980 ₺98.0K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,147 ₺56.8K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,095 ₺153.2K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,787 ₺88.5K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,213 ₺60.1K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.69

12.55

224.22%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 19, 2026

Last update for Bakuriani: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$627 41.1%

Bakuriani

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$263 17.2%

Bakuriani

$211 30.4% 19.5% $51

Eating Out

Istanbul

$222 14.6%

Bakuriani

$190 27.3% 14.5% $32

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$129 8.5%

Bakuriani

$171 24.7% 32.6% $42

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$117 7.6%

Bakuriani

$105 15% 10.3% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$93 6.1%

Bakuriani

$14 * 2% 85.4% $79

Getting Around

Istanbul

$74 4.9%

Bakuriani

$4.3 * 0.6% 94.2% $70

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $57.0 in Istanbul versus $33.00 in Bakuriani. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $263 vs $211 – making Bakuriani the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇬🇪 Bakuriani

🕒 Local time

16:18 4:18 PM

17:18 5:18 PM

1 h ahead of Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

1,800

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Georgian Lari GEL ₾

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 2.02 USD

100 TRY = 1.8 EUR

1 GEL = 0.386 USD

1 GEL = 0.344 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

GEL, USD, EUR to TRY – Turkish Lira Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇷 Turkish Lira (₺)

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 49.51 TRY (100 TRY = 2.02 USD). 1 EUR = 55.66 TRY (100 TRY = 1.8 EUR).

Georgian Lari exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 2.59 GEL (1 GEL = 0.386 USD). 1 EUR = 2.91 GEL (1 GEL = 0.344 EUR).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Istanbul Bakuriani 1,220 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Bakuriani

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 Bakuriani: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Istanbul costs about 119% more than Bakuriani, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from leisure. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,287 per month in Istanbul and $1,043 in Bakuriani. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,525 in Istanbul and $695 in Bakuriani. That's a gap of about 119%.

Kindergarten costs $1,015 per month in Istanbul and $294 in Bakuriani. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Bakuriani, where all-in costs run around $695, than in Istanbul at $1,525. In Bakuriani it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Bakuriani costs $695 versus $1,525 in Istanbul. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Bakuriani. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Istanbul makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.