Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Barisal

For one person, living is cheaper in Barisal: $305 a month against $1,550 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $14,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

75

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index
15

Cost of Living Index in Barisal
Learn more

Barisal Living Index

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Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

Barisal

🇧🇩 Bangladesh

$305

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Barisal

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

A single person spends $1,550 per month in Istanbul vs $305 in Barisal, rent included.

Istanbul $1,550
Barisal $305

A couple spends around $2,415 per month in Istanbul vs $494 in Barisal, rent included.

Istanbul $2,415
Barisal $494

A family of three spends $3,281 per month in Istanbul vs $684 in Barisal, rent included.

Istanbul $3,281
Barisal $684

Istanbul costs about 408% more than Barisal, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Istanbul sits 15% above the global median, while Barisal is 77% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.30 ₺609

$1.44 ৳178

754.17%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.7 ₺2,708

$10.82 ৳1,336

405.55%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.22 ₺456

$4.47 ৳553

106.26%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.05 ৳377

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.73 ৳585

Cappuccino

$4.40 ₺218

$1.93 ৳238

127.98%

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

$1.68 ₺83.1

$0.29 ৳36.20

479.31%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₺29.40

$0.13 ৳16.39

353.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.70 ₺233

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.91 ₺292

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 ₺60.0

$0.71 ৳88.0

70.42%

White Bread (500g)

$0.89 ₺44.10

$0.64 ৳78.6

39.06%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.19 ₺108

$0.51 ৳63.2

329.41%

Eggs

$2.35 ₺116

$1.16 ৳143

102.59%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.42 ₺516

$6.13 ৳758

69.98%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.65 ₺280

$2.18 ৳269

159.17%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.94 ₺1,037

$6.41 ৳792

226.68%

Apples (1kg)

$1.90 ₺94.1

$2.33 ৳288

-18.45%

Banana (1kg)

$2.31 ₺114

$0.97 ৳120

138.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.1

$2.03 ৳251

-36.95%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺89.0

$0.56 ৳68.9

221.43%

Potato (1kg)

$0.65 ₺32.16

$0.31 ৳38.45

109.68%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺31.91

$0.46 ৳57.5

39.13%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 ₺62.1

$0.45 ৳55.0

177.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.58

$0.27 ৳33.04

107.41%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$7.04 ৳870

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.67 ৳454

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.58 ৳565

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.37 ₺118

$3.22 ৳398

-26.40%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.42 ₺664

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₺119

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 ₺172

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.89 ₺43.84

$0.46 ৳56.9

93.48%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.4 ₺3,338

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.29 ₺64.1

$1.30 ৳161

-0.77%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 ₺45.70

$0.44 ৳55.0

109.09%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.96 ₺542

$2.77 ৳342

295.67%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ₺72.9

$1.04 ৳129

41.35%

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

$50.8K ₺2.5M

$33.0K ৳4.1M

53.72%

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

$44.5K ₺2.2M

$32.8K ৳4.0M

35.96%

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

$88.6 ₺4,387

$20.45 ৳2,527

333.30%

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

$11.59 ₺574

$5.25 ৳649

120.76%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.81 ₺783

$10.49 ৳1,296

50.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.2 ₺3,820

$7.27 ৳898

961.35%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.74 ₺1,126

$12.41 ৳1,534

83.24%

Cinema Ticket

$8.14 ₺403

$4.93 ৳609

65.11%

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

$1,008 ₺49.9K

$13.39 ৳1,655

7428.23%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.6K ₺1.3M

$702 ৳86.8K

3540.36%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.0 ₺2,671

$16.86 ৳2,083

219.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.83 ₺2,021

$17.93 ৳2,215

127.72%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.9 ₺4,895

$31.87 ৳3,938

210.26%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.6 ₺4,783

$24.18 ৳2,987

299.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$985 ₺48.7K

$74.4 ৳9,195

1223.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$650 ₺32.2K

$51.8 ৳6,395

1155.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,983 ₺98.2K

$134 ৳16.6K

1379.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,180 ₺58.4K

$85.0 ৳10.5K

1288.14%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,138 ₺155.4K

$699 ৳86.3K

349.23%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,780 ₺88.1K

$307 ৳37.9K

480.55%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,205 ₺59.7K

$186 ৳23.0K

548.11%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.92

10.48

290.46%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 13, 2026

Last update for Barisal: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$650 41.9%

Barisal

$52 17% 92% $598

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$260 16.8%

Barisal

$104 34.1% 60% $156

Eating Out

Istanbul

$223 14.4%

Barisal

$50 16.3% 77.7% $174

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$131 8.4%

Barisal

$41 13.4% 68.7% $90

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$116 7.5%

Barisal

$36 11.9% 68.8% $80

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$93 6%

Barisal

$17 5.6% 81.7% $76

Getting Around

Istanbul

$77 5%

Barisal

$5.4 * 1.8% 93% $72

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $985 in Istanbul versus $74.4 in Barisal. 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 548% higher in Istanbul, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55.0 in Istanbul versus $11.00 in Barisal. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $260 vs $104 – making Barisal the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇧🇩 Barisal

🕒 Local time

19:16 7:16 PM

22:16 10:16 PM

3 h ahead of Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

339,308

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Bangladeshi Taka BDT ৳

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 2.02 USD

100 TRY = 1.8 EUR

1,000 BDT = 8.09 USD

1,000 BDT = 7.2 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BDT, USD, EUR to TRY – Turkish Lira Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇷 Turkish Lira (₺)

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 49.51 TRY (100 TRY = 2.02 USD). 1 EUR = 55.67 TRY (100 TRY = 1.8 EUR).

Bangladeshi Taka exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 124 BDT (1,000 BDT = 8.09 USD). 1 EUR = 139 BDT (1,000 BDT = 7.2 EUR).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Istanbul Barisal 6,010 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Barisal

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 Barisal: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 408%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,325 per month in Istanbul and $458 in Barisal. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Barisal, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,550 in Istanbul and $305 in Barisal. That's a gap of about 408%.

Kindergarten costs $1,008 per month in Istanbul and $13.39 in Barisal. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Barisal, where all-in costs run around $305, than in Istanbul at $1,550. In Barisal it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

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 Barisal. 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.