Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Batumi, Ajara

For one person, living is cheaper in Batumi, Ajara: $1,155 a month against $1,526 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $4,500 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
55

Cost of Living Index in Batumi, Ajara
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Batumi, Ajara Living Index

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Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,526

/mo nomad

Batumi, Ajara

🇬🇪 Georgia

$1,155

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Batumi, Ajara

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

A single person spends $1,526 per month in Istanbul vs $1,155 in Batumi, Ajara, rent included.

Istanbul $1,526
Batumi, Ajara $1,155

A couple spends around $2,399 per month in Istanbul vs $1,812 in Batumi, Ajara, rent included.

Istanbul $2,399
Batumi, Ajara $1,812

A family of three spends $3,272 per month in Istanbul vs $2,468 in Batumi, Ajara, rent included.

Istanbul $3,272
Batumi, Ajara $2,468

Istanbul costs about 32% more than Batumi, Ajara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Istanbul sits 14% above the global median, while Batumi, Ajara is 14% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.88 ₺585

$11.49 ₾29.79

3.39%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.1 ₺2,714

$32.88 ₾85.2

67.55%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.14 ₺450

$11.34 ₾29.39

-19.40%

Cappuccino

$4.24 ₺209

$3.71 ₾9.62

14.29%

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

$1.75 ₺86.0

$0.95 ₾2.46

84.21%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.54 ₺26.83

$0.58 ₾1.51

-6.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.69 ₺231

$1.82 ₾4.71

157.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.97 ₺294

$2.29 ₾5.93

160.70%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.26 ₺62.1

$2.13 ₾5.52

-40.85%

White Bread (500g)

$0.95 ₺46.81

$0.68 ₾1.78

39.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.31 ₺114

$1.63 ₾4.24

41.72%

Eggs

$2.47 ₺122

$2.67 ₾6.93

-7.49%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.55 ₺520

$9.64 ₾24.99

9.44%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.60 ₺276

$6.18 ₾16.02

-9.39%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.21 ₺1,045

$9.64 ₾24.97

120.02%

Apples (1kg)

$1.93 ₺95.1

$1.48 ₾3.83

30.41%

Banana (1kg)

$2.29 ₺113

$2.01 ₾5.22

13.93%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.1

$1.35 ₾3.50

-5.19%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.84 ₺90.8

$2.22 ₾5.74

-17.12%

Potato (1kg)

$0.67 ₺32.86

$0.95 ₾2.47

-29.47%

Onion (1kg)

$0.59 ₺29.31

$0.63 ₾1.63

-6.35%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.33 ₺65.4

$1.54 ₾3.98

-13.64%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₺29.10

$0.75 ₾1.95

-21.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.36 ₺116

$3.07 ₾7.96

-23.13%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.47 ₺664

$5.61 ₾14.54

140.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.42 ₺119

$1.44 ₾3.74

68.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.54 ₺174

$2.06 ₾5.34

71.84%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.83 ₺40.64

$0.26 ₾0.67

219.23%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.5 ₺3,273

$11.43 ₾29.63

481.36%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.35 ₺66.6

$1.19 ₾3.08

13.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 ₺42.05

$0.63 ₾1.65

34.92%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.86 ₺535

$11.85 ₾30.71

-8.35%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ₺72.3

$1.43 ₾3.70

2.80%

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

$51.6K ₺2.5M

$16.0K ₾41.5K

222.59%

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

$44.4K ₺2.2M

$20.9K ₾54.1K

113.08%

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

$89.2 ₺4,395

$78.3 ₾203

13.96%

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

$11.60 ₺572

$9.02 ₾23.38

28.60%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.10 ₺793

$16.15 ₾41.85

-0.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.3 ₺3,805

$57.7 ₾150

33.81%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.66 ₺1,116

$15.35 ₾39.77

47.62%

Cinema Ticket

$8.34 ₺411

$7.11 ₾18.42

17.30%

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

$974 ₺48.0K

$299 ₾776

225.38%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.8K ₺1.3M

$3,211 ₾8,323

702.65%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.7 ₺2,597

$95.5 ₾247

-44.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.16 ₺1,929

$38.34 ₾99.4

2.14%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 ₺5,083

$132 ₾342

-21.75%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.6 ₺4,759

$116 ₾302

-17.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$994 ₺49.0K

$509 ₾1,318

95.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$629 ₺31.0K

$374 ₾971

68.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,024 ₺99.7K

$970 ₾2,514

108.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,155 ₺56.9K

$701 ₾1,816

64.85%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,160 ₺155.7K

$1,713 ₾4,440

84.46%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,838 ₺90.5K

$1,247 ₾3,233

47.34%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,203 ₺59.3K

$574 ₾1,488

109.58%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

41.09

12.55

227.41%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 3, 2026

Last update for Batumi, Ajara: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$629 41.2%

Batumi, Ajara

$374 32.8% 40.5% $255

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$264 17.3%

Batumi, Ajara

$212 18.6% 19.7% $52

Eating Out

Istanbul

$218 14.3%

Batumi, Ajara

$190 16.7% 12.6% $28

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$131 8.6%

Batumi, Ajara

$172 15.1% 31% $41

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$117 7.7%

Batumi, Ajara

$103 9.1% 11.5% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$94 6.1%

Batumi, Ajara

$72 6.3% 23.4% $22

Getting Around

Istanbul

$75 4.9%

Batumi, Ajara

$17 1.5% 77.7% $59

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $994 in Istanbul versus $509 in Batumi, Ajara. 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 110% 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 $33.00 in Batumi, Ajara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $264 vs $212 – making Batumi, Ajara the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇬🇪 Batumi, Ajara

🕒 Local time

09:49 9:49 AM

10:49 10:49 AM

1 h ahead of Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

186,949

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Georgian Lari GEL ₾

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 2.03 USD

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

Georgian Lari exchange rates as of October 10, 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Istanbul Batumi, Ajara 1,060 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Batumi, Ajara

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 Batumi, Ajara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,526 in Istanbul, $1,155 in Batumi, Ajara – roughly 32% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,289 per month in Istanbul and $1,732 in Batumi, Ajara. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Batumi, Ajara, 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 $1,526 in Istanbul and $1,155 in Batumi, Ajara. That's a gap of about 32%.

Public transport costs about 481% less in Batumi, Ajara. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Batumi, Ajara, where all-in costs run around $1,155, than in Istanbul at $1,526. In Batumi, Ajara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Batumi, Ajara has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,155 in Batumi, Ajara to $1,526 in Istanbul. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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 Batumi, Ajara. 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.