Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Begamganj

For one person, living is cheaper in Begamganj: $327 a month against $1,525 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $14,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

74

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index
16

Cost of Living Index in Begamganj
Learn more

Begamganj Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,525

/mo nomad

Begamganj

🇧🇩 Bangladesh

$327

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Begamganj

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

A single person spends $1,525 per month in Istanbul vs $327 in Begamganj, rent included.

Istanbul $1,525
Begamganj $327

A couple spends around $2,390 per month in Istanbul vs $533 in Begamganj, rent included.

Istanbul $2,390
Begamganj $533

A family of three spends $3,256 per month in Istanbul vs $738 in Begamganj, rent included.

Istanbul $3,256
Begamganj $738

Istanbul costs about 366% more than Begamganj, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Istanbul sits 13% above the global median, while Begamganj is 76% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.96 ₺592

$1.54 ৳190

676.62%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$57.2 ₺2,834

$10.69 ৳1,321

435.36%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.51 ₺471

$4.50 ৳556

111.33%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.71 ৳335

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.98 ৳492

Cappuccino

$4.40 ₺218

$1.84 ৳227

139.13%

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

$1.75 ₺86.6

$0.33 ৳40.99

430.30%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.57

$0.13 ৳15.77

330.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.71 ₺233

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.14 ₺304

Milk (1 liter)

$1.24 ₺61.6

$0.76 ৳93.8

63.16%

White Bread (500g)

$0.95 ₺47.25

$0.53 ৳66.0

79.25%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.28 ₺113

$0.64 ৳78.6

256.25%

Eggs

$2.45 ₺121

$1.12 ৳139

118.75%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.56 ₺523

$7.85 ৳970

34.52%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.50 ₺272

$2.23 ৳276

146.64%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.65 ₺1,072

$6.39 ৳789

238.81%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 ₺90.6

$2.40 ৳297

-23.75%

Banana (1kg)

$2.29 ₺113

$0.83 ৳103

175.90%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.4

$2.18 ৳269

-41.28%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.82 ₺90.1

$0.64 ৳78.6

184.38%

Potato (1kg)

$0.66 ₺32.74

$0.24 ৳29.65

175.00%

Onion (1kg)

$0.63 ₺31.14

$0.46 ৳56.6

36.96%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.27 ₺62.8

$0.44 ৳54.8

188.64%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.62

$0.30 ৳37.38

86.67%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$7.89 ৳975

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.59 ৳319

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 ৳559

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.36 ₺117

$2.90 ৳358

-18.62%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.98 ₺642

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.48 ₺123

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.50 ₺174

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.82 ₺40.77

$0.40 ৳49.05

105.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.2 ₺3,228

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.33 ₺65.7

$0.84 ৳104

58.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.90 ₺44.60

$0.39 ৳48.54

130.77%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.91 ₺540

$2.82 ৳349

286.88%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.43 ₺70.7

$1.15 ৳142

24.35%

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

$49.6K ₺2.5M

$29.8K ৳3.7M

66.51%

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

$43.2K ₺2.1M

$33.1K ৳4.1M

30.33%

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

$88.8 ₺4,395

$29.81 ৳3,683

197.79%

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

$11.69 ₺579

$4.23 ৳523

176.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.09 ₺797

$10.47 ৳1,294

53.68%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$76.3 ₺3,776

$13.33 ৳1,648

472.09%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.72 ₺1,125

Cinema Ticket

$8.26 ₺409

$3.57 ৳441

131.37%

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

$1,015 ₺50.2K

$25.97 ৳3,209

3807.24%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.8K ₺1.3M

$1,178 ৳145.6K

2092.94%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.3 ₺2,636

$16.73 ৳2,067

218.29%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.55 ₺2,008

$18.26 ৳2,256

122.07%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100 ₺4,956

$32.79 ৳4,051

205.28%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.5 ₺4,630

$33.99 ৳4,200

175.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$977 ₺48.4K

$89.4 ৳11.0K

993.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$627 ₺31.0K

$52.3 ৳6,460

1099.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,980 ₺98.0K

$170 ৳21.0K

1062.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,147 ₺56.8K

$117 ৳14.4K

883.10%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,095 ₺153.2K

$689 ৳85.2K

349.12%

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

10.48

288.26%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 19, 2026

Last update for Begamganj: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$627 41.1%

Begamganj

$52 16% 91.7% $575

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$263 17.2%

Begamganj

$110 33.6% 58.2% $153

Eating Out

Istanbul

$222 14.6%

Begamganj

$50 15.2% 77.6% $172

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$129 8.5%

Begamganj

$46 14% 64.6% $84

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$117 7.6%

Begamganj

$45 13.6% 61.8% $72

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$93 6.1%

Begamganj

$20 6.3% 77.9% $72

Getting Around

Istanbul

$74 4.9%

Begamganj

$4.4 * 1.3% 94.1% $70

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $977 in Istanbul versus $89.4 in Begamganj. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $57.0 in Istanbul versus $11.00 in Begamganj. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $263 vs $110 – making Begamganj the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇧🇩 Begamganj

🕒 Local time

04:28 4:28 AM

07:28 7:28 AM

3 h ahead of Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

💱 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 21, 2026: 1 USD = 49.51 TRY (100 TRY = 2.02 USD). 1 EUR = 55.66 TRY (100 TRY = 1.8 EUR).

Bangladeshi Taka exchange rates as of October 21, 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 Begamganj 6,060 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Begamganj

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 Begamganj: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Istanbul costs about 366% more than Begamganj, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. 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 $490 in Begamganj. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

A mid-range dinner for two costs $57.0 in Istanbul and $11.00 in Begamganj. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 139% more in Istanbul, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Begamganj, where all-in costs run around $327, than in Istanbul at $1,525. In Begamganj it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Begamganj costs $327 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 Begamganj. 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.