Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Bhairab Bazar

For one person, living is cheaper in Bhairab Bazar: $356 a month against $1,525 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $14,000 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
17

Cost of Living Index in Bhairab Bazar
Learn more

Bhairab Bazar Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,525

/mo nomad

Bhairab Bazar

🇧🇩 Bangladesh

$356

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Bhairab Bazar

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

A single person spends $1,525 per month in Istanbul vs $356 in Bhairab Bazar, rent included.

Istanbul $1,525
Bhairab Bazar $356

A couple spends around $2,390 per month in Istanbul vs $582 in Bhairab Bazar, rent included.

Istanbul $2,390
Bhairab Bazar $582

A family of three spends $3,256 per month in Istanbul vs $809 in Bhairab Bazar, rent included.

Istanbul $3,256
Bhairab Bazar $809

Istanbul costs about 328% more than Bhairab Bazar, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Istanbul sits 13% above the global median, while Bhairab Bazar is 74% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.96 ₺592

$2.08 ৳257

475.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$57.2 ₺2,834

$12.00 ৳1,483

376.92%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.51 ₺471

$5.14 ৳636

85.02%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.60 ৳322

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.97 ৳491

Cappuccino

$4.40 ₺218

$1.93 ৳238

127.98%

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

$1.75 ₺86.6

$0.40 ৳48.83

337.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.57

$0.13 ৳15.78

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 ৳93.3

63.16%

White Bread (500g)

$0.95 ₺47.25

$0.56 ৳68.6

69.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.28 ₺113

$0.66 ৳81.0

245.45%

Eggs

$2.45 ₺121

$1.11 ৳137

120.72%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.56 ₺523

$7.47 ৳923

41.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.50 ₺272

$2.14 ৳264

157.01%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.65 ₺1,072

$7.31 ৳903

196.17%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 ₺90.6

$2.32 ৳287

-21.12%

Banana (1kg)

$2.29 ₺113

$0.89 ৳110

157.30%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.4

$2.04 ৳253

-37.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.82 ₺90.1

$0.82 ৳102

121.95%

Potato (1kg)

$0.66 ₺32.74

$0.47 ৳57.5

40.43%

Onion (1kg)

$0.63 ₺31.14

$0.84 ৳103

-25.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.27 ₺62.8

$0.47 ৳57.5

170.21%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.62

$0.32 ৳39.54

75.00%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$4.19 ৳518

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.79 ৳97.5

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.50 ৳185

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.36 ₺117

$3.02 ৳373

-21.85%

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

$0.39 ৳48.19

110.26%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.2 ₺3,228

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.33 ₺65.7

$0.83 ৳103

60.24%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.90 ₺44.60

$0.59 ৳73.4

52.54%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.91 ₺540

$2.86 ৳354

281.47%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.43 ₺70.7

$1.14 ৳141

25.44%

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

$49.6K ₺2.5M

$32.9K ৳4.1M

50.78%

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

$43.2K ₺2.1M

$44.8K ৳5.5M

-3.51%

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

$88.8 ₺4,395

$29.45 ৳3,639

201.43%

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

$11.69 ₺579

$5.39 ৳666

116.88%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.09 ₺797

$12.34 ৳1,525

30.39%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$76.3 ₺3,776

$13.52 ৳1,670

464.05%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.72 ₺1,125

Cinema Ticket

$8.26 ₺409

$3.71 ৳459

122.64%

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

$1,015 ₺50.2K

$35.95 ৳4,442

2722.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.8K ₺1.3M

$1,444 ৳178.4K

1689.38%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.3 ₺2,636

$22.99 ৳2,841

131.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.55 ₺2,008

$19.39 ৳2,395

109.13%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100 ₺4,956

$56.9 ৳7,024

76.08%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.5 ₺4,630

$34.37 ৳4,246

172.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$977 ₺48.4K

$89.6 ৳11.1K

990.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$627 ₺31.0K

$51.8 ৳6,406

1109.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,980 ₺98.0K

$171 ৳21.1K

1058.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,147 ₺56.8K

$117 ৳14.4K

882.51%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,095 ₺153.2K

$705 ৳87.1K

339.00%

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

11.5

253.83%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 19, 2026

Last update for Bhairab Bazar: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$627 41.1%

Bhairab Bazar

$52 14.6% 91.7% $575

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$263 17.2%

Bhairab Bazar

$113 31.8% 56.9% $149

Eating Out

Istanbul

$222 14.6%

Bhairab Bazar

$57 16.1% 74.2% $165

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$129 8.5%

Bhairab Bazar

$60 16.9% 53.5% $69

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$117 7.6%

Bhairab Bazar

$47 13.3% 59.5% $69

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$93 6.1%

Bhairab Bazar

$21 5.9% 77.4% $72

Getting Around

Istanbul

$74 4.9%

Bhairab Bazar

$5.4 * 1.5% 92.8% $69

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 $89.6 in Bhairab Bazar. 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 $12.00 in Bhairab Bazar. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $263 vs $113 – making Bhairab Bazar the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇧🇩 Bhairab Bazar

🕒 Local time

00:23 12:23 AM

03:23 3:23 AM

3 h ahead of Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

105,457

💱 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 20, 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 20, 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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Between locations

Istanbul Bhairab Bazar 5,980 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Bhairab Bazar

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 Bhairab Bazar: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 328%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,287 per month in Istanbul and $534 in Bhairab Bazar. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Bhairab Bazar, 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 $1,525 in Istanbul and $356 in Bhairab Bazar. That's a gap of about 328%.

Kindergarten costs $1,015 per month in Istanbul and $35.95 in Bhairab Bazar. 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 Bhairab Bazar, where all-in costs run around $356, than in Istanbul at $1,525. In Bhairab Bazar it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Bhairab Bazar – 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 Bhairab Bazar. 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.