Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Birtamod

For one person, living is cheaper in Birtamod: $339 a month against $1,526 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $14,200 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 Birtamod
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Birtamod Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,526

/mo nomad

Birtamod

🇳🇵 Nepal

$339

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Birtamod

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

A single person spends $1,526 per month in Istanbul vs $339 in Birtamod, rent included.

Istanbul $1,526
Birtamod $339

A couple spends around $2,399 per month in Istanbul vs $537 in Birtamod, rent included.

Istanbul $2,399
Birtamod $537

A family of three spends $3,272 per month in Istanbul vs $735 in Birtamod, rent included.

Istanbul $3,272
Birtamod $735

Istanbul costs about 350% more than Birtamod, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Istanbul sits 14% above the global median, while Birtamod is 75% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.88 ₺585

$2.50 NPR 386

375.20%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.1 ₺2,714

$21.44 NPR 3,319

156.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.14 ₺450

$7.57 NPR 1,171

20.74%

Cappuccino

$4.24 ₺209

$1.46 NPR 226

190.41%

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

$1.75 ₺86.0

$0.43 NPR 66.5

306.98%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.54 ₺26.83

$0.09 NPR 14.64

500.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.69 ₺231

$1.59 NPR 245

194.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.97 ₺294

$2.86 NPR 443

108.74%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.26 ₺62.1

$0.58 NPR 89.7

117.24%

White Bread (500g)

$0.95 ₺46.81

$0.39 NPR 60.4

143.59%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.31 ₺114

$1.17 NPR 181

97.44%

Eggs

$2.47 ₺122

$1.60 NPR 247

54.38%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.55 ₺520

$6.21 NPR 961

69.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.60 ₺276

$2.83 NPR 438

97.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.21 ₺1,045

$2.57 NPR 397

725.29%

Apples (1kg)

$1.93 ₺95.1

$2.04 NPR 315

-5.39%

Banana (1kg)

$2.29 ₺113

$1.39 NPR 215

64.75%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.1

$0.91 NPR 140

40.66%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.84 ₺90.8

$0.41 NPR 63.4

348.78%

Potato (1kg)

$0.67 ₺32.86

$0.35 NPR 54.7

91.43%

Onion (1kg)

$0.59 ₺29.31

$0.61 NPR 94.3

-3.28%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.33 ₺65.4

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₺29.10

$0.23 NPR 35.33

156.52%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.36 ₺116

$2.90 NPR 448

-18.62%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.47 ₺664

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.42 ₺119

$1.58 NPR 245

53.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.54 ₺174

$2.85 NPR 440

24.21%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.83 ₺40.64

$0.12 NPR 18.70

591.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.5 ₺3,273

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.35 ₺66.6

$2.00 NPR 310

-32.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 ₺42.05

$1.27 NPR 197

-33.07%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.86 ₺535

$3.33 NPR 516

226.13%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ₺72.3

$1.07 NPR 165

37.38%

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

$51.6K ₺2.5M

$29.2K NPR 4.5M

76.98%

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

$44.4K ₺2.2M

$42.6K NPR 6.6M

4.22%

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

$89.2 ₺4,395

$68.1 NPR 10.5K

31.05%

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

$11.60 ₺572

$4.70 NPR 728

146.81%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.10 ₺793

$5.42 NPR 839

197.05%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.3 ₺3,805

$8.33 NPR 1,289

827.37%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.66 ₺1,116

$9.21 NPR 1,425

146.04%

Cinema Ticket

$8.34 ₺411

$2.00 NPR 310

317.00%

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

$974 ₺48.0K

$81.9 NPR 12.7K

1089.67%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.8K ₺1.3M

$2,871 NPR 444.4K

797.62%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.7 ₺2,597

$15.34 NPR 2,375

243.61%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.16 ₺1,929

$11.87 NPR 1,836

229.91%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 ₺5,083

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.6 ₺4,759

$25.90 NPR 4,008

272.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$994 ₺49.0K

$51.4 NPR 7,951

1835.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$629 ₺31.0K

$36.35 NPR 5,626

1631.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,024 ₺99.7K

$106 NPR 16.3K

1818.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,155 ₺56.9K

$52.7 NPR 8,160

2090.02%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,160 ₺155.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,838 ₺90.5K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,203 ₺59.3K

$122 NPR 18.9K

884.12%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

41.09

413.63%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 3, 2026

Last update for Birtamod: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$629 41.2%

Birtamod

$36 10.7% 94.2% $593

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$264 17.3%

Birtamod

$104 * 30.6% 60.6% $160

Eating Out

Istanbul

$218 14.3%

Birtamod

$76 22.4% 65.2% $142

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$131 8.6%

Birtamod

$24 * 7% 81.8% $107

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$117 7.7%

Birtamod

$78 23% 33.1% $39

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$94 6.1%

Birtamod

$12 3.6% 86.9% $82

Getting Around

Istanbul

$75 4.9%

Birtamod

$8.8 * 2.6% 88.3% $67

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $994 in Istanbul versus $51.4 in Birtamod. 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 884% 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 $21.00 in Birtamod. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $264 vs $104 – making Birtamod the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇳🇵 Birtamod

🕒 Local time

10:39 10:39 AM

13:24 1:24 PM

2 h 45 min ahead of Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Nepalese Rupee NPR रु

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 2.03 USD

100 TRY = 1.81 EUR

1,000 NPR = 6.46 USD

1,000 NPR = 5.76 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

NPR, 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).

Nepalese Rupee exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 155 NPR (1,000 NPR = 6.46 USD). 1 EUR = 174 NPR (1,000 NPR = 5.76 EUR).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Istanbul Birtamod 5,570 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Birtamod

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 Birtamod: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,526 in Istanbul, $339 in Birtamod – roughly 350% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,289 per month in Istanbul and $509 in Birtamod. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Birtamod, 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 $55.0 in Istanbul and $21.00 in Birtamod. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 154% 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 $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Birtamod, where all-in costs run around $339, than in Istanbul at $1,526. In Birtamod it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Istanbul has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $339 in Birtamod 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 Birtamod. 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.