Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Brahmanbaria

For one person, living is cheaper in Brahmanbaria: $363 a month against $1,550 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $14,200 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
17

Cost of Living Index in Brahmanbaria
Learn more

Brahmanbaria Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

Brahmanbaria

🇧🇩 Bangladesh

$363

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Brahmanbaria

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

A single person spends $1,550 per month in Istanbul vs $363 in Brahmanbaria, rent included.

Istanbul $1,550
Brahmanbaria $363

A couple spends around $2,415 per month in Istanbul vs $591 in Brahmanbaria, rent included.

Istanbul $2,415
Brahmanbaria $591

A family of three spends $3,281 per month in Istanbul vs $819 in Brahmanbaria, rent included.

Istanbul $3,281
Brahmanbaria $819

Istanbul costs about 327% more than Brahmanbaria, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Istanbul sits 15% above the global median, while Brahmanbaria is 73% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.30 ₺609

$2.08 ৳258

491.35%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.7 ₺2,708

$12.11 ৳1,497

351.69%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.22 ₺456

$5.23 ৳647

76.29%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.68 ৳332

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.15 ৳513

Cappuccino

$4.40 ₺218

$1.98 ৳245

122.22%

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

$1.68 ₺83.1

$0.37 ৳45.46

354.05%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₺29.40

$0.12 ৳15.25

391.67%

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

$0.80 ৳99.1

51.25%

White Bread (500g)

$0.89 ₺44.10

$0.56 ৳68.6

58.93%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.19 ₺108

$0.65 ৳80.4

236.92%

Eggs

$2.35 ₺116

$0.94 ৳116

150.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.42 ₺516

$7.52 ৳929

38.56%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.65 ₺280

$1.46 ৳181

286.99%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.94 ₺1,037

$7.50 ৳926

179.20%

Apples (1kg)

$1.90 ₺94.1

$2.35 ৳290

-19.15%

Banana (1kg)

$2.31 ₺114

$0.89 ৳110

159.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.1

$2.04 ৳252

-37.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺89.0

$0.87 ৳107

106.90%

Potato (1kg)

$0.65 ₺32.16

$0.47 ৳57.6

38.30%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺31.91

$0.83 ৳102

-22.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 ₺62.1

$0.50 ৳62.1

150.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.58

$0.32 ৳39.66

75.00%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$4.17 ৳516

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.84 ৳104

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.47 ৳182

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.37 ₺118

$3.00 ৳370

-21.00%

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

$0.40 ৳49.13

122.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.4 ₺3,338

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.29 ₺64.1

$0.85 ৳105

51.76%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 ₺45.70

$0.58 ৳72.2

58.62%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.96 ₺542

$2.81 ৳348

290.04%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ₺72.9

$1.10 ৳136

33.64%

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

$50.8K ₺2.5M

$32.7K ৳4.0M

55.33%

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

$44.5K ₺2.2M

$44.8K ৳5.5M

-0.54%

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

$88.6 ₺4,387

$30.38 ৳3,754

191.67%

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

$11.59 ₺574

$5.63 ৳695

105.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.81 ₺783

$12.37 ৳1,528

27.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.2 ₺3,820

$14.84 ৳1,834

419.95%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.74 ₺1,126

Cinema Ticket

$8.14 ₺403

$3.76 ৳464

116.49%

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

$1,008 ₺49.9K

$35.78 ৳4,421

2717.30%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.6K ₺1.3M

$1,472 ৳181.9K

1636.25%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.0 ₺2,671

$22.58 ৳2,791

138.93%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.83 ₺2,021

$19.34 ৳2,389

111.12%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.9 ₺4,895

$55.3 ৳6,830

78.90%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.6 ₺4,783

$35.38 ৳4,371

173.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$985 ₺48.7K

$101 ৳12.4K

879.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$650 ₺32.2K

$57.9 ৳7,150

1023.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,983 ₺98.2K

$157 ৳19.5K

1159.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,180 ₺58.4K

$128 ৳15.8K

821.92%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,138 ₺155.4K

$706 ৳87.2K

344.64%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,780 ₺88.1K

$265 ৳32.7K

571.72%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,205 ₺59.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.92

11.5

255.83%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 13, 2026

Last update for Brahmanbaria: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$650 41.9%

Brahmanbaria

$58 16% 91.1% $592

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$260 16.8%

Brahmanbaria

$111 30.6% 57.3% $149

Eating Out

Istanbul

$223 14.4%

Brahmanbaria

$58 16% 74% $165

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$131 8.4%

Brahmanbaria

$60 16.5% 54.3% $71

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$116 7.5%

Brahmanbaria

$48 13.3% 58.3% $68

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$93 6%

Brahmanbaria

$22 6.2% 76.1% $71

Getting Around

Istanbul

$77 5%

Brahmanbaria

$5.4 * 1.5% 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 $101 in Brahmanbaria. 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 $55.0 in Istanbul versus $12.00 in Brahmanbaria. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $260 vs $111 – making Brahmanbaria the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇧🇩 Brahmanbaria

🕒 Local time

08:09 8:09 AM

11:09 11:09 AM

3 h ahead of Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

268,279

💱 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 18, 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 18, 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 Brahmanbaria 6,000 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Brahmanbaria

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 Brahmanbaria: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 327%, 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 $544 in Brahmanbaria. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Brahmanbaria, 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 $363 in Brahmanbaria. That's a gap of about 327%.

Kindergarten costs $1,008 per month in Istanbul and $35.78 in Brahmanbaria. 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 Brahmanbaria, where all-in costs run around $363, than in Istanbul at $1,550. In Brahmanbaria it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Brahmanbaria – 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 Brahmanbaria. 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.