Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Cherkasy

For one person, living is cheaper in Cherkasy: $686 a month against $1,519 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $10,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

73

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index
33

Cost of Living Index in Cherkasy
Learn more

Cherkasy Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,519

/mo nomad

Cherkasy

🇺🇦 Ukraine

$686

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Cherkasy

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

A single person spends $1,519 per month in Istanbul vs $686 in Cherkasy, rent included.

Istanbul $1,519
Cherkasy $686

A couple spends around $2,365 per month in Istanbul vs $1,058 in Cherkasy, rent included.

Istanbul $2,365
Cherkasy $1,058

A family of three spends $3,212 per month in Istanbul vs $1,430 in Cherkasy, rent included.

Istanbul $3,212
Cherkasy $1,430

Istanbul costs about 121% more than Cherkasy, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Istanbul sits 12% above the global median, while Cherkasy is 49% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.81 ₺592

$8.69 ₴396

35.90%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.9 ₺2,754

$21.69 ₴988

153.16%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.26 ₺465

$5.32 ₴242

74.06%

Cappuccino

$4.30 ₺216

$1.39 ₴63.5

209.35%

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

$1.77 ₺89.0

$0.58 ₴26.54

205.17%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺28.32

$0.33 ₴15.08

69.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.69 ₺235

$0.87 ₴39.53

439.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.12 ₺357

$1.51 ₴68.6

371.52%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 ₺62.7

$1.23 ₴56.1

1.63%

White Bread (500g)

$0.88 ₺44.17

$0.83 ₴37.69

6.02%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 ₺111

$1.27 ₴58.0

73.23%

Eggs

$2.43 ₺122

$1.64 ₴74.8

48.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.48 ₺526

$7.86 ₴358

33.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.31 ₺267

$4.02 ₴183

32.09%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.10 ₺1,058

$6.30 ₴287

234.92%

Apples (1kg)

$1.86 ₺93.1

$0.94 ₴42.95

97.87%

Banana (1kg)

$2.30 ₺115

$1.41 ₴64.0

63.12%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.22 ₺61.0

$1.22 ₴55.4

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺90.2

$2.55 ₴116

-29.41%

Potato (1kg)

$0.69 ₺34.83

$0.88 ₴39.97

-21.59%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺32.16

$0.43 ₴19.57

48.84%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.36 ₺68.0

$1.65 ₴75.3

-17.58%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 ₺28.94

$0.47 ₴21.29

23.40%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.34 ₺117

$3.39 ₴154

-30.97%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.03 ₺653

$3.37 ₴153

286.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.36 ₺118

$0.69 ₴31.53

242.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.32 ₺166

$1.45 ₴66.1

128.97%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.88 ₺44.07

$0.34 ₴15.38

158.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.1 ₺3,316

$10.96 ₴499

503.28%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 ₺64.4

$1.72 ₴78.2

-25.58%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 ₺42.80

$0.54 ₴24.67

57.41%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.09 ₺556

$5.21 ₴237

112.86%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 ₺74.0

$1.66 ₴75.7

-10.84%

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

$48.6K ₺2.4M

$30.6K ₴1.4M

58.73%

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

$42.0K ₺2.1M

$24.5K ₴1.1M

71.03%

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

$92.7 ₺4,650

$84.1 ₴3,828

10.29%

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

$11.20 ₺562

$5.83 ₴265

92.11%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.89 ₺797

$4.43 ₴202

258.69%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.7 ₺3,745

$25.28 ₴1,151

195.41%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.95 ₺1,151

Cinema Ticket

$8.05 ₺404

$4.57 ₴208

76.15%

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

$948 ₺47.6K

$218 ₴9,923

335.24%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.9K ₺1.9M

$2,955 ₴134.6K

1149.10%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₺2,702

$40.17 ₴1,829

34.13%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.49 ₺2,081

$26.83 ₴1,222

54.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 ₺5,060

$69.4 ₴3,158

45.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.3 ₺4,580

$75.7 ₴3,448

20.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,014 ₺50.8K

$240 ₴10.9K

322.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$625 ₺31.3K

$177 ₴8,080

251.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,005 ₺100.6K

$396 ₴18.0K

406.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,126 ₺56.5K

$312 ₴14.2K

261.22%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,988 ₺149.8K

$1,131 ₴51.5K

164.19%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,730 ₺86.8K

$833 ₴37.9K

107.61%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,136 ₺57.0K

$430 ₴19.6K

164.26%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.42

15.25

165.05%

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

Last update for Istanbul: November 2, 2026

Last update for Cherkasy: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$625 41.1%

Cherkasy

$177 25.9% 71.6% $447

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$258 17%

Cherkasy

$154 22.5% 40.2% $104

Eating Out

Istanbul

$221 14.6%

Cherkasy

$113 16.5% 48.8% $108

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$129 8.5%

Cherkasy

$95 13.9% 26.2% $34

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$120 7.9%

Cherkasy

$94 13.8% 21.3% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$91 6%

Cherkasy

$34 5% 62.1% $56

Getting Around

Istanbul

$75 5%

Cherkasy

$17 2.4% 77.7% $58

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,014 in Istanbul versus $240 in Cherkasy. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Istanbul are about 2.6 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55 in Istanbul versus $22 in Cherkasy. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $154 – making Cherkasy the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇺🇦 Cherkasy

🕒 Local time

21:28 9:28 PM

20:28 8:28 PM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

274,343

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Ukrainian Hryvnia UAH ₴

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 1.99 USD

100 TRY = 1.78 EUR

100 UAH = 2.2 USD

100 UAH = 1.96 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

UAH, USD, EUR to TRY – Turkish Lira Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇷 Turkish Lira (₺)

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 50.15 TRY (100 TRY = 1.99 USD). 1 EUR = 56.33 TRY (100 TRY = 1.78 EUR).

Ukrainian Hryvnia exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 45.54 UAH (100 UAH = 2.2 USD). 1 EUR = 51.14 UAH (100 UAH = 1.96 EUR).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Istanbul Cherkasy 970 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Cherkasy

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 Cherkasy: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 121%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,278 per month in Istanbul and $1,029 in Cherkasy. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Cherkasy, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $240 there versus $1,014 in Istanbul.

Public transport costs about 83% less in Cherkasy. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $948 per month in Istanbul and $218 in Cherkasy. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Cherkasy, where all-in costs run around $686, than in Istanbul at $1,519. In Cherkasy it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Cherkasy – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

If budget matters most, go with Cherkasy. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Istanbul makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.