Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Chittagong

For one person, living is cheaper in Chittagong: $375 a month against $1,526 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $13,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

74

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index
18

Cost of Living Index in Chittagong
Learn more

Chittagong Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,526

/mo nomad

Chittagong

🇧🇩 Bangladesh

$375

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Chittagong

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

A single person spends $1,526 per month in Istanbul vs $375 in Chittagong, rent included.

Istanbul $1,526
Chittagong $375

A couple spends around $2,399 per month in Istanbul vs $624 in Chittagong, rent included.

Istanbul $2,399
Chittagong $624

A family of three spends $3,272 per month in Istanbul vs $874 in Chittagong, rent included.

Istanbul $3,272
Chittagong $874

Istanbul costs about 307% more than Chittagong, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Istanbul sits 14% above the global median, while Chittagong is 72% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.88 ₺585

$2.06 ৳254

476.70%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.1 ₺2,714

$12.14 ৳1,492

353.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.14 ₺450

$5.32 ৳653

71.80%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.71 ৳333

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.96 ৳486

Cappuccino

$4.24 ₺209

$1.91 ৳235

121.99%

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

$1.75 ₺86.0

$0.37 ৳45.16

372.97%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.54 ₺26.83

$0.13 ৳15.64

315.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.69 ₺231

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.97 ₺294

Milk (1 liter)

$1.26 ₺62.1

$0.81 ৳99.2

55.56%

White Bread (500g)

$0.95 ₺46.81

$0.56 ৳68.8

69.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.31 ₺114

$0.66 ৳80.6

250.00%

Eggs

$2.47 ₺122

$1.13 ৳139

118.58%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.55 ₺520

$7.33 ৳900

43.93%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.60 ₺276

$2.14 ৳262

161.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.21 ₺1,045

$7.33 ৳901

189.36%

Apples (1kg)

$1.93 ₺95.1

$2.28 ৳280

-15.35%

Banana (1kg)

$2.29 ₺113

$0.91 ৳112

151.65%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.1

$2.07 ৳255

-38.16%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.84 ₺90.8

$0.85 ৳105

116.47%

Potato (1kg)

$0.67 ₺32.86

$0.44 ৳53.5

52.27%

Onion (1kg)

$0.59 ₺29.31

$0.77 ৳94.8

-23.38%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.33 ₺65.4

$0.46 ৳56.4

189.13%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₺29.10

$0.32 ৳39.34

84.37%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$4.22 ৳519

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.79 ৳97.4

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.43 ৳175

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.36 ₺116

$3.03 ৳372

-22.11%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.47 ₺664

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.42 ₺119

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.54 ₺174

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.83 ₺40.64

$0.23 ৳28.34

260.87%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.5 ₺3,273

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.35 ₺66.6

$0.80 ৳98.0

68.75%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 ₺42.05

$0.55 ৳67.8

54.55%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.86 ₺535

$3.99 ৳490

172.18%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ₺72.3

$1.15 ৳141

27.83%

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

$51.6K ₺2.5M

$31.9K ৳3.9M

61.84%

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

$44.4K ₺2.2M

$44.5K ৳5.5M

-0.13%

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

$89.2 ₺4,395

$29.48 ৳3,622

202.65%

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

$11.60 ₺572

$5.58 ৳685

107.89%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.10 ₺793

$12.14 ৳1,492

32.62%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.3 ₺3,805

$19.55 ৳2,401

295.14%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.66 ₺1,116

$14.27 ৳1,753

58.79%

Cinema Ticket

$8.34 ₺411

$3.72 ৳457

124.19%

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

$974 ₺48.0K

$35.12 ৳4,314

2672.95%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.8K ₺1.3M

$1,439 ৳176.8K

1690.70%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.7 ₺2,597

$23.03 ৳2,828

128.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.16 ₺1,929

$19.37 ৳2,379

102.17%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 ₺5,083

$56.4 ৳6,925

83.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.6 ₺4,759

$35.48 ৳4,358

172.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$994 ₺49.0K

$126 ৳15.4K

690.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$629 ₺31.0K

$61.3 ৳7,524

927.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,024 ₺99.7K

$272 ৳33.4K

644.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,155 ₺56.9K

$168 ৳20.6K

587.34%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,160 ₺155.7K

$800 ৳98.3K

294.93%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,838 ₺90.5K

$476 ৳58.5K

285.67%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,203 ₺59.3K

$284 ৳34.9K

323.69%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

41.09

11.5

257.30%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 3, 2026

Last update for Chittagong: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$629 41.2%

Chittagong

$61 16.5% 90.3% $568

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$264 17.3%

Chittagong

$113 30.6% 57% $151

Eating Out

Istanbul

$218 14.3%

Chittagong

$57 15.5% 73.7% $161

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$131 8.6%

Chittagong

$60 16.3% 54% $71

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$117 7.7%

Chittagong

$47 12.7% 59.6% $70

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$94 6.1%

Chittagong

$27 7.3% 71.3% $67

Getting Around

Istanbul

$75 4.9%

Chittagong

$4.5 * 1.2% 94.1% $71

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 $126 in Chittagong. 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 324% 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 $12.00 in Chittagong. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $264 vs $113 – making Chittagong the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇧🇩 Chittagong

🕒 Local time

08:38 8:38 AM

11:38 11:38 AM

3 h ahead of Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

2,592,439

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Bangladeshi Taka BDT ৳

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 2.03 USD

100 TRY = 1.81 EUR

1,000 BDT = 8.14 USD

1,000 BDT = 7.26 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 49.26 TRY (100 TRY = 2.03 USD). 1 EUR = 55.25 TRY (100 TRY = 1.81 EUR).

Bangladeshi Taka exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 123 BDT (1,000 BDT = 8.14 USD). 1 EUR = 138 BDT (1,000 BDT = 7.26 EUR).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Istanbul Chittagong 6,160 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Chittagong

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 Chittagong: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,526 in Istanbul, $375 in Chittagong – roughly 307% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,289 per month in Istanbul and $562 in Chittagong. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Chittagong, 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 $12.00 in Chittagong. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 133% 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 Chittagong, where all-in costs run around $375, than in Istanbul at $1,526. In Chittagong 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 $375 in Chittagong 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 Chittagong. 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.