Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Cox's Bazar

For one person, living is cheaper in Cox's Bazar: $347 a month against $1,525 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $14,100 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 Cox's Bazar
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Cox's Bazar Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,525

/mo nomad

Cox's Bazar

🇧🇩 Bangladesh

$347

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Cox's 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 Cox's Bazar actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,525 in Istanbul versus $347 in Cox's Bazar.

Istanbul $1,525
Cox's Bazar $347

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,390 in Istanbul versus $557 in Cox's Bazar.

Istanbul $2,390
Cox's Bazar $557

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,256 in Istanbul versus $767 in Cox's Bazar.

Istanbul $3,256
Cox's Bazar $767

Living in Istanbul is roughly 340% more expensive than in Cox's Bazar, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Istanbul is 13% above, Cox's Bazar is 74% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.96 ₺592

$1.65 ৳203

624.85%

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

$3.09 ৳382

207.77%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.67 ৳329

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.40 ৳297

Cappuccino

$4.40 ₺218

$1.90 ৳235

131.58%

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

$1.75 ₺86.6

$0.36 ৳44.03

386.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.57

$0.12 ৳14.26

366.67%

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

$0.81 ৳99.9

53.09%

White Bread (500g)

$0.95 ₺47.25

$0.47 ৳57.9

102.13%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.28 ₺113

$0.66 ৳82.0

245.45%

Eggs

$2.45 ₺121

$0.99 ৳123

147.47%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.56 ₺523

$7.20 ৳890

46.67%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.50 ₺272

$2.06 ৳254

166.99%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.65 ₺1,072

$7.17 ৳886

201.95%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 ₺90.6

$2.25 ৳278

-18.67%

Banana (1kg)

$2.29 ₺113

$0.85 ৳106

169.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.4

$1.68 ৳207

-23.81%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.82 ₺90.1

$0.51 ৳63.6

256.86%

Potato (1kg)

$0.66 ₺32.74

$0.46 ৳57.2

43.48%

Onion (1kg)

$0.63 ₺31.14

$0.54 ৳66.5

16.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.27 ₺62.8

$0.45 ৳55.5

182.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.62

$0.29 ৳36.42

93.10%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$7.94 ৳981

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.51 ৳310

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.72 ৳584

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.36 ₺117

$1.85 ৳229

27.57%

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

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.2 ₺3,228

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.33 ₺65.7

$0.27 ৳33.02

392.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.90 ₺44.60

$0.37 ৳46.16

143.24%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.91 ₺540

$4.15 ৳513

162.89%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.43 ₺70.7

$1.09 ৳135

31.19%

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

$49.6K ₺2.5M

$32.4K ৳4.0M

52.92%

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

$43.2K ₺2.1M

$34.5K ৳4.3M

25.24%

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

$88.8 ₺4,395

$12.18 ৳1,505

628.82%

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

$11.69 ₺579

$2.64 ৳326

342.80%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.09 ₺797

$11.44 ৳1,414

40.65%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$76.3 ₺3,776

$16.28 ৳2,011

368.43%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.72 ₺1,125

$4.00 ৳494

468.00%

Cinema Ticket

$8.26 ₺409

$2.38 ৳294

247.06%

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

$1,015 ₺50.2K

$24.48 ৳3,024

4045.06%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.8K ₺1.3M

$1,443 ৳178.3K

1690.74%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.3 ₺2,636

$22.55 ৳2,786

136.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.55 ₺2,008

$18.08 ৳2,233

124.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100 ₺4,956

$32.46 ৳4,010

208.38%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.5 ₺4,630

$35.09 ৳4,336

166.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$977 ₺48.4K

$161 ৳19.8K

508.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$627 ₺31.0K

$95.2 ৳11.8K

558.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,980 ₺98.0K

$302 ৳37.3K

555.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,147 ₺56.8K

$164 ৳20.2K

601.39%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,095 ₺153.2K

$348 ৳43.0K

789.42%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,787 ₺88.5K

$266 ৳32.9K

570.64%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,213 ₺60.1K

$278 ৳34.3K

336.64%

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 Cox's Bazar: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$627 41.1%

Cox's Bazar

$95 27.5% 84.8% $532

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$263 17.2%

Cox's Bazar

$106 30.6% 59.5% $156

Eating Out

Istanbul

$222 14.6%

Cox's Bazar

$47 13.6% 78.8% $175

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$129 8.5%

Cox's Bazar

$49 14% 62.4% $81

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$117 7.6%

Cox's Bazar

$26 7.6% 77.5% $90

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$93 6.1%

Cox's Bazar

$21 6.1% 77.3% $72

Getting Around

Istanbul

$74 4.9%

Cox's Bazar

$2.1 * 0.6% 97.1% $72

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $977 in Istanbul and $161 in Cox's Bazar. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Istanbul pays 337% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $57.0 in Istanbul vs $12.00 in Cox's Bazar for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $263 vs $106 per month, with Cox's Bazar cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇧🇩 Cox's Bazar

🕒 Local time

16:22 4:22 PM

19:22 7:22 PM

3 h ahead of Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

223,522

💱 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 Cox's Bazar 6,230 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Cox's 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 Cox's Bazar: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Istanbul and Cox's Bazar differ by about 340% in total monthly costs ($1,525 vs $347 including rent). Cox's Bazar is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 337% higher in Istanbul, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $977 in Istanbul versus $161 in Cox's Bazar. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 147% higher in Istanbul. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,525 per month in Istanbul versus $347 in Cox's Bazar – a 340% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $347 in Cox's Bazar versus $1,525 in Istanbul, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Cox's Bazar but tight or insufficient in Istanbul. The gap between the two cities makes Cox's Bazar the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Istanbul and Cox's Bazar are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Cox's Bazar gentler on the wallet – expenses run 340% less than in Istanbul. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.