Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Ekibastuz

For one person, living is cheaper in Ekibastuz: $834 a month against $1,519 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $8,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

73

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index
40

Cost of Living Index in Ekibastuz
Learn more

Ekibastuz Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,519

/mo nomad

Ekibastuz

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$834

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Ekibastuz

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

A single person spends $1,519 per month in Istanbul vs $834 in Ekibastuz, rent included.

Istanbul $1,519
Ekibastuz $834

A couple spends around $2,365 per month in Istanbul vs $1,345 in Ekibastuz, rent included.

Istanbul $2,365
Ekibastuz $1,345

A family of three spends $3,212 per month in Istanbul vs $1,857 in Ekibastuz, rent included.

Istanbul $3,212
Ekibastuz $1,857

Istanbul costs about 82% more than Ekibastuz, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Istanbul sits 12% above the global median, while Ekibastuz is 38% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.81 ₺592

$10.83 ₸4,856

9.05%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.9 ₺2,754

$37.91 ₸17.0K

44.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.26 ₺465

$7.72 ₸3,460

19.95%

Cappuccino

$4.30 ₺216

$1.57 ₸702

173.89%

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

$1.77 ₺89.0

$1.12 ₸501

58.04%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺28.32

$0.62 ₸278

-9.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.69 ₺235

$1.34 ₸602

250.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.12 ₺357

$2.19 ₸981

225.11%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 ₺62.7

$1.32 ₸590

-5.30%

White Bread (500g)

$0.88 ₺44.17

$0.64 ₸287

37.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 ₺111

$1.55 ₸694

41.94%

Eggs

$2.43 ₺122

$2.17 ₸971

11.98%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.48 ₺526

$12.73 ₸5,708

-17.67%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.31 ₺267

$5.91 ₸2,652

-10.15%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.10 ₺1,058

$11.04 ₸4,953

91.12%

Apples (1kg)

$1.86 ₺93.1

$1.76 ₸787

5.68%

Banana (1kg)

$2.30 ₺115

$2.33 ₸1,044

-1.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.22 ₺61.0

$2.18 ₸977

-44.04%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺90.2

$2.10 ₸942

-14.29%

Potato (1kg)

$0.69 ₺34.83

$0.70 ₸313

-1.43%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺32.16

$0.46 ₸207

39.13%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.36 ₺68.0

$1.50 ₸670

-9.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 ₺28.94

$0.94 ₸421

-38.30%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.34 ₺117

$2.34 ₸1,047

Wine (Bottle)

$13.03 ₺653

$11.12 ₸4,988

17.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.36 ₺118

$1.32 ₸591

78.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.32 ₺166

$2.27 ₸1,020

46.26%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.88 ₺44.07

$0.25 ₸113

252.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.1 ₺3,316

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 ₺64.4

$1.12 ₸503

14.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 ₺42.80

$1.12 ₸504

-24.11%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.09 ₺556

$6.13 ₸2,751

80.91%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 ₺74.0

$0.59 ₸265

150.85%

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

$48.6K ₺2.4M

$29.0K ₸13.0M

67.99%

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

$42.0K ₺2.1M

$32.1K ₸14.4M

30.77%

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

$92.7 ₺4,650

$66.6 ₸29.9K

39.12%

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

$11.20 ₺562

$9.68 ₸4,341

15.70%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.89 ₺797

$17.42 ₸7,812

-8.78%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.7 ₺3,745

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.95 ₺1,151

Cinema Ticket

$8.05 ₺404

$6.44 ₸2,888

25.00%

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

$948 ₺47.6K

$496 ₸222.5K

91.11%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.9K ₺1.9M

$21.6K ₸9.7M

71.13%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₺2,702

$65.3 ₸29.3K

-17.46%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.49 ₺2,081

$46.69 ₸20.9K

-11.14%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 ₺5,060

$117 ₸52.3K

-13.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.3 ₺4,580

$130 ₸58.4K

-29.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,014 ₺50.8K

$247 ₸110.6K

311.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$625 ₺31.3K

$181 ₸81.0K

245.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,005 ₺100.6K

$434 ₸194.5K

362.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,126 ₺56.5K

$333 ₸149.4K

237.86%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,988 ₺149.8K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,730 ₺86.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,136 ₺57.0K

$333 ₸149.3K

241.34%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.42

14.83

172.56%

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

Last update for Istanbul: November 2, 2026

Last update for Ekibastuz: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$625 41.1%

Ekibastuz

$181 21.7% 71.1% $444

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$258 17%

Ekibastuz

$231 27.7% 10.6% $27

Eating Out

Istanbul

$221 14.6%

Ekibastuz

$147 17.6% 33.6% $74

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$129 8.5%

Ekibastuz

$161 19.4% 24.7% $32

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$120 7.9%

Ekibastuz

$94 11.2% 21.7% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$91 6%

Ekibastuz

$13 * 1.5% 85.8% $78

Getting Around

Istanbul

$75 5%

Ekibastuz

$7.8 * 0.9% 89.7% $67

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,014 in Istanbul versus $247 in Ekibastuz. 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 3.4 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55 in Istanbul versus $38 in Ekibastuz. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $231 – making Ekibastuz the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇰🇿 Ekibastuz

🕒 Local time

17:25 5:25 PM

19:25 7:25 PM

2 h ahead of Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

159,760

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Kazakhstani Tenge KZT ₸

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 1.99 USD

100 TRY = 1.78 EUR

1,000 KZT = 2.23 USD

1,000 KZT = 1.99 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

KZT, 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).

Kazakhstani Tenge exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 448 KZT (1,000 KZT = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 KZT (1,000 KZT = 1.99 EUR).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Istanbul Ekibastuz 3,680 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Ekibastuz

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 Ekibastuz: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,519 in Istanbul, $834 in Ekibastuz – Ekibastuz comes out roughly 45% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in leisure.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,278 per month in Istanbul and $1,251 in Ekibastuz. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Ekibastuz, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $247 there versus $1,014 in Istanbul.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,519 in Istanbul and $834 in Ekibastuz. That makes Ekibastuz about 45% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $948 per month in Istanbul and $496 in Ekibastuz. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Ekibastuz, where all-in costs run around $834, than in Istanbul at $1,519. In Ekibastuz it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

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