Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Faisalabad

For one person, living is cheaper in Faisalabad: $395 a month against $1,519 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $13,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

73

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index
19

Cost of Living Index in Faisalabad
Learn more

Faisalabad Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,519

/mo nomad

Faisalabad

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$395

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Faisalabad

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

A single person spends $1,519 per month in Istanbul vs $395 in Faisalabad, rent included.

Istanbul $1,519
Faisalabad $395

A couple spends around $2,365 per month in Istanbul vs $618 in Faisalabad, rent included.

Istanbul $2,365
Faisalabad $618

A family of three spends $3,212 per month in Istanbul vs $841 in Faisalabad, rent included.

Istanbul $3,212
Faisalabad $841

Istanbul costs about 284% more than Faisalabad, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Istanbul sits 12% above the global median, while Faisalabad is 71% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.81 ₺592

$1.79 PKR 496

559.78%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.9 ₺2,754

$11.00 PKR 3,043

399.18%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.26 ₺465

$5.50 PKR 1,522

68.36%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.50 PKR 692

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.11 PKR 583

Cappuccino

$4.30 ₺216

$1.46 PKR 403

194.52%

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

$1.77 ₺89.0

$0.45 PKR 124

293.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺28.32

$0.31 PKR 85.5

80.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.69 ₺235

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.12 ₺357

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 ₺62.7

$0.75 PKR 206

66.67%

White Bread (500g)

$0.88 ₺44.17

$0.62 PKR 170

41.94%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 ₺111

$1.25 PKR 346

76.00%

Eggs

$2.43 ₺122

$1.25 PKR 347

94.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.48 ₺526

$8.81 PKR 2,438

18.96%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.31 ₺267

$2.55 PKR 705

108.24%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.10 ₺1,058

$4.04 PKR 1,116

422.28%

Apples (1kg)

$1.86 ₺93.1

$1.05 PKR 290

77.14%

Banana (1kg)

$2.30 ₺115

$0.67 PKR 184

243.28%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.22 ₺61.0

$0.62 PKR 171

96.77%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺90.2

$0.62 PKR 172

190.32%

Potato (1kg)

$0.69 ₺34.83

$0.30 PKR 84.0

130.00%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺32.16

$0.47 PKR 130

36.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.36 ₺68.0

$0.64 PKR 176

112.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 ₺28.94

$0.40 PKR 110

45.00%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$0.56 PKR 154

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 PKR 155

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.74 PKR 204

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.34 ₺117

$1.41 PKR 390

65.96%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.03 ₺653

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.36 ₺118

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.32 ₺166

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.88 ₺44.07

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.1 ₺3,316

$7.03 PKR 1,944

840.54%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 ₺64.4

$1.09 PKR 302

17.43%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 ₺42.80

$1.10 PKR 305

-22.73%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.09 ₺556

$2.83 PKR 782

291.87%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 ₺74.0

$1.23 PKR 340

20.33%

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

$48.6K ₺2.4M

$23.3K PKR 6.4M

108.97%

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

$42.0K ₺2.1M

$23.6K PKR 6.5M

78.14%

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

$92.7 ₺4,650

$66.3 PKR 18.3K

39.86%

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

$11.20 ₺562

$7.52 PKR 2,081

48.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.89 ₺797

$11.53 PKR 3,189

37.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.7 ₺3,745

$14.60 PKR 4,038

411.51%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.95 ₺1,151

$17.86 PKR 4,939

28.50%

Cinema Ticket

$8.05 ₺404

$7.34 PKR 2,029

9.67%

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

$948 ₺47.6K

$26.13 PKR 7,226

3529.70%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.9K ₺1.9M

$2,055 PKR 568.4K

1696.36%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₺2,702

$18.73 PKR 5,180

187.67%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.49 ₺2,081

$26.96 PKR 7,456

53.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 ₺5,060

$53.4 PKR 14.8K

88.83%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.3 ₺4,580

$30.31 PKR 8,383

201.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,014 ₺50.8K

$111 PKR 30.8K

810.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$625 ₺31.3K

$58.5 PKR 16.2K

967.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,005 ₺100.6K

$217 PKR 60.0K

823.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,126 ₺56.5K

$124 PKR 34.3K

808.74%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,988 ₺149.8K

$538 PKR 148.8K

455.18%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,730 ₺86.8K

$258 PKR 71.3K

571.31%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,136 ₺57.0K

$170 PKR 46.9K

570.00%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.42

11.83

241.67%

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

Last update for Istanbul: November 2, 2026

Last update for Faisalabad: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$625 41.1%

Faisalabad

$58 14.8% 90.6% $566

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$258 17%

Faisalabad

$99 25% 61.7% $159

Eating Out

Istanbul

$221 14.6%

Faisalabad

$51 13% 76.8% $170

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$129 8.5%

Faisalabad

$58 14.7% 55% $71

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$120 7.9%

Faisalabad

$85 21.6% 28.8% $34

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$91 6%

Faisalabad

$29 7.4% 67.8% $62

Getting Around

Istanbul

$75 5%

Faisalabad

$14 * 3.5% 81.9% $62

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 $111 in Faisalabad. 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 6.7 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55 in Istanbul versus $11 in Faisalabad. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $99 – making Faisalabad the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇵🇰 Faisalabad

🕒 Local time

22:32 10:32 PM

00:32 12:32 AM

2 h ahead of Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

3,203,846

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Pakistani Rupee PKR ₨

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 1.99 USD

100 TRY = 1.78 EUR

1,000 PKR = 3.62 USD

1,000 PKR = 3.24 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PKR, 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 = 56.05 TRY (100 TRY = 1.78 EUR).

Pakistani Rupee exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 277 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.62 USD). 1 EUR = 309 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.24 EUR).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Istanbul Faisalabad 4,050 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Faisalabad

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 Faisalabad: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Istanbul costs about 284% more than Faisalabad, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,278 per month in Istanbul and $593 in Faisalabad. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Faisalabad, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $111 there versus $1,014 in Istanbul.

Groceries cost about 161% more in Istanbul, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55 in Istanbul and $11 in Faisalabad. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $800 monthly budget goes further in Faisalabad, where all-in costs run around $395, than in Istanbul at $1,519. In Faisalabad it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Faisalabad – 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 Faisalabad. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Istanbul makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.