Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Gaziantep

For one person, living is cheaper in Gaziantep: $701 a month against $1,516 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $9,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

73

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index
34

Cost of Living Index in Gaziantep
Learn more

Gaziantep Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,516

/mo nomad

Gaziantep

🇹🇷 Turkey

$701

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Gaziantep

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,516 in Istanbul versus $701 in Gaziantep.

Istanbul $1,516
Gaziantep $701

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,356 in Istanbul versus $1,152 in Gaziantep.

Istanbul $2,356
Gaziantep $1,152

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,197 in Istanbul versus $1,604 in Gaziantep.

Istanbul $3,197
Gaziantep $1,604

Living in Istanbul is roughly 116% more expensive than in Gaziantep, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Istanbul is 11% above, Gaziantep is 49% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.59 ₺577

$4.58 ₺228

153.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.7 ₺2,725

$30.17 ₺1,503

81.24%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.39 ₺468

$7.53 ₺376

24.70%

Cappuccino

$4.23 ₺211

$3.18 ₺159

33.02%

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

$1.72 ₺85.6

$1.04 ₺51.9

65.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.57 ₺28.26

$0.27 ₺13.53

111.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.65 ₺232

$2.39 ₺119

94.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.84 ₺341

$2.68 ₺133

155.22%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.20 ₺60.0

$0.90 ₺45.10

33.33%

White Bread (500g)

$0.94 ₺46.97

$0.86 ₺42.85

9.30%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.24 ₺112

$1.76 ₺87.5

27.27%

Eggs

$2.42 ₺121

$1.81 ₺90.3

33.70%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.24 ₺510

$8.94 ₺445

14.54%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.38 ₺268

$3.28 ₺163

64.02%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.19 ₺1,056

$17.73 ₺883

19.51%

Apples (1kg)

$1.89 ₺94.3

$1.68 ₺83.9

12.50%

Banana (1kg)

$2.22 ₺111

$1.55 ₺77.4

43.23%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.26 ₺62.7

$0.84 ₺41.76

50.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.81 ₺90.0

$0.95 ₺47.34

90.53%

Potato (1kg)

$0.70 ₺34.84

$0.50 ₺24.76

40.00%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺32.13

$0.38 ₺18.86

68.42%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.22 ₺60.9

$0.75 ₺37.55

62.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ₺27.35

$0.59 ₺29.28

-6.78%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.32 ₺116

$2.12 ₺105

9.43%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.31 ₺663

$5.79 ₺288

129.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.33 ₺116

$2.16 ₺108

7.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 ₺172

$1.97 ₺97.9

75.63%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.91 ₺45.18

$0.63 ₺31.15

44.44%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.3 ₺3,306

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.29 ₺64.2

$0.75 ₺37.33

72.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.86 ₺42.66

$0.52 ₺26.16

65.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.09 ₺553

$10.19 ₺508

8.83%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.42 ₺70.8

$1.31 ₺65.1

8.40%

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

$49.2K ₺2.5M

$41.4K ₺2.1M

18.85%

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

$42.8K ₺2.1M

$38.8K ₺1.9M

10.21%

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

$87.7 ₺4,373

$30.54 ₺1,522

187.30%

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

$11.28 ₺562

$9.25 ₺461

21.95%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.89 ₺792

$11.20 ₺558

41.88%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$75.9 ₺3,783

$56.7 ₺2,827

33.79%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.04 ₺1,148

Cinema Ticket

$8.20 ₺409

$5.18 ₺258

58.30%

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

$1,028 ₺51.2K

$436 ₺21.7K

135.76%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$26.0K ₺1.3M

$6,922 ₺345.0K

275.06%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.3 ₺2,658

$15.35 ₺765

247.43%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.69 ₺1,978

$7.98 ₺398

397.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.8 ₺4,972

$49.74 ₺2,479

100.58%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.5 ₺4,661

$30.47 ₺1,518

206.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,003 ₺50.0K

$319 ₺15.9K

215.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$628 ₺31.3K

$218 ₺10.8K

188.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,963 ₺97.8K

$723 ₺36.0K

171.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,122 ₺55.9K

$459 ₺22.9K

144.15%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,075 ₺153.2K

$931 ₺46.4K

230.12%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,753 ₺87.3K

$592 ₺29.5K

196.20%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,180 ₺58.8K

$1,279 ₺63.8K

-7.80%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.69

41.5

-1.95%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 27, 2026

Last update for Gaziantep: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$628 41.5%

Gaziantep

$218 31% 65.4% $411

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$258 17%

Gaziantep

$193 27.5% 25.3% $65

Eating Out

Istanbul

$218 14.4%

Gaziantep

$120 17.1% 44.9% $98

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$129 8.5%

Gaziantep

$47 6.7% 63.8% $82

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$115 7.6%

Gaziantep

$51 7.3% 55.6% $64

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$92 6.1%

Gaziantep

$67 9.6% 27.3% $25

Getting Around

Istanbul

$76 5%

Gaziantep

$5.9 * 0.8% 92.2% $70

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 $1,003 in Istanbul and $319 in Gaziantep. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Gaziantep pays 8% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $55 in Istanbul vs $30 in Gaziantep for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $258 vs $193 per month, with Gaziantep cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇹🇷 Gaziantep

🕒 Local time

21:04 9:04 PM

Same time as Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

2,164,134

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 2.01 USD

100 TRY = 1.8 EUR

100 TRY = 2.01 USD

100 TRY = 1.8 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Istanbul Gaziantep 850 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
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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 Gaziantep: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Istanbul and Gaziantep differ by about 116% in total monthly costs ($1,516 vs $701 including rent). Gaziantep is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 8% lower in Istanbul. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,003 in Istanbul versus $319 in Gaziantep. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,028 in Istanbul versus $436 in Gaziantep. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Gaziantep – a meal for two runs $30 versus $55 in Istanbul. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $701 in Gaziantep versus $1,516 in Istanbul, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Gaziantep but tight or insufficient in Istanbul. The gap between the two cities makes Gaziantep 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 Gaziantep are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.