Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Gurjaani

For one person, living is cheaper in Gurjaani: $990 a month against $1,550 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $6,700 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

75

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index
48

Cost of Living Index in Gurjaani
Learn more

Gurjaani Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

Gurjaani

🇬🇪 Georgia

$990

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Gurjaani

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,550 in Istanbul versus $990 in Gurjaani.

Istanbul $1,550
Gurjaani $990

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,415 in Istanbul versus $1,155 in Gurjaani.

Istanbul $2,415
Gurjaani $1,155

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,281 in Istanbul versus $1,320 in Gurjaani.

Istanbul $3,281
Gurjaani $1,320

Living in Istanbul is roughly 57% more expensive than in Gurjaani, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Istanbul is 15% above, Gurjaani is 27% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.30 ₺609

$5.67 ₾14.68

116.93%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.7 ₺2,708

$23.61 ₾61.1

131.68%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.22 ₺456

$5.64 ₾14.59

63.48%

Cappuccino

$4.40 ₺218

$1.13 ₾2.92

289.38%

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

$1.68 ₺83.1

$0.48 ₾1.24

250.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₺29.40

$0.28 ₾0.73

110.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.70 ₺233

$1.00 ₾2.60

370.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.91 ₺292

$1.78 ₾4.60

232.02%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 ₺60.0

$1.56 ₾4.04

-22.44%

White Bread (500g)

$0.89 ₺44.10

$0.43 ₾1.11

106.98%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.19 ₺108

$0.98 ₾2.54

123.47%

Eggs

$2.35 ₺116

$1.78 ₾4.62

32.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.42 ₺516

$5.75 ₾14.89

81.22%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.65 ₺280

$3.01 ₾7.80

87.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.94 ₺1,037

$7.08 ₾18.32

195.76%

Apples (1kg)

$1.90 ₺94.1

$0.81 ₾2.09

134.57%

Banana (1kg)

$2.31 ₺114

$1.58 ₾4.09

46.20%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.1

$1.54 ₾3.99

-16.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺89.0

$1.15 ₾2.98

56.52%

Potato (1kg)

$0.65 ₺32.16

$0.32 ₾0.84

103.13%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺31.91

$0.71 ₾1.85

-9.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 ₺62.1

$0.76 ₾1.96

64.47%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.58

$0.44 ₾1.13

27.27%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.37 ₺118

$3.16 ₾8.17

-25.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.42 ₺664

$3.79 ₾9.80

254.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₺119

$1.09 ₾2.81

120.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 ₺172

$1.79 ₾4.64

94.41%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.89 ₺43.84

$0.19 ₾0.50

368.42%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.4 ₺3,338

$5.83 ₾15.09

1056.60%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.29 ₺64.1

$0.74 ₾1.92

74.32%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 ₺45.70

$0.78 ₾2.03

17.95%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.96 ₺542

$3.90 ₾10.10

181.03%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ₺72.9

$0.95 ₾2.46

54.74%

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

$50.8K ₺2.5M

$21.3K ₾55.0K

138.84%

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

$44.5K ₺2.2M

$22.6K ₾58.5K

97.19%

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

$88.6 ₺4,387

$43.22 ₾112

105.02%

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

$11.59 ₺574

$5.84 ₾15.11

98.46%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.81 ₺783

$15.33 ₾39.68

3.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.2 ₺3,820

$19.24 ₾49.82

301.04%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.74 ₺1,126

Cinema Ticket

$8.14 ₺403

$4.80 ₾12.42

69.58%

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

$1,008 ₺49.9K

$132 ₾343

661.41%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.6K ₺1.3M

$2,715 ₾7,029

841.44%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.0 ₺2,671

$56.1 ₾145

-3.83%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.83 ₺2,021

$40.62 ₾105

0.52%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.9 ₺4,895

$95.8 ₾248

3.20%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.6 ₺4,783

$86.3 ₾223

11.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$985 ₺48.7K

$314 ₾813

213.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$650 ₺32.2K

$536 ₾1,386

21.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,983 ₺98.2K

$409 ₾1,059

385.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,180 ₺58.4K

$273 ₾708

331.72%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,138 ₺155.4K

$541 ₾1,401

480.01%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,780 ₺88.1K

$387 ₾1,002

360.00%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,205 ₺59.7K

$406 ₾1,051

196.99%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.92

241.00%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 13, 2026

Last update for Gurjaani: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$650 41.9%

Gurjaani

$536 54.1% 17.6% $114

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$260 16.8%

Gurjaani

$137 13.9% 47.2% $122

Eating Out

Istanbul

$223 14.4%

Gurjaani

$87 8.8% 60.8% $136

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$131 8.4%

Gurjaani

$125 12.7% 3.9% $5.1

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$116 7.5%

Gurjaani

$64 6.5% 44.5% $52

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$93 6%

Gurjaani

$29 2.9% 69.1% $65

Getting Around

Istanbul

$77 5%

Gurjaani

$11 1.1% 85.4% $66

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $985 in Istanbul and $314 in Gurjaani. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Istanbul pays 197% 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: $55.0 in Istanbul vs $24.00 in Gurjaani for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $260 vs $137 per month, with Gurjaani cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇬🇪 Gurjaani

🕒 Local time

11:20 11:20 AM

12:20 12:20 PM

1 h ahead of Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

8,000

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Georgian Lari GEL ₾

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 2.02 USD

100 TRY = 1.8 EUR

1 GEL = 0.386 USD

1 GEL = 0.344 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

GEL, 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).

Georgian Lari exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 2.59 GEL (1 GEL = 0.386 USD). 1 EUR = 2.91 GEL (1 GEL = 0.344 EUR).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Istanbul Gurjaani 1,400 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Gurjaani

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 Gurjaani: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Gurjaani is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 57% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 197% 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: $985 in Istanbul versus $314 in Gurjaani. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 89% higher in Istanbul. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Gurjaani – a meal for two runs $24.00 versus $55.0 in Istanbul. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $990 in Gurjaani versus $1,550 in Istanbul, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Gurjaani but tight or insufficient in Istanbul. The gap between the two cities makes Gurjaani the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Gurjaani is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Istanbul, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Istanbul and Gurjaani 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 Gurjaani gentler on the wallet – expenses run 57% less than in Istanbul. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.