Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Islamabad

For one person, living is cheaper in Islamabad: $608 a month against $1,519 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $10,900 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
29

Cost of Living Index in Islamabad
Learn more

Islamabad Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,519

/mo nomad

Islamabad

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$608

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Islamabad

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

A single person spends $1,519 per month in Istanbul vs $608 in Islamabad, rent included.

Istanbul $1,519
Islamabad $608

A couple spends around $2,365 per month in Istanbul vs $950 in Islamabad, rent included.

Istanbul $2,365
Islamabad $950

A family of three spends $3,212 per month in Istanbul vs $1,292 in Islamabad, rent included.

Istanbul $3,212
Islamabad $1,292

Istanbul costs about 150% more than Islamabad, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Istanbul sits 12% above the global median, while Islamabad is 55% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.81 ₺592

$3.57 PKR 986

230.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.9 ₺2,754

$24.14 PKR 6,672

127.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.26 ₺465

$5.37 PKR 1,483

72.44%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.73 PKR 1,030

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.04 PKR 1,947

Cappuccino

$4.30 ₺216

$2.67 PKR 739

61.05%

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

$1.77 ₺89.0

$0.35 PKR 95.6

405.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺28.32

$0.24 PKR 66.6

133.33%

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

$0.99 PKR 273

26.26%

White Bread (500g)

$0.88 ₺44.17

$0.74 PKR 203

18.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 ₺111

$1.29 PKR 358

70.54%

Eggs

$2.43 ₺122

$1.32 PKR 366

84.09%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.48 ₺526

$5.97 PKR 1,651

75.54%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.31 ₺267

$3.03 PKR 837

75.25%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.10 ₺1,058

$5.52 PKR 1,526

282.25%

Apples (1kg)

$1.86 ₺93.1

$1.35 PKR 373

37.78%

Banana (1kg)

$2.30 ₺115

$0.86 PKR 238

167.44%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.22 ₺61.0

$1.04 PKR 286

17.31%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺90.2

$0.55 PKR 151

227.27%

Potato (1kg)

$0.69 ₺34.83

$0.30 PKR 83.3

130.00%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺32.16

$0.40 PKR 110

60.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.36 ₺68.0

$0.28 PKR 77.0

385.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 ₺28.94

$0.43 PKR 118

34.88%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$2.00 PKR 551

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.25 PKR 346

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.64 PKR 729

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.34 ₺117

$2.36 PKR 652

-0.85%

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

$0.17 PKR 46.15

417.65%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.1 ₺3,316

$21.61 PKR 5,972

205.97%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 ₺64.4

$1.28 PKR 355

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 ₺42.80

$0.70 PKR 193

21.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.09 ₺556

$1.65 PKR 456

572.12%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 ₺74.0

$1.33 PKR 369

11.28%

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

$48.6K ₺2.4M

$54.3K PKR 15.0M

-10.38%

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

$42.0K ₺2.1M

$23.1K PKR 6.4M

81.44%

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

$92.7 ₺4,650

$103 PKR 28.4K

-9.86%

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

$11.20 ₺562

$6.17 PKR 1,705

81.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.89 ₺797

$17.36 PKR 4,798

-8.47%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.7 ₺3,745

$33.65 PKR 9,300

121.93%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.95 ₺1,151

$8.62 PKR 2,382

166.24%

Cinema Ticket

$8.05 ₺404

$4.97 PKR 1,375

61.97%

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

$948 ₺47.6K

$326 PKR 90.1K

190.83%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.9K ₺1.9M

$22.4K PKR 6.2M

64.63%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₺2,702

$25.82 PKR 7,136

108.68%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.49 ₺2,081

$34.52 PKR 9,539

20.19%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 ₺5,060

$95.6 PKR 26.4K

5.51%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.3 ₺4,580

$41.07 PKR 11.4K

122.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,014 ₺50.8K

$248 PKR 68.5K

309.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$625 ₺31.3K

$139 PKR 38.5K

348.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,005 ₺100.6K

$549 PKR 151.6K

265.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,126 ₺56.5K

$280 PKR 77.4K

302.09%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,988 ₺149.8K

$1,655 PKR 457.5K

80.50%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,730 ₺86.8K

$825 PKR 227.9K

109.82%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,136 ₺57.0K

$384 PKR 106.0K

196.24%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.42

13.08

209.02%

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

Last update for Istanbul: November 2, 2026

Last update for Islamabad: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$625 41.1%

Islamabad

$139 22.9% 77.7% $485

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$258 17%

Islamabad

$104 17.1% 59.7% $154

Eating Out

Istanbul

$221 14.6%

Islamabad

$79 13% 64.2% $142

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$129 8.5%

Islamabad

$89 14.6% 31.5% $41

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$120 7.9%

Islamabad

$126 20.8% 5.5% $6.6

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$91 6%

Islamabad

$44 7.2% 52% $47

Getting Around

Istanbul

$75 5%

Islamabad

$27 4.5% 64% $48

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,014 in Istanbul versus $248 in Islamabad. 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 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55 in Istanbul versus $24 in Islamabad. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $104 – making Islamabad the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇵🇰 Islamabad

🕒 Local time

14:13 2:13 PM

16:13 4:13 PM

2 h ahead of Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

1,009,832 Capital

💱 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 = 3.22 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 = 56.33 TRY (100 TRY = 1.78 EUR).

Pakistani Rupee exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 276 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.62 USD). 1 EUR = 310 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.22 EUR).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Istanbul Islamabad 3,940 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Islamabad

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 Islamabad: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 150%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,278 per month in Istanbul and $912 in Islamabad. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Islamabad, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $248 there versus $1,014 in Istanbul.

Groceries cost about 148% more in Istanbul, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55 in Istanbul and $24 in Islamabad. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Islamabad, where all-in costs run around $608, than in Istanbul at $1,519. In Islamabad it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

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