Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Jhang

For one person, living is cheaper in Jhang: $506 a month against $1,519 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $12,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

73

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index
24

Cost of Living Index in Jhang
Learn more

Jhang Living Index

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Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,519

/mo nomad

Jhang

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$506

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Jhang

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

A single person spends $1,519 per month in Istanbul vs $506 in Jhang, rent included.

Istanbul $1,519
Jhang $506

A couple spends around $2,365 per month in Istanbul vs $762 in Jhang, rent included.

Istanbul $2,365
Jhang $762

A family of three spends $3,212 per month in Istanbul vs $1,017 in Jhang, rent included.

Istanbul $3,212
Jhang $1,017

Istanbul costs about 200% more than Jhang, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Istanbul sits 12% above the global median, while Jhang is 63% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.81 ₺592

$2.47 PKR 682

378.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.9 ₺2,754

$14.51 PKR 4,009

278.43%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.26 ₺465

$5.88 PKR 1,624

57.48%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.67 PKR 1,014

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.56 PKR 1,536

Cappuccino

$4.30 ₺216

$2.63 PKR 728

63.50%

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

$1.77 ₺89.0

$0.40 PKR 111

342.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺28.32

$0.24 PKR 65.9

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

$0.95 PKR 263

31.58%

White Bread (500g)

$0.88 ₺44.17

$0.75 PKR 207

17.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 ₺111

$1.23 PKR 340

78.86%

Eggs

$2.43 ₺122

$1.18 PKR 327

105.93%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.48 ₺526

$6.14 PKR 1,697

70.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.31 ₺267

$2.56 PKR 707

107.42%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.10 ₺1,058

$4.92 PKR 1,361

328.86%

Apples (1kg)

$1.86 ₺93.1

$1.18 PKR 327

57.63%

Banana (1kg)

$2.30 ₺115

$0.70 PKR 194

228.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.22 ₺61.0

$0.90 PKR 249

35.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺90.2

$0.59 PKR 164

205.08%

Potato (1kg)

$0.69 ₺34.83

$0.29 PKR 78.8

137.93%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺32.16

$0.38 PKR 106

68.42%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.36 ₺68.0

$0.47 PKR 131

189.36%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 ₺28.94

$0.35 PKR 96.7

65.71%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$1.07 PKR 294

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.62 PKR 170

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.70 PKR 470

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.34 ₺117

$2.12 PKR 587

10.38%

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

$0.16 PKR 43.78

450.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.1 ₺3,316

$9.63 PKR 2,662

586.60%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 ₺64.4

$0.92 PKR 256

39.13%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 ₺42.80

$0.70 PKR 194

21.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.09 ₺556

$1.85 PKR 511

499.46%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 ₺74.0

$1.40 PKR 388

5.71%

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

$48.6K ₺2.4M

$18.2K PKR 5.0M

167.34%

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

$42.0K ₺2.1M

$24.4K PKR 6.7M

72.14%

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

$92.7 ₺4,650

$124 PKR 34.3K

-25.41%

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

$11.20 ₺562

$5.63 PKR 1,557

98.93%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.89 ₺797

$16.19 PKR 4,474

-1.85%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.7 ₺3,745

$14.74 PKR 4,075

406.65%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.95 ₺1,151

$8.31 PKR 2,297

176.17%

Cinema Ticket

$8.05 ₺404

$4.28 PKR 1,183

88.08%

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

$948 ₺47.6K

$74.6 PKR 20.6K

1171.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.9K ₺1.9M

$2,030 PKR 561.0K

1718.47%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₺2,702

$17.99 PKR 4,971

199.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.49 ₺2,081

$27.98 PKR 7,733

48.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 ₺5,060

$72.3 PKR 20.0K

39.52%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.3 ₺4,580

$33.23 PKR 9,185

174.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,014 ₺50.8K

$137 PKR 37.9K

640.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$625 ₺31.3K

$85.1 PKR 23.5K

633.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,005 ₺100.6K

$266 PKR 73.5K

654.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,126 ₺56.5K

$181 PKR 50.1K

521.13%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,988 ₺149.8K

$833 PKR 230.2K

258.71%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,730 ₺86.8K

$509 PKR 140.7K

239.93%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,136 ₺57.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.42

14.05

187.69%

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

Last update for Istanbul: November 2, 2026

Last update for Jhang: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$625 41.1%

Jhang

$85 16.8% 86.4% $539

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$258 17%

Jhang

$97 19.2% 62.4% $161

Eating Out

Istanbul

$221 14.6%

Jhang

$72 14.1% 67.6% $149

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$129 8.5%

Jhang

$68 13.5% 47.3% $61

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$120 7.9%

Jhang

$146 28.9% 22% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$91 6%

Jhang

$23 4.6% 74.3% $67

Getting Around

Istanbul

$75 5%

Jhang

$15 2.9% 80.4% $60

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,014 in Istanbul versus $137 in Jhang. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55 in Istanbul versus $15 in Jhang. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $97 – making Jhang the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇵🇰 Jhang

🕒 Local time

05:47 5:47 AM

07:47 7:47 AM

2 h ahead of Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

414,131

💱 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 = 56.3 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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Between locations

Istanbul Jhang 4,000 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Jhang

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 Jhang: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 200%, 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 $759 in Jhang. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Jhang, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $137 there versus $1,014 in Istanbul.

Kindergarten costs $948 per month in Istanbul and $75 in Jhang. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 166% more in Istanbul, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Jhang, where all-in costs run around $506, than in Istanbul at $1,519. In Jhang it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

For expats, Jhang is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 67% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.