Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Jhelum

For one person, living is cheaper in Jhelum: $399 a month against $1,519 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $13,400 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 Jhelum
Learn more

Jhelum Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,519

/mo nomad

Jhelum

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$399

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Jhelum

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

A single person spends $1,519 per month in Istanbul vs $399 in Jhelum, rent included.

Istanbul $1,519
Jhelum $399

A couple spends around $2,365 per month in Istanbul vs $616 in Jhelum, rent included.

Istanbul $2,365
Jhelum $616

A family of three spends $3,212 per month in Istanbul vs $834 in Jhelum, rent included.

Istanbul $3,212
Jhelum $834

Istanbul costs about 281% more than Jhelum, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.81 ₺591

$1.86 PKR 515

534.95%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.9 ₺2,748

$10.81 PKR 2,991

407.96%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.26 ₺463

$5.45 PKR 1,509

69.91%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.51 PKR 696

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.12 PKR 587

Cappuccino

$4.30 ₺215

$1.50 PKR 416

186.67%

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

$1.77 ₺88.8

$0.45 PKR 123

293.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺28.26

$0.30 PKR 82.4

86.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.69 ₺234

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.12 ₺356

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 ₺62.6

$0.67 PKR 186

86.57%

White Bread (500g)

$0.88 ₺44.07

$0.66 PKR 183

33.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 ₺110

$1.22 PKR 337

80.33%

Eggs

$2.43 ₺122

$1.19 PKR 330

104.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.48 ₺524

$2.60 PKR 718

303.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.31 ₺266

$2.28 PKR 631

132.89%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.10 ₺1,056

$2.72 PKR 751

675.74%

Apples (1kg)

$1.86 ₺92.9

$1.11 PKR 307

67.57%

Banana (1kg)

$2.30 ₺115

$0.37 PKR 103

521.62%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.22 ₺60.8

$0.61 PKR 168

100.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺90.0

$0.63 PKR 175

185.71%

Potato (1kg)

$0.69 ₺34.75

$0.28 PKR 77.4

146.43%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺32.09

$0.35 PKR 96.1

82.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.36 ₺67.8

$0.43 PKR 120

216.28%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 ₺28.88

$0.40 PKR 111

45.00%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$1.87 PKR 516

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 PKR 144

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.33 PKR 646

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.34 ₺117

$1.48 PKR 410

58.11%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.03 ₺652

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 ₺43.97

$0.19 PKR 53.8

363.16%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.1 ₺3,309

$9.82 PKR 2,717

573.32%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 ₺64.3

$1.06 PKR 294

20.75%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 ₺42.70

$1.11 PKR 307

-23.42%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.09 ₺555

$2.87 PKR 793

286.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 ₺73.9

$1.17 PKR 324

26.50%

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

$48.6K ₺2.4M

$23.9K PKR 6.6M

103.34%

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

$42.0K ₺2.1M

$23.4K PKR 6.5M

79.70%

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

$92.7 ₺4,639

$66.4 PKR 18.4K

39.58%

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

$11.20 ₺560

$5.63 PKR 1,558

98.93%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.89 ₺795

$14.69 PKR 4,064

8.17%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.7 ₺3,737

$14.73 PKR 4,074

406.99%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.95 ₺1,149

$7.96 PKR 2,202

188.32%

Cinema Ticket

$8.05 ₺403

$7.14 PKR 1,974

12.75%

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

$948 ₺47.5K

$26.80 PKR 7,414

3438.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.9K ₺1.8M

$2,037 PKR 563.4K

1712.60%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₺2,696

$19.11 PKR 5,285

181.95%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.49 ₺2,076

$26.16 PKR 7,235

58.60%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 ₺5,049

$53.6 PKR 14.8K

88.09%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.3 ₺4,570

$30.33 PKR 8,390

201.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,014 ₺50.7K

$137 PKR 37.8K

642.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$625 ₺31.3K

$83.5 PKR 23.1K

647.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,005 ₺100.4K

$266 PKR 73.7K

653.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,126 ₺56.3K

$184 PKR 50.9K

511.39%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,988 ₺149.5K

$832 PKR 230.0K

259.30%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,730 ₺86.6K

$509 PKR 140.9K

239.66%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,136 ₺56.9K

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 Jhelum: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$625 41.1%

Jhelum

$84 21% 86.6% $541

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$258 17%

Jhelum

$72 18% 72.2% $186

Eating Out

Istanbul

$221 14.6%

Jhelum

$52 13.1% 76.3% $169

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$129 8.5%

Jhelum

$58 14.6% 55.1% $71

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$120 7.9%

Jhelum

$87 21.8% 27.6% $33

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$91 6%

Jhelum

$29 7.3% 68.1% $62

Getting Around

Istanbul

$75 5%

Jhelum

$17 4.3% 77.1% $58

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,014 in Istanbul versus $137 in Jhelum. 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 $11 in Jhelum. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $72 – making Jhelum the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇵🇰 Jhelum

🕒 Local time

21:44 9:44 PM

23:44 11:44 PM

2 h ahead of Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

190,425

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Pakistani Rupee PKR ₨

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 2 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 5, 2026: 1 USD = 50.04 TRY (100 TRY = 2 USD). 1 EUR = 56.23 TRY (100 TRY = 1.78 EUR).

Pakistani Rupee exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 277 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.62 USD). 1 EUR = 311 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.22 EUR).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Istanbul Jhelum 4,030 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Jhelum

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 Jhelum: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 281%, 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 $598 in Jhelum. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Jhelum, 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 $27 in Jhelum. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 260% more in Istanbul, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Jhelum, where all-in costs run around $399, than in Istanbul at $1,519. In Jhelum it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Jhelum – 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.

For expats, Jhelum is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 74% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.