Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Kalush

For one person, living is cheaper in Kalush: $593 a month against $1,519 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $11,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

73

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index
29

Cost of Living Index in Kalush
Learn more

Kalush Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,519

/mo nomad

Kalush

🇺🇦 Ukraine

$593

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Kalush

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

A single person spends $1,519 per month in Istanbul vs $593 in Kalush, rent included.

Istanbul $1,519
Kalush $593

A couple spends around $2,365 per month in Istanbul vs $996 in Kalush, rent included.

Istanbul $2,365
Kalush $996

A family of three spends $3,212 per month in Istanbul vs $1,398 in Kalush, rent included.

Istanbul $3,212
Kalush $1,398

Istanbul costs about 156% more than Kalush, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Istanbul sits 12% above the global median, while Kalush is 56% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.81 ₺592

$6.44 ₴293

83.39%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.9 ₺2,754

$12.04 ₴548

356.06%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.26 ₺465

$5.37 ₴245

72.44%

Cappuccino

$4.30 ₺216

$0.95 ₴43.10

352.63%

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

$1.77 ₺89.0

$0.59 ₴27.08

200.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺28.32

$0.42 ₴19.17

33.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.69 ₺235

$1.09 ₴49.60

330.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.12 ₺357

$1.67 ₴76.1

326.35%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 ₺62.7

$1.15 ₴52.4

8.70%

White Bread (500g)

$0.88 ₺44.17

$0.62 ₴28.28

41.94%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 ₺111

$1.37 ₴62.5

60.58%

Eggs

$2.43 ₺122

$1.42 ₴64.9

71.13%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.48 ₺526

$8.63 ₴393

21.44%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.31 ₺267

$4.37 ₴199

21.51%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.10 ₺1,058

$7.09 ₴323

197.60%

Apples (1kg)

$1.86 ₺93.1

$1.06 ₴48.49

75.47%

Banana (1kg)

$2.30 ₺115

$1.55 ₴70.7

48.39%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.22 ₺61.0

$1.57 ₴71.7

-22.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺90.2

$2.15 ₴97.9

-16.28%

Potato (1kg)

$0.69 ₺34.83

$0.74 ₴33.84

-6.76%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺32.16

$0.44 ₴20.26

45.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.36 ₺68.0

$1.17 ₴53.4

16.24%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 ₺28.94

$0.53 ₴24.14

9.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.34 ₺117

$3.14 ₴143

-25.48%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.03 ₺653

$4.30 ₴196

203.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.36 ₺118

$0.83 ₴37.91

184.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.32 ₺166

$1.43 ₴65.2

132.17%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.88 ₺44.07

$0.31 ₴14.31

183.87%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.1 ₺3,316

$15.05 ₴685

339.34%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 ₺64.4

$1.11 ₴50.8

15.32%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 ₺42.80

$0.35 ₴15.98

142.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.09 ₺556

$4.25 ₴193

160.94%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 ₺74.0

$1.33 ₴60.4

11.28%

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

$48.6K ₺2.4M

$34.0K ₴1.5M

43.11%

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

$42.0K ₺2.1M

$21.4K ₴976.6K

95.72%

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

$92.7 ₺4,650

$84.3 ₴3,838

10.00%

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

$11.20 ₺562

$4.77 ₴217

134.80%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.89 ₺797

$3.86 ₴176

311.66%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.7 ₺3,745

$26.19 ₴1,193

185.15%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.95 ₺1,151

$15.23 ₴694

50.69%

Cinema Ticket

$8.05 ₺404

$4.35 ₴198

85.06%

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

$948 ₺47.6K

$280 ₴12.8K

238.68%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.9K ₺1.9M

$4,084 ₴186.0K

803.99%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₺2,702

$53.7 ₴2,447

0.28%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.49 ₺2,081

$36.34 ₴1,655

14.17%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 ₺5,060

$74.6 ₴3,398

35.22%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.3 ₺4,580

$74.6 ₴3,398

22.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,014 ₺50.8K

$129 ₴5,880

684.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$625 ₺31.3K

$87.5 ₴3,983

613.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,005 ₺100.6K

$249 ₴11.4K

704.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,126 ₺56.5K

$319 ₴14.5K

252.68%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,988 ₺149.8K

$1,130 ₴51.5K

164.42%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,730 ₺86.8K

$850 ₴38.7K

103.55%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,136 ₺57.0K

$261 ₴11.9K

334.65%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.42

17.6

129.66%

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

Last update for Istanbul: November 2, 2026

Last update for Kalush: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$625 41.1%

Kalush

$87 14.7% 86% $537

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$258 17%

Kalush

$159 26.9% 38.3% $99

Eating Out

Istanbul

$221 14.6%

Kalush

$92 15.5% 58.4% $129

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$129 8.5%

Kalush

$108 18.2% 16.8% $22

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$120 7.9%

Kalush

$93 15.7% 22.4% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$91 6%

Kalush

$35 5.9% 61.6% $56

Getting Around

Istanbul

$75 5%

Kalush

$19 3.2% 74.5% $56

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,014 in Istanbul versus $129 in Kalush. 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 4.3 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55 in Istanbul versus $12 in Kalush. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $159 – making Kalush the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇺🇦 Kalush

🕒 Local time

15:52 3:52 PM

14:52 2:52 PM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

67,559

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Ukrainian Hryvnia UAH ₴

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 1.99 USD

100 TRY = 1.78 EUR

100 UAH = 2.2 USD

100 UAH = 1.96 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

UAH, 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).

Ukrainian Hryvnia exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 45.54 UAH (100 UAH = 2.2 USD). 1 EUR = 51.14 UAH (100 UAH = 1.96 EUR).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Istanbul Kalush 960 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Kalush

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 Kalush: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 156%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,278 per month in Istanbul and $890 in Kalush. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Kalush, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $129 there versus $1,014 in Istanbul.

Kindergarten costs $948 per month in Istanbul and $280 in Kalush. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 62% more in Istanbul, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Kalush, where all-in costs run around $593, than in Istanbul at $1,519. In Kalush it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

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