Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Kamez

For one person, living is cheaper in Kamez: $1,088 a month against $1,550 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $5,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

75

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index
52

Cost of Living Index in Kamez
Learn more

Kamez Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

Kamez

🇦🇱 Albania

$1,088

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Kamez

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

A single person spends $1,550 per month in Istanbul vs $1,088 in Kamez, rent included.

Istanbul $1,550
Kamez $1,088

A couple spends around $2,415 per month in Istanbul vs $1,622 in Kamez, rent included.

Istanbul $2,415
Kamez $1,622

A family of three spends $3,281 per month in Istanbul vs $2,157 in Kamez, rent included.

Istanbul $3,281
Kamez $2,157

Istanbul costs about 42% more than Kamez, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Istanbul sits 15% above the global median, while Kamez is 19% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.30 ₺609

$9.88 ALL 796

24.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.7 ₺2,708

$38.03 ALL 3,062

43.83%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.22 ₺456

$7.46 ALL 601

23.59%

Cappuccino

$4.40 ₺218

$1.90 ALL 153

131.58%

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

$1.68 ₺83.1

$1.75 ALL 141

-4.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₺29.40

$0.69 ALL 55.3

-14.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.70 ₺233

$2.47 ALL 199

90.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.91 ₺292

$3.29 ALL 265

79.64%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 ₺60.0

$1.95 ALL 157

-37.95%

White Bread (500g)

$0.89 ₺44.10

$0.96 ALL 77.6

-7.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.19 ₺108

$2.01 ALL 162

8.96%

Eggs

$2.35 ₺116

$2.61 ALL 210

-9.96%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.42 ₺516

$10.26 ALL 826

1.56%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.65 ₺280

$8.32 ALL 670

-32.09%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.94 ₺1,037

$13.84 ALL 1,114

51.30%

Apples (1kg)

$1.90 ₺94.1

$1.88 ALL 152

1.06%

Banana (1kg)

$2.31 ₺114

$2.27 ALL 183

1.76%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.1

$1.68 ALL 135

-23.81%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺89.0

$1.58 ALL 127

13.92%

Potato (1kg)

$0.65 ₺32.16

$1.06 ALL 85.2

-38.68%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺31.91

$1.23 ALL 99.4

-47.97%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 ₺62.1

$1.19 ALL 96.0

5.04%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.58

$0.73 ALL 59.1

-23.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.37 ₺118

$4.39 ALL 353

-46.01%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.42 ₺664

$7.99 ALL 644

67.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₺119

$1.62 ALL 131

48.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 ₺172

$1.88 ALL 152

85.11%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.89 ₺43.84

$0.51 ALL 40.87

74.51%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.4 ₺3,338

$21.25 ALL 1,711

217.32%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.29 ₺64.1

$3.64 ALL 293

-64.56%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 ₺45.70

$3.61 ALL 291

-74.52%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.96 ₺542

$18.57 ALL 1,496

-40.98%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ₺72.9

$2.18 ALL 175

-32.57%

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

$50.8K ₺2.5M

$33.4K ALL 2.7M

52.08%

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

$44.5K ₺2.2M

$24.7K ALL 2.0M

80.26%

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

$88.6 ₺4,387

$61.1 ALL 4,920

45.02%

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

$11.59 ₺574

$16.32 ALL 1,314

-28.98%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.81 ₺783

$16.84 ALL 1,356

-6.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.2 ₺3,820

$56.7 ALL 4,567

36.04%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.74 ₺1,126

Cinema Ticket

$8.14 ₺403

$8.38 ALL 675

-2.86%

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

$1,008 ₺49.9K

$98.1 ALL 7,897

927.97%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.6K ₺1.3M

$8,281 ALL 666.9K

208.66%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.0 ₺2,671

$48.06 ALL 3,870

12.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.83 ₺2,021

$46.90 ALL 3,777

-12.94%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.9 ₺4,895

$96.7 ALL 7,787

2.26%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.6 ₺4,783

$110 ALL 8,818

-11.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$985 ₺48.7K

$464 ALL 37.4K

112.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$650 ₺32.2K

$340 ALL 27.4K

90.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,983 ₺98.2K

$791 ALL 63.7K

150.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,180 ₺58.4K

$433 ALL 34.8K

172.74%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,138 ₺155.4K

$1,709 ALL 137.7K

83.58%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,780 ₺88.1K

$1,189 ALL 95.7K

49.73%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,205 ₺59.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.92

718.40%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 13, 2026

Last update for Kamez: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$650 41.9%

Kamez

$340 31.3% 47.6% $309

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$260 16.8%

Kamez

$246 22.6% 5.1% $13

Eating Out

Istanbul

$223 14.4%

Kamez

$153 14.1% 31.5% $70

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$131 8.4%

Kamez

$136 12.5% 3.8% $4.9

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$116 7.5%

Kamez

$94 8.7% 18.8% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$93 6%

Kamez

$73 6.8% 21.4% $20

Getting Around

Istanbul

$77 5%

Kamez

$45 4.1% 41.5% $32

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $985 in Istanbul versus $464 in Kamez. 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 $55.0 in Istanbul versus $38.00 in Kamez. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $260 vs $246 – making Kamez the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇦🇱 Kamez

🕒 Local time

14:29 2:29 PM

13:29 1:29 PM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

104,190

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Albanian Lek ALL L

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 2.02 USD

100 TRY = 1.8 EUR

100 ALL = 1.24 USD

100 ALL = 1.1 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ALL, USD, EUR to TRY – Turkish Lira Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇷 Turkish Lira (₺)

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 49.51 TRY (100 TRY = 2.02 USD). 1 EUR = 55.66 TRY (100 TRY = 1.8 EUR).

Albanian Lek exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 80.53 ALL (100 ALL = 1.24 USD). 1 EUR = 90.53 ALL (100 ALL = 1.1 EUR).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Istanbul Kamez 770 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Kamez

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 Kamez: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 42%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,325 per month in Istanbul and $1,632 in Kamez. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Kamez, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $1,008 per month in Istanbul and $98.1 in Kamez. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 5% more in Istanbul, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Kamez, where all-in costs run around $1,088, than in Istanbul at $1,550. In Kamez it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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