Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Karaganda

For one person, living is cheaper in Karaganda: $927 a month against $1,519 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $7,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

73

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index
44

Cost of Living Index in Karaganda
Learn more

Karaganda Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,519

/mo nomad

Karaganda

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$927

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Karaganda

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

A single person spends $1,519 per month in Istanbul vs $927 in Karaganda, rent included.

Istanbul $1,519
Karaganda $927

A couple spends around $2,365 per month in Istanbul vs $1,497 in Karaganda, rent included.

Istanbul $2,365
Karaganda $1,497

A family of three spends $3,212 per month in Istanbul vs $2,066 in Karaganda, rent included.

Istanbul $3,212
Karaganda $2,066

Istanbul costs about 64% more than Karaganda, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Istanbul sits 12% above the global median, while Karaganda is 31% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.81 ₺592

$9.89 ₸4,459

19.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.9 ₺2,754

$35.32 ₸15.9K

55.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.26 ₺465

$5.41 ₸2,440

71.16%

Cappuccino

$4.30 ₺216

$1.87 ₸844

129.95%

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

$1.77 ₺89.0

$0.86 ₸388

105.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺28.32

$0.61 ₸274

-8.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.69 ₺235

$1.32 ₸594

255.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.12 ₺357

$2.90 ₸1,308

145.52%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 ₺62.7

$1.28 ₸579

-2.34%

White Bread (500g)

$0.88 ₺44.17

$0.49 ₸221

79.59%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 ₺111

$1.31 ₸591

67.94%

Eggs

$2.43 ₺122

$1.79 ₸806

35.75%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.48 ₺526

$13.39 ₸6,039

-21.73%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.31 ₺267

$5.55 ₸2,503

-4.32%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.10 ₺1,058

$11.06 ₸4,985

90.78%

Apples (1kg)

$1.86 ₺93.1

$1.51 ₸682

23.18%

Banana (1kg)

$2.30 ₺115

$1.91 ₸863

20.42%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.22 ₺61.0

$2.87 ₸1,294

-57.49%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺90.2

$2.17 ₸979

-17.05%

Potato (1kg)

$0.69 ₺34.83

$0.61 ₸276

13.11%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺32.16

$0.58 ₸263

10.34%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.36 ₺68.0

$1.02 ₸460

33.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 ₺28.94

$0.70 ₸315

-17.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.34 ₺117

$2.24 ₸1,011

4.46%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.03 ₺653

$8.40 ₸3,785

55.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.36 ₺118

$1.35 ₸608

74.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.32 ₺166

$2.11 ₸950

57.35%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.88 ₺44.07

$0.21 ₸94.5

319.05%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.1 ₺3,316

$15.38 ₸6,936

329.91%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 ₺64.4

$1.25 ₸562

2.40%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 ₺42.80

$1.24 ₸558

-31.45%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.09 ₺556

$3.37 ₸1,519

229.08%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 ₺74.0

$0.56 ₸254

164.29%

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

$48.6K ₺2.4M

$21.8K ₸9.8M

122.69%

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

$42.0K ₺2.1M

$32.4K ₸14.6M

29.70%

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

$92.7 ₺4,650

$72.2 ₸32.6K

28.35%

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

$11.20 ₺562

$10.09 ₸4,547

11.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.89 ₺797

$12.06 ₸5,436

31.76%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.7 ₺3,745

$44.75 ₸20.2K

66.88%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.95 ₺1,151

$18.55 ₸8,362

23.72%

Cinema Ticket

$8.05 ₺404

$5.21 ₸2,349

54.51%

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

$948 ₺47.6K

$132 ₸59.6K

617.65%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.9K ₺1.9M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₺2,702

$60.1 ₸27.1K

-10.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.49 ₺2,081

$59.1 ₸26.7K

-29.82%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 ₺5,060

$78.0 ₸35.2K

29.28%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.3 ₺4,580

$86.3 ₸38.9K

5.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,014 ₺50.8K

$406 ₸182.9K

149.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$625 ₺31.3K

$274 ₸123.7K

127.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,005 ₺100.6K

$715 ₸322.1K

180.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,126 ₺56.5K

$544 ₸245.3K

106.91%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,988 ₺149.8K

$1,054 ₸475.0K

183.54%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,730 ₺86.8K

$698 ₸314.5K

148.04%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,136 ₺57.0K

$569 ₸256.6K

99.61%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.42

19.25

109.97%

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

Last update for Istanbul: November 2, 2026

Last update for Karaganda: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$625 41.1%

Karaganda

$274 29.6% 56.1% $350

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$258 17%

Karaganda

$216 23.3% 16.4% $42

Eating Out

Istanbul

$221 14.6%

Karaganda

$136 14.7% 38.4% $85

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$129 8.5%

Karaganda

$128 13.8% 1.4% $1.8

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$120 7.9%

Karaganda

$94 10.2% 21.2% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$91 6%

Karaganda

$55 6% 39.2% $36

Getting Around

Istanbul

$75 5%

Karaganda

$24 2.6% 68.5% $52

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,014 in Istanbul versus $406 in Karaganda. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 100% higher in Istanbul. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55 in Istanbul versus $35 in Karaganda. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $216 – making Karaganda the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇰🇿 Karaganda

🕒 Local time

05:47 5:47 AM

07:47 7:47 AM

2 h ahead of Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

520,486

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Kazakhstani Tenge KZT ₸

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 1.99 USD

100 TRY = 1.78 EUR

1,000 KZT = 2.22 USD

1,000 KZT = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

KZT, 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).

Kazakhstani Tenge exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 451 KZT (1,000 KZT = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 506 KZT (1,000 KZT = 1.98 EUR).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Istanbul Karaganda 3,530 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Karaganda

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 Karaganda: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 64%, 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 $1,391 in Karaganda. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Karaganda, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $406 there versus $1,014 in Istanbul.

Kindergarten costs $948 per month in Istanbul and $132 in Karaganda. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 20% more in Istanbul, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Karaganda, where all-in costs run around $927, than in Istanbul at $1,519. In Karaganda it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Karaganda – 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 Karaganda. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Istanbul makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.