Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Kharkiv

For one person, living is cheaper in Kharkiv: $718 a month against $1,519 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $9,600 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
34

Cost of Living Index in Kharkiv
Learn more

Kharkiv Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,519

/mo nomad

Kharkiv

🇺🇦 Ukraine

$718

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Kharkiv

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

A single person spends $1,519 per month in Istanbul vs $718 in Kharkiv, rent included.

Istanbul $1,519
Kharkiv $718

A couple spends around $2,365 per month in Istanbul vs $1,070 in Kharkiv, rent included.

Istanbul $2,365
Kharkiv $1,070

A family of three spends $3,212 per month in Istanbul vs $1,421 in Kharkiv, rent included.

Istanbul $3,212
Kharkiv $1,421

Istanbul costs about 111% more than Kharkiv, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Istanbul sits 12% above the global median, while Kharkiv is 47% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.81 ₺592

$6.70 ₴305

76.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.9 ₺2,754

$29.78 ₴1,356

84.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.26 ₺465

$4.97 ₴226

86.32%

Cappuccino

$4.30 ₺216

$1.56 ₴71.0

175.64%

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

$1.77 ₺89.0

$1.03 ₴46.84

71.84%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺28.32

$0.50 ₴22.98

12.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.69 ₺235

$1.02 ₴46.47

359.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.12 ₺357

$1.69 ₴76.8

321.30%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 ₺62.7

$1.04 ₴47.22

20.19%

White Bread (500g)

$0.88 ₺44.17

$0.69 ₴31.37

27.54%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 ₺111

$1.17 ₴53.4

88.03%

Eggs

$2.43 ₺122

$1.69 ₴77.0

43.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.48 ₺526

$7.91 ₴360

32.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.31 ₺267

$4.04 ₴184

31.44%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.10 ₺1,058

$7.11 ₴324

196.77%

Apples (1kg)

$1.86 ₺93.1

$1.32 ₴60.3

40.91%

Banana (1kg)

$2.30 ₺115

$1.58 ₴71.8

45.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.22 ₺61.0

$1.63 ₴74.3

-25.15%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺90.2

$2.18 ₴99.3

-17.43%

Potato (1kg)

$0.69 ₺34.83

$0.69 ₴31.50

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺32.16

$0.57 ₴26.04

12.28%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.36 ₺68.0

$1.24 ₴56.5

9.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 ₺28.94

$0.58 ₴26.49

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.34 ₺117

$2.68 ₴122

-12.69%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.03 ₺653

$4.42 ₴201

194.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.36 ₺118

$0.79 ₴35.80

198.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.32 ₺166

$1.15 ₴52.2

188.70%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.88 ₺44.07

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.1 ₺3,316

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 ₺64.4

$1.38 ₴62.9

-7.25%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 ₺42.80

$0.35 ₴15.75

142.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.09 ₺556

$2.20 ₴100

404.09%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 ₺74.0

$1.77 ₴80.6

-16.38%

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

$48.6K ₺2.4M

$29.5K ₴1.3M

64.82%

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

$42.0K ₺2.1M

$23.7K ₴1.1M

76.98%

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

$92.7 ₺4,650

$96.0 ₴4,371

-3.41%

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

$11.20 ₺562

$6.12 ₴279

83.01%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.89 ₺797

$7.08 ₴322

124.44%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.7 ₺3,745

$24.27 ₴1,105

207.70%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.95 ₺1,151

$13.38 ₴609

71.52%

Cinema Ticket

$8.05 ₺404

$4.52 ₴206

78.10%

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

$948 ₺47.6K

$274 ₴12.5K

246.08%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.9K ₺1.9M

$3,327 ₴151.5K

1009.56%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₺2,702

$55.7 ₴2,536

-3.25%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.49 ₺2,081

$42.48 ₴1,934

-2.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 ₺5,060

$89.2 ₴4,064

13.05%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.3 ₺4,580

$104 ₴4,755

-12.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,014 ₺50.8K

$280 ₴12.8K

261.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$625 ₺31.3K

$182 ₴8,281

243.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,005 ₺100.6K

$518 ₴23.6K

287.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,126 ₺56.5K

$204 ₴9,267

453.26%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,988 ₺149.8K

$1,018 ₴46.4K

193.46%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,730 ₺86.8K

$604 ₴27.5K

186.44%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,136 ₺57.0K

$540 ₴24.6K

110.54%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.42

17.89

125.94%

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

Last update for Istanbul: November 2, 2026

Last update for Kharkiv: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$625 41.1%

Kharkiv

$182 25.3% 70.9% $443

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$258 17%

Kharkiv

$158 22% 38.9% $101

Eating Out

Istanbul

$221 14.6%

Kharkiv

$102 14.2% 53.9% $119

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$129 8.5%

Kharkiv

$131 18.3% 1.5% $1.9

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$120 7.9%

Kharkiv

$109 15.2% 8.9% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$91 6%

Kharkiv

$33 4.6% 63.3% $57

Getting Around

Istanbul

$75 5%

Kharkiv

$3.1 * 0.4% 95.9% $72

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,014 in Istanbul versus $280 in Kharkiv. 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 2.1 times higher, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55 in Istanbul versus $30 in Kharkiv. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $158 – making Kharkiv the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇺🇦 Kharkiv

🕒 Local time

14:55 2:55 PM

13:55 1:55 PM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

1,447,652

💱 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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Between locations

Istanbul Kharkiv 1,150 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Kharkiv

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 Kharkiv: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 111%, 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 $1,077 in Kharkiv. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Kharkiv, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $280 there versus $1,014 in Istanbul.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55 in Istanbul and $30 in Kharkiv. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 64% more in Istanbul, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $800 monthly budget goes further in Kharkiv, where all-in costs run around $718, than in Istanbul at $1,519. In Kharkiv it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Kharkiv costs $718 versus $1,519 in Istanbul. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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