Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Khost

For one person, living is cheaper in Khost: $406 a month against $1,516 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $13,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

73

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index
20

Cost of Living Index in Khost
Learn more

Khost Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,516

/mo nomad

Khost

🇦🇫 Afghanistan

$406

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Khost

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

A single person spends $1,516 per month in Istanbul vs $406 in Khost, rent included.

Istanbul $1,516
Khost $406

A couple spends around $2,356 per month in Istanbul vs $598 in Khost, rent included.

Istanbul $2,356
Khost $598

A family of three spends $3,197 per month in Istanbul vs $789 in Khost, rent included.

Istanbul $3,197
Khost $789

Istanbul costs about 273% more than Khost, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Istanbul sits 11% above the global median, while Khost is 70% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.59 ₺577

$2.75 ؋178

321.45%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.7 ₺2,724

$7.61 ؋494

618.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.39 ₺468

$4.55 ؋295

106.37%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ؋153

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.81 ؋117

Cappuccino

$4.23 ₺211

$1.12 ؋72.5

277.68%

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

$1.72 ₺85.6

$0.49 ؋31.50

251.02%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.57 ₺28.25

$0.16 ؋10.08

256.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.65 ₺232

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.84 ₺341

Milk (1 liter)

$1.20 ₺60.0

$0.86 ؋55.9

39.53%

White Bread (500g)

$0.94 ₺46.96

$0.25 ؋16.35

276.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.24 ₺112

$1.81 ؋117

23.76%

Eggs

$2.42 ₺121

$1.51 ؋97.8

60.26%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.24 ₺510

$4.47 ؋290

129.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.38 ₺268

$4.03 ؋262

33.50%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.19 ₺1,056

$6.85 ؋445

209.34%

Apples (1kg)

$1.89 ₺94.2

$0.69 ؋44.78

173.91%

Banana (1kg)

$2.22 ₺111

$0.84 ؋54.2

164.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.26 ₺62.7

$0.90 ؋58.2

40.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.81 ₺90.0

$0.54 ؋35.20

235.19%

Potato (1kg)

$0.70 ₺34.83

$0.60 ؋39.25

16.67%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺32.12

$0.51 ؋33.04

25.49%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.22 ₺60.8

$0.30 ؋19.69

306.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ₺27.35

$0.40 ؋25.89

37.50%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$1.87 ؋121

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.79 ؋51.4

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.04 ؋67.6

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.32 ₺116

$2.43 ؋158

-4.53%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.31 ₺663

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.33 ₺116

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 ₺172

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.91 ₺45.17

$0.48 ؋31.04

89.58%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.3 ₺3,305

$18.66 ؋1,212

255.52%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.29 ₺64.2

$0.75 ؋48.84

72.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.86 ₺42.65

$0.44 ؋28.44

95.45%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.09 ₺553

$2.29 ؋149

384.28%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.42 ₺70.7

$1.09 ؋70.9

30.28%

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

$49.2K ₺2.5M

$8,296 ؋538.7K

492.86%

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

$42.8K ₺2.1M

$34.1K ؋2.2M

25.52%

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

$87.7 ₺4,371

$42.62 ؋2,768

105.87%

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

$11.28 ₺562

$12.76 ؋829

-11.60%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.89 ₺792

$95.8 ؋6,223

-83.42%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$75.9 ₺3,782

$7.80 ؋507

873.08%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.04 ₺1,148

$6.01 ؋390

283.36%

Cinema Ticket

$8.20 ₺409

$2.27 ؋148

261.23%

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

$1,028 ₺51.2K

$20.43 ؋1,327

4932.26%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$26.0K ₺1.3M

$1,054 ؋68.5K

2362.70%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.3 ₺2,657

$10.71 ؋696

397.95%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.69 ₺1,978

$15.69 ؋1,019

152.96%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.8 ₺4,971

$58.4 ؋3,795

70.72%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.5 ₺4,659

$25.17 ؋1,635

271.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,003 ₺50.0K

$30.85 ؋2,003

3152.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$628 ₺31.3K

$15.63 ؋1,015

3919.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,963 ₺97.8K

$76.5 ؋4,967

2466.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,122 ₺55.9K

$46.93 ؋3,048

2290.13%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,075 ₺153.2K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,753 ₺87.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,180 ₺58.8K

$188 ؋12.2K

529.10%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.69

306.90%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 27, 2026

Last update for Khost: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$628 41.5%

Khost

$16 3.9% 97.5% $613

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$258 17%

Khost

$102 25.2% 60.5% $156

Eating Out

Istanbul

$218 14.4%

Khost

$52 12.7% 76.3% $166

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$129 8.5%

Khost

$50 12.2% 61.6% $79

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$115 7.6%

Khost

$151 37.3% 31.6% $36

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$92 6.1%

Khost

$12 3% 86.6% $80

Getting Around

Istanbul

$76 5%

Khost

$24 5.8% 68.9% $52

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,003 in Istanbul versus $31 in Khost. 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 6.3 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55 in Istanbul versus $8 in Khost. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $102 – making Khost the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇦🇫 Khost

🕒 Local time

12:18 12:18 PM

13:48 1:48 PM

1 h 30 min ahead of Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

11,987

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Afghanistan Afghani AFN ؋

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 2.01 USD

100 TRY = 1.8 EUR

100 AFN = 1.54 USD

100 AFN = 1.38 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AFN, USD, EUR to TRY – Turkish Lira Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇷 Turkish Lira (₺)

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 49.82 TRY (100 TRY = 2.01 USD). 1 EUR = 55.45 TRY (100 TRY = 1.8 EUR).

Afghanistan Afghani exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 64.94 AFN (100 AFN = 1.54 USD). 1 EUR = 72.27 AFN (100 AFN = 1.38 EUR).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Istanbul Khost 3,690 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Khost

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 Khost: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 273%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,274 per month in Istanbul and $609 in Khost. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Khost, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $31 there versus $1,003 in Istanbul.

Kindergarten costs $1,028 per month in Istanbul and $20 in Khost. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 153% 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 $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Khost, where all-in costs run around $406, than in Istanbul at $1,516. In Khost it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Khost – 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 Khost. 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.