Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Korla

For one person, living is cheaper in Korla: $674 a month against $1,526 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $10,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

74

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index
32

Cost of Living Index in Korla
Learn more

Korla Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,526

/mo nomad

Korla

🇨🇳 China

$674

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Korla

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

A single person spends $1,526 per month in Istanbul vs $674 in Korla, rent included.

Istanbul $1,526
Korla $674

A couple spends around $2,399 per month in Istanbul vs $1,045 in Korla, rent included.

Istanbul $2,399
Korla $1,045

A family of three spends $3,272 per month in Istanbul vs $1,417 in Korla, rent included.

Istanbul $3,272
Korla $1,417

Istanbul costs about 126% more than Korla, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Istanbul sits 14% above the global median, while Korla is 50% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.88 ₺585

$2.93 ¥19.63

305.46%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.1 ₺2,715

$16.48 ¥110

234.28%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.14 ₺450

$5.13 ¥34.35

78.17%

Cappuccino

$4.24 ₺209

$2.81 ¥18.80

50.89%

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

$1.75 ₺86.0

$0.46 ¥3.08

280.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.54 ₺26.84

$0.24 ¥1.60

125.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.69 ₺231

$0.85 ¥5.69

451.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.97 ₺294

$1.46 ¥9.75

308.90%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.26 ₺62.1

$1.26 ¥8.43

White Bread (500g)

$0.95 ₺46.82

$0.93 ¥6.20

2.15%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.31 ₺114

$0.60 ¥4.01

285.00%

Eggs

$2.47 ₺122

$1.60 ¥10.72

54.38%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.55 ₺520

$6.08 ¥40.69

73.52%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.60 ₺276

$2.50 ¥16.73

124.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.21 ₺1,045

$9.64 ¥64.5

120.02%

Apples (1kg)

$1.93 ₺95.1

$2.05 ¥13.69

-5.85%

Banana (1kg)

$2.29 ₺113

$1.27 ¥8.53

80.31%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.1

$1.81 ¥12.13

-29.28%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.84 ₺90.8

$0.74 ¥4.94

148.65%

Potato (1kg)

$0.67 ₺32.87

$0.51 ¥3.41

31.37%

Onion (1kg)

$0.59 ₺29.31

$0.61 ¥4.09

-3.28%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.33 ₺65.4

$0.50 ¥3.32

166.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₺29.11

$0.45 ¥3.01

31.11%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.36 ₺116

$2.89 ¥19.36

-18.34%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.47 ₺664

$10.34 ¥69.2

30.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.42 ₺119

$1.09 ¥7.27

122.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.54 ₺174

$1.51 ¥10.14

134.44%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.83 ₺40.65

$0.29 ¥1.93

186.21%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.5 ₺3,274

$17.95 ¥120

270.19%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.35 ₺66.6

$1.32 ¥8.82

2.27%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 ₺42.06

$0.23 ¥1.55

269.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.86 ₺535

$7.54 ¥50.5

44.03%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ₺72.3

$1.19 ¥7.99

23.53%

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

$51.6K ₺2.5M

$17.6K ¥118.0K

192.81%

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

$44.4K ₺2.2M

$14.0K ¥93.4K

218.45%

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

$89.2 ₺4,396

$68.0 ¥455

31.13%

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

$11.60 ₺572

$5.25 ¥35.18

120.95%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.10 ₺793

$11.33 ¥75.9

42.10%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.3 ₺3,806

$41.17 ¥276

87.64%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.66 ₺1,116

$14.99 ¥100

51.17%

Cinema Ticket

$8.34 ₺411

$5.19 ¥34.75

60.69%

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

$974 ₺48.0K

$164 ¥1,094

495.63%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.8K ₺1.3M

$9,042 ¥60.5K

185.06%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.7 ₺2,597

$18.16 ¥122

190.25%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.16 ₺1,930

$22.26 ¥149

75.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 ₺5,084

$105 ¥706

-2.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.6 ₺4,760

$43.90 ¥294

120.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$994 ₺49.0K

$290 ¥1,940

243.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$629 ₺31.0K

$184 ¥1,230

242.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,024 ₺99.7K

$593 ¥3,967

241.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,155 ₺56.9K

$372 ¥2,489

210.61%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,160 ₺155.7K

$3,195 ¥21.4K

-1.09%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,838 ₺90.5K

$1,922 ¥12.9K

-4.40%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,203 ₺59.3K

$754 ¥5,049

59.56%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

41.09

3.39

1112.09%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 3, 2026

Last update for Korla: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$629 41.2%

Korla

$184 27.5% 70.8% $446

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$264 17.3%

Korla

$158 23.7% 40% $106

Eating Out

Istanbul

$218 14.3%

Korla

$83 12.4% 62.1% $135

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$131 8.6%

Korla

$85 12.8% 34.9% $46

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$117 7.7%

Korla

$85 12.7% 27.6% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$94 6.1%

Korla

$52 7.7% 45.1% $42

Getting Around

Istanbul

$75 4.9%

Korla

$22 3.2% 71.4% $54

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $994 in Istanbul versus $290 in Korla. 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 60% higher in Istanbul, 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 $55.0 in Istanbul versus $16.00 in Korla. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $264 vs $158 – making Korla the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇨🇳 Korla

🕒 Local time

10:14 10:14 AM

13:14 1:14 PM

3 h ahead of Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

779,352

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 2.03 USD

100 TRY = 1.81 EUR

1 CNY = 0.149 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CNY, USD, EUR to TRY – Turkish Lira Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇷 Turkish Lira (₺)

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 49.27 TRY (100 TRY = 2.03 USD). 1 EUR = 55.26 TRY (100 TRY = 1.81 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 6.69 CNY (1 CNY = 0.149 USD). 1 EUR = 7.51 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Istanbul Korla 4,680 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Korla

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 Korla: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 126%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,289 per month in Istanbul and $1,011 in Korla. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Kindergarten costs $974 per month in Istanbul and $164 in Korla. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 67% 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 Korla, where all-in costs run around $674, than in Istanbul at $1,526. In Korla it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Korla – 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 Korla. 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.