Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Kostanay

For one person, living is cheaper in Kostanay: $961 a month against $1,519 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $6,700 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
46

Cost of Living Index in Kostanay
Learn more

Kostanay Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,519

/mo nomad

Kostanay

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$961

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Kostanay

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

A single person spends $1,519 per month in Istanbul vs $961 in Kostanay, rent included.

Istanbul $1,519
Kostanay $961

A couple spends around $2,365 per month in Istanbul vs $1,450 in Kostanay, rent included.

Istanbul $2,365
Kostanay $1,450

A family of three spends $3,212 per month in Istanbul vs $1,940 in Kostanay, rent included.

Istanbul $3,212
Kostanay $1,940

Istanbul costs about 58% more than Kostanay, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Istanbul sits 12% above the global median, while Kostanay is 29% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.81 ₺592

$5.60 ₸2,511

110.89%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.9 ₺2,754

$29.09 ₸13.0K

88.76%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.26 ₺465

$7.30 ₸3,272

26.85%

Cappuccino

$4.30 ₺216

$2.19 ₸983

96.35%

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

$1.77 ₺89.0

$1.17 ₸523

51.28%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺28.32

$0.85 ₸383

-34.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.69 ₺235

$1.42 ₸636

230.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.12 ₺357

$2.61 ₸1,172

172.80%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 ₺62.7

$1.22 ₸548

2.46%

White Bread (500g)

$0.88 ₺44.17

$0.49 ₸220

79.59%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 ₺111

$1.02 ₸457

115.69%

Eggs

$2.43 ₺122

$2.18 ₸978

11.47%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.48 ₺526

$10.18 ₸4,566

2.95%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.31 ₺267

$6.00 ₸2,690

-11.50%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.10 ₺1,058

$8.67 ₸3,886

143.37%

Apples (1kg)

$1.86 ₺93.1

$1.58 ₸708

17.72%

Banana (1kg)

$2.30 ₺115

$2.34 ₸1,050

-1.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.22 ₺61.0

$1.88 ₸842

-35.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺90.2

$2.21 ₸993

-18.55%

Potato (1kg)

$0.69 ₺34.83

$0.60 ₸268

15.00%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺32.16

$0.64 ₸287

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.36 ₺68.0

$1.26 ₸567

7.94%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 ₺28.94

$0.90 ₸403

-35.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.34 ₺117

$2.42 ₸1,084

-3.31%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.03 ₺653

$8.05 ₸3,611

61.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.36 ₺118

$1.08 ₸485

118.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.32 ₺166

$2.27 ₸1,020

46.26%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.88 ₺44.07

$0.31 ₸141

183.87%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.1 ₺3,316

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 ₺64.4

$0.97 ₸435

31.96%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 ₺42.80

$1.09 ₸489

-22.02%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.09 ₺556

$5.80 ₸2,602

91.21%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 ₺74.0

$0.59 ₸263

150.85%

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

$48.6K ₺2.4M

$30.5K ₸13.7M

59.29%

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

$42.0K ₺2.1M

$30.7K ₸13.8M

36.90%

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

$92.7 ₺4,650

$77.1 ₸34.6K

20.25%

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

$11.20 ₺562

$11.04 ₸4,950

1.45%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.89 ₺797

$15.61 ₸6,999

1.79%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.7 ₺3,745

$48.14 ₸21.6K

55.13%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.95 ₺1,151

$20.06 ₸8,997

14.41%

Cinema Ticket

$8.05 ₺404

$4.20 ₸1,882

91.67%

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

$948 ₺47.6K

$211 ₸94.8K

348.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.9K ₺1.9M

$6,534 ₸2.9M

465.03%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₺2,702

$95.8 ₸42.9K

-43.74%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.49 ₺2,081

$55.2 ₸24.7K

-24.80%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 ₺5,060

$110 ₸49.1K

-7.93%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.3 ₺4,580

$93.3 ₸41.8K

-2.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,014 ₺50.8K

$395 ₸177.3K

156.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$625 ₺31.3K

$318 ₸142.8K

96.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,005 ₺100.6K

$600 ₸269.1K

234.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,126 ₺56.5K

$486 ₸217.8K

131.87%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,988 ₺149.8K

$1,207 ₸541.2K

147.57%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,730 ₺86.8K

$943 ₸422.8K

83.52%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,136 ₺57.0K

$649 ₸290.9K

75.19%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.42

18.5

118.49%

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

Last update for Istanbul: November 2, 2026

Last update for Kostanay: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$625 41.1%

Kostanay

$318 33.1% 49% $306

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$258 17%

Kostanay

$202 21% 21.8% $56

Eating Out

Istanbul

$221 14.6%

Kostanay

$113 11.8% 48.7% $108

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$129 8.5%

Kostanay

$159 16.6% 23% $30

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$120 7.9%

Kostanay

$104 10.8% 13.4% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$91 6%

Kostanay

$57 5.9% 37.7% $34

Getting Around

Istanbul

$75 5%

Kostanay

$7.7 * 0.8% 89.8% $68

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 $395 in Kostanay. 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 75% higher in Istanbul. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55 in Istanbul versus $29 in Kostanay. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $202 – making Kostanay the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇰🇿 Kostanay

🕒 Local time

00:02 12:02 AM

02:02 2:02 AM

2 h ahead of Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

264,446

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Kazakhstani Tenge KZT ₸

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 1.99 USD

100 TRY = 1.78 EUR

1,000 KZT = 2.23 USD

1,000 KZT = 2 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 = 56.05 TRY (100 TRY = 1.78 EUR).

Kazakhstani Tenge exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 448 KZT (1,000 KZT = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 501 KZT (1,000 KZT = 2 EUR).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Istanbul Kostanay 2,910 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Kostanay

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 Kostanay: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 58%, 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 $1,441 in Kostanay. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Kostanay, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $395 there versus $1,014 in Istanbul.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55 in Istanbul and $29 in Kostanay. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 28% more in Istanbul, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,519 in Istanbul and $961 in Kostanay. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

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

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

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