Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Kushtia

For one person, living is cheaper in Kushtia: $364 a month against $1,550 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $14,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

75

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index
18

Cost of Living Index in Kushtia
Learn more

Kushtia Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

Kushtia

🇧🇩 Bangladesh

$364

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Kushtia

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

A single person spends $1,550 per month in Istanbul vs $364 in Kushtia, rent included.

Istanbul $1,550
Kushtia $364

A couple spends around $2,415 per month in Istanbul vs $593 in Kushtia, rent included.

Istanbul $2,415
Kushtia $593

A family of three spends $3,281 per month in Istanbul vs $823 in Kushtia, rent included.

Istanbul $3,281
Kushtia $823

Istanbul costs about 326% more than Kushtia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Istanbul sits 15% above the global median, while Kushtia is 73% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.30 ₺609

$2.26 ৳279

444.25%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.7 ₺2,708

$12.13 ৳1,498

350.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.22 ₺456

$4.08 ৳504

125.98%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.57 ৳565

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.96 ৳489

Cappuccino

$4.40 ₺218

$2.32 ৳286

89.66%

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

$1.68 ₺83.1

$0.31 ৳38.08

441.94%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₺29.40

$0.16 ৳19.95

268.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.70 ₺233

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.91 ₺292

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 ₺60.0

$0.59 ৳73.3

105.08%

White Bread (500g)

$0.89 ₺44.10

$0.59 ৳73.2

50.85%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.19 ₺108

$0.71 ৳88.0

208.45%

Eggs

$2.35 ₺116

$1.22 ৳151

92.62%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.42 ₺516

$8.68 ৳1,073

20.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.65 ₺280

$3.34 ৳413

69.16%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.94 ₺1,037

$6.38 ৳789

228.21%

Apples (1kg)

$1.90 ₺94.1

$2.75 ৳339

-30.91%

Banana (1kg)

$2.31 ₺114

$0.88 ৳109

162.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.1

$2.39 ৳296

-46.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺89.0

$0.60 ৳74.5

200.00%

Potato (1kg)

$0.65 ₺32.16

$0.26 ৳32.16

150.00%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺31.91

$0.49 ৳60.7

30.61%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 ₺62.1

$0.34 ৳42.45

267.65%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.58

$0.30 ৳37.36

86.67%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$12.12 ৳1,497

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.35 ৳661

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.39 ৳789

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.37 ₺118

$3.33 ৳411

-28.83%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.42 ₺664

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₺119

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 ₺172

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.89 ₺43.84

$0.39 ৳48.34

128.21%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.4 ₺3,338

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.29 ₺64.1

$1.19 ৳147

8.40%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 ₺45.70

$0.39 ৳48.45

135.90%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.96 ₺542

$3.32 ৳411

230.12%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ₺72.9

$1.14 ৳141

28.95%

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

$50.8K ₺2.5M

$30.3K ৳3.7M

67.74%

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

$44.5K ₺2.2M

$31.5K ৳3.9M

41.35%

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

$88.6 ₺4,387

$38.77 ৳4,791

128.55%

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

$11.59 ₺574

$4.18 ৳516

177.27%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.81 ₺783

$8.93 ৳1,103

77.04%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.2 ₺3,820

$11.57 ৳1,430

566.90%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.74 ₺1,126

Cinema Ticket

$8.14 ₺403

$4.09 ৳506

99.02%

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

$1,008 ₺49.9K

$26.12 ৳3,228

3759.23%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.6K ₺1.3M

$1,181 ৳146.0K

2063.47%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.0 ₺2,671

$17.07 ৳2,109

216.05%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.83 ₺2,021

$21.23 ৳2,624

92.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.9 ₺4,895

$51.4 ৳6,353

92.34%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.6 ₺4,783

$36.61 ৳4,524

163.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$985 ₺48.7K

$90.1 ৳11.1K

992.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$650 ₺32.2K

$50.7 ৳6,263

1182.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,983 ₺98.2K

$167 ৳20.7K

1084.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,180 ₺58.4K

$116 ৳14.3K

918.08%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,138 ₺155.4K

$733 ৳90.5K

328.39%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,780 ₺88.1K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,205 ₺59.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.92

10.48

290.46%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 13, 2026

Last update for Kushtia: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$650 41.9%

Kushtia

$51 13.9% 92.2% $599

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$260 16.8%

Kushtia

$120 33% 53.8% $140

Eating Out

Istanbul

$223 14.4%

Kushtia

$60 16.5% 73.1% $163

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$131 8.4%

Kushtia

$57 15.6% 56.5% $74

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$116 7.5%

Kushtia

$52 14.3% 55.3% $64

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$93 6%

Kushtia

$20 5.4% 78.9% $74

Getting Around

Istanbul

$77 5%

Kushtia

$4.7 * 1.3% 93.9% $72

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $985 in Istanbul versus $90.1 in Kushtia. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55.0 in Istanbul versus $12.00 in Kushtia. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $260 vs $120 – making Kushtia the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇧🇩 Kushtia

🕒 Local time

20:03 8:03 PM

23:03 11:03 PM

3 h ahead of Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

108,423

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Bangladeshi Taka BDT ৳

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 2.02 USD

100 TRY = 1.8 EUR

1,000 BDT = 8.09 USD

1,000 BDT = 7.2 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BDT, USD, EUR to TRY – Turkish Lira Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇷 Turkish Lira (₺)

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 49.51 TRY (100 TRY = 2.02 USD). 1 EUR = 55.67 TRY (100 TRY = 1.8 EUR).

Bangladeshi Taka exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 124 BDT (1,000 BDT = 8.09 USD). 1 EUR = 139 BDT (1,000 BDT = 7.2 EUR).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Istanbul Kushtia 5,830 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Kushtia

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 Kushtia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 326%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,325 per month in Istanbul and $546 in Kushtia. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55.0 in Istanbul and $12.00 in Kushtia. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 117% 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 Kushtia, where all-in costs run around $364, than in Istanbul at $1,550. In Kushtia it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Kushtia – 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 Kushtia. 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.