Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Kyiv

For one person, living is cheaper in Kyiv: $996 a month against $1,519 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $6,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

73

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index
48

Cost of Living Index in Kyiv
Learn more

Kyiv Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,519

/mo nomad

Kyiv

🇺🇦 Ukraine

$996

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Kyiv

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

A single person spends $1,519 per month in Istanbul vs $996 in Kyiv, rent included.

Istanbul $1,519
Kyiv $996

A couple spends around $2,365 per month in Istanbul vs $1,599 in Kyiv, rent included.

Istanbul $2,365
Kyiv $1,599

A family of three spends $3,212 per month in Istanbul vs $2,203 in Kyiv, rent included.

Istanbul $3,212
Kyiv $2,203

Istanbul costs about 53% more than Kyiv, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Istanbul sits 12% above the global median, while Kyiv is 26% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.81 ₺592

$11.03 ₴502

7.07%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.9 ₺2,754

$33.43 ₴1,522

64.25%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.26 ₺465

$7.86 ₴358

17.81%

Cappuccino

$4.30 ₺216

$1.79 ₴81.6

140.22%

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

$1.77 ₺89.0

$0.75 ₴34.04

136.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺28.32

$0.59 ₴26.78

-5.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.69 ₺235

$1.28 ₴58.2

266.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.12 ₺357

$2.03 ₴92.3

250.74%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 ₺62.7

$1.33 ₴60.4

-6.02%

White Bread (500g)

$0.88 ₺44.17

$0.88 ₴39.86

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 ₺111

$1.46 ₴66.6

50.68%

Eggs

$2.43 ₺122

$1.94 ₴88.5

25.26%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.48 ₺526

$9.52 ₴433

10.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.31 ₺267

$5.21 ₴237

1.92%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.10 ₺1,058

$8.78 ₴400

140.32%

Apples (1kg)

$1.86 ₺93.1

$1.16 ₴52.7

60.34%

Banana (1kg)

$2.30 ₺115

$1.52 ₴69.1

51.32%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.22 ₺61.0

$1.83 ₴83.3

-33.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺90.2

$2.84 ₴129

-36.62%

Potato (1kg)

$0.69 ₺34.83

$0.62 ₴28.45

11.29%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺32.16

$0.44 ₴19.86

45.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.36 ₺68.0

$1.47 ₴66.9

-7.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 ₺28.94

$0.65 ₴29.78

-10.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.34 ₺117

$3.42 ₴156

-31.58%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.03 ₺653

$5.62 ₴256

131.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.36 ₺118

$0.94 ₴42.70

151.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.32 ₺166

$1.44 ₴65.7

130.56%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.88 ₺44.07

$0.68 ₴31.07

29.41%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.1 ₺3,316

$13.56 ₴617

387.61%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 ₺64.4

$2.24 ₴102

-42.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 ₺42.80

$0.50 ₴22.66

70.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.09 ₺556

$4.84 ₴221

129.13%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 ₺74.0

$1.74 ₴79.1

-14.94%

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

$48.6K ₺2.4M

$31.0K ₴1.4M

56.98%

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

$42.0K ₺2.1M

$25.4K ₴1.2M

65.13%

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

$92.7 ₺4,650

$99.7 ₴4,539

-6.98%

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

$11.20 ₺562

$6.76 ₴308

65.68%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.89 ₺797

$6.31 ₴287

151.82%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.7 ₺3,745

$36.47 ₴1,661

104.77%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.95 ₺1,151

$18.63 ₴848

23.19%

Cinema Ticket

$8.05 ₺404

$5.59 ₴255

44.01%

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

$948 ₺47.6K

$428 ₴19.5K

121.74%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.9K ₺1.9M

$15.1K ₴689.7K

143.76%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₺2,702

$73.0 ₴3,324

-26.20%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.49 ₺2,081

$39.34 ₴1,791

5.47%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 ₺5,060

$94.7 ₴4,313

6.51%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.3 ₺4,580

$118 ₴5,365

-22.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,014 ₺50.8K

$640 ₴29.2K

58.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$625 ₺31.3K

$331 ₴15.1K

88.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,005 ₺100.6K

$1,362 ₴62.0K

47.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,126 ₺56.5K

$689 ₴31.4K

63.36%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,988 ₺149.8K

$2,614 ₴119.0K

14.31%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,730 ₺86.8K

$1,245 ₴56.7K

38.95%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,136 ₺57.0K

$806 ₴36.7K

40.98%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.42

17.83

126.70%

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

Last update for Istanbul: November 2, 2026

Last update for Kyiv: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$625 41.1%

Kyiv

$331 33.2% 47% $294

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$258 17%

Kyiv

$188 18.9% 27.1% $70

Eating Out

Istanbul

$221 14.6%

Kyiv

$149 15% 32.5% $72

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$129 8.5%

Kyiv

$146 14.7% 13% $17

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$120 7.9%

Kyiv

$113 11.3% 5.9% $7.1

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$91 6%

Kyiv

$48 4.8% 47.5% $43

Getting Around

Istanbul

$75 5%

Kyiv

$21 2.1% 72.1% $54

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,014 in Istanbul versus $640 in Kyiv. 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 41% 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 in Istanbul versus $33 in Kyiv. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $188 – making Kyiv the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇺🇦 Kyiv

🕒 Local time

10:10 10:10 AM

09:10 9:10 AM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

2,908,249 Capital

💱 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 = 56.3 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 = 51.12 UAH (100 UAH = 1.96 EUR).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Istanbul Kyiv 1,060 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Kyiv

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 Kyiv: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 53%, 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 $1,494 in Kyiv. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Kyiv, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $640 there versus $1,014 in Istanbul.

Kindergarten costs $948 per month in Istanbul and $428 in Kyiv. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 37% more in Istanbul, though the gap depends on what you buy.

Families tend to lean toward Kyiv – 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 Kyiv. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Istanbul makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.