Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Kyzyl-Kiya

For one person, living is cheaper in Kyzyl-Kiya: $362 a month against $1,550 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $14,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

75

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index
18

Cost of Living Index in Kyzyl-Kiya
Learn more

Kyzyl-Kiya Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

Kyzyl-Kiya

🇰🇬 Kyrgyzstan

$362

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Kyzyl-Kiya

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 Kyzyl-Kiya actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,550 per month in Istanbul vs $362 in Kyzyl-Kiya, rent included.

Istanbul $1,550
Kyzyl-Kiya $362

A couple spends around $2,415 per month in Istanbul vs $596 in Kyzyl-Kiya, rent included.

Istanbul $2,415
Kyzyl-Kiya $596

A family of three spends $3,281 per month in Istanbul vs $831 in Kyzyl-Kiya, rent included.

Istanbul $3,281
Kyzyl-Kiya $831

Istanbul costs about 329% more than Kyzyl-Kiya, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.30 ₺609

$2.78 KGS 243

342.45%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.7 ₺2,708

$22.93 KGS 2,006

138.55%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.22 ₺456

$9.33 KGS 816

-1.18%

Cappuccino

$4.40 ₺218

$1.87 KGS 163

135.29%

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

$1.68 ₺83.1

$0.33 KGS 28.76

409.09%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₺29.40

$0.18 KGS 15.55

227.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.70 ₺233

$1.12 KGS 97.9

319.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.91 ₺292

$1.24 KGS 109

376.61%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 ₺60.0

$0.76 KGS 66.2

59.21%

White Bread (500g)

$0.89 ₺44.10

$0.33 KGS 28.45

169.70%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.19 ₺108

$1.16 KGS 102

88.79%

Eggs

$2.35 ₺116

$1.40 KGS 122

67.86%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.42 ₺516

$4.93 KGS 432

111.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.65 ₺280

$2.04 KGS 178

176.96%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.94 ₺1,037

$6.79 KGS 594

208.39%

Apples (1kg)

$1.90 ₺94.1

$0.58 KGS 51.0

227.59%

Banana (1kg)

$2.31 ₺114

$1.54 KGS 135

50.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.1

$1.36 KGS 119

-5.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺89.0

$0.48 KGS 42.25

275.00%

Potato (1kg)

$0.65 ₺32.16

$0.50 KGS 43.92

30.00%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺31.91

$0.43 KGS 37.90

48.84%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 ₺62.1

$0.64 KGS 55.7

95.31%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.58

$0.52 KGS 45.53

7.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.37 ₺118

$2.02 KGS 177

17.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.42 ₺664

$5.08 KGS 445

164.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₺119

$1.11 KGS 97.4

116.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 ₺172

$1.70 KGS 149

104.71%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.89 ₺43.84

$0.35 KGS 30.99

154.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.4 ₺3,338

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.29 ₺64.1

$0.24 KGS 21.08

437.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 ₺45.70

$0.34 KGS 29.37

170.59%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.96 ₺542

$7.51 KGS 657

45.94%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ₺72.9

$0.65 KGS 56.8

126.15%

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

$50.8K ₺2.5M

$18.3K KGS 1.6M

177.25%

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

$44.5K ₺2.2M

$17.0K KGS 1.5M

161.49%

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

$88.6 ₺4,387

$39.69 KGS 3,472

123.26%

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

$11.59 ₺574

$2.56 KGS 224

352.73%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.81 ₺783

$9.20 KGS 805

71.85%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.2 ₺3,820

$39.61 KGS 3,465

94.80%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.74 ₺1,126

Cinema Ticket

$8.14 ₺403

$1.69 KGS 147

381.66%

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

$1,008 ₺49.9K

$169 KGS 14.7K

498.17%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.6K ₺1.3M

$1,851 KGS 161.9K

1281.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.0 ₺2,671

$19.11 KGS 1,672

182.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.83 ₺2,021

$36.19 KGS 3,166

12.82%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.9 ₺4,895

$53.3 KGS 4,664

85.52%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.6 ₺4,783

$34.57 KGS 3,024

179.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$985 ₺48.7K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$650 ₺32.2K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,983 ₺98.2K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,180 ₺58.4K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,138 ₺155.4K

$397 KGS 34.7K

690.79%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,780 ₺88.1K

$337 KGS 29.5K

428.13%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,205 ₺59.7K

$435 KGS 38.1K

176.92%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.92

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 13, 2026

Last update for Kyzyl-Kiya: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$650 41.9%

Kyzyl-Kiya

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$260 16.8%

Kyzyl-Kiya

$117 32.3% 55.1% $143

Eating Out

Istanbul

$223 14.4%

Kyzyl-Kiya

$83 22.9% 63% $141

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$131 8.4%

Kyzyl-Kiya

$64 17.8% 50.7% $66

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$116 7.5%

Kyzyl-Kiya

$51 14.2% 55.7% $65

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$93 6%

Kyzyl-Kiya

$43 11.9% 54% $50

Getting Around

Istanbul

$77 5%

Kyzyl-Kiya

$3.3 * 0.9% 95.7% $74

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

Cost Breakdown

Salaries run about 177% 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 $23.00 in Kyzyl-Kiya. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $260 vs $117 – making Kyzyl-Kiya the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇰🇬 Kyzyl-Kiya

🕒 Local time

15:51 3:51 PM

18:51 6:51 PM

3 h ahead of Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

51,300

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Kyrgyzstani Som KGS сом

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 2.02 USD

100 TRY = 1.8 EUR

100 KGS = 1.14 USD

100 KGS = 1.02 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

KGS, 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).

Kyrgyzstani Som exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 87.49 KGS (100 KGS = 1.14 USD). 1 EUR = 98.37 KGS (100 KGS = 1.02 EUR).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Istanbul Kyzyl-Kiya 3,600 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Kyzyl-Kiya

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 Kyzyl-Kiya: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 329%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,325 per month in Istanbul and $542 in Kyzyl-Kiya. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55.0 in Istanbul and $23.00 in Kyzyl-Kiya. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 122% 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 $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Kyzyl-Kiya, where all-in costs run around $362, than in Istanbul at $1,550. In Kyzyl-Kiya it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Kyzyl-Kiya – 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 Kyzyl-Kiya. 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.