Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Layyah

For one person, living is cheaper in Layyah: $424 a month against $1,519 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $13,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

73

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index
20

Cost of Living Index in Layyah
Learn more

Layyah Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,519

/mo nomad

Layyah

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$424

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Layyah

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

A single person spends $1,519 per month in Istanbul vs $424 in Layyah, rent included.

Istanbul $1,519
Layyah $424

A couple spends around $2,365 per month in Istanbul vs $659 in Layyah, rent included.

Istanbul $2,365
Layyah $659

A family of three spends $3,212 per month in Istanbul vs $894 in Layyah, rent included.

Istanbul $3,212
Layyah $894

Istanbul costs about 258% more than Layyah, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Istanbul sits 12% above the global median, while Layyah is 69% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.81 ₺592

$1.85 PKR 513

538.38%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.9 ₺2,754

$11.01 PKR 3,044

398.73%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.26 ₺465

$5.36 PKR 1,483

72.76%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.54 PKR 702

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.15 PKR 595

Cappuccino

$4.30 ₺216

$1.44 PKR 399

198.61%

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

$1.77 ₺89.0

$0.45 PKR 124

293.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺28.32

$0.30 PKR 82.1

86.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.69 ₺235

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.12 ₺357

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 ₺62.7

$0.78 PKR 214

60.26%

White Bread (500g)

$0.88 ₺44.17

$0.65 PKR 180

35.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 ₺111

$1.25 PKR 345

76.00%

Eggs

$2.43 ₺122

$1.20 PKR 333

102.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.48 ₺526

$8.55 PKR 2,362

22.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.31 ₺267

$2.49 PKR 689

113.25%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.10 ₺1,058

$4.16 PKR 1,151

407.21%

Apples (1kg)

$1.86 ₺93.1

$1.07 PKR 295

73.83%

Banana (1kg)

$2.30 ₺115

$0.67 PKR 186

243.28%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.22 ₺61.0

$0.57 PKR 158

114.04%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺90.2

$0.60 PKR 165

200.00%

Potato (1kg)

$0.69 ₺34.83

$0.28 PKR 77.0

146.43%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺32.16

$0.48 PKR 131

33.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.36 ₺68.0

$0.41 PKR 113

231.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 ₺28.94

$0.40 PKR 110

45.00%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$0.52 PKR 144

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 PKR 143

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.69 PKR 189

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.34 ₺117

$1.42 PKR 392

64.79%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.03 ₺653

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.36 ₺118

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.32 ₺166

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.88 ₺44.07

$0.17 PKR 47.20

417.65%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.1 ₺3,316

$9.74 PKR 2,691

578.85%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 ₺64.4

$1.09 PKR 302

17.43%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 ₺42.80

$1.09 PKR 302

-22.02%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.09 ₺556

$2.85 PKR 789

289.12%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 ₺74.0

$1.16 PKR 321

27.59%

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

$48.6K ₺2.4M

$23.5K PKR 6.5M

106.80%

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

$42.0K ₺2.1M

$23.0K PKR 6.4M

82.17%

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

$92.7 ₺4,650

$66.6 PKR 18.4K

39.16%

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

$11.20 ₺562

$5.72 PKR 1,580

95.80%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.89 ₺797

$14.39 PKR 3,977

10.42%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.7 ₺3,745

$15.01 PKR 4,150

397.53%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.95 ₺1,151

$7.90 PKR 2,183

190.51%

Cinema Ticket

$8.05 ₺404

$7.38 PKR 2,039

9.08%

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

$948 ₺47.6K

$26.68 PKR 7,373

3454.87%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.9K ₺1.9M

$2,060 PKR 569.4K

1691.79%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₺2,702

$19.22 PKR 5,311

180.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.49 ₺2,081

$26.25 PKR 7,256

58.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 ₺5,060

$53.6 PKR 14.8K

88.09%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.3 ₺4,580

$29.73 PKR 8,217

207.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,014 ₺50.8K

$136 PKR 37.7K

643.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$625 ₺31.3K

$84.2 PKR 23.3K

641.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,005 ₺100.6K

$270 PKR 74.6K

643.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,126 ₺56.5K

$182 PKR 50.3K

518.85%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,988 ₺149.8K

$801 PKR 221.4K

272.99%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,730 ₺86.8K

$495 PKR 136.7K

249.85%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,136 ₺57.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.42

11.83

241.67%

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

Last update for Istanbul: November 2, 2026

Last update for Layyah: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$625 41.1%

Layyah

$84 19.8% 86.5% $540

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$258 17%

Layyah

$98 23% 62.2% $161

Eating Out

Istanbul

$221 14.6%

Layyah

$51 12.1% 76.8% $170

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$129 8.5%

Layyah

$58 13.7% 55.2% $71

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$120 7.9%

Layyah

$87 20.4% 27.6% $33

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$91 6%

Layyah

$30 7% 67.2% $61

Getting Around

Istanbul

$75 5%

Layyah

$17 4% 77.4% $58

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,014 in Istanbul versus $136 in Layyah. 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 in Istanbul versus $11 in Layyah. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $98 – making Layyah the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇵🇰 Layyah

🕒 Local time

09:36 9:36 AM

11:36 11:36 AM

2 h ahead of Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

126,361

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Pakistani Rupee PKR ₨

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 1.99 USD

100 TRY = 1.78 EUR

1,000 PKR = 3.62 USD

1,000 PKR = 3.22 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PKR, 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).

Pakistani Rupee exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 276 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.62 USD). 1 EUR = 310 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.22 EUR).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Istanbul Layyah 3,900 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Layyah

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 Layyah: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 258%, 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 $637 in Layyah. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Layyah, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $136 there versus $1,014 in Istanbul.

Kindergarten costs $948 per month in Istanbul and $27 in Layyah. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 165% more in Istanbul, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Layyah, where all-in costs run around $424, than in Istanbul at $1,519. In Layyah it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

For expats, Layyah is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 72% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.