Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Mardan

For one person, living is cheaper in Mardan: $502 a month against $1,519 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $12,200 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
24

Cost of Living Index in Mardan
Learn more

Mardan Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,519

/mo nomad

Mardan

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$502

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Mardan

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

A single person spends $1,519 per month in Istanbul vs $502 in Mardan, rent included.

Istanbul $1,519
Mardan $502

A couple spends around $2,365 per month in Istanbul vs $788 in Mardan, rent included.

Istanbul $2,365
Mardan $788

A family of three spends $3,212 per month in Istanbul vs $1,075 in Mardan, rent included.

Istanbul $3,212
Mardan $1,075

Istanbul costs about 203% more than Mardan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Istanbul sits 12% above the global median, while Mardan is 63% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.81 ₺592

$3.55 PKR 981

232.68%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.9 ₺2,754

$24.04 PKR 6,643

128.41%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.26 ₺465

$5.30 PKR 1,465

74.72%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.68 PKR 1,017

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.96 PKR 1,923

Cappuccino

$4.30 ₺216

$2.65 PKR 731

62.26%

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

$1.77 ₺89.0

$0.34 PKR 94.1

420.59%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺28.32

$0.22 PKR 60.6

154.55%

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

$0.89 PKR 245

40.45%

White Bread (500g)

$0.88 ₺44.17

$0.74 PKR 205

18.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 ₺111

$1.24 PKR 343

77.42%

Eggs

$2.43 ₺122

$1.15 PKR 319

111.30%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.48 ₺526

$2.88 PKR 795

263.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.31 ₺267

$2.98 PKR 823

78.19%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.10 ₺1,058

$3.74 PKR 1,033

464.17%

Apples (1kg)

$1.86 ₺93.1

$0.91 PKR 253

104.40%

Banana (1kg)

$2.30 ₺115

$0.73 PKR 202

215.07%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.22 ₺61.0

$1.03 PKR 286

18.45%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺90.2

$0.38 PKR 104

373.68%

Potato (1kg)

$0.69 ₺34.83

$0.30 PKR 83.3

130.00%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺32.16

$0.37 PKR 101

72.97%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.36 ₺68.0

$0.30 PKR 83.7

353.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 ₺28.94

$0.34 PKR 95.3

70.59%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$1.80 PKR 497

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 PKR 332

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.41 PKR 666

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.34 ₺117

$1.77 PKR 490

32.20%

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

$0.16 PKR 45.44

450.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.1 ₺3,316

$9.28 PKR 2,565

612.50%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 ₺64.4

$1.24 PKR 344

3.23%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 ₺42.80

$0.69 PKR 190

23.19%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.09 ₺556

$1.65 PKR 457

572.12%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 ₺74.0

$1.01 PKR 279

46.53%

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

$48.6K ₺2.4M

$21.6K PKR 6.0M

125.41%

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

$42.0K ₺2.1M

$23.1K PKR 6.4M

81.74%

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

$92.7 ₺4,650

$102 PKR 28.3K

-9.38%

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

$11.20 ₺562

$5.95 PKR 1,645

88.24%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.89 ₺797

$17.03 PKR 4,706

-6.69%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.7 ₺3,745

$16.14 PKR 4,460

362.70%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.95 ₺1,151

$7.66 PKR 2,118

199.61%

Cinema Ticket

$8.05 ₺404

$5.02 PKR 1,387

60.36%

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

$948 ₺47.6K

$41.83 PKR 11.6K

2167.37%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.9K ₺1.9M

$1,045 PKR 288.8K

3432.71%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₺2,702

$25.92 PKR 7,162

107.87%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.49 ₺2,081

$35.23 PKR 9,735

17.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 ₺5,060

$96.2 PKR 26.6K

4.83%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.3 ₺4,580

$40.90 PKR 11.3K

123.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,014 ₺50.8K

$138 PKR 38.0K

636.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$625 ₺31.3K

$85.4 PKR 23.6K

631.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,005 ₺100.6K

$265 PKR 73.3K

656.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,126 ₺56.5K

$179 PKR 49.5K

528.48%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,988 ₺149.8K

$896 PKR 247.5K

233.61%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,730 ₺86.8K

$432 PKR 119.4K

300.49%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,136 ₺57.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.42

13.08

209.02%

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

Last update for Istanbul: November 2, 2026

Last update for Mardan: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$625 41.1%

Mardan

$85 17% 86.3% $539

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$258 17%

Mardan

$83 16.5% 68% $176

Eating Out

Istanbul

$221 14.6%

Mardan

$78 15.6% 64.6% $143

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$129 8.5%

Mardan

$89 17.8% 31% $40

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$120 7.9%

Mardan

$125 25% 4.6% $5.5

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$91 6%

Mardan

$26 5.2% 71.2% $65

Getting Around

Istanbul

$75 5%

Mardan

$15 2.9% 80.5% $61

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,014 in Istanbul versus $138 in Mardan. 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 $24 in Mardan. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $83 – making Mardan the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇵🇰 Mardan

🕒 Local time

12:07 12:07 PM

14:07 2:07 PM

2 h ahead of Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

358,604

💱 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 = 56.33 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 Mardan 3,830 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Mardan

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 Mardan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 203%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,278 per month in Istanbul and $752 in Mardan. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Mardan, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $138 there versus $1,014 in Istanbul.

Kindergarten costs $948 per month in Istanbul and $42 in Mardan. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 213% more in Istanbul, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Mardan, where all-in costs run around $502, than in Istanbul at $1,519. In Mardan it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

For expats, Mardan is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 67% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.