Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Mianwali

For one person, living is cheaper in Mianwali: $422 a month against $1,519 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $13,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

Istanbul, Turkey
Mianwali, Pakistan
Istanbul
🇹🇷 Turkey
$1,519
/mo nomad
Mianwali
🇵🇰 Pakistan
$422
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Mianwali

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

A single person spends $1,519 per month in Istanbul vs $422 in Mianwali, rent included.

  • Istanbul $1,519
  • Mianwali $422

A couple spends around $2,365 per month in Istanbul vs $624 in Mianwali, rent included.

  • Istanbul $2,365
  • Mianwali $624

A family of three spends $3,212 per month in Istanbul vs $825 in Mianwali, rent included.

  • Istanbul $3,212
  • Mianwali $825

Istanbul costs about 260% more than Mianwali, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Istanbul
Mianwali
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.81 ₺592
$2.46 PKR 682
380.08%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$54.9 ₺2,754
$8.20 PKR 2,269
569.63%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.26 ₺465
$5.70 PKR 1,575
62.46%
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)
-
$3.56 PKR 985
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$5.30 PKR 1,467
-
Cappuccino
$4.30 ₺216
$1.10 PKR 304
290.91%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.77 ₺89.0
$0.26 PKR 72.0
580.77%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.56 ₺28.32
$0.17 PKR 46.19
229.41%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$4.69 ₺235
-
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$7.12 ₺357
-
-
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Istanbul
Mianwali
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.25 ₺62.7
$0.72 PKR 199
73.61%
White Bread (500g)
$0.88 ₺44.17
$0.52 PKR 144
69.23%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.20 ₺111
$1.12 PKR 309
96.43%
Eggs
$2.43 ₺122
$1.21 PKR 334
100.83%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.48 ₺526
$6.05 PKR 1,673
73.22%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$5.31 ₺267
$1.47 PKR 406
261.22%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$21.10 ₺1,058
$3.64 PKR 1,007
479.67%
Apples (1kg)
$1.86 ₺93.1
$1.22 PKR 336
52.46%
Banana (1kg)
$2.30 ₺115
$0.69 PKR 190
233.33%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.22 ₺61.0
$0.73 PKR 203
67.12%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.80 ₺90.2
$0.46 PKR 127
291.30%
Potato (1kg)
$0.69 ₺34.83
$0.30 PKR 82.1
130.00%
Onion (1kg)
$0.64 ₺32.16
$0.35 PKR 97.3
82.86%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.36 ₺68.0
$0.47 PKR 131
189.36%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.58 ₺28.94
$0.38 PKR 104
52.63%
Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)
-
$1.09 PKR 302
-
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
-
$0.66 PKR 182
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$1.70 PKR 471
-
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.34 ₺117
$1.10 PKR 304
112.73%
Wine (Bottle)
$13.03 ₺653
-
-
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.36 ₺118
-
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.32 ₺166
-
-
🚌 Getting Around
Istanbul
Mianwali
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.88 ₺44.07
$0.17 PKR 48.37
417.65%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$66.1 ₺3,316
$9.75 PKR 2,698
578.15%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.28 ₺64.4
$0.70 PKR 193
82.86%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.85 ₺42.80
$0.34 PKR 95.1
150.00%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$11.09 ₺556
$1.80 PKR 497
516.11%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.48 ₺74.0
$1.23 PKR 340
20.33%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$48.6K ₺2.4M
$18.1K PKR 5.0M
169.35%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$42.0K ₺2.1M
$24.4K PKR 6.8M
71.77%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Istanbul
Mianwali
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$92.7 ₺4,650
$109 PKR 30.0K
-14.58%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$11.20 ₺562
$3.28 PKR 908
241.46%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$15.89 ₺797
$16.21 PKR 4,484
-1.97%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Istanbul
Mianwali
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$74.7 ₺3,745
$8.32 PKR 2,302
797.60%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$22.95 ₺1,151
$8.29 PKR 2,294
176.84%
Cinema Ticket
$8.05 ₺404
$4.63 PKR 1,281
73.87%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Istanbul
Mianwali
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$948 ₺47.6K
$97.5 PKR 27.0K
873.16%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$36.9K ₺1.9M
$1,059 PKR 292.9K
3385.87%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Istanbul
Mianwali
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$53.9 ₺2,702
$13.32 PKR 3,684
304.50%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$41.49 ₺2,081
$14.59 PKR 4,036
184.37%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$101 ₺5,060
$74.9 PKR 20.7K
34.70%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$91.3 ₺4,580
$9.23 PKR 2,553
889.27%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Istanbul
Mianwali
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,014 ₺50.8K
$134 PKR 37.1K
656.52%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$625 ₺31.3K
$80.3 PKR 22.2K
677.83%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,005 ₺100.6K
$272 PKR 75.3K
636.36%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,126 ₺56.5K
$173 PKR 47.7K
552.60%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,988 ₺149.8K
$850 PKR 235.2K
251.35%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,730 ₺86.8K
$451 PKR 124.7K
283.71%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Istanbul
Mianwali
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,136 ₺57.0K
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
40.42
13.94
189.96%

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

Last update for Istanbul: November 2, 2026

Last update for Mianwali: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Istanbul
$625
Mianwali
$80 87.1% $544
Groceries & Markets
Istanbul
$258
Mianwali
$82 68.4% $177
Eating Out
Istanbul
$221
Mianwali
$52 76.6% $169
Clothing & Footwear
Istanbul
$129
Mianwali
$50 61% $79
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Istanbul
$120
Mianwali
$128 6.9% $8.2
Sport & Entertainment
Istanbul
$91
Mianwali
$18 80.6% $73
Getting Around
Istanbul
$75
Mianwali
$13 82.9% $62

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,014 in Istanbul versus $134 in Mianwali. 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 $8 in Mianwali. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $82 – making Mianwali the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇹🇷 Istanbul
🇵🇰 Mianwali
🕒 Local time
20:55 8:55 PM
22:55 10:55 PM
2 h ahead of Istanbul
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
15,701,602
118,883
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

PKR, USD, EUR to TRY – Turkish Lira Converter

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 = 277 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.62 USD). 1 EUR = 311 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.22 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Istanbul Mianwali 3,860 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Istanbul
  • Mianwali

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 Mianwali: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Mianwali cheaper than Istanbul?
Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 260%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,278 per month in Istanbul and $634 in Mianwali. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Mianwali, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $134 there versus $1,014 in Istanbul.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Kindergarten costs $948 per month in Istanbul and $97 in Mianwali. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
How do food prices compare in Istanbul and in Mianwali?
Groceries cost about 217% more in Istanbul, though the gap depends on what you buy.
Is $800 a realistic budget for living in Istanbul or in Mianwali?
A $800 monthly budget goes further in Mianwali, where all-in costs run around $422, than in Istanbul at $1,519. In Mianwali it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Istanbul or Mianwali more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Mianwali – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Which city is easier to live in as a foreigner?
For expats, Mianwali 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.

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