Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Mirpur

For one person, living is cheaper in Mirpur: $379 a month against $1,519 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $13,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

Istanbul, Turkey
Mirpur, Pakistan
Istanbul
🇹🇷 Turkey
$1,519
/mo nomad
Mirpur
🇵🇰 Pakistan
$379
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Mirpur

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

A single person spends $1,519 per month in Istanbul vs $379 in Mirpur, rent included.

  • Istanbul $1,519
  • Mirpur $379

A couple spends around $2,365 per month in Istanbul vs $576 in Mirpur, rent included.

  • Istanbul $2,365
  • Mirpur $576

A family of three spends $3,212 per month in Istanbul vs $772 in Mirpur, rent included.

  • Istanbul $3,212
  • Mirpur $772

Istanbul costs about 300% more than Mirpur, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Istanbul sits 12% above the global median, while Mirpur is 72% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Istanbul
Mirpur
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.81 ₺592
$1.85 PKR 511
538.38%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$54.9 ₺2,754
$7.12 PKR 1,967
671.21%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.26 ₺465
$5.43 PKR 1,501
70.53%
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)
-
$1.10 PKR 304
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$1.76 PKR 487
-
Cappuccino
$4.30 ₺216
$1.06 PKR 292
305.66%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.77 ₺89.0
$0.48 PKR 133
268.75%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.56 ₺28.32
$0.16 PKR 43.92
250.00%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$4.69 ₺235
-
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$7.12 ₺357
-
-
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Istanbul
Mirpur
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.25 ₺62.7
$0.77 PKR 213
62.34%
White Bread (500g)
$0.88 ₺44.17
$0.58 PKR 160
51.72%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.20 ₺111
$1.21 PKR 334
81.82%
Eggs
$2.43 ₺122
$1.24 PKR 343
95.97%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.48 ₺526
$3.69 PKR 1,020
184.01%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$5.31 ₺267
$2.46 PKR 679
115.85%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$21.10 ₺1,058
$4.07 PKR 1,123
418.43%
Apples (1kg)
$1.86 ₺93.1
$1.09 PKR 301
70.64%
Banana (1kg)
$2.30 ₺115
$0.63 PKR 173
265.08%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.22 ₺61.0
$0.61 PKR 168
100.00%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.80 ₺90.2
$0.56 PKR 153
221.43%
Potato (1kg)
$0.69 ₺34.83
$0.28 PKR 77.0
146.43%
Onion (1kg)
$0.64 ₺32.16
$0.30 PKR 83.9
113.33%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.36 ₺68.0
$0.28 PKR 76.9
385.71%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.58 ₺28.94
$0.38 PKR 104
52.63%
Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)
-
$1.83 PKR 506
-
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
-
$1.11 PKR 306
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$2.38 PKR 657
-
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.34 ₺117
$1.43 PKR 394
63.64%
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
Mirpur
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.88 ₺44.07
$0.16 PKR 44.18
450.00%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$66.1 ₺3,316
$10.20 PKR 2,819
548.24%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.28 ₺64.4
$1.06 PKR 293
20.75%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.85 ₺42.80
$0.21 PKR 57.9
304.76%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$11.09 ₺556
$2.88 PKR 795
285.07%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.48 ₺74.0
$0.96 PKR 266
54.17%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$48.6K ₺2.4M
$8,924 PKR 2.5M
445.03%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$42.0K ₺2.1M
$14.4K PKR 4.0M
191.81%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Istanbul
Mirpur
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$92.7 ₺4,650
$67.6 PKR 18.7K
37.25%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$11.20 ₺562
$5.66 PKR 1,564
97.88%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$15.89 ₺797
$14.50 PKR 4,007
9.59%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Istanbul
Mirpur
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$74.7 ₺3,745
$14.65 PKR 4,048
409.76%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$22.95 ₺1,151
$8.21 PKR 2,270
179.54%
Cinema Ticket
$8.05 ₺404
$3.51 PKR 969
129.34%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Istanbul
Mirpur
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$948 ₺47.6K
$26.97 PKR 7,452
3416.65%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$36.9K ₺1.9M
$1,984 PKR 548.3K
1760.73%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Istanbul
Mirpur
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$53.9 ₺2,702
$18.04 PKR 4,984
198.67%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$41.49 ₺2,081
$18.20 PKR 5,029
127.97%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$101 ₺5,060
$36.25 PKR 10.0K
178.32%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$91.3 ₺4,580
$28.99 PKR 8,012
214.97%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Istanbul
Mirpur
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,014 ₺50.8K
$134 PKR 37.0K
656.91%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$625 ₺31.3K
$84.7 PKR 23.4K
637.59%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,005 ₺100.6K
$271 PKR 74.8K
640.85%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,126 ₺56.5K
$180 PKR 49.6K
526.98%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,988 ₺149.8K
$833 PKR 230.2K
258.68%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,730 ₺86.8K
$503 PKR 139.1K
243.79%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Istanbul
Mirpur
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,136 ₺57.0K
$145 PKR 40.1K
682.75%
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 Mirpur: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Istanbul
$625
Mirpur
$85 86.4% $540
Groceries & Markets
Istanbul
$258
Mirpur
$80 68.9% $178
Eating Out
Istanbul
$221
Mirpur
$46 79% $175
Clothing & Footwear
Istanbul
$129
Mirpur
$46 64.7% $84
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Istanbul
$120
Mirpur
$88 26.8% $32
Sport & Entertainment
Istanbul
$91
Mirpur
$22 76.1% $69
Getting Around
Istanbul
$75
Mirpur
$13 82.8% $62

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,014 in Istanbul versus $134 in Mirpur. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Istanbul are about 7.8 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55 in Istanbul versus $7 in Mirpur. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $80 – making Mirpur the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇹🇷 Istanbul
🇵🇰 Mirpur
🕒 Local time
14:20 2:20 PM
16:20 4:20 PM
2 h ahead of Istanbul
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
15,701,602
124,350
💱 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 = 276 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.62 USD). 1 EUR = 310 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.22 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Istanbul Mirpur 4,020 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Istanbul
  • Mirpur

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 Mirpur: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Mirpur cheaper than Istanbul?
Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 300%, 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 $569 in Mirpur. 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 Mirpur, 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 $27 in Mirpur. 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 Mirpur?
Groceries cost about 222% more in Istanbul, though the gap depends on what you buy.
Is $1,200 a realistic budget for living in Istanbul or in Mirpur?
A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Mirpur, where all-in costs run around $379, than in Istanbul at $1,519. In Mirpur it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Istanbul or Mirpur more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Mirpur – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Mirpur. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Istanbul makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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