Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Muzaffarabad

For one person, living is cheaper in Muzaffarabad: $394 a month against $1,519 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $13,500 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
19

Cost of Living Index in Muzaffarabad
Learn more

Muzaffarabad Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,519

/mo nomad

Muzaffarabad

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$394

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Muzaffarabad

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

A single person spends $1,519 per month in Istanbul vs $394 in Muzaffarabad, rent included.

Istanbul $1,519
Muzaffarabad $394

A couple spends around $2,365 per month in Istanbul vs $579 in Muzaffarabad, rent included.

Istanbul $2,365
Muzaffarabad $579

A family of three spends $3,212 per month in Istanbul vs $763 in Muzaffarabad, rent included.

Istanbul $3,212
Muzaffarabad $763

Istanbul costs about 285% more than Muzaffarabad, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Istanbul sits 12% above the global median, while Muzaffarabad is 71% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.81 ₺592

$1.47 PKR 407

703.40%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.9 ₺2,754

$9.06 PKR 2,507

506.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.26 ₺465

$2.15 PKR 594

330.70%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.43 PKR 395

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 PKR 779

Cappuccino

$4.30 ₺216

$1.06 PKR 293

305.66%

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

$1.77 ₺89.0

$0.38 PKR 104

365.79%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺28.32

$0.17 PKR 46.38

229.41%

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

$0.96 PKR 265

30.21%

White Bread (500g)

$0.88 ₺44.17

$0.63 PKR 175

39.68%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 ₺111

$1.02 PKR 283

115.69%

Eggs

$2.43 ₺122

$0.88 PKR 243

176.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.48 ₺526

$3.58 PKR 991

192.74%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.31 ₺267

$2.48 PKR 685

114.11%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.10 ₺1,058

$3.19 PKR 882

561.44%

Apples (1kg)

$1.86 ₺93.1

$1.05 PKR 292

77.14%

Banana (1kg)

$2.30 ₺115

$0.52 PKR 144

342.31%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.22 ₺61.0

$0.35 PKR 96.7

248.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺90.2

$0.37 PKR 103

386.49%

Potato (1kg)

$0.69 ₺34.83

$0.35 PKR 96.5

97.14%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺32.16

$0.30 PKR 84.1

113.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.36 ₺68.0

$0.44 PKR 123

209.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 ₺28.94

$0.26 PKR 71.7

123.08%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$1.49 PKR 412

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.73 PKR 202

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.69 PKR 192

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.34 ₺117

$0.88 PKR 244

165.91%

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 46.83

417.65%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.1 ₺3,316

$9.34 PKR 2,584

607.92%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 ₺64.4

$1.11 PKR 307

15.32%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 ₺42.80

$0.69 PKR 190

23.19%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.09 ₺556

$1.48 PKR 410

649.32%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 ₺74.0

$1.22 PKR 337

21.31%

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

$48.6K ₺2.4M

$22.3K PKR 6.2M

117.90%

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

$42.0K ₺2.1M

$23.5K PKR 6.5M

78.26%

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

$92.7 ₺4,650

$119 PKR 32.8K

-21.89%

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

$11.20 ₺562

$5.45 PKR 1,508

105.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.89 ₺797

$8.87 PKR 2,454

79.14%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.7 ₺3,745

$14.74 PKR 4,077

406.65%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.95 ₺1,151

$9.31 PKR 2,574

146.51%

Cinema Ticket

$8.05 ₺404

$2.01 PKR 557

300.50%

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

$948 ₺47.6K

$47.20 PKR 13.1K

1909.41%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.9K ₺1.9M

$1,084 PKR 299.9K

3304.54%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₺2,702

$5.27 PKR 1,457

922.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.49 ₺2,081

$8.85 PKR 2,448

368.81%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 ₺5,060

$51.5 PKR 14.2K

95.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.3 ₺4,580

$10.76 PKR 2,975

748.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,014 ₺50.8K

$133 PKR 36.9K

659.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$625 ₺31.3K

$85.9 PKR 23.8K

626.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,005 ₺100.6K

$266 PKR 73.5K

654.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,126 ₺56.5K

$182 PKR 50.2K

520.21%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,988 ₺149.8K

$770 PKR 213.1K

287.84%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,730 ₺86.8K

$507 PKR 140.3K

241.07%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,136 ₺57.0K

$294 PKR 81.2K

286.97%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.42

169.47%

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

Last update for Istanbul: November 2, 2026

Last update for Muzaffarabad: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$625 41.1%

Muzaffarabad

$86 21.8% 86.2% $539

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$258 17%

Muzaffarabad

$74 18.9% 71.2% $184

Eating Out

Istanbul

$221 14.6%

Muzaffarabad

$33 8.4% 85% $188

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$129 8.5%

Muzaffarabad

$34 8.7% 73.4% $95

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$120 7.9%

Muzaffarabad

$133 33.8% 11% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$91 6%

Muzaffarabad

$19 4.8% 79.3% $72

Getting Around

Istanbul

$75 5%

Muzaffarabad

$15 3.7% 80.6% $61

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,014 in Istanbul versus $133 in Muzaffarabad. 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 3.9 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55 in Istanbul versus $9 in Muzaffarabad. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $74 – making Muzaffarabad the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇵🇰 Muzaffarabad

🕒 Local time

21:45 9:45 PM

23:45 11:45 PM

2 h ahead of Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

149,913

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

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Istanbul Muzaffarabad 3,940 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Muzaffarabad

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 Muzaffarabad: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 285%, 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 $591 in Muzaffarabad. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Muzaffarabad, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $133 there versus $1,014 in Istanbul.

Kindergarten costs $948 per month in Istanbul and $47 in Muzaffarabad. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 247% more in Istanbul, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Muzaffarabad, where all-in costs run around $394, than in Istanbul at $1,519. In Muzaffarabad it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

If budget matters most, go with Muzaffarabad. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Istanbul makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.