Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Mykolaiv

For one person, living is cheaper in Mykolaiv: $722 a month against $1,519 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $9,600 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
34

Cost of Living Index in Mykolaiv
Learn more

Mykolaiv Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,519

/mo nomad

Mykolaiv

🇺🇦 Ukraine

$722

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Mykolaiv

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

A single person spends $1,519 per month in Istanbul vs $722 in Mykolaiv, rent included.

Istanbul $1,519
Mykolaiv $722

A couple spends around $2,365 per month in Istanbul vs $1,098 in Mykolaiv, rent included.

Istanbul $2,365
Mykolaiv $1,098

A family of three spends $3,212 per month in Istanbul vs $1,474 in Mykolaiv, rent included.

Istanbul $3,212
Mykolaiv $1,474

Istanbul costs about 111% more than Mykolaiv, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Istanbul sits 12% above the global median, while Mykolaiv is 47% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.81 ₺592

$8.87 ₴404

33.15%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.9 ₺2,754

$21.29 ₴969

157.91%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.26 ₺465

$5.58 ₴254

65.95%

Cappuccino

$4.30 ₺216

$1.14 ₴51.8

277.19%

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

$1.77 ₺89.0

$0.52 ₴23.64

240.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺28.32

$0.39 ₴17.76

43.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.69 ₺235

$0.73 ₴33.42

542.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.12 ₺357

$1.48 ₴67.6

381.08%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 ₺62.7

$1.15 ₴52.3

8.70%

White Bread (500g)

$0.88 ₺44.17

$0.76 ₴34.53

15.79%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 ₺111

$1.48 ₴67.3

48.65%

Eggs

$2.43 ₺122

$1.79 ₴81.7

35.75%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.48 ₺526

$9.33 ₴425

12.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.31 ₺267

$4.51 ₴205

17.74%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.10 ₺1,058

$7.50 ₴341

181.33%

Apples (1kg)

$1.86 ₺93.1

$1.06 ₴48.29

75.47%

Banana (1kg)

$2.30 ₺115

$1.47 ₴67.1

56.46%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.22 ₺61.0

$1.38 ₴62.7

-11.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺90.2

$2.06 ₴93.9

-12.62%

Potato (1kg)

$0.69 ₺34.83

$0.82 ₴37.17

-15.85%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺32.16

$0.45 ₴20.36

42.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.36 ₺68.0

$0.96 ₴43.78

41.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 ₺28.94

$0.44 ₴20.03

31.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.34 ₺117

$2.56 ₴117

-8.59%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.03 ₺653

$3.69 ₴168

253.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.36 ₺118

$0.56 ₴25.54

321.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.32 ₺166

$1.18 ₴53.9

181.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.88 ₺44.07

$0.31 ₴14.32

183.87%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.1 ₺3,316

$10.80 ₴492

512.22%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 ₺64.4

$1.50 ₴68.1

-14.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 ₺42.80

$0.34 ₴15.57

150.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.09 ₺556

$4.43 ₴202

150.34%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 ₺74.0

$1.65 ₴75.0

-10.30%

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

$48.6K ₺2.4M

$31.2K ₴1.4M

55.66%

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

$42.0K ₺2.1M

$24.5K ₴1.1M

71.07%

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

$92.7 ₺4,650

$165 ₴7,520

-43.86%

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

$11.20 ₺562

$5.93 ₴270

88.87%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.89 ₺797

$7.13 ₴325

122.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.7 ₺3,745

$22.21 ₴1,012

236.24%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.95 ₺1,151

$7.88 ₴359

191.24%

Cinema Ticket

$8.05 ₺404

$3.32 ₴151

142.47%

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

$948 ₺47.6K

$240 ₴10.9K

294.66%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.9K ₺1.9M

$3,627 ₴165.2K

917.83%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₺2,702

$40.51 ₴1,845

33.00%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.49 ₺2,081

$24.38 ₴1,110

70.18%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 ₺5,060

$59.4 ₴2,707

69.73%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.3 ₺4,580

$98.8 ₴4,500

-7.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,014 ₺50.8K

$194 ₴8,853

421.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$625 ₺31.3K

$127 ₴5,783

391.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,005 ₺100.6K

$348 ₴15.8K

477.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,126 ₺56.5K

$254 ₴11.6K

342.97%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,988 ₺149.8K

$751 ₴34.2K

297.68%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,730 ₺86.8K

$524 ₴23.8K

230.47%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,136 ₺57.0K

$413 ₴18.8K

175.11%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.42

152.63%

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

Last update for Istanbul: November 2, 2026

Last update for Mykolaiv: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$625 41.1%

Mykolaiv

$127 17.6% 79.7% $498

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$258 17%

Mykolaiv

$160 22.2% 38% $98

Eating Out

Istanbul

$221 14.6%

Mykolaiv

$112 15.5% 49.5% $109

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$129 8.5%

Mykolaiv

$100 13.9% 22.4% $29

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$120 7.9%

Mykolaiv

$178 24.7% 48.8% $58

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$91 6%

Mykolaiv

$29 4% 68.2% $62

Getting Around

Istanbul

$75 5%

Mykolaiv

$15 2.1% 79.7% $60

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,014 in Istanbul versus $194 in Mykolaiv. 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 2.8 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55 in Istanbul versus $21 in Mykolaiv. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $160 – making Mykolaiv the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇺🇦 Mykolaiv

🕒 Local time

22:38 10:38 PM

21:38 9:38 PM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

480,080

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Ukrainian Hryvnia UAH ₴

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 1.99 USD

100 TRY = 1.78 EUR

100 UAH = 2.2 USD

100 UAH = 1.96 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

UAH, 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 = 56.05 TRY (100 TRY = 1.78 EUR).

Ukrainian Hryvnia exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 45.54 UAH (100 UAH = 2.2 USD). 1 EUR = 50.89 UAH (100 UAH = 1.96 EUR).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Istanbul Mykolaiv 710 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Mykolaiv

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 Mykolaiv: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 111%, 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 $1,082 in Mykolaiv. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Mykolaiv, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $194 there versus $1,014 in Istanbul.

Kindergarten costs $948 per month in Istanbul and $240 in Mykolaiv. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 61% more in Istanbul, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Mykolaiv, where all-in costs run around $722, than in Istanbul at $1,519. In Mykolaiv it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Mykolaiv – 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 Mykolaiv. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Istanbul makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.