Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Novy Urengoy

For one person, living is cheaper in Novy Urengoy: $1,097 a month against $1,519 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $5,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

73

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index
54

Cost of Living Index in Novy Urengoy
Learn more

Novy Urengoy Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,519

/mo nomad

Novy Urengoy

🇷🇺 Russia

$1,097

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Novy Urengoy

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

A single person spends $1,519 per month in Istanbul vs $1,097 in Novy Urengoy, rent included.

Istanbul $1,519
Novy Urengoy $1,097

A couple spends around $2,365 per month in Istanbul vs $1,711 in Novy Urengoy, rent included.

Istanbul $2,365
Novy Urengoy $1,711

A family of three spends $3,212 per month in Istanbul vs $2,326 in Novy Urengoy, rent included.

Istanbul $3,212
Novy Urengoy $2,326

Istanbul costs about 38% more than Novy Urengoy, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Istanbul sits 12% above the global median, while Novy Urengoy is 19% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.81 ₺592

$12.50 ₽1,024

-5.52%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.9 ₺2,754

$41.07 ₽3,364

33.70%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.26 ₺465

$6.47 ₽530

43.12%

Cappuccino

$4.30 ₺216

$2.95 ₽242

45.76%

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

$1.77 ₺89.0

$1.21 ₽99.2

46.28%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺28.32

$0.61 ₽50.3

-8.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.69 ₺235

$1.81 ₽148

159.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.12 ₺357

$3.01 ₽246

136.54%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 ₺62.7

$1.16 ₽95.0

7.76%

White Bread (500g)

$0.88 ₺44.17

$0.83 ₽67.7

6.02%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 ₺111

$1.52 ₽124

44.74%

Eggs

$2.43 ₺122

$1.38 ₽113

76.09%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.48 ₺526

$10.69 ₽876

-1.96%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.31 ₺267

$5.43 ₽445

-2.21%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.10 ₺1,058

$9.80 ₽803

115.31%

Apples (1kg)

$1.86 ₺93.1

$1.95 ₽160

-4.62%

Banana (1kg)

$2.30 ₺115

$2.08 ₽170

10.58%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.22 ₺61.0

$1.69 ₽138

-27.81%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺90.2

$3.29 ₽270

-45.29%

Potato (1kg)

$0.69 ₺34.83

$0.83 ₽68.4

-16.87%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺32.16

$0.58 ₽47.13

10.34%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.36 ₺68.0

$1.39 ₽114

-2.16%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 ₺28.94

$0.62 ₽50.4

-6.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.34 ₺117

$3.52 ₽288

-33.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.03 ₺653

$8.97 ₽735

45.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.36 ₺118

$1.30 ₽106

81.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.32 ₺166

$2.29 ₽187

44.98%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.88 ₺44.07

$0.51 ₽41.70

72.55%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.1 ₺3,316

$25.28 ₽2,071

161.55%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 ₺64.4

$2.29 ₽188

-44.10%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 ₺42.80

$0.31 ₽25.65

174.19%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.09 ₺556

$6.39 ₽523

73.55%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 ₺74.0

$0.82 ₽66.8

80.49%

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

$48.6K ₺2.4M

$49.1K ₽4.0M

-0.88%

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

$42.0K ₺2.1M

$41.2K ₽3.4M

1.79%

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

$92.7 ₺4,650

$149 ₽12.2K

-37.89%

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

$11.20 ₺562

$6.52 ₽534

71.78%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.89 ₺797

$7.72 ₽632

105.83%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.7 ₺3,745

$41.73 ₽3,418

78.96%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.95 ₺1,151

$27.14 ₽2,223

-15.44%

Cinema Ticket

$8.05 ₺404

$5.64 ₽462

42.73%

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

$948 ₺47.6K

$304 ₽24.9K

212.38%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.9K ₺1.9M

$7,150 ₽585.8K

416.32%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₺2,702

$93.4 ₽7,655

-42.34%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.49 ₺2,081

$60.8 ₽4,980

-31.74%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 ₺5,060

$119 ₽9,763

-15.34%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.3 ₺4,580

$120 ₽9,816

-23.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,014 ₺50.8K

$550 ₽45.1K

84.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$625 ₺31.3K

$284 ₽23.3K

119.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,005 ₺100.6K

$827 ₽67.7K

142.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,126 ₺56.5K

$510 ₽41.8K

120.63%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,988 ₺149.8K

$2,416 ₽197.9K

23.66%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,730 ₺86.8K

$1,484 ₽121.5K

16.61%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,136 ₺57.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.42

21.33

89.50%

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

Last update for Istanbul: November 2, 2026

Last update for Novy Urengoy: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$625 41.1%

Novy Urengoy

$284 25.9% 54.5% $341

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$258 17%

Novy Urengoy

$211 19.3% 18.3% $47

Eating Out

Istanbul

$221 14.6%

Novy Urengoy

$177 16.2% 19.8% $44

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$129 8.5%

Novy Urengoy

$177 16.1% 36.7% $48

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$120 7.9%

Novy Urengoy

$164 14.9% 36.5% $44

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$91 6%

Novy Urengoy

$53 4.8% 41.6% $38

Getting Around

Istanbul

$75 5%

Novy Urengoy

$31 2.8% 58.5% $44

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,014 in Istanbul versus $550 in Novy Urengoy. 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 $41 in Novy Urengoy. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $211 – making Novy Urengoy the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇷🇺 Novy Urengoy

🕒 Local time

21:48 9:48 PM

23:48 11:48 PM

2 h ahead of Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

124,112

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Russian Ruble RUB ₽

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 1.99 USD

100 TRY = 1.78 EUR

100 RUB = 1.22 USD

100 RUB = 1.09 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RUB, 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).

Russian Ruble exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 81.92 RUB (100 RUB = 1.22 USD). 1 EUR = 92.01 RUB (100 RUB = 1.09 EUR).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Istanbul Novy Urengoy 4,040 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Novy Urengoy

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 Novy Urengoy: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 38%, 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 $1,645 in Novy Urengoy. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Novy Urengoy, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $550 there versus $1,014 in Istanbul.

Kindergarten costs $948 per month in Istanbul and $304 in Novy Urengoy. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 22% more in Istanbul, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,519 in Istanbul and $1,097 in Novy Urengoy. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

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

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

For expats, Novy Urengoy is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 28% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.