Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Nukus

For one person, living is cheaper in Nukus: $621 a month against $1,519 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $10,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

73

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index
30

Cost of Living Index in Nukus
Learn more

Nukus Living Index

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Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,519

/mo nomad

Nukus

🇺🇿 Uzbekistan

$621

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Nukus

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

A single person spends $1,519 per month in Istanbul vs $621 in Nukus, rent included.

Istanbul $1,519
Nukus $621

A couple spends around $2,365 per month in Istanbul vs $874 in Nukus, rent included.

Istanbul $2,365
Nukus $874

A family of three spends $3,212 per month in Istanbul vs $1,126 in Nukus, rent included.

Istanbul $3,212
Nukus $1,126

Istanbul costs about 145% more than Nukus, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Istanbul sits 12% above the global median, while Nukus is 54% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.81 ₺592

$9.34 UZS 111.9K

26.45%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.9 ₺2,754

$33.90 UZS 405.9K

61.98%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.26 ₺465

$4.82 UZS 57.8K

92.12%

Cappuccino

$4.30 ₺216

$1.53 UZS 18.3K

181.05%

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

$1.77 ₺89.0

$0.91 UZS 11.0K

94.51%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺28.32

$0.75 UZS 8,983

-25.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.69 ₺235

$1.03 UZS 12.3K

355.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.12 ₺357

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 ₺62.7

$1.26 UZS 15.1K

-0.79%

White Bread (500g)

$0.88 ₺44.17

$0.24 UZS 2,873

266.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 ₺111

$1.61 UZS 19.3K

36.65%

Eggs

$2.43 ₺122

$1.28 UZS 15.3K

89.84%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.48 ₺526

$4.92 UZS 58.9K

113.01%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.31 ₺267

$3.26 UZS 39.1K

62.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.10 ₺1,058

$7.67 UZS 91.8K

175.10%

Apples (1kg)

$1.86 ₺93.1

$0.92 UZS 11.1K

102.17%

Banana (1kg)

$2.30 ₺115

$2.44 UZS 29.2K

-5.74%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.22 ₺61.0

$3.32 UZS 39.7K

-63.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺90.2

$1.29 UZS 15.5K

39.53%

Potato (1kg)

$0.69 ₺34.83

$0.48 UZS 5,714

43.75%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺32.16

$0.35 UZS 4,133

82.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.36 ₺68.0

$0.44 UZS 5,281

209.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 ₺28.94

$0.51 UZS 6,157

13.73%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.34 ₺117

$1.63 UZS 19.5K

43.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.03 ₺653

$2.87 UZS 34.4K

354.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.36 ₺118

$0.62 UZS 7,379

280.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.32 ₺166

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.88 ₺44.07

$0.24 UZS 2,869

266.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.1 ₺3,316

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 ₺64.4

$0.60 UZS 7,211

113.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 ₺42.80

$0.69 UZS 8,233

23.19%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.09 ₺556

$2.45 UZS 29.3K

352.65%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 ₺74.0

$1.36 UZS 16.3K

8.82%

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

$48.6K ₺2.4M

$41.4K UZS 495.8M

17.48%

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

$42.0K ₺2.1M

$32.3K UZS 386.6M

30.01%

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

$92.7 ₺4,650

$25.30 UZS 303.0K

266.44%

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

$11.20 ₺562

$2.57 UZS 30.7K

335.80%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.89 ₺797

$10.17 UZS 121.8K

56.24%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.7 ₺3,745

$106 UZS 1.3M

-29.63%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.95 ₺1,151

$6.83 UZS 81.8K

236.02%

Cinema Ticket

$8.05 ₺404

$2.77 UZS 33.2K

190.61%

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

$948 ₺47.6K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.9K ₺1.9M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₺2,702

$18.58 UZS 222.5K

189.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.49 ₺2,081

$21.02 UZS 251.8K

97.38%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 ₺5,060

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.3 ₺4,580

$58.1 UZS 695.1K

57.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,014 ₺50.8K

$208 UZS 2.5M

387.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$625 ₺31.3K

$165 UZS 2.0M

279.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,005 ₺100.6K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,126 ₺56.5K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,988 ₺149.8K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,730 ₺86.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,136 ₺57.0K

$160 UZS 1.9M

610.11%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.42

44.36%

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

Last update for Istanbul: November 2, 2026

Last update for Nukus: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$625 41.1%

Nukus

$165 26.5% 73.6% $460

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$258 17%

Nukus

$139 * 22.3% 46.4% $120

Eating Out

Istanbul

$221 14.6%

Nukus

$119 * 19.2% 46% $102

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$129 8.5%

Nukus

$44 * 7.1% 66% $85

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$120 7.9%

Nukus

$38 6.1% 68.2% $82

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$91 6%

Nukus

$112 18% 23% $21

Getting Around

Istanbul

$75 5%

Nukus

$5 * 0.8% 93.3% $70

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,014 in Istanbul versus $208 in Nukus. 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 7.1 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55 in Istanbul versus $34 in Nukus. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $139 – making Nukus the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇺🇿 Nukus

🕒 Local time

06:20 6:20 AM

08:20 8:20 AM

2 h ahead of Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

335,491

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Uzbekistani Som UZS soʻm

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 1.99 USD

100 TRY = 1.78 EUR

100,000 UZS = 8.35 USD

100,000 UZS = 7.44 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

UZS, 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 = 56.3 TRY (100 TRY = 1.78 EUR).

Uzbekistani Som exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 11,975 UZS (100,000 UZS = 8.35 USD). 1 EUR = 13,443 UZS (100,000 UZS = 7.44 EUR).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Istanbul Nukus 2,530 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Nukus

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 Nukus: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 145%, 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 $932 in Nukus. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Nukus, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $208 there versus $1,014 in Istanbul.

Groceries cost about 86% more in Istanbul, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55 in Istanbul and $34 in Nukus. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Nukus, where all-in costs run around $621, than in Istanbul at $1,519. In Nukus it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Istanbul has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $621 in Nukus to $1,519 in Istanbul. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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

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