Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Okara

For one person, living is cheaper in Okara: $506 a month against $1,519 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $12,200 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
24

Cost of Living Index in Okara
Learn more

Okara Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,519

/mo nomad

Okara

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$506

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Okara

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

A single person spends $1,519 per month in Istanbul vs $506 in Okara, rent included.

Istanbul $1,519
Okara $506

A couple spends around $2,365 per month in Istanbul vs $757 in Okara, rent included.

Istanbul $2,365
Okara $757

A family of three spends $3,212 per month in Istanbul vs $1,008 in Okara, rent included.

Istanbul $3,212
Okara $1,008

Istanbul costs about 200% more than Okara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Istanbul sits 12% above the global median, while Okara is 63% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.81 ₺591

$2.60 PKR 719

354.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.9 ₺2,748

$14.64 PKR 4,049

275.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.26 ₺463

$5.69 PKR 1,574

62.74%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.54 PKR 979

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.49 PKR 1,518

Cappuccino

$4.30 ₺215

$2.52 PKR 697

70.63%

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

$1.77 ₺88.8

$0.37 PKR 103

378.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺28.26

$0.26 PKR 72.1

115.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.69 ₺234

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.12 ₺356

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 ₺62.6

$0.62 PKR 172

101.61%

White Bread (500g)

$0.88 ₺44.07

$0.77 PKR 213

14.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 ₺110

$1.22 PKR 339

80.33%

Eggs

$2.43 ₺122

$1.15 PKR 319

111.30%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.48 ₺524

$6.18 PKR 1,710

69.58%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.31 ₺266

$2.54 PKR 702

109.06%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.10 ₺1,056

$4.90 PKR 1,355

330.61%

Apples (1kg)

$1.86 ₺92.9

$1.19 PKR 330

56.30%

Banana (1kg)

$2.30 ₺115

$0.66 PKR 183

248.48%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.22 ₺60.8

$0.90 PKR 249

35.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺90.0

$0.59 PKR 163

205.08%

Potato (1kg)

$0.69 ₺34.75

$0.31 PKR 86.6

122.58%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺32.09

$0.39 PKR 107

64.10%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.36 ₺67.8

$0.48 PKR 132

183.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 ₺28.88

$0.37 PKR 103

56.76%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$1.11 PKR 307

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.60 PKR 167

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 PKR 478

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.34 ₺117

$2.23 PKR 617

4.93%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.03 ₺652

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 ₺43.97

$0.19 PKR 51.4

363.16%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.1 ₺3,309

$10.03 PKR 2,775

559.22%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 ₺64.3

$0.87 PKR 240

47.13%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 ₺42.70

$0.73 PKR 203

16.44%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.09 ₺555

$1.86 PKR 516

496.24%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 ₺73.9

$0.95 PKR 263

55.79%

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

$48.6K ₺2.4M

$18.0K PKR 5.0M

170.10%

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

$42.0K ₺2.1M

$23.5K PKR 6.5M

78.62%

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

$92.7 ₺4,639

$127 PKR 35.2K

-27.06%

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

$11.20 ₺560

$5.44 PKR 1,506

105.88%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.89 ₺795

$16.18 PKR 4,476

-1.79%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.7 ₺3,737

$14.85 PKR 4,106

402.90%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.95 ₺1,149

$8.26 PKR 2,284

177.85%

Cinema Ticket

$8.05 ₺403

$4.24 PKR 1,173

89.86%

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

$948 ₺47.5K

$14.49 PKR 4,007

6445.48%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.9K ₺1.8M

$2,024 PKR 559.9K

1723.75%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₺2,696

$18.09 PKR 5,004

197.84%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.49 ₺2,076

$27.86 PKR 7,706

48.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 ₺5,049

$72.8 PKR 20.1K

38.66%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.3 ₺4,570

$32.42 PKR 8,967

181.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,014 ₺50.7K

$135 PKR 37.3K

651.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$625 ₺31.3K

$86.5 PKR 23.9K

622.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,005 ₺100.4K

$265 PKR 73.3K

656.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,126 ₺56.3K

$178 PKR 49.1K

533.68%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,988 ₺149.5K

$833 PKR 230.5K

258.57%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,730 ₺86.6K

$500 PKR 138.2K

246.37%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,136 ₺56.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.42

14.05

187.69%

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

Last update for Istanbul: November 2, 2026

Last update for Okara: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$625 41.1%

Okara

$86 17.1% 86.2% $538

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$258 17%

Okara

$94 18.6% 63.6% $164

Eating Out

Istanbul

$221 14.6%

Okara

$71 14% 68% $150

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$129 8.5%

Okara

$68 13.4% 47.4% $61

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$120 7.9%

Okara

$149 29.4% 24.2% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$91 6%

Okara

$23 4.6% 74.3% $67

Getting Around

Istanbul

$75 5%

Okara

$15 3% 79.6% $60

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,014 in Istanbul versus $135 in Okara. 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 $15 in Okara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $94 – making Okara the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇵🇰 Okara

🕒 Local time

00:45 12:45 AM

02:45 2:45 AM

2 h ahead of Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

357,935

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Pakistani Rupee PKR ₨

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 2 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 5, 2026: 1 USD = 50.04 TRY (100 TRY = 2 USD). 1 EUR = 56.18 TRY (100 TRY = 1.78 EUR).

Pakistani Rupee exchange rates as of November 5, 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

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Between locations

Istanbul Okara 4,120 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Okara

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 Okara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 200%, 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 $760 in Okara. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Okara, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $135 there versus $1,014 in Istanbul.

Kindergarten costs $948 per month in Istanbul and $14.49 in Okara. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 175% more in Istanbul, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Okara, where all-in costs run around $506, than in Istanbul at $1,519. In Okara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

For expats, Okara is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 67% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.