Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Oskemen

For one person, living is cheaper in Oskemen: $900 a month against $1,519 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $7,400 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
43

Cost of Living Index in Oskemen
Learn more

Oskemen Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,519

/mo nomad

Oskemen

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$900

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Oskemen

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

A single person spends $1,519 per month in Istanbul vs $900 in Oskemen, rent included.

Istanbul $1,519
Oskemen $900

A couple spends around $2,365 per month in Istanbul vs $1,514 in Oskemen, rent included.

Istanbul $2,365
Oskemen $1,514

A family of three spends $3,212 per month in Istanbul vs $2,128 in Oskemen, rent included.

Istanbul $3,212
Oskemen $2,128

Istanbul costs about 69% more than Oskemen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Istanbul sits 12% above the global median, while Oskemen is 33% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.81 ₺592

$13.09 ₸5,900

-9.78%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.9 ₺2,754

$26.48 ₸11.9K

107.36%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.26 ₺465

$4.08 ₸1,837

126.96%

Cappuccino

$4.30 ₺216

$3.34 ₸1,506

28.74%

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

$1.77 ₺89.0

$0.98 ₸442

80.61%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺28.32

$0.56 ₸251

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.69 ₺235

$1.51 ₸683

210.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.12 ₺357

$1.62 ₸731

339.51%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 ₺62.7

$1.45 ₸653

-13.79%

White Bread (500g)

$0.88 ₺44.17

$0.49 ₸223

79.59%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 ₺111

$1.36 ₸615

61.76%

Eggs

$2.43 ₺122

$1.79 ₸808

35.75%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.48 ₺526

$10.37 ₸4,676

1.06%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.31 ₺267

$5.95 ₸2,684

-10.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.10 ₺1,058

$8.07 ₸3,640

161.46%

Apples (1kg)

$1.86 ₺93.1

$1.17 ₸528

58.97%

Banana (1kg)

$2.30 ₺115

$2.00 ₸900

15.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.22 ₺61.0

$2.68 ₸1,207

-54.48%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺90.2

$2.48 ₸1,119

-27.42%

Potato (1kg)

$0.69 ₺34.83

$0.91 ₸410

-24.18%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺32.16

$0.53 ₸238

20.75%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.36 ₺68.0

$0.32 ₸144

325.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 ₺28.94

$1.06 ₸478

-45.28%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.34 ₺117

$2.26 ₸1,018

3.54%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.03 ₺653

$4.93 ₸2,223

164.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.36 ₺118

$1.46 ₸656

61.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.32 ₺166

$1.63 ₸734

103.68%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.88 ₺44.07

$0.30 ₸137

193.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.1 ₺3,316

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 ₺64.4

$1.09 ₸491

17.43%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 ₺42.80

$0.30 ₸133

183.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.09 ₺556

$2.45 ₸1,106

352.65%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 ₺74.0

$0.63 ₸286

134.92%

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

$48.6K ₺2.4M

$31.9K ₸14.4M

52.27%

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

$42.0K ₺2.1M

$31.0K ₸14.0M

35.59%

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

$92.7 ₺4,650

$46.49 ₸21.0K

99.42%

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

$11.20 ₺562

$11.55 ₸5,206

-3.03%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.89 ₺797

$22.42 ₸10.1K

-29.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.7 ₺3,745

$26.09 ₸11.8K

186.24%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.95 ₺1,151

$20.08 ₸9,050

14.29%

Cinema Ticket

$8.05 ₺404

$5.00 ₸2,255

61.00%

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

$948 ₺47.6K

$66.8 ₸30.1K

1320.46%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.9K ₺1.9M

$2,797 ₸1.3M

1219.79%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₺2,702

$115 ₸51.8K

-53.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.49 ₺2,081

$81.5 ₸36.7K

-49.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 ₺5,060

$98.5 ₸44.4K

2.45%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.3 ₺4,580

$122 ₸55.0K

-25.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,014 ₺50.8K

$348 ₸156.7K

191.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$625 ₺31.3K

$222 ₸100.1K

181.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,005 ₺100.6K

$653 ₸294.4K

207.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,126 ₺56.5K

$566 ₸255.3K

98.85%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,988 ₺149.8K

$1,132 ₸510.2K

163.99%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,730 ₺86.8K

$831 ₸374.7K

108.18%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,136 ₺57.0K

$779 ₸351.4K

45.80%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.42

19.5

107.28%

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

Last update for Istanbul: November 2, 2026

Last update for Oskemen: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$625 41.1%

Oskemen

$222 24.7% 64.4% $402

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$258 17%

Oskemen

$196 21.8% 24% $62

Eating Out

Istanbul

$221 14.6%

Oskemen

$174 19.3% 21.3% $47

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$129 8.5%

Oskemen

$188 20.8% 45% $58

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$120 7.9%

Oskemen

$80 8.9% 32.8% $39

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$91 6%

Oskemen

$36 4% 60.2% $55

Getting Around

Istanbul

$75 5%

Oskemen

$3.8 * 0.4% 95% $71

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 $348 in Oskemen. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 46% higher in Istanbul, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55 in Istanbul versus $26 in Oskemen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $196 – making Oskemen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇰🇿 Oskemen

🕒 Local time

10:45 10:45 AM

12:45 12:45 PM

2 h ahead of Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

354,770

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Kazakhstani Tenge KZT ₸

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 1.99 USD

100 TRY = 1.78 EUR

1,000 KZT = 2.22 USD

1,000 KZT = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

KZT, 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).

Kazakhstani Tenge exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 451 KZT (1,000 KZT = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 506 KZT (1,000 KZT = 1.98 EUR).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Istanbul Oskemen 4,200 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Oskemen

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 Oskemen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 69%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,278 per month in Istanbul and $1,350 in Oskemen. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Oskemen, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $348 there versus $1,014 in Istanbul.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55 in Istanbul and $26 in Oskemen. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 32% more in Istanbul, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Oskemen, where all-in costs run around $900, than in Istanbul at $1,519. In Oskemen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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