Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Perm

For one person, living is cheaper in Perm: $937 a month against $1,519 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $7,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

Istanbul, Turkey
Perm, Russia
Istanbul
🇹🇷 Turkey
$1,519
/mo nomad
Perm
🇷🇺 Russia
$937
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Perm

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

A single person spends $1,519 per month in Istanbul vs $937 in Perm, rent included.

  • Istanbul $1,519
  • Perm $937

A couple spends around $2,365 per month in Istanbul vs $1,427 in Perm, rent included.

  • Istanbul $2,365
  • Perm $1,427

A family of three spends $3,212 per month in Istanbul vs $1,918 in Perm, rent included.

  • Istanbul $3,212
  • Perm $1,918

Istanbul costs about 62% more than Perm, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Istanbul sits 12% above the global median, while Perm is 31% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Istanbul
Perm
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.81 ₺592
$8.70 ₽710
35.75%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$54.9 ₺2,754
$26.79 ₽2,185
104.96%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.26 ₺465
$6.21 ₽506
49.11%
Cappuccino
$4.30 ₺216
$2.31 ₽189
86.15%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.77 ₺89.0
$0.77 ₽62.9
129.87%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.56 ₺28.32
$0.45 ₽36.65
24.44%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$4.69 ₺235
$1.20 ₽98.3
290.83%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$7.12 ₺357
$1.57 ₽128
353.50%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Istanbul
Perm
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.25 ₺62.7
$1.03 ₽83.9
21.36%
White Bread (500g)
$0.88 ₺44.17
$0.79 ₽64.3
11.39%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.20 ₺111
$1.25 ₽102
76.00%
Eggs
$2.43 ₺122
$1.22 ₽99.1
99.18%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.48 ₺526
$8.13 ₽663
28.91%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$5.31 ₺267
$5.28 ₽430
0.57%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$21.10 ₺1,058
$12.42 ₽1,013
69.89%
Apples (1kg)
$1.86 ₺93.1
$1.97 ₽161
-5.58%
Banana (1kg)
$2.30 ₺115
$1.67 ₽136
37.72%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.22 ₺61.0
$1.98 ₽161
-38.38%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.80 ₺90.2
$2.49 ₽203
-27.71%
Potato (1kg)
$0.69 ₺34.83
$0.68 ₽55.5
1.47%
Onion (1kg)
$0.64 ₺32.16
$0.54 ₽43.76
18.52%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.36 ₺68.0
$0.89 ₽72.9
52.81%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.58 ₺28.94
$0.70 ₽57.0
-17.14%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.34 ₺117
$2.77 ₽226
-15.52%
Wine (Bottle)
$13.03 ₺653
$9.72 ₽792
34.05%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.36 ₺118
$0.86 ₽70.4
174.42%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.32 ₺166
$1.78 ₽145
86.52%
🚌 Getting Around
Istanbul
Perm
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.88 ₺44.07
$0.55 ₽44.61
60.00%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$66.1 ₺3,316
$26.65 ₽2,173
148.11%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.28 ₺64.4
$1.90 ₽155
-32.63%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.85 ₺42.80
$0.47 ₽38.67
80.85%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$11.09 ₺556
$4.40 ₽359
152.05%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.48 ₺74.0
$0.87 ₽71.3
70.11%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$48.6K ₺2.4M
$53.8K ₽4.4M
-9.65%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$42.0K ₺2.1M
$40.9K ₽3.3M
2.73%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Istanbul
Perm
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$92.7 ₺4,650
$132 ₽10.8K
-29.77%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$11.20 ₺562
$5.74 ₽468
95.12%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$15.89 ₺797
$8.60 ₽702
84.77%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Istanbul
Perm
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$74.7 ₺3,745
$29.05 ₽2,369
157.07%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$22.95 ₺1,151
$13.72 ₽1,119
67.27%
Cinema Ticket
$8.05 ₺404
$8.57 ₽699
-6.07%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Istanbul
Perm
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$948 ₺47.6K
$243 ₽19.8K
290.47%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$36.9K ₺1.9M
$4,558 ₽371.7K
710.02%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Istanbul
Perm
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$53.9 ₺2,702
$55.1 ₽4,491
-2.16%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$41.49 ₺2,081
$35.18 ₽2,869
17.94%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$101 ₺5,060
$65.8 ₽5,362
53.44%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$91.3 ₺4,580
$73.7 ₽6,007
23.98%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Istanbul
Perm
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,014 ₺50.8K
$486 ₽39.6K
108.62%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$625 ₺31.3K
$279 ₽22.8K
123.73%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,005 ₺100.6K
$631 ₽51.5K
217.64%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,126 ₺56.5K
$503 ₽41.0K
123.79%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,988 ₺149.8K
$2,484 ₽202.6K
20.26%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,730 ₺86.8K
$1,619 ₽132.0K
6.87%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Istanbul
Perm
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,136 ₺57.0K
$986 ₽80.4K
15.31%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
40.42
23.33
73.25%

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

Last update for Istanbul: November 2, 2026

Last update for Perm: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Istanbul
$625
Perm
$279 55.3% $345
Groceries & Markets
Istanbul
$258
Perm
$199 23.1% $60
Eating Out
Istanbul
$221
Perm
$130 41.2% $91
Clothing & Footwear
Istanbul
$129
Perm
$103 20.1% $26
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Istanbul
$120
Perm
$146 22.2% $27
Sport & Entertainment
Istanbul
$91
Perm
$46 49.1% $45
Getting Around
Istanbul
$75
Perm
$33 56% $42

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,014 in Istanbul versus $486 in Perm. 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 15% 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 $27 in Perm. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $199 – making Perm the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇹🇷 Istanbul
🇷🇺 Perm
🕒 Local time
06:41 6:41 AM
08:41 8:41 AM
2 h ahead of Istanbul
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
15,701,602
1,026,908
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

RUB, USD, EUR to TRY – Turkish Lira Converter

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).

Russian Ruble exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 81.56 RUB (100 RUB = 1.23 USD). 1 EUR = 91.56 RUB (100 RUB = 1.09 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Istanbul Perm 2,700 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Istanbul
  • Perm

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 Perm: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Perm cheaper than Istanbul?
Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 62%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,278 per month in Istanbul and $1,405 in Perm. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Perm, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $486 there versus $1,014 in Istanbul.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Kindergarten costs $948 per month in Istanbul and $243 in Perm. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
How do food prices compare in Istanbul and in Perm?
Groceries cost about 30% more in Istanbul, though the gap depends on what you buy.
Is Istanbul or Perm more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Perm – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Which city is safer, Istanbul or Perm?
Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Perm. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Istanbul makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

Istanbul vs other spots: cost of living compared

Similar cities

Show times on the 12-hour clock, temperatures in °F and distances in miles?