Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Peshawar

For one person, living is cheaper in Peshawar: $525 a month against $1,519 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $11,900 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
25

Cost of Living Index in Peshawar
Learn more

Peshawar Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,519

/mo nomad

Peshawar

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$525

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Peshawar

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

A single person spends $1,519 per month in Istanbul vs $525 in Peshawar, rent included.

Istanbul $1,519
Peshawar $525

A couple spends around $2,365 per month in Istanbul vs $717 in Peshawar, rent included.

Istanbul $2,365
Peshawar $717

A family of three spends $3,212 per month in Istanbul vs $908 in Peshawar, rent included.

Istanbul $3,212
Peshawar $908

Istanbul costs about 189% more than Peshawar, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Istanbul sits 12% above the global median, while Peshawar is 61% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.81 ₺592

$2.39 PKR 661

394.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.9 ₺2,754

$8.97 PKR 2,480

512.15%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.26 ₺465

$5.50 PKR 1,521

68.36%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.19 PKR 604

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 PKR 795

Cappuccino

$4.30 ₺216

$2.59 PKR 715

66.02%

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

$1.77 ₺89.0

$0.32 PKR 87.8

453.13%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺28.32

$0.19 PKR 52.2

194.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.69 ₺235

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.12 ₺357

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 ₺62.7

$1.01 PKR 278

23.76%

White Bread (500g)

$0.88 ₺44.17

$0.79 PKR 218

11.39%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 ₺111

$1.04 PKR 289

111.54%

Eggs

$2.43 ₺122

$1.11 PKR 307

118.92%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.48 ₺526

$3.49 PKR 964

200.29%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.31 ₺267

$3.00 PKR 829

77.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.10 ₺1,058

$3.72 PKR 1,028

467.20%

Apples (1kg)

$1.86 ₺93.1

$1.19 PKR 330

56.30%

Banana (1kg)

$2.30 ₺115

$0.57 PKR 156

303.51%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.22 ₺61.0

$0.62 PKR 171

96.77%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺90.2

$0.59 PKR 162

205.08%

Potato (1kg)

$0.69 ₺34.83

$0.28 PKR 76.7

146.43%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺32.16

$0.34 PKR 95.2

88.24%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.36 ₺68.0

$0.30 PKR 84.0

353.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 ₺28.94

$0.26 PKR 71.4

123.08%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$1.92 PKR 530

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.70 PKR 193

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.70 PKR 193

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.34 ₺117

$1.83 PKR 506

27.87%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.03 ₺653

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 ₺44.07

$0.21 PKR 57.0

319.05%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.1 ₺3,316

$12.56 PKR 3,470

426.43%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 ₺64.4

$1.06 PKR 294

20.75%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 ₺42.80

$0.73 PKR 203

16.44%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.09 ₺556

$1.42 PKR 393

680.99%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 ₺74.0

$1.22 PKR 337

21.31%

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

$48.6K ₺2.4M

$22.6K PKR 6.2M

115.51%

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

$42.0K ₺2.1M

$23.1K PKR 6.4M

81.34%

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

$92.7 ₺4,650

$102 PKR 28.2K

-9.24%

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

$11.20 ₺562

$6.08 PKR 1,680

84.21%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.89 ₺797

$14.33 PKR 3,961

10.89%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.7 ₺3,745

$15.51 PKR 4,286

381.50%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.95 ₺1,151

$6.01 PKR 1,662

281.86%

Cinema Ticket

$8.05 ₺404

$1.97 PKR 546

308.63%

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

$948 ₺47.6K

$46.84 PKR 12.9K

1924.85%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.9K ₺1.9M

$22.7K PKR 6.3M

62.32%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₺2,702

$7.12 PKR 1,967

656.74%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.49 ₺2,081

$16.19 PKR 4,475

156.27%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 ₺5,060

$50.3 PKR 13.9K

100.54%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.3 ₺4,580

$41.47 PKR 11.5K

120.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,014 ₺50.8K

$227 PKR 62.8K

345.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$625 ₺31.3K

$161 PKR 44.4K

288.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,005 ₺100.6K

$266 PKR 73.6K

653.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,126 ₺56.5K

$199 PKR 55.0K

465.60%

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

$151 PKR 41.9K

650.29%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.42

267.45%

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

Last update for Istanbul: November 2, 2026

Last update for Peshawar: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$625 41.1%

Peshawar

$161 30.6% 74.3% $464

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$258 17%

Peshawar

$84 16% 67.6% $174

Eating Out

Istanbul

$221 14.6%

Peshawar

$69 13.1% 68.9% $152

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$129 8.5%

Peshawar

$52 9.9% 60% $78

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$120 7.9%

Peshawar

$123 23.3% 2.3% $2.8

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$91 6%

Peshawar

$19 3.7% 78.6% $71

Getting Around

Istanbul

$75 5%

Peshawar

$18 3.5% 75.9% $57

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,014 in Istanbul versus $227 in Peshawar. 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 7.5 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55 in Istanbul versus $9 in Peshawar. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $84 – making Peshawar the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇵🇰 Peshawar

🕒 Local time

14:00 2:00 PM

16:00 4:00 PM

2 h ahead of Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

1,970,042

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Pakistani Rupee PKR ₨

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 1.99 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 6, 2026: 1 USD = 50.15 TRY (100 TRY = 1.99 USD). 1 EUR = 56.33 TRY (100 TRY = 1.78 EUR).

Pakistani Rupee exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 276 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.62 USD). 1 EUR = 310 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.22 EUR).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Istanbul Peshawar 3,800 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Peshawar

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 Peshawar: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 189%, 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 $788 in Peshawar. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Peshawar, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $227 there versus $1,014 in Istanbul.

Kindergarten costs $948 per month in Istanbul and $47 in Peshawar. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 208% more in Istanbul, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $800 monthly budget goes further in Peshawar, where all-in costs run around $525, than in Istanbul at $1,519. In Peshawar it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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