Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Phuket Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Phuket

😐 Solo nomad: Istanbul is 9.5% more expensive than Phuket without rent, and 17.5% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Istanbul is 11.8% more expensive than Phuket without rent, and 8.4% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Istanbul
Phuket
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.33 ₺446
$4.68 ฿151
142.09%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$51.6 ₺2,030
$46.4 ฿1,502
11.19%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$7.41 ₺291
$8.65 ฿280
-14.34%
Cappuccino
$3.62 ₺142
$3.09 ฿100
17.15%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.36 ₺53.5
$0.73 ฿23.53
86.30%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.46 ₺18.12
$0.37 ฿11.95
24.32%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.83 ₺151
$2.39 ฿77.4
60.25%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.14 ₺202
$3.62 ฿117
41.99%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Istanbul
Phuket
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.1 ₺43.44
$2.24 ฿72.5
-50.89%
White Bread (500g)
$0.76 ₺29.84
$1.8 ฿58.2
-57.78%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.22 ₺87.4
$2.24 ฿72.3
-0.89%
Eggs
$2.59 ₺102
$2.23 ฿72.1
16.14%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.37 ₺408
$19.31 ฿625
-46.30%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$6.44 ₺253
$3.77 ฿122
70.82%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$20.12 ₺791
$13.05 ฿422
54.18%
Apples (1kg)
$1.47 ₺57.8
$3.28 ฿106
-55.18%
Banana (1kg)
$2.17 ₺85.3
$1.63 ฿52.6
33.13%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.3 ₺51
$2.4 ฿77.7
-45.83%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.65 ₺65.1
$1.99 ฿64.3
-17.09%
Potato (1kg)
$0.74 ₺29.3
$1.53 ฿49.62
-51.63%
Onion (1kg)
$0.73 ₺28.73
$1.49 ฿48.11
-51.01%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.13 ₺44.54
$1.02 ฿32.87
10.78%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.61 ₺24.06
$0.48 ฿15.61
27.08%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.11 ₺83.2
$4.32 ฿140
-51.16%
Wine (Bottle)
$11.77 ₺463
$21.68 ฿702
-45.71%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.13 ₺83.9
$1.77 ฿57.3
20.34%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.12 ₺123
$2.79 ฿90.4
11.83%
🚌 Getting Around
Istanbul
Phuket
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.72 ₺28.34
$1.35 ฿43.74
-46.67%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$54.9 ₺2,158
$11.76 ฿380
366.58%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.09 ₺42.72
$3.15 ฿102
-65.40%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.6 ₺23.56
$1 ฿32.3
-40.00%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$8.66 ₺341
$13.64 ฿442
-36.51%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.15 ₺45.19
$1.3 ฿42.2
-11.54%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$45.6K ₺1.8M
$27.4K ฿885.2K
66.75%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$42.7K ₺1.7M
$33.9K ฿1.1M
25.86%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Istanbul
Phuket
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$72.3 ₺2,843
$123 ฿3,970
-41.09%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$12.36 ₺486
$13.93 ฿451
-11.27%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$14.86 ₺585
$18.24 ฿590
-18.53%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Istanbul
Phuket
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$60.4 ₺2,378
$60.8 ฿1,966
-0.51%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.89 ₺743
$17.11 ฿554
10.40%
Cinema Ticket
$7.77 ₺306
$9.07 ฿294
-14.33%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Istanbul
Phuket
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$955 ₺37.6K
$694 ฿22.5K
37.56%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$18.5K ₺726.5K
$15.9K ฿514.4K
16.17%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Istanbul
Phuket
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$57 ₺2,243
$57.5 ฿1,861
-0.87%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$46.76 ₺1,840
$34.51 ฿1,117
35.50%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$111 ₺4,366
$115 ฿3,727
-3.63%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$107 ₺4,195
$84.8 ฿2,743
25.80%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Istanbul
Phuket
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$953 ₺37.5K
$611 ฿19.8K
55.89%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$608 ₺23.9K
$442 ฿14.3K
37.39%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,753 ₺69K
$2,014 ฿65.2K
-12.97%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,059 ₺41.6K
$1,460 ฿47.2K
-27.47%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,968 ₺116.7K
$4,244 ฿137.3K
-30.07%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,448 ₺57K
$2,886 ฿93.4K
-49.82%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Istanbul
Phuket
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$976 ₺38.4K
$697 ฿22.5K
40.16%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
48.43
5.33
808.63%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 28, 2025

Last update for Phuket: October 29, 2025

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