Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Poltava

For one person, living is cheaper in Poltava: $784 a month against $1,519 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $8,800 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
38

Cost of Living Index in Poltava
Learn more

Poltava Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,519

/mo nomad

Poltava

🇺🇦 Ukraine

$784

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Poltava

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

A single person spends $1,519 per month in Istanbul vs $784 in Poltava, rent included.

Istanbul $1,519
Poltava $784

A couple spends around $2,365 per month in Istanbul vs $1,003 in Poltava, rent included.

Istanbul $2,365
Poltava $1,003

A family of three spends $3,212 per month in Istanbul vs $1,222 in Poltava, rent included.

Istanbul $3,212
Poltava $1,222

Istanbul costs about 94% more than Poltava, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Istanbul sits 12% above the global median, while Poltava is 42% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.81 ₺592

$5.38 ₴245

119.52%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.9 ₺2,754

$32.27 ₴1,469

70.16%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.26 ₺465

$7.54 ₴343

22.81%

Cappuccino

$4.30 ₺216

$1.71 ₴77.7

151.46%

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

$1.77 ₺89.0

$0.78 ₴35.44

126.92%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺28.32

$0.59 ₴26.65

-5.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.69 ₺235

$0.95 ₴43.28

393.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.12 ₺357

$2.01 ₴91.4

254.23%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 ₺62.7

$1.19 ₴54.0

5.04%

White Bread (500g)

$0.88 ₺44.17

$0.75 ₴34.16

17.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 ₺111

$1.47 ₴66.9

49.66%

Eggs

$2.43 ₺122

$1.93 ₴88.0

25.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.48 ₺526

$9.22 ₴420

13.67%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.31 ₺267

$5.11 ₴233

3.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.10 ₺1,058

$6.75 ₴307

212.59%

Apples (1kg)

$1.86 ₺93.1

$1.17 ₴53.4

58.97%

Banana (1kg)

$2.30 ₺115

$1.52 ₴69.3

51.32%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.22 ₺61.0

$1.88 ₴85.4

-35.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺90.2

$1.35 ₴61.4

33.33%

Potato (1kg)

$0.69 ₺34.83

$0.46 ₴20.87

50.00%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺32.16

$0.27 ₴12.41

137.04%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.36 ₺68.0

$1.45 ₴65.9

-6.21%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 ₺28.94

$0.66 ₴29.98

-12.12%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.34 ₺117

$3.51 ₴160

-33.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.03 ₺653

$5.02 ₴228

159.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.36 ₺118

$0.83 ₴37.68

184.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.32 ₺166

$1.41 ₴64.0

135.46%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.88 ₺44.07

$0.49 ₴22.32

79.59%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.1 ₺3,316

$28.85 ₴1,314

129.19%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 ₺64.4

$2.14 ₴97.3

-40.19%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 ₺42.80

$0.53 ₴23.94

60.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.09 ₺556

$4.84 ₴220

129.13%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 ₺74.0

$1.47 ₴66.8

0.68%

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

$48.6K ₺2.4M

$30.1K ₴1.4M

61.71%

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

$42.0K ₺2.1M

$25.0K ₴1.1M

67.96%

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

$92.7 ₺4,650

$61.3 ₴2,789

51.36%

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

$11.20 ₺562

$4.72 ₴215

137.29%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.89 ₺797

$4.00 ₴182

297.25%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.7 ₺3,745

$28.72 ₴1,308

160.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.95 ₺1,151

$7.15 ₴325

220.98%

Cinema Ticket

$8.05 ₺404

$3.12 ₴142

158.01%

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

$948 ₺47.6K

$272 ₴12.4K

248.97%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.9K ₺1.9M

$3,852 ₴175.4K

858.28%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₺2,702

$61.1 ₴2,783

-11.85%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.49 ₺2,081

$40.18 ₴1,830

3.26%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 ₺5,060

$65.3 ₴2,975

54.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.3 ₺4,580

$81.7 ₴3,722

11.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,014 ₺50.8K

$304 ₴13.8K

233.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$625 ₺31.3K

$264 ₴12.0K

136.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,005 ₺100.6K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,126 ₺56.5K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,988 ₺149.8K

$1,181 ₴53.8K

152.98%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,730 ₺86.8K

$842 ₴38.3K

105.54%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,136 ₺57.0K

$459 ₴20.9K

147.75%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.42

17.83

126.70%

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

Last update for Istanbul: November 2, 2026

Last update for Poltava: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$625 41.1%

Poltava

$264 33.6% 57.8% $361

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$258 17%

Poltava

$168 21.4% 34.9% $90

Eating Out

Istanbul

$221 14.6%

Poltava

$100 12.8% 54.6% $121

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$129 8.5%

Poltava

$112 14.3% 13.6% $18

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$120 7.9%

Poltava

$70 8.9% 41.6% $50

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$91 6%

Poltava

$35 4.5% 61.5% $56

Getting Around

Istanbul

$75 5%

Poltava

$36 4.5% 52.7% $40

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,014 in Istanbul versus $304 in Poltava. 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 2.5 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55 in Istanbul versus $32 in Poltava. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $168 – making Poltava the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇺🇦 Poltava

🕒 Local time

08:33 8:33 AM

07:33 7:33 AM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

297,600

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Ukrainian Hryvnia UAH ₴

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 1.99 USD

100 TRY = 1.78 EUR

100 UAH = 2.2 USD

100 UAH = 1.96 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

UAH, 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 = 56.3 TRY (100 TRY = 1.78 EUR).

Ukrainian Hryvnia exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 45.54 UAH (100 UAH = 2.2 USD). 1 EUR = 51.12 UAH (100 UAH = 1.96 EUR).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Istanbul Poltava 1,050 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Poltava

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 Poltava: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 94%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,278 per month in Istanbul and $1,177 in Poltava. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Poltava, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $304 there versus $1,014 in Istanbul.

Kindergarten costs $948 per month in Istanbul and $272 in Poltava. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 54% more in Istanbul, though the gap depends on what you buy.

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

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

If budget matters most, go with Poltava. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Istanbul makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.