Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Qapshaghay

For one person, living is cheaper in Qapshaghay: $1,086 a month against $1,519 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $5,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

73

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index
52

Cost of Living Index in Qapshaghay
Learn more

Qapshaghay Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,519

/mo nomad

Qapshaghay

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$1,086

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Qapshaghay

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

A single person spends $1,519 per month in Istanbul vs $1,086 in Qapshaghay, rent included.

Istanbul $1,519
Qapshaghay $1,086

A couple spends around $2,365 per month in Istanbul vs $1,629 in Qapshaghay, rent included.

Istanbul $2,365
Qapshaghay $1,629

A family of three spends $3,212 per month in Istanbul vs $2,173 in Qapshaghay, rent included.

Istanbul $3,212
Qapshaghay $2,173

Istanbul costs about 40% more than Qapshaghay, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Istanbul sits 12% above the global median, while Qapshaghay is 20% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.81 ₺592

$11.06 ₸4,986

6.78%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.9 ₺2,754

$21.89 ₸9,870

150.85%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.26 ₺465

$6.67 ₸3,006

38.83%

Cappuccino

$4.30 ₺216

$1.81 ₸815

137.57%

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

$1.77 ₺89.0

$1.03 ₸463

71.84%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺28.32

$0.65 ₸294

-13.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.69 ₺235

$1.36 ₸611

244.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.12 ₺357

$1.31 ₸591

443.51%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 ₺62.7

$1.67 ₸753

-25.15%

White Bread (500g)

$0.88 ₺44.17

$0.48 ₸217

83.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 ₺111

$1.99 ₸899

10.55%

Eggs

$2.43 ₺122

$2.44 ₸1,102

-0.41%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.48 ₺526

$12.65 ₸5,703

-17.15%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.31 ₺267

$6.78 ₸3,058

-21.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.10 ₺1,058

$10.93 ₸4,929

93.05%

Apples (1kg)

$1.86 ₺93.1

$1.78 ₸802

4.49%

Banana (1kg)

$2.30 ₺115

$2.30 ₸1,036

Oranges (1kg)

$1.22 ₺61.0

$3.00 ₸1,350

-59.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺90.2

$2.80 ₸1,261

-35.71%

Potato (1kg)

$0.69 ₺34.83

$0.78 ₸352

-11.54%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺32.16

$0.58 ₸263

10.34%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.36 ₺68.0

$1.66 ₸750

-18.07%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 ₺28.94

$0.99 ₸448

-41.41%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.34 ₺117

$1.66 ₸750

40.96%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.03 ₺653

$10.92 ₸4,921

19.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.36 ₺118

$1.23 ₸554

91.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.32 ₺166

$2.36 ₸1,066

40.68%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.88 ₺44.07

$0.18 ₸81.9

388.89%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.1 ₺3,316

$16.96 ₸7,645

289.86%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 ₺64.4

$0.85 ₸382

50.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 ₺42.80

$0.66 ₸297

28.79%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.09 ₺556

$3.95 ₸1,779

180.76%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 ₺74.0

$0.57 ₸258

159.65%

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

$48.6K ₺2.4M

$28.6K ₸12.9M

70.23%

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

$42.0K ₺2.1M

$31.5K ₸14.2M

33.25%

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

$92.7 ₺4,650

$89.1 ₸40.2K

4.09%

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

$11.20 ₺562

$10.97 ₸4,947

2.10%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.89 ₺797

$17.61 ₸7,937

-9.77%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.7 ₺3,745

$42.73 ₸19.3K

74.77%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.95 ₺1,151

Cinema Ticket

$8.05 ₺404

$6.83 ₸3,081

17.86%

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

$948 ₺47.6K

$147 ₸66.2K

545.94%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.9K ₺1.9M

$4,423 ₸2.0M

734.66%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₺2,702

$91.2 ₸41.1K

-40.95%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.49 ₺2,081

$49.06 ₸22.1K

-15.43%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 ₺5,060

$139 ₸62.5K

-27.23%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.3 ₺4,580

$133 ₸59.8K

-31.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,014 ₺50.8K

$439 ₸197.7K

131.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$625 ₺31.3K

$311 ₸140.2K

100.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,005 ₺100.6K

$732 ₸330.1K

173.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,126 ₺56.5K

$495 ₸223.1K

127.56%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,988 ₺149.8K

$1,061 ₸478.5K

181.49%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,730 ₺86.8K

$870 ₸392.2K

98.90%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,136 ₺57.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.42

20.65

95.74%

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

Last update for Istanbul: November 2, 2026

Last update for Qapshaghay: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$625 41.1%

Qapshaghay

$311 28.6% 50.2% $314

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$258 17%

Qapshaghay

$247 22.8% 4.2% $11

Eating Out

Istanbul

$221 14.6%

Qapshaghay

$146 13.5% 33.8% $75

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$129 8.5%

Qapshaghay

$185 17.1% 43.2% $56

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$120 7.9%

Qapshaghay

$118 10.8% 1.8% $2.1

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$91 6%

Qapshaghay

$56 5.2% 37.9% $34

Getting Around

Istanbul

$75 5%

Qapshaghay

$22 2% 71% $53

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,014 in Istanbul versus $439 in Qapshaghay. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55 in Istanbul versus $22 in Qapshaghay. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $247 – making Qapshaghay the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇰🇿 Qapshaghay

🕒 Local time

14:11 2:11 PM

16:11 4:11 PM

2 h ahead of Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

42,167

💱 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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Between locations

Istanbul Qapshaghay 3,900 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Qapshaghay

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 Qapshaghay: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 40%, 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 $1,629 in Qapshaghay. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Qapshaghay, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $439 there versus $1,014 in Istanbul.

Kindergarten costs $948 per month in Istanbul and $147 in Qapshaghay. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 4% more in Istanbul, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,519 in Istanbul and $1,086 in Qapshaghay. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

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

For expats, Qapshaghay is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 29% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.