Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Quetta

For one person, living is cheaper in Quetta: $417 a month against $1,519 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $13,200 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
20

Cost of Living Index in Quetta
Learn more

Quetta Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,519

/mo nomad

Quetta

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$417

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Quetta

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

A single person spends $1,519 per month in Istanbul vs $417 in Quetta, rent included.

Istanbul $1,519
Quetta $417

A couple spends around $2,365 per month in Istanbul vs $622 in Quetta, rent included.

Istanbul $2,365
Quetta $622

A family of three spends $3,212 per month in Istanbul vs $828 in Quetta, rent included.

Istanbul $3,212
Quetta $828

Istanbul costs about 264% more than Quetta, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Istanbul sits 12% above the global median, while Quetta is 69% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.81 ₺592

$3.70 PKR 1,022

219.19%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.9 ₺2,754

$10.91 PKR 3,014

403.30%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.26 ₺465

$4.54 PKR 1,255

103.96%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.76 PKR 488

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.32 PKR 1,469

Cappuccino

$4.30 ₺216

$1.64 PKR 453

162.20%

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

$1.77 ₺89.0

$0.39 PKR 108

353.85%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺28.32

$0.21 PKR 57.9

166.67%

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

$0.70 PKR 195

78.57%

White Bread (500g)

$0.88 ₺44.17

$0.55 PKR 153

60.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 ₺111

$1.30 PKR 361

69.23%

Eggs

$2.43 ₺122

$1.19 PKR 328

104.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.48 ₺526

$4.92 PKR 1,360

113.01%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.31 ₺267

$2.91 PKR 803

82.47%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.10 ₺1,058

$4.95 PKR 1,367

326.26%

Apples (1kg)

$1.86 ₺93.1

$0.94 PKR 261

97.87%

Banana (1kg)

$2.30 ₺115

$0.53 PKR 147

333.96%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.22 ₺61.0

$0.74 PKR 205

64.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺90.2

$0.51 PKR 142

252.94%

Potato (1kg)

$0.69 ₺34.83

$0.32 PKR 88.8

115.62%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺32.16

$0.56 PKR 154

14.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.36 ₺68.0

$0.40 PKR 110

240.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 ₺28.94

$0.42 PKR 117

38.10%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$1.79 PKR 496

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.07 PKR 297

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.45 PKR 677

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.34 ₺117

$2.05 PKR 566

14.15%

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

$0.14 PKR 37.57

528.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.1 ₺3,316

$9.68 PKR 2,676

583.06%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 ₺64.4

$1.03 PKR 285

24.27%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 ₺42.80

$0.47 PKR 129

80.85%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.09 ₺556

$1.49 PKR 411

644.30%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 ₺74.0

$1.14 PKR 316

29.82%

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

$48.6K ₺2.4M

$19.5K PKR 5.4M

149.48%

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

$42.0K ₺2.1M

$22.8K PKR 6.3M

84.46%

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

$92.7 ₺4,650

$102 PKR 28.1K

-8.81%

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

$11.20 ₺562

$8.35 PKR 2,308

34.13%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.89 ₺797

$16.18 PKR 4,473

-1.79%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.7 ₺3,745

$5.80 PKR 1,603

1187.59%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.95 ₺1,151

$7.06 PKR 1,952

225.07%

Cinema Ticket

$8.05 ₺404

$3.22 PKR 890

150.00%

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

$948 ₺47.6K

$34.66 PKR 9,578

2636.41%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.9K ₺1.9M

$1,042 PKR 288.1K

3441.89%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₺2,702

$8.33 PKR 2,303

546.82%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.49 ₺2,081

$21.76 PKR 6,015

90.67%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 ₺5,060

$69.4 PKR 19.2K

45.40%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.3 ₺4,580

$33.78 PKR 9,335

170.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,014 ₺50.8K

$72.1 PKR 19.9K

1305.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$625 ₺31.3K

$51.1 PKR 14.1K

1122.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,005 ₺100.6K

$160 PKR 44.1K

1157.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,126 ₺56.5K

$99.3 PKR 27.5K

1033.52%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,988 ₺149.8K

$375 PKR 103.7K

696.54%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,730 ₺86.8K

$217 PKR 60.1K

695.55%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,136 ₺57.0K

$267 PKR 73.7K

326.33%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.42

210.92%

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

Last update for Istanbul: November 2, 2026

Last update for Quetta: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$625 41.1%

Quetta

$51 12.2% 91.8% $573

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$258 17%

Quetta

$89 21.3% 65.6% $169

Eating Out

Istanbul

$221 14.6%

Quetta

$65 15.7% 70.4% $156

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$129 8.5%

Quetta

$60 14.4% 53.7% $69

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$120 7.9%

Quetta

$126 30.3% 5.4% $6.4

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$91 6%

Quetta

$12 2.9% 86.5% $79

Getting Around

Istanbul

$75 5%

Quetta

$14 3.3% 81.9% $62

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,014 in Istanbul versus $72 in Quetta. 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 4.3 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55 in Istanbul versus $11 in Quetta. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $89 – making Quetta the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇵🇰 Quetta

🕒 Local time

08:04 8:04 AM

10:04 10:04 AM

2 h ahead of Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

1,001,205

💱 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 = 56.3 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 Quetta 3,610 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Quetta

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 Quetta: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 264%, 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 $626 in Quetta. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Quetta, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $72 there versus $1,014 in Istanbul.

Kindergarten costs $948 per month in Istanbul and $35 in Quetta. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 191% more in Istanbul, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Quetta, where all-in costs run around $417, than in Istanbul at $1,519. In Quetta it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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