Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Qusar

For one person, living is cheaper in Qusar: $741 a month against $1,550 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $9,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

75

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index
36

Cost of Living Index in Qusar
Learn more

Qusar Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

Qusar

🇦🇿 Azerbaijan

$741

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Qusar

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

A single person spends $1,550 per month in Istanbul vs $741 in Qusar, rent included.

Istanbul $1,550
Qusar $741

A couple spends around $2,415 per month in Istanbul vs $1,110 in Qusar, rent included.

Istanbul $2,415
Qusar $1,110

A family of three spends $3,281 per month in Istanbul vs $1,480 in Qusar, rent included.

Istanbul $3,281
Qusar $1,480

Istanbul costs about 109% more than Qusar, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Istanbul sits 15% above the global median, while Qusar is 45% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.30 ₺607

$7.85 ₼13.34

56.69%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.7 ₺2,700

$17.93 ₼30.48

205.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.22 ₺455

$8.25 ₼14.03

11.76%

Cappuccino

$4.40 ₺217

$1.72 ₼2.92

155.81%

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

$1.68 ₺82.8

$0.68 ₼1.16

147.06%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₺29.31

$0.25 ₼0.42

136.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.70 ₺232

$1.51 ₼2.56

211.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.91 ₺292

$1.79 ₼3.05

230.17%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 ₺59.8

$0.90 ₼1.52

34.44%

White Bread (500g)

$0.89 ₺43.97

$0.30 ₼0.52

196.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.19 ₺108

$1.45 ₼2.46

51.03%

Eggs

$2.35 ₺116

$1.11 ₼1.88

111.71%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.42 ₺514

$3.70 ₼6.28

181.62%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.65 ₺279

$3.21 ₼5.46

76.01%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.94 ₺1,033

$6.94 ₼11.80

201.73%

Apples (1kg)

$1.90 ₺93.8

$0.45 ₼0.77

322.22%

Banana (1kg)

$2.31 ₺114

$1.50 ₼2.55

54.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.0

$1.21 ₼2.06

5.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺88.7

$1.79 ₼3.04

0.56%

Potato (1kg)

$0.65 ₺32.07

$0.23 ₼0.39

182.61%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺31.82

$0.60 ₼1.02

6.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 ₺61.9

$0.19 ₼0.32

557.89%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.50

$0.34 ₼0.57

64.71%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.37 ₺117

$2.90 ₼4.92

-18.28%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.42 ₺662

$9.05 ₼15.38

48.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₺119

$1.49 ₼2.54

61.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 ₺172

$2.82 ₼4.79

23.40%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.89 ₺43.70

$0.25 ₼0.43

256.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.4 ₺3,328

$11.98 ₼20.36

462.85%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.29 ₺63.9

$1.16 ₼1.97

11.21%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 ₺45.56

$0.61 ₼1.04

50.82%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.96 ₺541

$2.36 ₼4.02

364.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ₺72.7

$0.61 ₼1.03

140.98%

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

$50.8K ₺2.5M

$19.3K ₼32.8K

162.94%

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

$44.5K ₺2.2M

$20.6K ₼35.0K

116.18%

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

$88.6 ₺4,374

$46.69 ₼79.4

89.78%

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

$11.59 ₺572

$11.28 ₼19.16

2.75%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.81 ₺781

$11.72 ₼19.93

34.90%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.2 ₺3,809

$19.91 ₼33.84

287.54%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.74 ₺1,122

$11.97 ₼20.35

89.97%

Cinema Ticket

$8.14 ₺402

$6.05 ₼10.28

34.55%

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

$1,008 ₺49.8K

$69.3 ₼118

1354.38%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.6K ₺1.3M

$3,507 ₼5,959

628.94%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.0 ₺2,663

$41.66 ₼70.8

29.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.83 ₺2,015

$41.69 ₼70.9

-2.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.9 ₺4,881

$104 ₼178

-5.33%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.6 ₺4,768

$69.6 ₼118

38.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$985 ₺48.6K

$337 ₼573

192.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$650 ₺32.1K

$250 ₼425

159.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,983 ₺97.9K

$491 ₼835

303.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,180 ₺58.2K

$394 ₼670

199.24%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,138 ₺154.9K

$1,403 ₼2,384

123.74%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,780 ₺87.9K

$1,215 ₼2,066

46.44%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,205 ₺59.5K

$423 ₼719

184.94%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.92

7.85

421.27%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 13, 2026

Last update for Qusar: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$650 41.9%

Qusar

$250 33.8% 61.5% $399

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$260 16.8%

Qusar

$133 18% 48.7% $127

Eating Out

Istanbul

$223 14.4%

Qusar

$123 16.6% 44.9% $100

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$131 8.4%

Qusar

$116 15.6% 11.3% $15

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$116 7.5%

Qusar

$70 9.4% 39.9% $46

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$93 6%

Qusar

$32 4.3% 65.7% $61

Getting Around

Istanbul

$77 5%

Qusar

$17 2.3% 77.6% $60

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $985 in Istanbul versus $337 in Qusar. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 185% higher in Istanbul, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55.0 in Istanbul versus $18.00 in Qusar. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $260 vs $133 – making Qusar the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇦🇿 Qusar

🕒 Local time

05:11 5:11 AM

06:11 6:11 AM

1 h ahead of Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

18,600

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Azerbaijani Manat AZN ₼

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 2.03 USD

100 TRY = 1.81 EUR

1 AZN = 0.588 USD

1 AZN = 0.526 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AZN, USD, EUR to TRY – Turkish Lira Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇷 Turkish Lira (₺)

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of October 14, 2026: 1 USD = 49.36 TRY (100 TRY = 2.03 USD). 1 EUR = 55.24 TRY (100 TRY = 1.81 EUR).

Azerbaijani Manat exchange rates as of October 14, 2026: 1 USD = 1.7 AZN (1 AZN = 0.588 USD). 1 EUR = 1.9 AZN (1 AZN = 0.526 EUR).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Istanbul Qusar 1,620 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Qusar

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 Qusar: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 109%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,325 per month in Istanbul and $1,112 in Qusar. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Qusar, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $1,008 per month in Istanbul and $69.3 in Qusar. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 95% more in Istanbul, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Qusar, where all-in costs run around $741, than in Istanbul at $1,550. In Qusar it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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