Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Sahiwal

For one person, living is cheaper in Sahiwal: $507 a month against $1,519 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $12,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

73

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index
24

Cost of Living Index in Sahiwal
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Sahiwal Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,519

/mo nomad

Sahiwal

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$507

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Sahiwal

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

A single person spends $1,519 per month in Istanbul vs $507 in Sahiwal, rent included.

Istanbul $1,519
Sahiwal $507

A couple spends around $2,365 per month in Istanbul vs $761 in Sahiwal, rent included.

Istanbul $2,365
Sahiwal $761

A family of three spends $3,212 per month in Istanbul vs $1,015 in Sahiwal, rent included.

Istanbul $3,212
Sahiwal $1,015

Istanbul costs about 199% more than Sahiwal, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Istanbul sits 12% above the global median, while Sahiwal is 62% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.81 ₺592

$2.54 PKR 704

364.96%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.9 ₺2,754

$14.22 PKR 3,932

286.15%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.26 ₺465

$5.61 PKR 1,552

65.06%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.63 PKR 1,005

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.53 PKR 1,530

Cappuccino

$4.30 ₺216

$2.52 PKR 697

70.63%

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

$1.77 ₺89.0

$0.40 PKR 111

342.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺28.32

$0.24 PKR 65.9

133.33%

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

$0.98 PKR 272

27.55%

White Bread (500g)

$0.88 ₺44.17

$0.78 PKR 217

12.82%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 ₺111

$1.18 PKR 327

86.44%

Eggs

$2.43 ₺122

$1.16 PKR 320

109.48%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.48 ₺526

$6.41 PKR 1,772

63.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.31 ₺267

$2.56 PKR 708

107.42%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.10 ₺1,058

$4.98 PKR 1,378

323.69%

Apples (1kg)

$1.86 ₺93.1

$1.18 PKR 327

57.63%

Banana (1kg)

$2.30 ₺115

$0.66 PKR 181

248.48%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.22 ₺61.0

$0.91 PKR 252

34.07%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺90.2

$0.59 PKR 162

205.08%

Potato (1kg)

$0.69 ₺34.83

$0.29 PKR 79.4

137.93%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺32.16

$0.39 PKR 107

64.10%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.36 ₺68.0

$0.45 PKR 124

202.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 ₺28.94

$0.34 PKR 94.9

70.59%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$1.06 PKR 292

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.61 PKR 170

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.65 PKR 457

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.34 ₺117

$2.23 PKR 617

4.93%

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

$0.20 PKR 56.4

340.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.1 ₺3,316

$10.00 PKR 2,766

561.20%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 ₺64.4

$0.87 PKR 240

47.13%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 ₺42.80

$0.69 PKR 190

23.19%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.09 ₺556

$1.76 PKR 488

530.11%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 ₺74.0

$1.40 PKR 386

5.71%

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

$48.6K ₺2.4M

$18.2K PKR 5.0M

167.89%

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

$42.0K ₺2.1M

$23.8K PKR 6.6M

76.46%

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

$92.7 ₺4,650

$124 PKR 34.4K

-25.50%

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

$11.20 ₺562

$5.52 PKR 1,526

102.90%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.89 ₺797

$16.08 PKR 4,448

-1.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.7 ₺3,745

$15.10 PKR 4,177

394.57%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.95 ₺1,151

$8.13 PKR 2,250

182.29%

Cinema Ticket

$8.05 ₺404

$4.26 PKR 1,179

88.97%

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

$948 ₺47.6K

$75.4 PKR 20.9K

1157.54%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.9K ₺1.9M

$2,016 PKR 557.7K

1730.79%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₺2,702

$17.94 PKR 4,961

200.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.49 ₺2,081

$27.74 PKR 7,672

49.57%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 ₺5,060

$72.4 PKR 20.0K

39.33%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.3 ₺4,580

$32.68 PKR 9,037

179.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,014 ₺50.8K

$134 PKR 37.2K

653.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$625 ₺31.3K

$86.9 PKR 24.0K

619.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,005 ₺100.6K

$272 PKR 75.3K

636.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,126 ₺56.5K

$181 PKR 50.0K

523.40%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,988 ₺149.8K

$824 PKR 228.0K

262.45%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,730 ₺86.8K

$494 PKR 136.7K

250.06%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,136 ₺57.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.42

14.05

187.69%

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

Last update for Istanbul: November 2, 2026

Last update for Sahiwal: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$625 41.1%

Sahiwal

$87 17.1% 86.1% $538

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$258 17%

Sahiwal

$98 19.3% 62.1% $160

Eating Out

Istanbul

$221 14.6%

Sahiwal

$70 13.8% 68.3% $151

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$129 8.5%

Sahiwal

$68 13.4% 47.6% $62

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$120 7.9%

Sahiwal

$146 28.8% 21.9% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$91 6%

Sahiwal

$24 4.7% 74% $67

Getting Around

Istanbul

$75 5%

Sahiwal

$15 3% 79.9% $60

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,014 in Istanbul versus $134 in Sahiwal. 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 $14 in Sahiwal. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $98 – making Sahiwal the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇵🇰 Sahiwal

🕒 Local time

23:16 11:16 PM

01:16 1:16 AM

2 h ahead of Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

389,605

💱 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 = 3.24 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 = 56.05 TRY (100 TRY = 1.78 EUR).

Pakistani Rupee exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 277 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.62 USD). 1 EUR = 309 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.24 EUR).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Istanbul Sahiwal 4,090 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Sahiwal

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 Sahiwal: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 199%, 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 $761 in Sahiwal. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Sahiwal, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $134 there versus $1,014 in Istanbul.

Kindergarten costs $948 per month in Istanbul and $75 in Sahiwal. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 164% more in Istanbul, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Sahiwal, where all-in costs run around $507, than in Istanbul at $1,519. In Sahiwal it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

For expats, Sahiwal is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 67% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.