Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Samarkand

For one person, living is cheaper in Samarkand: $641 a month against $1,519 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $10,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

73

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index
30

Cost of Living Index in Samarkand
Learn more

Samarkand Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,519

/mo nomad

Samarkand

🇺🇿 Uzbekistan

$641

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Samarkand

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

A single person spends $1,519 per month in Istanbul vs $641 in Samarkand, rent included.

Istanbul $1,519
Samarkand $641

A couple spends around $2,365 per month in Istanbul vs $1,014 in Samarkand, rent included.

Istanbul $2,365
Samarkand $1,014

A family of three spends $3,212 per month in Istanbul vs $1,388 in Samarkand, rent included.

Istanbul $3,212
Samarkand $1,388

Istanbul costs about 137% more than Samarkand, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Istanbul sits 12% above the global median, while Samarkand is 53% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.81 ₺592

$6.85 UZS 82.0K

72.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.9 ₺2,754

$19.76 UZS 236.6K

177.88%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.26 ₺465

$4.68 UZS 56.1K

97.86%

Cappuccino

$4.30 ₺216

$2.49 UZS 29.8K

72.69%

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

$1.77 ₺89.0

$0.79 UZS 9,508

124.05%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺28.32

$0.17 UZS 2,032

229.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.69 ₺235

$1.72 UZS 20.6K

172.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.12 ₺357

$2.18 UZS 26.1K

226.61%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 ₺62.7

$1.11 UZS 13.3K

12.61%

White Bread (500g)

$0.88 ₺44.17

$0.31 UZS 3,770

183.87%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 ₺111

$1.67 UZS 20.0K

31.74%

Eggs

$2.43 ₺122

$1.32 UZS 15.8K

84.09%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.48 ₺526

$8.01 UZS 95.9K

30.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.31 ₺267

$4.28 UZS 51.3K

24.07%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.10 ₺1,058

$10.79 UZS 129.2K

95.55%

Apples (1kg)

$1.86 ₺93.1

$0.81 UZS 9,759

129.63%

Banana (1kg)

$2.30 ₺115

$1.76 UZS 21.1K

30.68%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.22 ₺61.0

$1.72 UZS 20.6K

-29.07%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺90.2

$1.73 UZS 20.7K

4.05%

Potato (1kg)

$0.69 ₺34.83

$0.49 UZS 5,815

40.82%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺32.16

$0.17 UZS 2,007

276.47%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.36 ₺68.0

$0.24 UZS 2,874

466.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 ₺28.94

$0.40 UZS 4,819

45.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.34 ₺117

$1.71 UZS 20.5K

36.84%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.03 ₺653

$3.34 UZS 40.0K

290.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.36 ₺118

$0.99 UZS 11.8K

138.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.32 ₺166

$2.14 UZS 25.6K

55.14%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.88 ₺44.07

$0.24 UZS 2,867

266.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.1 ₺3,316

$3.34 UZS 39.9K

1879.64%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 ₺64.4

$0.35 UZS 4,224

265.71%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 ₺42.80

$0.32 UZS 3,892

165.63%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.09 ₺556

$3.43 UZS 41.1K

223.32%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 ₺74.0

$1.20 UZS 14.4K

23.33%

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

$48.6K ₺2.4M

$17.7K UZS 211.4M

175.46%

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

$42.0K ₺2.1M

$20.7K UZS 247.7M

102.96%

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

$92.7 ₺4,650

$41.05 UZS 491.6K

125.85%

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

$11.20 ₺562

$3.99 UZS 47.8K

180.70%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.89 ₺797

$13.48 UZS 161.4K

17.88%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.7 ₺3,745

$39.79 UZS 476.5K

87.69%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.95 ₺1,151

$6.87 UZS 82.2K

234.06%

Cinema Ticket

$8.05 ₺404

$3.11 UZS 37.3K

158.84%

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

$948 ₺47.6K

$391 UZS 4.7M

142.63%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.9K ₺1.9M

$7,622 UZS 91.3M

384.38%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₺2,702

$20.69 UZS 247.8K

160.42%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.49 ₺2,081

$41.93 UZS 502.1K

-1.05%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 ₺5,060

$76.1 UZS 911.1K

32.61%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.3 ₺4,580

$58.8 UZS 704.2K

55.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,014 ₺50.8K

$242 UZS 2.9M

319.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$625 ₺31.3K

$168 UZS 2.0M

271.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,005 ₺100.6K

$465 UZS 5.6M

331.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,126 ₺56.5K

$310 UZS 3.7M

263.34%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,988 ₺149.8K

$1,260 UZS 15.1M

137.19%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,730 ₺86.8K

$554 UZS 6.6M

212.35%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,136 ₺57.0K

$301 UZS 3.6M

277.29%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.42

23.31

73.40%

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

Last update for Istanbul: November 2, 2026

Last update for Samarkand: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$625 41.1%

Samarkand

$168 26.2% 73.1% $456

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$258 17%

Samarkand

$158 24.6% 38.9% $101

Eating Out

Istanbul

$221 14.6%

Samarkand

$116 18% 47.7% $105

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$129 8.5%

Samarkand

$89 13.9% 31.3% $41

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$120 7.9%

Samarkand

$59 9.1% 51.1% $61

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$91 6%

Samarkand

$46 7.2% 49.3% $45

Getting Around

Istanbul

$75 5%

Samarkand

$6.3 1% 91.7% $69

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,014 in Istanbul versus $242 in Samarkand. 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 3.8 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55 in Istanbul versus $20 in Samarkand. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $158 – making Samarkand the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇺🇿 Samarkand

🕒 Local time

09:22 9:22 AM

11:22 11:22 AM

2 h ahead of Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

573,200

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Uzbekistani Som UZS soʻm

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 1.99 USD

100 TRY = 1.78 EUR

100,000 UZS = 8.35 USD

100,000 UZS = 7.44 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

UZS, 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).

Uzbekistani Som exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 11,975 UZS (100,000 UZS = 8.35 USD). 1 EUR = 13,443 UZS (100,000 UZS = 7.44 EUR).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Istanbul Samarkand 3,200 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Samarkand

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 Samarkand: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 137%, 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 $962 in Samarkand. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Samarkand, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $242 there versus $1,014 in Istanbul.

Kindergarten costs $948 per month in Istanbul and $391 in Samarkand. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 64% more in Istanbul, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Samarkand, where all-in costs run around $641, than in Istanbul at $1,519. In Samarkand it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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