Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Sargodha

For one person, living is cheaper in Sargodha: $523 a month against $1,519 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $12,000 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
25

Cost of Living Index in Sargodha
Learn more

Sargodha Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,519

/mo nomad

Sargodha

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$523

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Sargodha

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

A single person spends $1,519 per month in Istanbul vs $523 in Sargodha, rent included.

Istanbul $1,519
Sargodha $523

A couple spends around $2,365 per month in Istanbul vs $825 in Sargodha, rent included.

Istanbul $2,365
Sargodha $825

A family of three spends $3,212 per month in Istanbul vs $1,127 in Sargodha, rent included.

Istanbul $3,212
Sargodha $1,127

Istanbul costs about 191% more than Sargodha, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Istanbul sits 12% above the global median, while Sargodha is 61% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.81 ₺592

$3.68 PKR 1,016

220.92%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.9 ₺2,754

$23.22 PKR 6,423

136.48%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.26 ₺465

$5.32 PKR 1,471

74.06%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.64 PKR 1,006

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.98 PKR 1,930

Cappuccino

$4.30 ₺216

$2.54 PKR 704

69.29%

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

$1.77 ₺89.0

$0.32 PKR 87.3

453.13%

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

$1.00 PKR 277

25.00%

White Bread (500g)

$0.88 ₺44.17

$0.78 PKR 215

12.82%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 ₺111

$1.29 PKR 357

70.54%

Eggs

$2.43 ₺122

$1.22 PKR 336

99.18%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.48 ₺526

$6.22 PKR 1,721

68.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.31 ₺267

$3.19 PKR 882

66.46%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.10 ₺1,058

$5.55 PKR 1,534

280.18%

Apples (1kg)

$1.86 ₺93.1

$1.33 PKR 368

39.85%

Banana (1kg)

$2.30 ₺115

$0.82 PKR 226

180.49%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.22 ₺61.0

$1.07 PKR 295

14.02%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺90.2

$0.53 PKR 146

239.62%

Potato (1kg)

$0.69 ₺34.83

$0.27 PKR 73.7

155.56%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺32.16

$0.36 PKR 98.9

77.78%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.36 ₺68.0

$0.28 PKR 76.6

385.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 ₺28.94

$0.43 PKR 119

34.88%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$1.83 PKR 506

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 PKR 342

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.35 PKR 649

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.34 ₺117

$2.32 PKR 641

0.86%

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 55.1

340.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.1 ₺3,316

$10.02 PKR 2,772

559.88%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 ₺64.4

$1.23 PKR 340

4.07%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 ₺42.80

$0.74 PKR 205

14.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.09 ₺556

$1.68 PKR 464

560.12%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 ₺74.0

$1.34 PKR 370

10.45%

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

$48.6K ₺2.4M

$21.9K PKR 6.1M

122.32%

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

$42.0K ₺2.1M

$23.2K PKR 6.4M

80.89%

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

$92.7 ₺4,650

$102 PKR 28.2K

-8.96%

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

$11.20 ₺562

$6.06 PKR 1,677

84.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.89 ₺797

$17.02 PKR 4,707

-6.64%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.7 ₺3,745

$14.97 PKR 4,139

398.86%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.95 ₺1,151

$7.87 PKR 2,178

191.61%

Cinema Ticket

$8.05 ₺404

$4.77 PKR 1,318

68.76%

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

$948 ₺47.6K

$42.18 PKR 11.7K

2148.55%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.9K ₺1.9M

$1,034 PKR 285.9K

3471.15%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₺2,702

$26.16 PKR 7,235

105.96%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.49 ₺2,081

$34.62 PKR 9,576

19.84%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 ₺5,060

$97.2 PKR 26.9K

3.80%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.3 ₺4,580

$40.35 PKR 11.2K

126.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,014 ₺50.8K

$135 PKR 37.5K

648.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$625 ₺31.3K

$84.9 PKR 23.5K

635.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,005 ₺100.6K

$267 PKR 73.8K

651.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,126 ₺56.5K

$181 PKR 50.0K

522.96%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,988 ₺149.8K

$811 PKR 224.2K

268.60%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,730 ₺86.8K

$510 PKR 141.2K

238.94%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,136 ₺57.0K

$177 PKR 49.1K

540.26%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.42

13.08

209.02%

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

Last update for Istanbul: November 2, 2026

Last update for Sargodha: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$625 41.1%

Sargodha

$85 16.2% 86.4% $540

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$258 17%

Sargodha

$105 20.2% 59.2% $153

Eating Out

Istanbul

$221 14.6%

Sargodha

$78 14.9% 64.7% $143

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$129 8.5%

Sargodha

$89 17.1% 31% $40

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$120 7.9%

Sargodha

$125 23.9% 4.3% $5.1

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$91 6%

Sargodha

$25 4.7% 73% $66

Getting Around

Istanbul

$75 5%

Sargodha

$16 3% 79.1% $59

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,014 in Istanbul versus $135 in Sargodha. 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 6.4 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55 in Istanbul versus $23 in Sargodha. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $105 – making Sargodha the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇵🇰 Sargodha

🕒 Local time

16:14 4:14 PM

18:14 6:14 PM

2 h ahead of Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

507,817

💱 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 = 56.33 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 = 311 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.22 EUR).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Istanbul Sargodha 3,980 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Sargodha

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 Sargodha: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 191%, 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 $784 in Sargodha. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Sargodha, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $135 there versus $1,014 in Istanbul.

Kindergarten costs $948 per month in Istanbul and $42 in Sargodha. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 145% more in Istanbul, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $800 monthly budget goes further in Sargodha, where all-in costs run around $523, than in Istanbul at $1,519. In Sargodha it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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