Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Saryagash

For one person, living is cheaper in Saryagash: $881 a month against $1,519 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $7,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

73

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index
42

Cost of Living Index in Saryagash
Learn more

Saryagash Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,519

/mo nomad

Saryagash

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$881

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Saryagash

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

A single person spends $1,519 per month in Istanbul vs $881 in Saryagash, rent included.

Istanbul $1,519
Saryagash $881

A couple spends around $2,365 per month in Istanbul vs $1,429 in Saryagash, rent included.

Istanbul $2,365
Saryagash $1,429

A family of three spends $3,212 per month in Istanbul vs $1,977 in Saryagash, rent included.

Istanbul $3,212
Saryagash $1,977

Istanbul costs about 72% more than Saryagash, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Istanbul sits 12% above the global median, while Saryagash is 35% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.81 ₺592

$9.71 ₸4,379

21.63%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.9 ₺2,754

$33.93 ₸15.3K

61.83%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.26 ₺465

$7.73 ₸3,486

19.79%

Cappuccino

$4.30 ₺216

$2.38 ₸1,071

80.67%

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

$1.77 ₺89.0

$1.06 ₸478

66.98%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺28.32

$0.59 ₸268

-5.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.69 ₺235

$1.30 ₸586

260.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.12 ₺357

$2.08 ₸939

242.31%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 ₺62.7

$1.38 ₸624

-9.42%

White Bread (500g)

$0.88 ₺44.17

$0.48 ₸217

83.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 ₺111

$1.58 ₸711

39.24%

Eggs

$2.43 ₺122

$1.76 ₸794

38.07%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.48 ₺526

$10.31 ₸4,647

1.65%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.31 ₺267

$5.76 ₸2,598

-7.81%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.10 ₺1,058

$8.92 ₸4,023

136.55%

Apples (1kg)

$1.86 ₺93.1

$1.47 ₸662

26.53%

Banana (1kg)

$2.30 ₺115

$2.20 ₸992

4.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.22 ₺61.0

$2.34 ₸1,055

-47.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺90.2

$2.19 ₸989

-17.81%

Potato (1kg)

$0.69 ₺34.83

$0.71 ₸318

-2.82%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺32.16

$0.52 ₸235

23.08%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.36 ₺68.0

$1.20 ₸542

13.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 ₺28.94

$0.98 ₸442

-40.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.34 ₺117

$2.46 ₸1,108

-4.88%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.03 ₺653

$7.91 ₸3,566

64.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.36 ₺118

$1.18 ₸534

100.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.32 ₺166

$1.97 ₸888

68.53%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.88 ₺44.07

$0.21 ₸94.6

319.05%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.1 ₺3,316

$16.91 ₸7,624

291.01%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 ₺64.4

$1.09 ₸493

17.43%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 ₺42.80

$0.76 ₸343

11.84%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.09 ₺556

$6.08 ₸2,740

82.40%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 ₺74.0

$0.64 ₸287

131.25%

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

$48.6K ₺2.4M

$28.1K ₸12.7M

73.30%

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

$42.0K ₺2.1M

$30.3K ₸13.7M

38.43%

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

$92.7 ₺4,650

$67.4 ₸30.4K

37.61%

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

$11.20 ₺562

$10.10 ₸4,551

10.89%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.89 ₺797

$15.76 ₸7,105

0.82%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.7 ₺3,745

$42.34 ₸19.1K

76.38%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.95 ₺1,151

Cinema Ticket

$8.05 ₺404

$5.09 ₸2,296

58.15%

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

$948 ₺47.6K

$145 ₸65.6K

552.12%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.9K ₺1.9M

$4,404 ₸2.0M

738.25%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₺2,702

$57.3 ₸25.8K

-5.92%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.49 ₺2,081

$45.68 ₸20.6K

-9.17%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 ₺5,060

$94.6 ₸42.6K

6.68%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.3 ₺4,580

$89.9 ₸40.5K

1.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,014 ₺50.8K

$344 ₸155.2K

194.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$625 ₺31.3K

$231 ₸104.3K

169.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,005 ₺100.6K

$670 ₸302.1K

199.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,126 ₺56.5K

$495 ₸223.1K

127.49%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,988 ₺149.8K

$1,085 ₸488.9K

175.48%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,730 ₺86.8K

$855 ₸385.5K

102.31%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,136 ₺57.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.42

19.25

109.97%

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

Last update for Istanbul: November 2, 2026

Last update for Saryagash: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$625 41.1%

Saryagash

$231 26.3% 62.9% $393

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$258 17%

Saryagash

$205 23.3% 20.7% $53

Eating Out

Istanbul

$221 14.6%

Saryagash

$147 16.7% 33.6% $74

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$129 8.5%

Saryagash

$129 14.7% 0.1% $0.1

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$120 7.9%

Saryagash

$93 10.6% 22.2% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$91 6%

Saryagash

$53 6% 42.1% $38

Getting Around

Istanbul

$75 5%

Saryagash

$23 2.6% 69.9% $53

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,014 in Istanbul versus $344 in Saryagash. 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 $34 in Saryagash. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $205 – making Saryagash the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇰🇿 Saryagash

🕒 Local time

13:39 1:39 PM

15:39 3:39 PM

2 h ahead of Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Kazakhstani Tenge KZT ₸

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 1.99 USD

100 TRY = 1.78 EUR

1,000 KZT = 2.22 USD

1,000 KZT = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

KZT, 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).

Kazakhstani Tenge exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 451 KZT (1,000 KZT = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 506 KZT (1,000 KZT = 1.98 EUR).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Istanbul Saryagash 3,310 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Saryagash

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 Saryagash: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 72%, 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 $1,321 in Saryagash. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Saryagash, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $344 there versus $1,014 in Istanbul.

Kindergarten costs $948 per month in Istanbul and $145 in Saryagash. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 26% more in Istanbul, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Saryagash, where all-in costs run around $881, than in Istanbul at $1,519. In Saryagash it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Saryagash – 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.

For expats, Saryagash is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 42% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.