Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Semey

For one person, living is cheaper in Semey: $707 a month against $1,519 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $9,700 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
34

Cost of Living Index in Semey
Learn more

Semey Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,519

/mo nomad

Semey

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$707

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Semey

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

A single person spends $1,519 per month in Istanbul vs $707 in Semey, rent included.

Istanbul $1,519
Semey $707

A couple spends around $2,365 per month in Istanbul vs $1,148 in Semey, rent included.

Istanbul $2,365
Semey $1,148

A family of three spends $3,212 per month in Istanbul vs $1,588 in Semey, rent included.

Istanbul $3,212
Semey $1,588

Istanbul costs about 115% more than Semey, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Istanbul sits 12% above the global median, while Semey is 48% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.81 ₺592

$4.91 ₸2,216

140.53%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.9 ₺2,754

$22.29 ₸10.0K

146.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.26 ₺465

$5.48 ₸2,470

68.98%

Cappuccino

$4.30 ₺216

$1.72 ₸776

150.00%

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

$1.77 ₺89.0

$0.77 ₸345

129.87%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺28.32

$0.49 ₸220

14.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.69 ₺235

$0.85 ₸383

451.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.12 ₺357

$1.42 ₸641

401.41%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 ₺62.7

$1.02 ₸461

22.55%

White Bread (500g)

$0.88 ₺44.17

$0.36 ₸162

144.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 ₺111

$1.87 ₸842

17.65%

Eggs

$2.43 ₺122

$1.46 ₸658

66.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.48 ₺526

$5.23 ₸2,357

100.38%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.31 ₺267

$3.72 ₸1,676

42.74%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.10 ₺1,058

$5.38 ₸2,426

292.19%

Apples (1kg)

$1.86 ₺93.1

$1.24 ₸559

50.00%

Banana (1kg)

$2.30 ₺115

$1.71 ₸773

34.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.22 ₺61.0

$1.74 ₸784

-29.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺90.2

$1.62 ₸728

11.11%

Potato (1kg)

$0.69 ₺34.83

$0.41 ₸186

68.29%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺32.16

$0.61 ₸275

4.92%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.36 ₺68.0

$1.20 ₸541

13.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 ₺28.94

$1.00 ₸449

-42.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.34 ₺117

$2.41 ₸1,087

-2.90%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.03 ₺653

$7.04 ₸3,174

85.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.36 ₺118

$1.34 ₸606

76.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.32 ₺166

$2.26 ₸1,020

46.90%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.88 ₺44.07

$0.25 ₸113

252.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.1 ₺3,316

$17.39 ₸7,839

280.22%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 ₺64.4

$1.36 ₸613

-5.88%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 ₺42.80

$1.14 ₸514

-25.44%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.09 ₺556

$6.70 ₸3,020

65.52%

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

$28.4K ₸12.8M

71.04%

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

$42.0K ₺2.1M

$25.8K ₸11.6M

62.85%

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

$92.7 ₺4,650

$33.68 ₸15.2K

175.27%

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

$11.20 ₺562

$9.00 ₸4,056

24.44%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.89 ₺797

$18.82 ₸8,484

-15.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.7 ₺3,745

$42.70 ₸19.3K

74.89%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.95 ₺1,151

$11.20 ₸5,047

104.91%

Cinema Ticket

$8.05 ₺404

$4.42 ₸1,991

82.13%

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

$948 ₺47.6K

$134 ₸60.6K

605.95%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.9K ₺1.9M

$4,445 ₸2.0M

730.54%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₺2,702

$28.87 ₸13.0K

86.63%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.49 ₺2,081

$25.42 ₸11.5K

63.22%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 ₺5,060

$100 ₸45.2K

0.53%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.3 ₺4,580

$74.8 ₸33.7K

22.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,014 ₺50.8K

$346 ₸155.9K

193.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$625 ₺31.3K

$224 ₸100.8K

179.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,005 ₺100.6K

$632 ₸284.7K

217.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,126 ₺56.5K

$489 ₸220.5K

130.15%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,988 ₺149.8K

$1,054 ₸475.3K

183.35%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,730 ₺86.8K

$869 ₸391.9K

99.01%

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 Semey: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$625 41.1%

Semey

$224 31.6% 64.2% $401

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$258 17%

Semey

$154 21.7% 40.5% $105

Eating Out

Istanbul

$221 14.6%

Semey

$89 12.5% 59.9% $132

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$129 8.5%

Semey

$103 14.6% 20.2% $26

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$120 7.9%

Semey

$62 8.7% 48.7% $58

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$91 6%

Semey

$52 7.3% 43.2% $39

Getting Around

Istanbul

$75 5%

Semey

$25 3.6% 66.1% $50

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,014 in Istanbul versus $346 in Semey. 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 $22 in Semey. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $154 – making Semey the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇰🇿 Semey

🕒 Local time

14:31 2:31 PM

16:31 4:31 PM

2 h ahead of Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

310,456

💱 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 Semey 4,030 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Semey

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 Semey: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 115%, 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 $1,061 in Semey. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Semey, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $346 there versus $1,014 in Istanbul.

Kindergarten costs $948 per month in Istanbul and $134 in Semey. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 68% more in Istanbul, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Semey, where all-in costs run around $707, than in Istanbul at $1,519. In Semey it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

For expats, Semey is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 53% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.