Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Shymkent

For one person, living is cheaper in Shymkent: $804 a month against $1,519 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $8,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

73

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index
38

Cost of Living Index in Shymkent
Learn more

Shymkent Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,519

/mo nomad

Shymkent

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$804

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Shymkent

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

A single person spends $1,519 per month in Istanbul vs $804 in Shymkent, rent included.

Istanbul $1,519
Shymkent $804

A couple spends around $2,365 per month in Istanbul vs $1,385 in Shymkent, rent included.

Istanbul $2,365
Shymkent $1,385

A family of three spends $3,212 per month in Istanbul vs $1,965 in Shymkent, rent included.

Istanbul $3,212
Shymkent $1,965

Istanbul costs about 89% more than Shymkent, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Istanbul sits 12% above the global median, while Shymkent is 41% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.81 ₺592

$11.24 ₸5,066

5.07%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.9 ₺2,754

$33.91 ₸15.3K

61.93%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.26 ₺465

$6.67 ₸3,007

38.83%

Cappuccino

$4.30 ₺216

$2.41 ₸1,085

78.42%

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

$1.77 ₺89.0

$1.05 ₸472

68.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺28.32

$0.50 ₸227

12.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.69 ₺235

$1.14 ₸515

311.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.12 ₺357

$1.36 ₸615

423.53%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 ₺62.7

$1.44 ₸647

-13.19%

White Bread (500g)

$0.88 ₺44.17

$0.43 ₸196

104.65%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 ₺111

$1.81 ₸814

21.55%

Eggs

$2.43 ₺122

$1.74 ₸783

39.66%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.48 ₺526

$10.24 ₸4,617

2.34%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.31 ₺267

$5.33 ₸2,402

-0.38%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.10 ₺1,058

$8.48 ₸3,822

148.82%

Apples (1kg)

$1.86 ₺93.1

$1.15 ₸519

61.74%

Banana (1kg)

$2.30 ₺115

$2.17 ₸977

5.99%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.22 ₺61.0

$2.45 ₸1,104

-50.20%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺90.2

$1.41 ₸637

27.66%

Potato (1kg)

$0.69 ₺34.83

$0.51 ₸231

35.29%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺32.16

$0.41 ₸184

56.10%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.36 ₺68.0

$0.96 ₸433

41.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 ₺28.94

$0.85 ₸382

-31.76%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.34 ₺117

$2.38 ₸1,074

-1.68%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.03 ₺653

$4.55 ₸2,052

186.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.36 ₺118

$1.03 ₸464

129.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.32 ₺166

$1.54 ₸694

115.58%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.88 ₺44.07

$0.14 ₸63.1

528.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.1 ₺3,316

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 ₺64.4

$0.91 ₸411

40.66%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 ₺42.80

$0.37 ₸168

129.73%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.09 ₺556

$9.99 ₸4,502

11.01%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 ₺74.0

$0.66 ₸297

124.24%

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

$48.6K ₺2.4M

$27.2K ₸12.3M

78.56%

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

$42.0K ₺2.1M

$29.5K ₸13.3M

42.13%

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

$92.7 ₺4,650

$46.66 ₸21.0K

98.69%

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

$11.20 ₺562

$9.48 ₸4,273

18.14%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.89 ₺797

$15.26 ₸6,878

4.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.7 ₺3,745

$39.10 ₸17.6K

91.00%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.95 ₺1,151

$8.81 ₸3,973

160.50%

Cinema Ticket

$8.05 ₺404

$5.61 ₸2,529

43.49%

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

$948 ₺47.6K

$57.1 ₸25.8K

1560.14%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.9K ₺1.9M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₺2,702

$37.07 ₸16.7K

45.35%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.49 ₺2,081

$33.63 ₸15.2K

23.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 ₺5,060

$182 ₸82.1K

-44.61%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.3 ₺4,580

$51.9 ₸23.4K

76.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,014 ₺50.8K

$342 ₸154.0K

196.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$625 ₺31.3K

$204 ₸91.8K

206.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,005 ₺100.6K

$692 ₸311.9K

189.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,126 ₺56.5K

$545 ₸245.8K

106.49%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,988 ₺149.8K

$1,105 ₸497.9K

170.50%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,730 ₺86.8K

$978 ₸440.8K

76.95%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,136 ₺57.0K

$445 ₸200.6K

155.39%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.42

18.25

121.48%

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

Last update for Istanbul: November 2, 2026

Last update for Shymkent: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$625 41.1%

Shymkent

$204 25.3% 67.4% $421

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$258 17%

Shymkent

$185 23% 28.4% $73

Eating Out

Istanbul

$221 14.6%

Shymkent

$153 19.1% 30.6% $68

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$129 8.5%

Shymkent

$137 17.1% 6% $7.7

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$120 7.9%

Shymkent

$71 8.9% 40.4% $48

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$91 6%

Shymkent

$50 6.3% 44.6% $40

Getting Around

Istanbul

$75 5%

Shymkent

$3.3 * 0.4% 95.6% $72

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,014 in Istanbul versus $342 in Shymkent. 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 2.6 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55 in Istanbul versus $34 in Shymkent. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $185 – making Shymkent the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇰🇿 Shymkent

🕒 Local time

10:44 10:44 AM

12:44 12:44 PM

2 h ahead of Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

1,222,055

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Istanbul Shymkent 3,340 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Shymkent

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 Shymkent: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 89%, 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 $1,206 in Shymkent. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Shymkent, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $342 there versus $1,014 in Istanbul.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55 in Istanbul and $34 in Shymkent. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 40% more in Istanbul, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Shymkent, where all-in costs run around $804, than in Istanbul at $1,519. In Shymkent it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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