Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Sialkot

For one person, living is cheaper in Sialkot: $356 a month against $1,519 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $14,000 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
17

Cost of Living Index in Sialkot
Learn more

Sialkot Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,519

/mo nomad

Sialkot

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$356

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Sialkot

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

A single person spends $1,519 per month in Istanbul vs $356 in Sialkot, rent included.

Istanbul $1,519
Sialkot $356

A couple spends around $2,365 per month in Istanbul vs $516 in Sialkot, rent included.

Istanbul $2,365
Sialkot $516

A family of three spends $3,212 per month in Istanbul vs $677 in Sialkot, rent included.

Istanbul $3,212
Sialkot $677

Istanbul costs about 327% more than Sialkot, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Istanbul sits 12% above the global median, while Sialkot is 74% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.81 ₺592

$1.05 PKR 290

1024.76%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.9 ₺2,754

$7.07 PKR 1,954

676.66%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.26 ₺465

$5.44 PKR 1,503

70.22%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.69 PKR 1,021

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.87 PKR 793

Cappuccino

$4.30 ₺216

$1.65 PKR 455

160.61%

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

$1.77 ₺89.0

$0.30 PKR 82.5

490.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺28.32

$0.20 PKR 54.0

180.00%

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

$0.90 PKR 249

38.89%

White Bread (500g)

$0.88 ₺44.17

$0.59 PKR 162

49.15%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 ₺111

$1.03 PKR 285

113.59%

Eggs

$2.43 ₺122

$1.11 PKR 307

118.92%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.48 ₺526

$4.11 PKR 1,136

154.99%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.31 ₺267

$1.70 PKR 470

212.35%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.10 ₺1,058

$5.72 PKR 1,580

268.88%

Apples (1kg)

$1.86 ₺93.1

$1.17 PKR 323

58.97%

Banana (1kg)

$2.30 ₺115

$0.53 PKR 148

333.96%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.22 ₺61.0

$0.74 PKR 206

64.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺90.2

$0.58 PKR 160

210.34%

Potato (1kg)

$0.69 ₺34.83

$0.28 PKR 76.6

146.43%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺32.16

$0.36 PKR 101

77.78%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.36 ₺68.0

$0.30 PKR 83.1

353.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 ₺28.94

$0.40 PKR 109

45.00%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$1.44 PKR 397

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.09 PKR 302

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.73 PKR 756

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.34 ₺117

$2.33 PKR 643

0.43%

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 54.4

340.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.1 ₺3,316

$10.74 PKR 2,969

515.64%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 ₺64.4

$1.29 PKR 358

-0.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 ₺42.80

$0.38 PKR 106

123.68%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.09 ₺556

$1.68 PKR 464

560.12%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 ₺74.0

$1.24 PKR 342

19.35%

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

$48.6K ₺2.4M

$19.6K PKR 5.4M

147.85%

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

$42.0K ₺2.1M

$23.3K PKR 6.4M

80.02%

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

$92.7 ₺4,650

$102 PKR 28.2K

-9.25%

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

$11.20 ₺562

$5.88 PKR 1,625

90.48%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.89 ₺797

$16.99 PKR 4,696

-6.47%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.7 ₺3,745

$7.35 PKR 2,031

916.05%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.95 ₺1,151

$5.49 PKR 1,516

318.03%

Cinema Ticket

$8.05 ₺404

$4.96 PKR 1,370

62.30%

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

$948 ₺47.6K

$20.06 PKR 5,544

4628.02%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.9K ₺1.9M

$272 PKR 75.2K

13459.51%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₺2,702

$14.43 PKR 3,988

273.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.49 ₺2,081

$17.02 PKR 4,704

143.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 ₺5,060

$27.48 PKR 7,593

267.14%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.3 ₺4,580

$21.68 PKR 5,991

321.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,014 ₺50.8K

$47.87 PKR 13.2K

2017.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$625 ₺31.3K

$32.05 PKR 8,858

1848.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,005 ₺100.6K

$109 PKR 30.2K

1736.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,126 ₺56.5K

$67.2 PKR 18.6K

1574.74%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,988 ₺149.8K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,730 ₺86.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,136 ₺57.0K

$155 PKR 42.8K

634.24%

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 Sialkot: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$625 41.1%

Sialkot

$32 9% 94.9% $592

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$258 17%

Sialkot

$84 23.6% 67.5% $174

Eating Out

Istanbul

$221 14.6%

Sialkot

$46 13.1% 79% $175

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$129 8.5%

Sialkot

$36 10.2% 72% $93

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$120 7.9%

Sialkot

$125 35.2% 4.4% $5.3

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$91 6%

Sialkot

$17 4.9% 81% $74

Getting Around

Istanbul

$75 5%

Sialkot

$15 4.1% 80.4% $60

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,014 in Istanbul versus $48 in Sialkot. 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 7.3 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55 in Istanbul versus $7 in Sialkot. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $84 – making Sialkot the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇵🇰 Sialkot

🕒 Local time

13:35 1:35 PM

15:35 3:35 PM

2 h ahead of Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

655,852

💱 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 = 276 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.62 USD). 1 EUR = 310 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.22 EUR).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Istanbul Sialkot 4,120 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Sialkot

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 Sialkot: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 327%, 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 $534 in Sialkot. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Sialkot, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $48 there versus $1,014 in Istanbul.

Kindergarten costs $948 per month in Istanbul and $20 in Sialkot. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 208% more in Istanbul, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $800 monthly budget goes further in Sialkot, where all-in costs run around $356, than in Istanbul at $1,519. In Sialkot it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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