Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Sterlitamak

For one person, living is cheaper in Sterlitamak: $1,058 a month against $1,519 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $5,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

73

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index
52

Cost of Living Index in Sterlitamak
Learn more

Sterlitamak Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,519

/mo nomad

Sterlitamak

🇷🇺 Russia

$1,058

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Sterlitamak

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

A single person spends $1,519 per month in Istanbul vs $1,058 in Sterlitamak, rent included.

Istanbul $1,519
Sterlitamak $1,058

A couple spends around $2,365 per month in Istanbul vs $1,710 in Sterlitamak, rent included.

Istanbul $2,365
Sterlitamak $1,710

A family of three spends $3,212 per month in Istanbul vs $2,362 in Sterlitamak, rent included.

Istanbul $3,212
Sterlitamak $2,362

Istanbul costs about 44% more than Sterlitamak, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Istanbul sits 12% above the global median, while Sterlitamak is 22% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.81 ₺592

$9.26 ₽755

27.54%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.9 ₺2,754

$49.04 ₽4,000

11.97%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.26 ₺465

$6.64 ₽541

39.46%

Cappuccino

$4.30 ₺216

$3.06 ₽250

40.52%

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

$1.77 ₺89.0

$1.14 ₽92.9

55.26%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺28.32

$0.38 ₽30.94

47.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.69 ₺235

$2.51 ₽204

86.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.12 ₺357

$2.91 ₽238

144.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 ₺62.7

$1.09 ₽89.0

14.68%

White Bread (500g)

$0.88 ₺44.17

$0.76 ₽61.8

15.79%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 ₺111

$1.44 ₽117

52.78%

Eggs

$2.43 ₺122

$1.42 ₽116

71.13%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.48 ₺526

$13.80 ₽1,126

-24.06%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.31 ₺267

$4.79 ₽391

10.86%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.10 ₺1,058

$7.81 ₽637

170.17%

Apples (1kg)

$1.86 ₺93.1

$0.83 ₽67.8

124.10%

Banana (1kg)

$2.30 ₺115

$1.33 ₽108

72.93%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.22 ₺61.0

$1.37 ₽112

-10.95%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺90.2

$3.04 ₽248

-40.79%

Potato (1kg)

$0.69 ₺34.83

$0.77 ₽63.1

-10.39%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺32.16

$0.58 ₽46.93

10.34%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.36 ₺68.0

$0.72 ₽58.6

88.89%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 ₺28.94

$0.68 ₽55.7

-14.71%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.34 ₺117

$3.38 ₽276

-30.77%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.03 ₺653

$6.93 ₽566

88.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.36 ₺118

$1.26 ₽103

87.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.32 ₺166

$1.41 ₽115

135.46%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.88 ₺44.07

$0.53 ₽42.97

66.04%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.1 ₺3,316

$30.09 ₽2,454

119.74%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 ₺64.4

$1.25 ₽102

2.40%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 ₺42.80

$0.35 ₽28.74

142.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.09 ₺556

$6.62 ₽540

67.52%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 ₺74.0

$0.83 ₽67.4

78.31%

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

$48.6K ₺2.4M

$54.2K ₽4.4M

-10.32%

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

$42.0K ₺2.1M

$41.9K ₽3.4M

0.15%

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

$92.7 ₺4,650

$156 ₽12.7K

-40.41%

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

$11.20 ₺562

$6.37 ₽520

75.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.89 ₺797

$8.30 ₽677

91.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.7 ₺3,745

$36.42 ₽2,970

105.05%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.95 ₺1,151

$25.51 ₽2,080

-10.04%

Cinema Ticket

$8.05 ₺404

$5.94 ₽484

35.52%

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

$948 ₺47.6K

$341 ₽27.8K

177.90%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.9K ₺1.9M

$5,921 ₽482.9K

523.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₺2,702

$55.8 ₽4,550

-3.42%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.49 ₺2,081

$58.0 ₽4,732

-28.48%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 ₺5,060

$168 ₽13.7K

-39.99%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.3 ₺4,580

$119 ₽9,690

-23.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,014 ₺50.8K

$473 ₽38.6K

114.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$625 ₺31.3K

$280 ₽22.8K

123.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,005 ₺100.6K

$861 ₽70.2K

132.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,126 ₺56.5K

$598 ₽48.8K

88.15%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,988 ₺149.8K

$1,964 ₽160.2K

52.13%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,730 ₺86.8K

$1,547 ₽126.1K

11.87%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,136 ₺57.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.42

22.86

76.82%

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

Last update for Istanbul: November 2, 2026

Last update for Sterlitamak: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$625 41.1%

Sterlitamak

$280 26.5% 55.2% $345

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$258 17%

Sterlitamak

$189 17.9% 26.8% $69

Eating Out

Istanbul

$221 14.6%

Sterlitamak

$155 14.7% 29.8% $66

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$129 8.5%

Sterlitamak

$180 17% 39.3% $51

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$120 7.9%

Sterlitamak

$170 16.1% 42.1% $50

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$91 6%

Sterlitamak

$48 4.6% 46.8% $42

Getting Around

Istanbul

$75 5%

Sterlitamak

$35 3.3% 53.2% $40

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,014 in Istanbul versus $473 in Sterlitamak. 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 $49 in Sterlitamak. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $189 – making Sterlitamak the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇷🇺 Sterlitamak

🕒 Local time

18:20 6:20 PM

20:20 8:20 PM

2 h ahead of Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

277,410

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Russian Ruble RUB ₽

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 1.99 USD

100 TRY = 1.78 EUR

100 RUB = 1.23 USD

100 RUB = 1.09 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RUB, 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).

Russian Ruble exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 81.56 RUB (100 RUB = 1.23 USD). 1 EUR = 91.6 RUB (100 RUB = 1.09 EUR).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Istanbul Sterlitamak 2,450 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Sterlitamak

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 Sterlitamak: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 44%, 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 $1,587 in Sterlitamak. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Sterlitamak, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $473 there versus $1,014 in Istanbul.

Kindergarten costs $948 per month in Istanbul and $341 in Sterlitamak. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 37% more in Istanbul, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$2,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,519 in Istanbul and $1,058 in Sterlitamak, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

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

For expats, Sterlitamak is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 30% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.