Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Sumy

For one person, living is cheaper in Sumy: $954 a month against $1,519 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $6,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

73

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Sumy
Learn more

Sumy Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,519

/mo nomad

Sumy

🇺🇦 Ukraine

$954

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Sumy

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

A single person spends $1,519 per month in Istanbul vs $954 in Sumy, rent included.

Istanbul $1,519
Sumy $954

A couple spends around $2,365 per month in Istanbul vs $1,634 in Sumy, rent included.

Istanbul $2,365
Sumy $1,634

A family of three spends $3,212 per month in Istanbul vs $2,314 in Sumy, rent included.

Istanbul $3,212
Sumy $2,314

Istanbul costs about 59% more than Sumy, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Istanbul sits 12% above the global median, while Sumy is 29% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.81 ₺592

$11.15 ₴508

5.92%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.9 ₺2,754

$33.09 ₴1,507

65.94%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.26 ₺465

$7.88 ₴359

17.51%

Cappuccino

$4.30 ₺216

$1.71 ₴78.0

151.46%

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

$1.77 ₺89.0

$0.74 ₴33.89

139.19%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺28.32

$0.61 ₴27.78

-8.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.69 ₺235

$1.33 ₴60.6

252.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.12 ₺357

$1.95 ₴88.7

265.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 ₺62.7

$1.26 ₴57.5

-0.79%

White Bread (500g)

$0.88 ₺44.17

$0.83 ₴37.57

6.02%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 ₺111

$1.49 ₴67.7

47.65%

Eggs

$2.43 ₺122

$1.96 ₴89.4

23.98%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.48 ₺526

$9.88 ₴450

6.07%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.31 ₺267

$5.20 ₴237

2.12%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.10 ₺1,058

$8.83 ₴402

138.96%

Apples (1kg)

$1.86 ₺93.1

$1.18 ₴53.6

57.63%

Banana (1kg)

$2.30 ₺115

$1.57 ₴71.6

46.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.22 ₺61.0

$1.86 ₴84.5

-34.41%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺90.2

$2.86 ₴130

-37.06%

Potato (1kg)

$0.69 ₺34.83

$0.63 ₴28.47

9.52%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺32.16

$0.43 ₴19.70

48.84%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.36 ₺68.0

$1.42 ₴64.9

-4.23%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 ₺28.94

$0.62 ₴28.21

-6.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.34 ₺117

$2.77 ₴126

-15.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.03 ₺653

$5.61 ₴256

132.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.36 ₺118

$0.92 ₴41.93

156.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.32 ₺166

$0.88 ₴40.05

277.27%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.88 ₺44.07

$0.32 ₴14.43

175.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.1 ₺3,316

$9.15 ₴417

622.62%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 ₺64.4

$2.25 ₴103

-43.11%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 ₺42.80

$0.53 ₴24.11

60.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.09 ₺556

$4.26 ₴194

160.33%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 ₺74.0

$1.55 ₴70.4

-4.52%

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

$48.6K ₺2.4M

$30.8K ₴1.4M

57.99%

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

$42.0K ₺2.1M

$24.5K ₴1.1M

71.38%

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

$92.7 ₺4,650

$103 ₴4,679

-9.76%

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

$11.20 ₺562

$6.94 ₴316

61.38%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.89 ₺797

$6.45 ₴294

146.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.7 ₺3,745

$30.28 ₴1,379

146.63%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.95 ₺1,151

$21.58 ₴983

6.35%

Cinema Ticket

$8.05 ₺404

$3.52 ₴160

128.69%

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

$948 ₺47.6K

$233 ₴10.6K

306.93%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.9K ₺1.9M

$9,186 ₴418.3K

301.88%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₺2,702

$73.5 ₴3,346

-26.67%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.49 ₺2,081

$30.40 ₴1,384

36.48%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 ₺5,060

$93.6 ₴4,262

7.80%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.3 ₺4,580

$119 ₴5,424

-23.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,014 ₺50.8K

$553 ₴25.2K

83.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$625 ₺31.3K

$306 ₴14.0K

103.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,005 ₺100.6K

$992 ₴45.2K

102.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,126 ₺56.5K

$838 ₴38.1K

34.40%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,988 ₺149.8K

$1,094 ₴49.8K

173.04%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,730 ₺86.8K

$832 ₴37.9K

107.89%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,136 ₺57.0K

$379 ₴17.3K

199.97%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.42

15.9

154.21%

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

Last update for Istanbul: November 2, 2026

Last update for Sumy: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$625 41.1%

Sumy

$306 32.1% 50.9% $318

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$258 17%

Sumy

$187 19.6% 27.5% $71

Eating Out

Istanbul

$221 14.6%

Sumy

$149 15.7% 32.4% $72

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$129 8.5%

Sumy

$142 14.9% 10.1% $13

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$120 7.9%

Sumy

$116 12.2% 3.1% $3.7

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$91 6%

Sumy

$37 3.9% 58.9% $53

Getting Around

Istanbul

$75 5%

Sumy

$15 1.6% 79.6% $60

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,014 in Istanbul versus $553 in Sumy. 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 3 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55 in Istanbul versus $33 in Sumy. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $187 – making Sumy the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇺🇦 Sumy

🕒 Local time

07:59 7:59 AM

06:59 6:59 AM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

267,633

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Ukrainian Hryvnia UAH ₴

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 1.99 USD

100 TRY = 1.78 EUR

100 UAH = 2.2 USD

100 UAH = 1.96 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

UAH, 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 = 56.3 TRY (100 TRY = 1.78 EUR).

Ukrainian Hryvnia exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 45.54 UAH (100 UAH = 2.2 USD). 1 EUR = 51.12 UAH (100 UAH = 1.96 EUR).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Istanbul Sumy 1,190 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Sumy

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 Sumy: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 59%, 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 $1,432 in Sumy. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Sumy, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $553 there versus $1,014 in Istanbul.

Kindergarten costs $948 per month in Istanbul and $233 in Sumy. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 38% more in Istanbul, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,519 in Istanbul and $954 in Sumy. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

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