Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Sylhet

For one person, living is cheaper in Sylhet: $365 a month against $1,550 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $14,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

75

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index
18

Cost of Living Index in Sylhet
Learn more

Sylhet Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

Sylhet

🇧🇩 Bangladesh

$365

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Sylhet

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

A single person spends $1,550 per month in Istanbul vs $365 in Sylhet, rent included.

Istanbul $1,550
Sylhet $365

A couple spends around $2,415 per month in Istanbul vs $617 in Sylhet, rent included.

Istanbul $2,415
Sylhet $617

A family of three spends $3,281 per month in Istanbul vs $869 in Sylhet, rent included.

Istanbul $3,281
Sylhet $869

Istanbul costs about 324% more than Sylhet, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Istanbul sits 15% above the global median, while Sylhet is 73% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.30 ₺607

$2.46 ৳303

400.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.7 ₺2,700

$11.56 ৳1,424

373.18%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.22 ₺455

$4.01 ৳494

129.93%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.02 ৳495

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.09 ৳504

Cappuccino

$4.40 ₺217

$1.98 ৳243

122.22%

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

$1.68 ₺82.8

$0.31 ৳37.55

441.94%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₺29.31

$0.15 ৳18.45

293.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.70 ₺232

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.91 ₺292

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 ₺59.8

$0.79 ৳97.6

53.16%

White Bread (500g)

$0.89 ₺43.97

$0.59 ৳72.9

50.85%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.19 ₺108

$0.65 ৳79.5

236.92%

Eggs

$2.35 ₺116

$1.18 ৳145

99.15%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.42 ₺514

$7.83 ৳964

33.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.65 ₺279

$3.35 ৳413

68.66%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.94 ₺1,033

$6.55 ৳806

219.69%

Apples (1kg)

$1.90 ₺93.8

$2.68 ৳330

-29.10%

Banana (1kg)

$2.31 ₺114

$0.90 ৳111

156.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.0

$2.42 ৳298

-47.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺88.7

$0.60 ৳74.2

200.00%

Potato (1kg)

$0.65 ₺32.07

$0.26 ৳32.23

150.00%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺31.82

$0.46 ৳57.2

39.13%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 ₺61.9

$0.32 ৳39.33

290.62%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.50

$0.27 ৳33.02

107.41%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$2.81 ৳346

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.05 ৳252

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.05 ৳499

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.37 ₺117

$2.76 ৳340

-14.13%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.42 ₺662

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₺119

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 ₺172

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.89 ₺43.70

$0.70 ৳86.1

27.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.4 ₺3,328

$24.05 ৳2,961

180.37%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.29 ₺63.9

$1.24 ৳152

4.03%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 ₺45.56

$0.15 ৳18.51

513.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.96 ₺541

$1.17 ৳144

836.75%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ₺72.7

$1.08 ৳133

36.11%

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

$50.8K ₺2.5M

$29.9K ৳3.7M

70.09%

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

$44.5K ₺2.2M

$33.0K ৳4.1M

34.97%

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

$88.6 ₺4,374

$25.97 ৳3,196

241.20%

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

$11.59 ₺572

$4.23 ৳520

174.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.81 ₺781

$10.48 ৳1,290

50.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.2 ₺3,809

$9.05 ৳1,114

752.60%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.74 ₺1,122

$4.01 ৳493

467.08%

Cinema Ticket

$8.14 ₺402

$4.02 ৳495

102.49%

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

$1,008 ₺49.8K

$28.87 ৳3,554

3391.62%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.6K ₺1.3M

$995 ৳122.5K

2469.18%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.0 ₺2,663

$16.22 ৳1,997

232.61%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.83 ₺2,015

$16.43 ৳2,023

148.51%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.9 ₺4,881

$36.99 ৳4,554

167.32%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.6 ₺4,768

$30.47 ৳3,751

217.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$985 ₺48.6K

$129 ৳15.8K

665.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$650 ₺32.1K

$57.6 ৳7,087

1028.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,983 ₺97.9K

$173 ৳21.3K

1048.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,180 ₺58.2K

$162 ৳19.9K

630.05%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,138 ₺154.9K

$706 ৳86.9K

344.42%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,780 ₺87.9K

$350 ৳43.1K

407.95%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,205 ₺59.5K

$224 ৳27.6K

437.63%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.92

10.48

290.46%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 13, 2026

Last update for Sylhet: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$650 41.9%

Sylhet

$58 15.8% 91.1% $592

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$260 16.8%

Sylhet

$119 32.5% 54.3% $141

Eating Out

Istanbul

$223 14.4%

Sylhet

$57 15.7% 74.4% $166

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$131 8.4%

Sylhet

$45 12.3% 65.5% $86

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$116 7.5%

Sylhet

$41 11.1% 64.9% $75

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$93 6%

Sylhet

$17 4.7% 81.7% $76

Getting Around

Istanbul

$77 5%

Sylhet

$29 7.9% 62.5% $48

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $985 in Istanbul versus $129 in Sylhet. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 438% higher in Istanbul, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55.0 in Istanbul versus $12.00 in Sylhet. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $260 vs $119 – making Sylhet the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇧🇩 Sylhet

🕒 Local time

06:49 6:49 AM

09:49 9:49 AM

3 h ahead of Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

526,412

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Bangladeshi Taka BDT ৳

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 2.03 USD

100 TRY = 1.81 EUR

1,000 BDT = 8.12 USD

1,000 BDT = 7.26 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BDT, USD, EUR to TRY – Turkish Lira Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇷 Turkish Lira (₺)

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of October 14, 2026: 1 USD = 49.36 TRY (100 TRY = 2.03 USD). 1 EUR = 55.24 TRY (100 TRY = 1.81 EUR).

Bangladeshi Taka exchange rates as of October 14, 2026: 1 USD = 123 BDT (1,000 BDT = 8.12 USD). 1 EUR = 138 BDT (1,000 BDT = 7.26 EUR).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Istanbul Sylhet 6,000 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Sylhet

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 Sylhet: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 324%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,325 per month in Istanbul and $548 in Sylhet. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Sylhet, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $1,008 per month in Istanbul and $28.87 in Sylhet. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 119% more in Istanbul, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Sylhet, where all-in costs run around $365, than in Istanbul at $1,550. In Sylhet it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Sylhet. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Istanbul makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.