Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Taldykorgan

For one person, living is cheaper in Taldykorgan: $937 a month against $1,519 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $7,000 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

73

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index
44

Cost of Living Index in Taldykorgan
Learn more

Taldykorgan Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,519

/mo nomad

Taldykorgan

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$937

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Taldykorgan

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

A single person spends $1,519 per month in Istanbul vs $937 in Taldykorgan, rent included.

Istanbul $1,519
Taldykorgan $937

A couple spends around $2,365 per month in Istanbul vs $1,206 in Taldykorgan, rent included.

Istanbul $2,365
Taldykorgan $1,206

A family of three spends $3,212 per month in Istanbul vs $1,476 in Taldykorgan, rent included.

Istanbul $3,212
Taldykorgan $1,476

Istanbul costs about 62% more than Taldykorgan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Istanbul sits 12% above the global median, while Taldykorgan is 31% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.81 ₺592

$4.51 ₸2,023

161.86%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.9 ₺2,754

$22.52 ₸10.1K

143.83%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.26 ₺465

$8.82 ₸3,953

4.99%

Cappuccino

$4.30 ₺216

$1.37 ₸613

213.87%

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

$1.77 ₺89.0

$0.45 ₸203

293.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺28.32

$0.34 ₸155

64.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.69 ₺235

$0.89 ₸400

426.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.12 ₺357

$1.32 ₸591

439.39%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 ₺62.7

$1.27 ₸571

-1.57%

White Bread (500g)

$0.88 ₺44.17

$0.43 ₸194

104.65%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 ₺111

$1.53 ₸687

43.79%

Eggs

$2.43 ₺122

$1.31 ₸586

85.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.48 ₺526

$12.54 ₸5,622

-16.43%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.31 ₺267

$6.75 ₸3,029

-21.33%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.10 ₺1,058

$5.99 ₸2,685

252.25%

Apples (1kg)

$1.86 ₺93.1

$1.82 ₸816

2.20%

Banana (1kg)

$2.30 ₺115

$2.29 ₸1,027

0.44%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.22 ₺61.0

$3.03 ₸1,358

-59.74%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺90.2

$1.70 ₸762

5.88%

Potato (1kg)

$0.69 ₺34.83

$0.73 ₸328

-5.48%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺32.16

$0.21 ₸93.7

204.76%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.36 ₺68.0

$1.14 ₸512

19.30%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 ₺28.94

$1.01 ₸455

-42.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.34 ₺117

$1.96 ₸879

19.39%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.03 ₺653

$8.17 ₸3,664

59.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.36 ₺118

$1.25 ₸561

88.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.32 ₺166

$2.27 ₸1,016

46.26%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.88 ₺44.07

$0.18 ₸78.7

388.89%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.1 ₺3,316

$16.78 ₸7,525

294.04%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 ₺64.4

$1.03 ₸460

24.27%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 ₺42.80

$0.68 ₸307

25.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.09 ₺556

$5.61 ₸2,516

97.68%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 ₺74.0

$0.59 ₸264

150.85%

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

$48.6K ₺2.4M

$28.0K ₸12.5M

73.82%

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

$42.0K ₺2.1M

$31.1K ₸14.0M

34.81%

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

$92.7 ₺4,650

$87.5 ₸39.2K

5.99%

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

$11.20 ₺562

$10.59 ₸4,749

5.76%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.89 ₺797

$17.97 ₸8,058

-11.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.7 ₺3,745

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.95 ₺1,151

$3.36 ₸1,507

583.04%

Cinema Ticket

$8.05 ₺404

$2.61 ₸1,169

208.43%

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

$948 ₺47.6K

$487 ₸218.6K

94.57%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.9K ₺1.9M

$18.9K ₸8.5M

95.51%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₺2,702

$91.8 ₸41.2K

-41.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.49 ₺2,081

$10.94 ₸4,906

279.25%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 ₺5,060

$60.5 ₸27.1K

66.84%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.3 ₺4,580

$60.5 ₸27.1K

50.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,014 ₺50.8K

$553 ₸248.0K

83.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$625 ₺31.3K

$396 ₸177.7K

57.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,005 ₺100.6K

$1,918 ₸860.3K

4.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,126 ₺56.5K

$306 ₸137.2K

267.93%

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

$393 ₸176.0K

189.47%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.42

20.38

98.33%

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

Last update for Istanbul: November 2, 2026

Last update for Taldykorgan: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$625 41.1%

Taldykorgan

$396 42.3% 36.6% $228

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$258 17%

Taldykorgan

$208 22.2% 19.6% $51

Eating Out

Istanbul

$221 14.6%

Taldykorgan

$89 9.5% 59.6% $132

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$129 8.5%

Taldykorgan

$101 10.8% 22.2% $29

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$120 7.9%

Taldykorgan

$116 12.4% 3.1% $3.8

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$91 6%

Taldykorgan

$5.2 * 0.6% 94.3% $86

Getting Around

Istanbul

$75 5%

Taldykorgan

$22 2.3% 70.8% $53

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 $553 in Taldykorgan. 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 2.9 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55 in Istanbul versus $23 in Taldykorgan. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $208 – making Taldykorgan the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇰🇿 Taldykorgan

🕒 Local time

21:41 9:41 PM

23:41 11:41 PM

2 h ahead of Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

169,462

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Kazakhstani Tenge KZT ₸

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 1.99 USD

100 TRY = 1.78 EUR

1,000 KZT = 2.23 USD

1,000 KZT = 1.99 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 = 448 KZT (1,000 KZT = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 KZT (1,000 KZT = 1.99 EUR).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Istanbul Taldykorgan 3,980 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Taldykorgan

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 Taldykorgan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 62%, 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 $1,405 in Taldykorgan. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Taldykorgan, 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 $487 in Taldykorgan. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 24% 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 $937 in Taldykorgan. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

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