Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Taraz

For one person, living is cheaper in Taraz: $625 a month against $1,519 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $10,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

73

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index
30

Cost of Living Index in Taraz
Learn more

Taraz Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,519

/mo nomad

Taraz

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$625

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Taraz

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

A single person spends $1,519 per month in Istanbul vs $625 in Taraz, rent included.

Istanbul $1,519
Taraz $625

A couple spends around $2,365 per month in Istanbul vs $1,000 in Taraz, rent included.

Istanbul $2,365
Taraz $1,000

A family of three spends $3,212 per month in Istanbul vs $1,374 in Taraz, rent included.

Istanbul $3,212
Taraz $1,374

Istanbul costs about 143% more than Taraz, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Istanbul sits 12% above the global median, while Taraz is 54% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.81 ₺591

$8.87 ₸3,997

33.15%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.9 ₺2,748

$22.34 ₸10.1K

145.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.26 ₺463

$6.51 ₸2,934

42.24%

Cappuccino

$4.30 ₺215

$1.58 ₸711

172.15%

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

$1.77 ₺88.8

$0.84 ₸380

110.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺28.26

$0.43 ₸193

30.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.69 ₺234

$1.13 ₸507

315.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.12 ₺356

$1.80 ₸812

295.56%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 ₺62.6

$1.14 ₸512

9.65%

White Bread (500g)

$0.88 ₺44.07

$0.44 ₸196

100.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 ₺110

$1.34 ₸604

64.18%

Eggs

$2.43 ₺122

$1.65 ₸743

47.27%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.48 ₺524

$10.03 ₸4,519

4.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.31 ₺266

$5.29 ₸2,383

0.38%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.10 ₺1,056

$8.62 ₸3,881

144.78%

Apples (1kg)

$1.86 ₺92.9

$1.21 ₸546

53.72%

Banana (1kg)

$2.30 ₺115

$2.12 ₸954

8.49%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.22 ₺60.8

$2.55 ₸1,148

-52.16%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺90.0

$1.35 ₸610

33.33%

Potato (1kg)

$0.69 ₺34.75

$0.51 ₸228

35.29%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺32.09

$0.41 ₸184

56.10%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.36 ₺67.8

$0.91 ₸408

49.45%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 ₺28.88

$0.81 ₸365

-28.40%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.34 ₺117

$2.48 ₸1,118

-5.65%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.03 ₺652

$4.37 ₸1,968

198.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.36 ₺118

$1.03 ₸464

129.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.32 ₺166

$1.57 ₸706

111.46%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.88 ₺43.97

$0.20 ₸89.0

340.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.1 ₺3,309

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 ₺64.3

$0.84 ₸380

52.38%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 ₺42.70

$0.37 ₸167

129.73%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.09 ₺555

$3.92 ₸1,764

182.91%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 ₺73.9

$0.68 ₸308

117.65%

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

$48.6K ₺2.4M

$28.1K ₸12.7M

73.14%

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

$42.0K ₺2.1M

$27.4K ₸12.3M

53.32%

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

$92.7 ₺4,639

$46.45 ₸20.9K

99.59%

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

$11.20 ₺560

$8.77 ₸3,949

27.71%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.89 ₺795

$8.66 ₸3,901

83.49%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.7 ₺3,737

$36.64 ₸16.5K

103.82%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.95 ₺1,149

Cinema Ticket

$8.05 ₺403

$4.31 ₸1,943

86.77%

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

$948 ₺47.5K

$57.2 ₸25.7K

1559.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.9K ₺1.8M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₺2,696

$26.06 ₸11.7K

106.75%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.49 ₺2,076

$33.42 ₸15.1K

24.15%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 ₺5,049

$108 ₸48.8K

-6.89%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.3 ₺4,570

$51.9 ₸23.4K

75.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,014 ₺50.7K

$261 ₸117.5K

288.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$625 ₺31.3K

$111 ₸50.2K

460.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,005 ₺100.4K

$449 ₸202.4K

346.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,126 ₺56.3K

$201 ₸90.6K

459.89%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,988 ₺149.5K

$843 ₸379.8K

254.35%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,730 ₺86.6K

$600 ₸270.3K

188.29%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,136 ₺56.9K

$271 ₸122.2K

319.01%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.42

17.83

126.70%

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

Last update for Istanbul: November 2, 2026

Last update for Taraz: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$625 41.1%

Taraz

$111 17.8% 82.2% $513

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$258 17%

Taraz

$179 28.6% 30.9% $80

Eating Out

Istanbul

$221 14.6%

Taraz

$124 19.8% 44% $97

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$129 8.5%

Taraz

$99 15.8% 23.6% $31

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$120 7.9%

Taraz

$64 10.2% 46.7% $56

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$91 6%

Taraz

$45 7.2% 50.1% $46

Getting Around

Istanbul

$75 5%

Taraz

$3.5 * 0.6% 95.4% $72

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 $261 in Taraz. 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 4.2 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55 in Istanbul versus $22 in Taraz. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $179 – making Taraz the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇰🇿 Taraz

🕒 Local time

05:24 5:24 AM

07:24 7:24 AM

2 h ahead of Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

431,160

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Kazakhstani Tenge KZT ₸

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 2 USD

100 TRY = 1.78 EUR

1,000 KZT = 2.22 USD

1,000 KZT = 1.98 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 = 50.04 TRY (100 TRY = 2 USD). 1 EUR = 56.18 TRY (100 TRY = 1.78 EUR).

Kazakhstani Tenge exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 450 KZT (1,000 KZT = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 506 KZT (1,000 KZT = 1.98 EUR).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Istanbul Taraz 3,480 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Taraz

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 Taraz: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 143%, 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 $938 in Taraz. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Taraz, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $261 there versus $1,014 in Istanbul.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55 in Istanbul and $22 in Taraz. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 45% more in Istanbul, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $800 monthly budget goes further in Taraz, where all-in costs run around $625, than in Istanbul at $1,519. In Taraz it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

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