Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Ulyanovsk

For one person, living is cheaper in Ulyanovsk: $886 a month against $1,550 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $8,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

75

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index
43

Cost of Living Index in Ulyanovsk
Learn more

Ulyanovsk Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

Ulyanovsk

🇷🇺 Russia

$886

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Ulyanovsk

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

A single person spends $1,550 per month in Istanbul vs $886 in Ulyanovsk, rent included.

Istanbul $1,550
Ulyanovsk $886

A couple spends around $2,415 per month in Istanbul vs $1,363 in Ulyanovsk, rent included.

Istanbul $2,415
Ulyanovsk $1,363

A family of three spends $3,281 per month in Istanbul vs $1,840 in Ulyanovsk, rent included.

Istanbul $3,281
Ulyanovsk $1,840

Istanbul costs about 75% more than Ulyanovsk, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Istanbul sits 15% above the global median, while Ulyanovsk is 34% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.30 ₺609

$8.26 ₽690

48.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.7 ₺2,708

$29.69 ₽2,478

84.24%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.22 ₺456

$6.32 ₽528

45.89%

Cappuccino

$4.40 ₺218

$2.27 ₽190

93.83%

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

$1.68 ₺83.1

$0.90 ₽75.3

86.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₺29.40

$0.35 ₽29.18

68.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.70 ₺233

$1.81 ₽151

159.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.91 ₺292

$1.94 ₽162

204.64%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 ₺60.0

$1.02 ₽85.4

18.63%

White Bread (500g)

$0.89 ₺44.10

$0.58 ₽48.04

53.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.19 ₺108

$1.04 ₽86.5

110.58%

Eggs

$2.35 ₺116

$1.40 ₽117

67.86%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.42 ₺516

$14.19 ₽1,184

-26.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.65 ₺280

$7.26 ₽606

-22.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.94 ₺1,037

$7.26 ₽606

188.43%

Apples (1kg)

$1.90 ₺94.1

$1.52 ₽127

25.00%

Banana (1kg)

$2.31 ₺114

$1.51 ₽126

52.98%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.1

$3.91 ₽326

-67.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺89.0

$4.60 ₽384

-60.87%

Potato (1kg)

$0.65 ₺32.16

$1.46 ₽122

-55.48%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺31.91

$0.82 ₽68.3

-21.95%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 ₺62.1

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.58

$0.56 ₽46.50

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.37 ₺118

$3.04 ₽254

-22.04%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.42 ₺664

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₺119

$1.09 ₽90.9

120.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 ₺172

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.89 ₺43.84

$0.43 ₽36.28

106.98%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.4 ₺3,338

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.29 ₺64.1

$3.53 ₽294

-63.46%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 ₺45.70

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.96 ₺542

$3.64 ₽304

201.10%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ₺72.9

$0.83 ₽68.9

77.11%

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

$50.8K ₺2.5M

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

$44.5K ₺2.2M

$26.0K ₽2.2M

71.37%

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

$88.6 ₺4,387

$139 ₽11.6K

-36.19%

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

$11.59 ₺574

$4.73 ₽395

145.03%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.81 ₺783

$13.72 ₽1,145

15.23%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.2 ₺3,820

$36.45 ₽3,042

111.69%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.74 ₺1,126

$24.86 ₽2,075

-8.53%

Cinema Ticket

$8.14 ₺403

$8.30 ₽693

-1.93%

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

$1,008 ₺49.9K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.6K ₺1.3M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.0 ₺2,671

$30.11 ₽2,513

79.18%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.83 ₺2,021

$35.99 ₽3,004

13.45%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.9 ₺4,895

$94.4 ₽7,875

4.80%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.6 ₺4,783

$59.3 ₽4,951

62.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$985 ₺48.7K

$360 ₽30.0K

173.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$650 ₺32.2K

$241 ₽20.1K

169.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,983 ₺98.2K

$469 ₽39.1K

323.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,180 ₺58.4K

$423 ₽35.3K

179.07%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,138 ₺155.4K

$2,609 ₽217.8K

20.26%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,780 ₺88.1K

$1,463 ₽122.1K

21.63%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,205 ₺59.7K

$504 ₽42.1K

138.99%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.92

77.91%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 13, 2026

Last update for Ulyanovsk: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$650 41.9%

Ulyanovsk

$241 27.2% 62.9% $409

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$260 16.8%

Ulyanovsk

$200 * 22.6% 23% $60

Eating Out

Istanbul

$223 14.4%

Ulyanovsk

$130 14.7% 41.6% $93

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$131 8.4%

Ulyanovsk

$99 11.2% 24.3% $32

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$116 7.5%

Ulyanovsk

$157 17.8% 35.6% $41

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$93 6%

Ulyanovsk

$53 6% 43.2% $40

Getting Around

Istanbul

$77 5%

Ulyanovsk

$5.3 * 0.6% 93.1% $72

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $985 in Istanbul versus $360 in Ulyanovsk. 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 139% 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 $30.00 in Ulyanovsk. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $260 vs $200 – making Ulyanovsk the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇷🇺 Ulyanovsk

🕒 Local time

13:19 1:19 PM

14:19 2:19 PM

1 h ahead of Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

627,705

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Russian Ruble RUB ₽

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 2.02 USD

100 TRY = 1.8 EUR

100 RUB = 1.2 USD

100 RUB = 1.07 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 October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 49.51 TRY (100 TRY = 2.02 USD). 1 EUR = 55.66 TRY (100 TRY = 1.8 EUR).

Russian Ruble exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 83.46 RUB (100 RUB = 1.2 USD). 1 EUR = 93.83 RUB (100 RUB = 1.07 EUR).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Istanbul Ulyanovsk 2,060 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Ulyanovsk

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 Ulyanovsk: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 75%, 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 $1,328 in Ulyanovsk. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Groceries cost about 30% 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 mid-range dinner for two costs $55.0 in Istanbul and $30.00 in Ulyanovsk. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Ulyanovsk, where all-in costs run around $886, than in Istanbul at $1,550. In Ulyanovsk it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Ulyanovsk – 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 Ulyanovsk. 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.