Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Uman

For one person, living is cheaper in Uman: $813 a month against $1,519 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $8,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Istanbul, Turkey
Uman, Ukraine
Istanbul
🇹🇷 Turkey
$1,519
/mo nomad
Uman
🇺🇦 Ukraine
$813
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Uman

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

A single person spends $1,519 per month in Istanbul vs $813 in Uman, rent included.

  • Istanbul $1,519
  • Uman $813

A couple spends around $2,365 per month in Istanbul vs $1,280 in Uman, rent included.

  • Istanbul $2,365
  • Uman $1,280

A family of three spends $3,212 per month in Istanbul vs $1,746 in Uman, rent included.

  • Istanbul $3,212
  • Uman $1,746

Istanbul costs about 87% more than Uman, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Istanbul sits 12% above the global median, while Uman is 40% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Istanbul
Uman
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.81 ₺592
$7.64 ₴348
54.58%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$54.9 ₺2,754
$35.46 ₴1,615
54.85%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.26 ₺465
$5.54 ₴252
67.15%
Cappuccino
$4.30 ₺216
$1.52 ₴69.1
182.89%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.77 ₺89.0
$0.83 ₴37.72
113.25%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.56 ₺28.32
$0.76 ₴34.46
-26.32%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$4.69 ₺235
$1.74 ₴79.1
169.54%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$7.12 ₺357
$2.14 ₴97.3
232.71%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Istanbul
Uman
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.25 ₺62.7
$1.30 ₴59.1
-3.85%
White Bread (500g)
$0.88 ₺44.17
$0.79 ₴35.76
11.39%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.20 ₺111
$1.80 ₴82.0
22.22%
Eggs
$2.43 ₺122
$2.00 ₴91.0
21.50%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.48 ₺526
$9.53 ₴434
9.97%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$5.31 ₺267
$5.17 ₴236
2.71%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$21.10 ₺1,058
$6.89 ₴314
206.24%
Apples (1kg)
$1.86 ₺93.1
$1.18 ₴53.7
57.63%
Banana (1kg)
$2.30 ₺115
$1.41 ₴64.0
63.12%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.22 ₺61.0
$1.90 ₴86.6
-35.79%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.80 ₺90.2
$3.12 ₴142
-42.31%
Potato (1kg)
$0.69 ₺34.83
$0.78 ₴35.61
-11.54%
Onion (1kg)
$0.64 ₺32.16
$0.48 ₴21.72
33.33%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.36 ₺68.0
$1.54 ₴70.4
-11.69%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.58 ₺28.94
$0.56 ₴25.32
3.57%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.34 ₺117
$2.93 ₴134
-20.14%
Wine (Bottle)
$13.03 ₺653
$5.50 ₴251
136.91%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.36 ₺118
$0.81 ₴36.70
191.36%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.32 ₺166
$1.53 ₴69.8
116.99%
🚌 Getting Around
Istanbul
Uman
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.88 ₺44.07
$0.32 ₴14.51
175.00%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$66.1 ₺3,316
$12.51 ₴570
428.54%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.28 ₺64.4
$2.25 ₴102
-43.11%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.85 ₺42.80
$0.32 ₴14.49
165.63%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$11.09 ₺556
$4.31 ₴196
157.31%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.48 ₺74.0
$1.79 ₴81.5
-17.32%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$48.6K ₺2.4M
$28.8K ₴1.3M
68.83%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$42.0K ₺2.1M
$25.3K ₴1.2M
65.73%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Istanbul
Uman
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$92.7 ₺4,650
$110 ₴5,016
-15.84%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$11.20 ₺562
$5.42 ₴247
106.64%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$15.89 ₺797
$6.31 ₴287
151.82%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Istanbul
Uman
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$74.7 ₺3,745
$24.39 ₴1,111
206.19%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$22.95 ₺1,151
$12.69 ₴578
80.85%
Cinema Ticket
$8.05 ₺404
$5.58 ₴254
44.27%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Istanbul
Uman
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$948 ₺47.6K
$251 ₴11.4K
277.23%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$36.9K ₺1.9M
$4,141 ₴188.6K
791.52%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Istanbul
Uman
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$53.9 ₺2,702
$75.2 ₴3,424
-28.35%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$41.49 ₺2,081
$38.55 ₴1,756
7.63%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$101 ₺5,060
$90.6 ₴4,128
11.31%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$91.3 ₺4,580
$105 ₴4,771
-12.85%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Istanbul
Uman
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,014 ₺50.8K
$344 ₴15.7K
194.60%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$625 ₺31.3K
$201 ₴9,150
210.83%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,005 ₺100.6K
$514 ₴23.4K
290.52%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,126 ₺56.5K
$355 ₴16.2K
216.79%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,988 ₺149.8K
$1,313 ₴59.8K
127.54%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,730 ₺86.8K
$823 ₴37.5K
110.35%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Istanbul
Uman
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,136 ₺57.0K
$263 ₴12.0K
332.91%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
40.42
21.8
85.41%

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

Last update for Istanbul: November 2, 2026

Last update for Uman: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Istanbul
$625
Uman
$201 67.8% $424
Groceries & Markets
Istanbul
$258
Uman
$183 29.2% $75
Eating Out
Istanbul
$221
Uman
$115 47.8% $106
Clothing & Footwear
Istanbul
$129
Uman
$139 7.5% $9.7
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Istanbul
$120
Uman
$122 1.8% $2.1
Sport & Entertainment
Istanbul
$91
Uman
$36 60.8% $55
Getting Around
Istanbul
$75
Uman
$18 76.5% $58

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,014 in Istanbul versus $344 in Uman. 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 4.3 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55 in Istanbul versus $35 in Uman. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $183 – making Uman the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇹🇷 Istanbul
🇺🇦 Uman
🕒 Local time
10:41 10:41 AM
09:41 9:41 AM
1 h behind Istanbul
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
15,701,602
86,614
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

UAH, USD, EUR to TRY – Turkish Lira Converter

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).

Ukrainian Hryvnia exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 45.54 UAH (100 UAH = 2.2 USD). 1 EUR = 51.14 UAH (100 UAH = 1.96 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Istanbul Uman 870 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Istanbul
  • Uman

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 Uman: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Uman cheaper than Istanbul?
Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 87%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,278 per month in Istanbul and $1,220 in Uman. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Uman, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $344 there versus $1,014 in Istanbul.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Kindergarten costs $948 per month in Istanbul and $251 in Uman. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
How do food prices compare in Istanbul and in Uman?
Groceries cost about 41% more in Istanbul, though the gap depends on what you buy.
Is $1,000 a realistic budget for living in Istanbul or in Uman?
A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Uman, where all-in costs run around $813, than in Istanbul at $1,519. In Uman it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Istanbul or Uman more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Uman – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Uman. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Istanbul makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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