Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Yekaterinburg

For one person, living is cheaper in Yekaterinburg: $1,351 a month against $1,519 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $2,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

73

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index
65

Cost of Living Index in Yekaterinburg
Learn more

Yekaterinburg Living Index

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Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,519

/mo nomad

Yekaterinburg

🇷🇺 Russia

$1,351

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Yekaterinburg

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

A single person spends $1,519 per month in Istanbul vs $1,351 in Yekaterinburg, rent included.

Istanbul $1,519
Yekaterinburg $1,351

A couple spends around $2,365 per month in Istanbul vs $2,221 in Yekaterinburg, rent included.

Istanbul $2,365
Yekaterinburg $2,221

A family of three spends $3,212 per month in Istanbul vs $3,091 in Yekaterinburg, rent included.

Istanbul $3,212
Yekaterinburg $3,091

Istanbul costs about 12% more than Yekaterinburg, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.81 ₺592

$14.38 ₽1,178

-17.87%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.9 ₺2,753

$56.3 ₽4,615

-2.54%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.26 ₺464

$7.26 ₽595

27.55%

Cappuccino

$4.30 ₺216

$2.32 ₽190

85.34%

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

$1.77 ₺89.0

$1.17 ₽96.2

51.28%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺28.31

$0.48 ₽39.19

16.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.69 ₺235

$2.21 ₽181

112.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.12 ₺357

$3.05 ₽250

133.44%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 ₺62.7

$1.22 ₽99.9

2.46%

White Bread (500g)

$0.88 ₺44.15

$0.70 ₽57.4

25.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 ₺111

$1.29 ₽105

70.54%

Eggs

$2.43 ₺122

$1.67 ₽137

45.51%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.48 ₺525

$11.41 ₽934

-8.15%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.31 ₺266

$5.49 ₽449

-3.28%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.10 ₺1,058

$13.56 ₽1,110

55.60%

Apples (1kg)

$1.86 ₺93.0

$2.03 ₽166

-8.37%

Banana (1kg)

$2.30 ₺115

$1.75 ₽143

31.43%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.22 ₺60.9

$1.56 ₽127

-21.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺90.1

$2.84 ₽233

-36.62%

Potato (1kg)

$0.69 ₺34.81

$0.64 ₽52.6

7.81%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺32.15

$0.61 ₽50.2

4.92%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.36 ₺67.9

$1.54 ₽126

-11.69%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 ₺28.93

$0.88 ₽72.5

-34.09%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.34 ₺117

$3.58 ₽293

-34.64%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.03 ₺653

$7.37 ₽604

76.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.36 ₺118

$1.48 ₽122

59.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.32 ₺166

$2.63 ₽216

26.24%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.88 ₺44.05

$0.50 ₽40.87

76.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.1 ₺3,315

$18.74 ₽1,536

252.83%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 ₺64.4

$4.27 ₽350

-70.02%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 ₺42.78

$0.18 ₽14.70

372.22%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.09 ₺556

$4.51 ₽370

145.90%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 ₺74.0

$0.83 ₽67.9

78.31%

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

$48.6K ₺2.4M

$52.5K ₽4.3M

-7.38%

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

$42.0K ₺2.1M

$38.3K ₽3.1M

9.68%

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

$92.7 ₺4,648

$124 ₽10.2K

-25.25%

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

$11.20 ₺561

$6.30 ₽516

77.78%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.89 ₺797

$12.26 ₽1,004

29.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.7 ₺3,744

$43.92 ₽3,598

70.04%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.95 ₺1,151

$36.27 ₽2,972

-36.72%

Cinema Ticket

$8.05 ₺404

$7.28 ₽596

10.58%

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

$948 ₺47.5K

$353 ₽29.0K

168.36%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.9K ₺1.9M

$3,843 ₽314.8K

860.72%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₺2,701

$120 ₽9,857

-55.22%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.49 ₺2,080

$91.7 ₽7,514

-54.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 ₺5,058

$166 ₽13.6K

-39.33%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.3 ₺4,578

$153 ₽12.6K

-40.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,014 ₺50.8K

$802 ₽65.7K

26.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$625 ₺31.3K

$474 ₽38.8K

31.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,005 ₺100.5K

$1,346 ₽110.2K

49.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,126 ₺56.4K

$1,018 ₽83.4K

10.59%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,988 ₺149.8K

$2,747 ₽225.1K

8.76%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,730 ₺86.7K

$2,139 ₽175.3K

-19.13%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,136 ₺57.0K

$945 ₽77.4K

20.22%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.42

22.22

81.91%

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

Last update for Istanbul: November 2, 2026

Last update for Yekaterinburg: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$625 41.1%

Yekaterinburg

$474 35.1% 24.1% $151

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$258 17%

Yekaterinburg

$222 16.4% 14.1% $36

Eating Out

Istanbul

$221 14.6%

Yekaterinburg

$188 14% 14.7% $32

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$129 8.5%

Yekaterinburg

$239 17.7% 84.9% $110

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$120 7.9%

Yekaterinburg

$143 10.6% 19% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$91 6%

Yekaterinburg

$58 4.3% 35.6% $32

Getting Around

Istanbul

$75 5%

Yekaterinburg

$26 1.9% 65.5% $49

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,014 in Istanbul versus $802 in Yekaterinburg. 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 20% higher in Istanbul. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55 in Istanbul versus $56 in Yekaterinburg. Groceries tell a different story – $258 in Istanbul vs $222 in Yekaterinburg – so Yekaterinburg wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇷🇺 Yekaterinburg

🕒 Local time

03:25 3:25 AM

05:25 5:25 AM

2 h ahead of Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

1,495,066

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Russian Ruble RUB ₽

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 1.99 USD

100 TRY = 1.78 EUR

100 RUB = 1.22 USD

100 RUB = 1.09 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 November 7, 2026: 1 USD = 50.13 TRY (100 TRY = 1.99 USD). 1 EUR = 56.03 TRY (100 TRY = 1.78 EUR).

Russian Ruble exchange rates as of November 7, 2026: 1 USD = 81.92 RUB (100 RUB = 1.22 USD). 1 EUR = 91.55 RUB (100 RUB = 1.09 EUR).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Istanbul Yekaterinburg 2,860 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Yekaterinburg

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 Yekaterinburg: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 12%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,278 per month in Istanbul and $2,026 in Yekaterinburg. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Yekaterinburg, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $802 there versus $1,014 in Istanbul.

Public transport costs about 72% less in Yekaterinburg. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Groceries cost about 16% more in Istanbul, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Yekaterinburg, where all-in costs run around $1,351, than in Istanbul at $1,519. In Yekaterinburg it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Yekaterinburg costs $1,351 versus $1,519 in Istanbul. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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