Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Izmir and Karabuk

For one person, living is cheaper in Karabuk: $656 a month against $1,212 in Izmir, rent and utilities included – about $6,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Izmir
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Izmir Living Index
32

Cost of Living Index in Karabuk
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Karabuk Living Index

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Izmir

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,212

/mo nomad

Karabuk

🇹🇷 Turkey

$656

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Izmir and in Karabuk

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Izmir and in Karabuk actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,212 in Izmir versus $656 in Karabuk.

Izmir $1,212
Karabuk $656

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,898 in Izmir versus $1,031 in Karabuk.

Izmir $1,898
Karabuk $1,031

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,584 in Izmir versus $1,405 in Karabuk.

Izmir $2,584
Karabuk $1,405

Living in Izmir is roughly 85% more expensive than in Karabuk, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Izmir 11% lower, Karabuk 52% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.89 ₺493

$7.85 ₺391

25.99%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.55 ₺1,772

$23.97 ₺1,194

48.31%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.41 ₺419

$7.96 ₺397

5.65%

Cappuccino

$3.64 ₺181

$3.45 ₺172

5.51%

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

$1.46 ₺72.7

$1.08 ₺53.8

35.19%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.58 ₺28.86

$0.31 ₺15.47

87.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.44 ₺172

$1.59 ₺79.1

116.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.00 ₺249

$2.75 ₺137

81.82%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.08 ₺53.9

$0.85 ₺42.23

27.06%

White Bread (500g)

$1.05 ₺52.6

$0.31 ₺15.50

238.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.38 ₺119

$2.59 ₺129

-8.11%

Eggs

$2.46 ₺123

$2.60 ₺129

-5.38%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.31 ₺464

$6.00 ₺299

55.17%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.10 ₺254

$4.08 ₺203

25.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.03 ₺1,048

$9.97 ₺497

110.93%

Apples (1kg)

$1.95 ₺97.4

$1.44 ₺71.6

35.42%

Banana (1kg)

$2.18 ₺108

$1.69 ₺84.3

28.99%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.06 ₺52.7

$0.76 ₺37.93

39.47%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.36 ₺67.9

$0.78 ₺39.08

74.36%

Potato (1kg)

$0.59 ₺29.55

$0.50 ₺24.71

18.00%

Onion (1kg)

$0.40 ₺20.08

$0.43 ₺21.25

-6.98%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.09 ₺54.6

$0.38 ₺19.13

186.84%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.73 ₺36.52

$0.31 ₺15.57

135.48%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.22 ₺111

$1.77 ₺88.2

25.42%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.15 ₺556

$5.01 ₺249

122.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.06 ₺103

$1.57 ₺78.1

31.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.99 ₺149

$2.06 ₺103

45.15%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.68 ₺34.06

$0.62 ₺31.02

9.68%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$43.12 ₺2,149

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.52 ₺175

$0.58 ₺28.81

506.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ₺50.9

$0.86 ₺42.83

18.60%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.52 ₺275

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 ₺67.2

$1.31 ₺65.5

3.05%

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

$46.6K ₺2.3M

$41.2K ₺2.1M

12.96%

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

$43.7K ₺2.2M

$38.4K ₺1.9M

13.72%

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

$82.4 ₺4,104

$76.9 ₺3,832

7.09%

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

$10.53 ₺525

$5.14 ₺256

104.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.87 ₺791

$10.19 ₺508

55.74%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.2 ₺3,197

$17.04 ₺849

276.53%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.55 ₺1,722

$6.01 ₺300

474.88%

Cinema Ticket

$8.25 ₺411

$3.98 ₺198

107.29%

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

$683 ₺34.1K

$450 ₺22.4K

51.87%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.5K ₺720.2K

$6,045 ₺301.3K

139.05%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$45.34 ₺2,260

$20.44 ₺1,019

121.82%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.24 ₺1,856

$28.20 ₺1,405

32.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.0 ₺4,584

$40.49 ₺2,018

127.14%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.8 ₺3,978

$40.76 ₺2,031

95.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$587 ₺29.2K

$247 ₺12.3K

137.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$424 ₺21.1K

$172 ₺8,557

147.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,122 ₺55.9K

$450 ₺22.4K

149.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$793 ₺39.5K

$331 ₺16.5K

139.59%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,444 ₺72.0K

$1,632 ₺81.3K

-11.53%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$999 ₺49.8K

$592 ₺29.5K

68.77%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,134 ₺56.5K

$1,215 ₺60.6K

-6.66%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

42.33

3.24%

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

Last update for Izmir: October 25, 2026

Last update for Karabuk: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Izmir

$424 35%

Karabuk

$172 26.2% 59.5% $253

Groceries & Markets

Izmir

$245 20.3%

Karabuk

$155 23.5% 37.1% $91

Eating Out

Izmir

$183 15.1%

Karabuk

$147 22.4% 19.8% $36

Clothing & Footwear

Izmir

$114 9.5%

Karabuk

$58 8.9% 48.9% $56

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Izmir

$109 9%

Karabuk

$92 14.1% 15.2% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Izmir

$81 6.7%

Karabuk

$25 3.8% 69% $56

Getting Around

Izmir

$54 4.5%

Karabuk

$7.4 * 1.1% 86.5% $47

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $587 in Izmir and $247 in Karabuk. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Karabuk pays 7% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $36 in Izmir vs $24 in Karabuk for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $245 vs $155 per month, with Karabuk cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Izmir

🇹🇷 Karabuk

🕒 Local time

00:50 12:50 AM

Same time as Izmir

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,493,242

123,309

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 2.01 USD

100 TRY = 1.8 EUR

100 TRY = 2.01 USD

100 TRY = 1.8 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Izmir Karabuk 560 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Izmir
Karabuk

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

Izmir vs Karabuk: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Karabuk wins on cost – living expenses run 46% lower than in Izmir. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Karabuk the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 7% lower in Izmir. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $587 in Izmir versus $247 in Karabuk. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 59% higher in Izmir. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $1,212 per month in Izmir versus $656 in Karabuk – Karabuk is about 46% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $656 in Karabuk versus $1,212 in Izmir, a $800 budget is realistic in Karabuk but tight or insufficient in Izmir. The gap between the two cities makes Karabuk the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Izmir and Karabuk are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.