Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kahramanmaras and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in Kahramanmaras: $726 a month against $1,516 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $9,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

35

Cost of Living Index in Kahramanmaras
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Kahramanmaras Living Index
73

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index

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Kahramanmaras

🇹🇷 Turkey

$726

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,516

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Kahramanmaras and in Istanbul

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

A single person spends $726 per month in Kahramanmaras vs $1,516 in Istanbul, rent included.

Kahramanmaras $726
Istanbul $1,516

A couple spends around $1,105 per month in Kahramanmaras vs $2,356 in Istanbul, rent included.

Kahramanmaras $1,105
Istanbul $2,356

A family of three spends $1,483 per month in Kahramanmaras vs $3,197 in Istanbul, rent included.

Kahramanmaras $1,483
Istanbul $3,197

Kahramanmaras is about 52% cheaper than Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Kahramanmaras sits 47% below the global median, while Istanbul is 11% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.12 ₺255

$11.59 ₺577

-55.82%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$12.23 ₺609

$54.7 ₺2,725

-77.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.94 ₺346

$9.39 ₺468

-26.09%

Cappuccino

$4.16 ₺208

$4.23 ₺211

-1.65%

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

$0.48 ₺23.68

$1.72 ₺85.6

-72.09%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.20 ₺10.16

$0.57 ₺28.26

-64.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.99 ₺99.2

$4.65 ₺232

-57.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₺119

$6.84 ₺341

-64.91%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.82 ₺41.08

$1.20 ₺60.0

-31.67%

White Bread (500g)

$0.87 ₺43.52

$0.94 ₺46.97

-7.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.65 ₺82.0

$2.24 ₺112

-26.34%

Eggs

$1.23 ₺61.4

$2.42 ₺121

-49.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.65 ₺431

$10.24 ₺510

-15.53%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.44 ₺172

$5.38 ₺268

-36.06%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.18 ₺806

$21.19 ₺1,056

-23.64%

Apples (1kg)

$1.77 ₺88.3

$1.89 ₺94.3

-6.35%

Banana (1kg)

$1.82 ₺90.8

$2.22 ₺111

-18.02%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.67 ₺33.19

$1.26 ₺62.7

-46.83%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.89 ₺44.15

$1.81 ₺90.0

-50.83%

Potato (1kg)

$0.36 ₺17.89

$0.70 ₺34.84

-48.57%

Onion (1kg)

$0.32 ₺16.18

$0.64 ₺32.13

-50.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.79 ₺39.58

$1.22 ₺60.9

-35.25%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.61 ₺30.25

$0.55 ₺27.35

10.91%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.00 ₺99.7

$2.32 ₺116

-13.79%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.31 ₺663

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.27 ₺113

$2.33 ₺116

-2.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 ₺137

$3.46 ₺172

-20.52%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.27 ₺13.39

$0.91 ₺45.18

-70.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.3 ₺3,306

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.44 ₺122

$1.29 ₺64.2

89.15%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.33 ₺66.3

$0.86 ₺42.66

54.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.09 ₺553

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.23 ₺61.1

$1.42 ₺70.8

-13.38%

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

$41.8K ₺2.1M

$49.2K ₺2.5M

-14.99%

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

$39.8K ₺2.0M

$42.8K ₺2.1M

-6.91%

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

$40.03 ₺1,995

$87.7 ₺4,373

-54.38%

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

$7.05 ₺352

$11.28 ₺562

-37.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.19 ₺508

$15.89 ₺792

-35.87%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.56 ₺1,523

$75.9 ₺3,783

-59.74%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.95 ₺1,094

$23.04 ₺1,148

-4.73%

Cinema Ticket

$4.51 ₺225

$8.20 ₺409

-45.00%

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

$429 ₺21.4K

$1,028 ₺51.2K

-58.31%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,653 ₺481.0K

$26.0K ₺1.3M

-62.82%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$29.75 ₺1,482

$53.3 ₺2,658

-44.22%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$19.95 ₺994

$39.69 ₺1,978

-49.74%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$60.0 ₺2,989

$99.8 ₺4,972

-39.88%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$49.33 ₺2,458

$93.5 ₺4,661

-47.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$301 ₺15.0K

$1,003 ₺50.0K

-70.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$242 ₺12.1K

$628 ₺31.3K

-61.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$502 ₺25.0K

$1,963 ₺97.8K

-74.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$405 ₺20.2K

$1,122 ₺55.9K

-63.90%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,075 ₺153.2K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,753 ₺87.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,053 ₺52.5K

$1,180 ₺58.8K

-10.77%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.69

-13.98%

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

Last update for Kahramanmaras: October 26, 2026

Last update for Istanbul: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Kahramanmaras

$242 33.4%

Istanbul

$628 41.5% 159% $386

Groceries & Markets

Kahramanmaras

$176 * 24.3%

Istanbul

$258 17% 46.6% $82

Eating Out

Kahramanmaras

$129 17.8%

Istanbul

$218 14.4% 68.5% $89

Clothing & Footwear

Kahramanmaras

$72 9.9%

Istanbul

$129 8.5% 80.1% $57

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kahramanmaras

$57 7.9%

Istanbul

$115 7.6% 101% $58

Sport & Entertainment

Kahramanmaras

$40 5.5%

Istanbul

$92 6.1% 133% $53

Getting Around

Kahramanmaras

$10 * 1.4%

Istanbul

$76 5% 643% $65

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $301 in Kahramanmaras versus $1,003 in Istanbul. 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 12% 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 $12 in Kahramanmaras versus $55 in Istanbul. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $176 vs $258 – making Kahramanmaras the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Kahramanmaras

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

02:03 2:03 AM

Same time as Kahramanmaras

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,112,634

15,701,602

💱 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

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Between locations

Kahramanmaras Istanbul 780 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Kahramanmaras
Istanbul

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

Kahramanmaras vs Istanbul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 109%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,089 per month in Kahramanmaras and $2,274 in Istanbul. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Kahramanmaras, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $301 there versus $1,003 in Istanbul.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $12 in Kahramanmaras and $55 in Istanbul. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 47% more in Istanbul, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $800 monthly budget goes further in Kahramanmaras, where all-in costs run around $726, than in Istanbul at $1,516. In Kahramanmaras it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Kahramanmaras – 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 Kahramanmaras. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Istanbul makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.