Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kakanj and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in Kakanj: $979 a month against $1,550 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $6,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

46

Cost of Living Index in Kakanj
Learn more

Kakanj Living Index
75

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index

Jump to prices

Kakanj

🇧🇦 Bosnia and Herzegovina

$979

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Kakanj 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 Kakanj and in Istanbul actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $979 per month in Kakanj vs $1,550 in Istanbul, rent included.

Kakanj $979
Istanbul $1,550

A couple spends around $1,435 per month in Kakanj vs $2,415 in Istanbul, rent included.

Kakanj $1,435
Istanbul $2,415

A family of three spends $1,890 per month in Kakanj vs $3,281 in Istanbul, rent included.

Kakanj $1,890
Istanbul $3,281

Kakanj is about 37% cheaper than Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Kakanj sits 27% below the global median, while Istanbul is 15% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.00 BAM 12.17

$12.30 ₺609

-43.09%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$36.95 BAM 64.3

$54.7 ₺2,708

-32.45%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.84 BAM 11.90

$9.22 ₺456

-25.81%

Cappuccino

$1.68 BAM 2.92

$4.40 ₺218

-61.82%

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

$1.87 BAM 3.26

$1.68 ₺83.1

11.31%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.25 BAM 2.17

$0.59 ₺29.40

111.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.22 BAM 3.86

$4.70 ₺233

-52.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.99 BAM 3.46

$5.91 ₺292

-66.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.05 BAM 1.83

$1.21 ₺60.0

-13.22%

White Bread (500g)

$1.09 BAM 1.90

$0.89 ₺44.10

22.47%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.11 BAM 3.67

$2.19 ₺108

-3.65%

Eggs

$2.93 BAM 5.09

$2.35 ₺116

24.68%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.70 BAM 18.60

$10.42 ₺516

2.69%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.75 BAM 13.47

$5.65 ₺280

37.17%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.26 BAM 21.32

$20.94 ₺1,037

-41.45%

Apples (1kg)

$1.11 BAM 1.93

$1.90 ₺94.1

-41.58%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 BAM 2.67

$2.31 ₺114

-33.77%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.44 BAM 2.50

$1.28 ₺63.1

12.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.87 BAM 3.25

$1.80 ₺89.0

3.89%

Potato (1kg)

$1.10 BAM 1.91

$0.65 ₺32.16

69.23%

Onion (1kg)

$1.03 BAM 1.80

$0.64 ₺31.91

60.94%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.98 BAM 1.70

$1.25 ₺62.1

-21.60%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 BAM 1.34

$0.56 ₺27.58

37.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.60 BAM 6.26

$2.37 ₺118

51.90%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.93 BAM 12.06

$13.42 ₺664

-48.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.87 BAM 1.51

$2.40 ₺119

-63.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.37 BAM 2.38

$3.48 ₺172

-60.63%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.26 BAM 2.19

$0.89 ₺43.84

41.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.4 ₺3,338

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.68 BAM 2.92

$1.29 ₺64.1

30.23%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.65 BAM 1.12

$0.92 ₺45.70

-29.35%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.00 BAM 15.64

$10.96 ₺542

-17.88%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.57 BAM 2.72

$1.47 ₺72.9

6.80%

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

$27.1K BAM 47.2K

$50.8K ₺2.5M

-46.58%

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

$23.7K BAM 41.3K

$44.5K ₺2.2M

-46.70%

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

$148 BAM 258

$88.6 ₺4,387

67.46%

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

$16.48 BAM 28.65

$11.59 ₺574

42.19%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$25.33 BAM 44.05

$15.81 ₺783

60.22%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.11 BAM 57.6

$77.2 ₺3,820

-57.09%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.74 ₺1,126

Cinema Ticket

$5.84 BAM 10.16

$8.14 ₺403

-28.26%

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

$130 BAM 226

$1,008 ₺49.9K

-87.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,649 BAM 6,345

$25.6K ₺1.3M

-85.72%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.0 BAM 108

$54.0 ₺2,671

14.85%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.90 BAM 55.5

$40.83 ₺2,021

-21.87%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.4 BAM 155

$98.9 ₺4,895

-9.60%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.1 BAM 153

$96.6 ₺4,783

-8.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$369 BAM 641

$985 ₺48.7K

-62.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$269 BAM 468

$650 ₺32.2K

-58.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$528 BAM 918

$1,983 ₺98.2K

-73.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$358 BAM 623

$1,180 ₺58.4K

-69.64%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,382 BAM 4,141

$3,138 ₺155.4K

-24.10%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,711 BAM 2,974

$1,780 ₺88.1K

-3.89%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,205 ₺59.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.3

40.92

-89.49%

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

Last update for Kakanj: October 11, 2026

Last update for Istanbul: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Kakanj

$269 27.5%

Istanbul

$650 41.9% 142% $381

Groceries & Markets

Kakanj

$219 22.3%

Istanbul

$260 16.8% 18.8% $41

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kakanj

$190 19.4%

Istanbul

$116 7.5% 39% $74

Eating Out

Kakanj

$124 12.7%

Istanbul

$223 14.4% 79.7% $99

Clothing & Footwear

Kakanj

$122 12.5%

Istanbul

$131 8.4% 7% $8.5

Sport & Entertainment

Kakanj

$45 4.6%

Istanbul

$93 6% 109% $49

Getting Around

Kakanj

$10 * 1%

Istanbul

$77 5% 672% $67

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $369 in Kakanj versus $985 in Istanbul. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $37.00 in Kakanj versus $55.0 in Istanbul. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $219 vs $260 – making Kakanj the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇦 Kakanj

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

05:37 5:37 AM

06:37 6:37 AM

1 h ahead of Kakanj

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

11,796

15,701,602

💱 Currency

Bosnia and Herzegovina Convertible Mark BAM KM

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

📈 Exchange rate

1 BAM = 0.575 USD

1 BAM = 0.512 EUR

100 TRY = 2.02 USD

100 TRY = 1.8 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TRY, USD, EUR to BAM – Bosnia and Herzegovina Convertible Mark Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇦 Bosnia and Herzegovina Convertible Mark (KM)

Bosnia and Herzegovina Convertible Mark exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 1.74 BAM (1 BAM = 0.575 USD). 1 EUR = 1.95 BAM (1 BAM = 0.512 EUR).

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).

USD to BAM in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Kakanj Istanbul 950 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Kakanj
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

Kakanj vs Istanbul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 58%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,468 per month in Kakanj and $2,325 in Istanbul. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

A mid-range dinner for two costs $37.00 in Kakanj and $55.0 in Istanbul. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 19% 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 $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Kakanj, where all-in costs run around $979, than in Istanbul at $1,550. In Kakanj it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Kakanj – 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 Kakanj. 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.