Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kamez and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in Kamez: $1,088 a month against $1,550 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $5,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

52

Cost of Living Index in Kamez
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Kamez Living Index
75

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index

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Kamez

🇦🇱 Albania

$1,088

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,088 per month in Kamez vs $1,550 in Istanbul, rent included.

Kamez $1,088
Istanbul $1,550

A couple spends around $1,622 per month in Kamez vs $2,415 in Istanbul, rent included.

Kamez $1,622
Istanbul $2,415

A family of three spends $2,157 per month in Kamez vs $3,281 in Istanbul, rent included.

Kamez $2,157
Istanbul $3,281

Kamez is about 30% cheaper than Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Kamez sits 19% below the global median, while Istanbul is 15% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.88 ALL 796

$12.30 ₺609

-19.67%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$38.03 ALL 3,062

$54.7 ₺2,708

-30.48%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.46 ALL 601

$9.22 ₺456

-19.09%

Cappuccino

$1.90 ALL 153

$4.40 ₺218

-56.82%

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

$1.75 ALL 141

$1.68 ₺83.1

4.17%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.69 ALL 55.3

$0.59 ₺29.40

16.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.47 ALL 199

$4.70 ₺233

-47.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.29 ALL 265

$5.91 ₺292

-44.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ALL 157

$1.21 ₺60.0

61.16%

White Bread (500g)

$0.96 ALL 77.6

$0.89 ₺44.10

7.87%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.01 ALL 162

$2.19 ₺108

-8.22%

Eggs

$2.61 ALL 210

$2.35 ₺116

11.06%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.26 ALL 826

$10.42 ₺516

-1.54%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.32 ALL 670

$5.65 ₺280

47.26%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.84 ALL 1,114

$20.94 ₺1,037

-33.91%

Apples (1kg)

$1.88 ALL 152

$1.90 ₺94.1

-1.05%

Banana (1kg)

$2.27 ALL 183

$2.31 ₺114

-1.73%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.68 ALL 135

$1.28 ₺63.1

31.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.58 ALL 127

$1.80 ₺89.0

-12.22%

Potato (1kg)

$1.06 ALL 85.2

$0.65 ₺32.16

63.08%

Onion (1kg)

$1.23 ALL 99.4

$0.64 ₺31.91

92.19%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 ALL 96.0

$1.25 ₺62.1

-4.80%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.73 ALL 59.1

$0.56 ₺27.58

30.36%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.39 ALL 353

$2.37 ₺118

85.23%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.99 ALL 644

$13.42 ₺664

-40.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 ALL 131

$2.40 ₺119

-32.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.88 ALL 152

$3.48 ₺172

-45.98%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 ALL 40.87

$0.89 ₺43.84

-42.70%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.25 ALL 1,711

$67.4 ₺3,338

-68.49%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.64 ALL 293

$1.29 ₺64.1

182.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.61 ALL 291

$0.92 ₺45.70

292.39%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$18.57 ALL 1,496

$10.96 ₺542

69.43%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.18 ALL 175

$1.47 ₺72.9

48.30%

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

$33.4K ALL 2.7M

$50.8K ₺2.5M

-34.24%

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

$24.7K ALL 2.0M

$44.5K ₺2.2M

-44.53%

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

$61.1 ALL 4,920

$88.6 ₺4,387

-31.05%

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

$16.32 ALL 1,314

$11.59 ₺574

40.81%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.84 ALL 1,356

$15.81 ₺783

6.51%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.7 ALL 4,567

$77.2 ₺3,820

-26.49%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.74 ₺1,126

Cinema Ticket

$8.38 ALL 675

$8.14 ₺403

2.95%

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

$98.1 ALL 7,897

$1,008 ₺49.9K

-90.27%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,281 ALL 666.9K

$25.6K ₺1.3M

-67.60%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$48.06 ALL 3,870

$54.0 ₺2,671

-10.92%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.90 ALL 3,777

$40.83 ₺2,021

14.87%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.7 ALL 7,787

$98.9 ₺4,895

-2.21%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 ALL 8,818

$96.6 ₺4,783

13.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$464 ALL 37.4K

$985 ₺48.7K

-52.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$340 ALL 27.4K

$650 ₺32.2K

-47.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$791 ALL 63.7K

$1,983 ₺98.2K

-60.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$433 ALL 34.8K

$1,180 ₺58.4K

-63.33%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,709 ALL 137.7K

$3,138 ₺155.4K

-45.53%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,189 ALL 95.7K

$1,780 ₺88.1K

-33.21%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,205 ₺59.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.92

-87.78%

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

Last update for Kamez: 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

Kamez

$340 31.3%

Istanbul

$650 41.9% 90.9% $309

Groceries & Markets

Kamez

$246 22.6%

Istanbul

$260 16.8% 5.4% $13

Eating Out

Kamez

$153 14.1%

Istanbul

$223 14.4% 46% $70

Clothing & Footwear

Kamez

$136 12.5%

Istanbul

$131 8.4% 3.6% $4.9

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kamez

$94 8.7%

Istanbul

$116 7.5% 23.1% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Kamez

$73 6.8%

Istanbul

$93 6% 27.2% $20

Getting Around

Kamez

$45 4.1%

Istanbul

$77 5% 70.9% $32

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $464 in Kamez 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 $38.00 in Kamez versus $55.0 in Istanbul. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $246 vs $260 – making Kamez the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇱 Kamez

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

11:09 11:09 AM

12:09 12:09 PM

1 h ahead of Kamez

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

104,190

15,701,602

💱 Currency

Albanian Lek ALL L

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

📈 Exchange rate

100 ALL = 1.24 USD

100 ALL = 1.1 EUR

100 TRY = 2.02 USD

100 TRY = 1.8 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TRY, USD, EUR to ALL – Albanian Lek Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇱 Albanian Lek (L)

Albanian Lek exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 80.53 ALL (100 ALL = 1.24 USD). 1 EUR = 90.53 ALL (100 ALL = 1.1 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 ALL in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Kamez Istanbul 770 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Kamez
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

Kamez vs Istanbul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 42%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,632 per month in Kamez 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 Kamez, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $98.1 per month in Kamez and $1,008 in Istanbul. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 5% 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 $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Kamez, where all-in costs run around $1,088, than in Istanbul at $1,550. In Kamez it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Kamez – 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 Kamez. 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.