Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Karabuk and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in Karabuk: $661 a month against $1,550 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $10,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

32

Cost of Living Index in Karabuk
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Karabuk Living Index
75

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index

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Karabuk

🇹🇷 Turkey

$661

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $661 per month in Karabuk vs $1,550 in Istanbul, rent included.

Karabuk $661
Istanbul $1,550

A couple spends around $1,037 per month in Karabuk vs $2,415 in Istanbul, rent included.

Karabuk $1,037
Istanbul $2,415

A family of three spends $1,414 per month in Karabuk vs $3,281 in Istanbul, rent included.

Karabuk $1,414
Istanbul $3,281

Karabuk is about 57% cheaper than Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Karabuk sits 51% below the global median, while Istanbul is 15% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.07 ₺400

$12.30 ₺609

-34.39%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.01 ₺1,189

$54.7 ₺2,708

-56.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.68 ₺380

$9.22 ₺456

-16.70%

Cappuccino

$3.43 ₺170

$4.40 ₺218

-22.05%

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

$1.13 ₺56.1

$1.68 ₺83.1

-32.74%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ₺15.36

$0.59 ₺29.40

-47.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.59 ₺78.6

$4.70 ₺233

-66.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ₺138

$5.91 ₺292

-52.96%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.86 ₺42.57

$1.21 ₺60.0

-28.93%

White Bread (500g)

$0.31 ₺15.45

$0.89 ₺44.10

-65.17%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.55 ₺126

$2.19 ₺108

16.44%

Eggs

$2.57 ₺127

$2.35 ₺116

9.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.23 ₺308

$10.42 ₺516

-40.21%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.01 ₺199

$5.65 ₺280

-29.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.25 ₺508

$20.94 ₺1,037

-51.05%

Apples (1kg)

$1.40 ₺69.3

$1.90 ₺94.1

-26.32%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 ₺86.5

$2.31 ₺114

-24.24%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.73 ₺36.38

$1.28 ₺63.1

-42.97%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.78 ₺38.80

$1.80 ₺89.0

-56.67%

Potato (1kg)

$0.49 ₺24.43

$0.65 ₺32.16

-24.62%

Onion (1kg)

$0.43 ₺21.53

$0.64 ₺31.91

-32.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.42 ₺21.04

$1.25 ₺62.1

-66.40%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.29 ₺14.21

$0.56 ₺27.58

-48.21%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.85 ₺91.6

$2.37 ₺118

-21.94%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.97 ₺246

$13.42 ₺664

-62.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 ₺82.1

$2.40 ₺119

-30.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.05 ₺101

$3.48 ₺172

-41.09%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.59 ₺29.31

$0.89 ₺43.84

-33.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.4 ₺3,338

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.63 ₺31.39

$1.29 ₺64.1

-51.16%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.93 ₺46.23

$0.92 ₺45.70

1.09%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.96 ₺542

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 ₺65.8

$1.47 ₺72.9

-9.52%

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

$40.3K ₺2.0M

$50.8K ₺2.5M

-20.70%

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

$39.5K ₺2.0M

$44.5K ₺2.2M

-11.34%

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

$77.3 ₺3,826

$88.6 ₺4,387

-12.79%

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

$4.92 ₺244

$11.59 ₺574

-57.55%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.99 ₺495

$15.81 ₺783

-36.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$17.38 ₺861

$77.2 ₺3,820

-77.48%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.18 ₺306

$22.74 ₺1,126

-72.82%

Cinema Ticket

$4.12 ₺204

$8.14 ₺403

-49.39%

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

$464 ₺23.0K

$1,008 ₺49.9K

-54.00%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,117 ₺302.8K

$25.6K ₺1.3M

-76.07%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$20.00 ₺990

$54.0 ₺2,671

-62.93%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$27.93 ₺1,383

$40.83 ₺2,021

-31.59%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$39.99 ₺1,980

$98.9 ₺4,895

-59.56%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$41.30 ₺2,045

$96.6 ₺4,783

-57.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$255 ₺12.6K

$985 ₺48.7K

-74.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$173 ₺8,579

$650 ₺32.2K

-73.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$460 ₺22.8K

$1,983 ₺98.2K

-76.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$333 ₺16.5K

$1,180 ₺58.4K

-71.81%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,629 ₺80.6K

$3,138 ₺155.4K

-48.10%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$619 ₺30.7K

$1,780 ₺88.1K

-65.20%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,202 ₺59.5K

$1,205 ₺59.7K

-0.27%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.92

0.20%

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

Last update for Karabuk: 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

Karabuk

$173 26.2%

Istanbul

$650 41.9% 275% $476

Groceries & Markets

Karabuk

$156 23.6%

Istanbul

$260 16.8% 66.6% $104

Eating Out

Karabuk

$148 22.4%

Istanbul

$223 14.4% 50.8% $75

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Karabuk

$92 14%

Istanbul

$116 7.5% 25.8% $24

Clothing & Footwear

Karabuk

$58 8.8%

Istanbul

$131 8.4% 125% $72

Sport & Entertainment

Karabuk

$26 3.9%

Istanbul

$93 6% 265% $68

Getting Around

Karabuk

$7.7 * 1.2%

Istanbul

$77 5% 902% $69

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $255 in Karabuk 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.

Salaries run about 0% 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 $24.00 in Karabuk versus $55.0 in Istanbul. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $156 vs $260 – making Karabuk the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Karabuk

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

21:04 9:04 PM

Same time as Karabuk

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

123,309

15,701,602

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 2.02 USD

100 TRY = 1.8 EUR

100 TRY = 2.02 USD

100 TRY = 1.8 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Karabuk Istanbul 310 km

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Karabuk
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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

Karabuk vs Istanbul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 135%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $991 per month in Karabuk 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 Karabuk, 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 $24.00 in Karabuk 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 67% 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 $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Karabuk, where all-in costs run around $661, than in Istanbul at $1,550. In Karabuk it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Karabuk – 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 Karabuk. 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.