Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Karak and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in Karak: $446 a month against $1,519 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $12,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

21

Cost of Living Index in Karak
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Karak Living Index
73

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index

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Karak

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$446

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,519

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $446 per month in Karak vs $1,519 in Istanbul, rent included.

Karak $446
Istanbul $1,519

A couple spends around $661 per month in Karak vs $2,365 in Istanbul, rent included.

Karak $661
Istanbul $2,365

A family of three spends $876 per month in Karak vs $3,212 in Istanbul, rent included.

Karak $876
Istanbul $3,212

Karak is about 71% cheaper than Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Karak sits 67% below the global median, while Istanbul is 12% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$0.74 PKR 206

$11.81 ₺591

-93.73%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$7.27 PKR 2,012

$54.9 ₺2,748

-86.76%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.38 PKR 1,489

$9.26 ₺463

-41.90%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.75 PKR 209

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.84 PKR 1,891

Cappuccino

$0.52 PKR 143

$4.30 ₺215

-87.91%

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

$0.32 PKR 87.2

$1.77 ₺88.8

-81.92%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.21 PKR 58.1

$0.56 ₺28.26

-62.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.69 ₺234

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.12 ₺356

Milk (1 liter)

$1.01 PKR 278

$1.25 ₺62.6

-19.20%

White Bread (500g)

$0.53 PKR 146

$0.88 ₺44.07

-39.77%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.07 PKR 295

$2.20 ₺110

-51.36%

Eggs

$1.11 PKR 308

$2.43 ₺122

-54.32%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$1.78 PKR 493

$10.48 ₺524

-83.02%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.90 PKR 803

$5.31 ₺266

-45.39%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$4.40 PKR 1,218

$21.10 ₺1,056

-79.15%

Apples (1kg)

$0.71 PKR 196

$1.86 ₺92.9

-61.83%

Banana (1kg)

$0.56 PKR 156

$2.30 ₺115

-75.65%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.69 PKR 190

$1.22 ₺60.8

-43.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.55 PKR 152

$1.80 ₺90.0

-69.44%

Potato (1kg)

$0.29 PKR 81.3

$0.69 ₺34.75

-57.97%

Onion (1kg)

$0.38 PKR 105

$0.64 ₺32.09

-40.63%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.17 PKR 46.93

$1.36 ₺67.8

-87.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.26 PKR 72.5

$0.58 ₺28.88

-55.17%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$1.80 PKR 499

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 PKR 342

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.37 PKR 656

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.25 PKR 622

$2.34 ₺117

-3.85%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.03 ₺652

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.36 ₺118

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.32 ₺166

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.20 PKR 55.6

$0.88 ₺43.97

-77.27%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$10.10 PKR 2,793

$66.1 ₺3,309

-84.72%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.29 PKR 358

$1.28 ₺64.3

0.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.75 PKR 208

$0.85 ₺42.70

-11.76%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.60 PKR 442

$11.09 ₺555

-85.57%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 PKR 377

$1.48 ₺73.9

-8.11%

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

$22.0K PKR 6.1M

$48.6K ₺2.4M

-54.73%

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

$23.0K PKR 6.4M

$42.0K ₺2.1M

-45.17%

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

$103 PKR 28.4K

$92.7 ₺4,639

10.56%

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

$6.05 PKR 1,673

$11.20 ₺560

-45.98%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.01 PKR 4,706

$15.89 ₺795

7.05%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$14.76 PKR 4,082

$74.7 ₺3,737

-80.24%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.19 PKR 2,265

$22.95 ₺1,149

-64.31%

Cinema Ticket

$4.74 PKR 1,311

$8.05 ₺403

-41.12%

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

$42.84 PKR 11.9K

$948 ₺47.5K

-95.48%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,047 PKR 289.5K

$36.9K ₺1.8M

-97.16%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$26.28 PKR 7,269

$53.9 ₺2,696

-51.22%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.20 PKR 9,461

$41.49 ₺2,076

-17.57%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$97.8 PKR 27.0K

$101 ₺5,049

-3.11%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$40.84 PKR 11.3K

$91.3 ₺4,570

-55.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$138 PKR 38.1K

$1,014 ₺50.7K

-86.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$85.6 PKR 23.7K

$625 ₺31.3K

-86.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$264 PKR 72.9K

$2,005 ₺100.4K

-86.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$181 PKR 50.0K

$1,126 ₺56.3K

-83.94%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$815 PKR 225.5K

$2,988 ₺149.5K

-72.71%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$496 PKR 137.2K

$1,730 ₺86.6K

-71.34%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,136 ₺56.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.08

40.42

-67.64%

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

Last update for Karak: November 1, 2026

Last update for Istanbul: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Karak

$126 28.1%

Istanbul

$120 7.9% 4.6% $5.8

Clothing & Footwear

Karak

$90 20.1%

Istanbul

$129 8.5% 44.5% $40

Accommodation & Living

Karak

$86 19.2%

Istanbul

$625 41.1% 629% $539

Groceries & Markets

Karak

$75 16.8%

Istanbul

$258 17% 245% $183

Eating Out

Karak

$30 6.8%

Istanbul

$221 14.6% 627% $191

Sport & Entertainment

Karak

$24 5.4%

Istanbul

$91 6% 275% $67

Getting Around

Karak

$16 3.6%

Istanbul

$75 5% 371% $59

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $138 in Karak versus $1,014 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 $7 in Karak versus $55 in Istanbul. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $75 vs $258 – making Karak the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇰 Karak

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

03:53 3:53 AM

01:53 1:53 AM

2 h behind Karak

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

51,149

15,701,602

💱 Currency

Pakistani Rupee PKR ₨

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 PKR = 3.62 USD

1,000 PKR = 3.22 EUR

100 TRY = 2 USD

100 TRY = 1.78 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TRY, USD, EUR to PKR – Pakistani Rupee Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇰 Pakistani Rupee (₨)

Pakistani Rupee exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 277 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.62 USD). 1 EUR = 311 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.22 EUR).

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 50.04 TRY (100 TRY = 2 USD). 1 EUR = 56.18 TRY (100 TRY = 1.78 EUR).

USD to PKR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Karak Istanbul 3,800 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Karak
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

Karak vs Istanbul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 240%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $670 per month in Karak and $2,278 in Istanbul. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Karak, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $138 there versus $1,014 in Istanbul.

Kindergarten costs $43 per month in Karak and $948 in Istanbul. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 244% more in Istanbul, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $800 monthly budget goes further in Karak, where all-in costs run around $446, than in Istanbul at $1,519. In Karak it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Karak – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

For expats, Karak is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 71% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.