Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kathmandu and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in Kathmandu: $481 a month against $1,526 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $12,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

23

Cost of Living Index in Kathmandu
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Kathmandu Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index

Jump to prices

Kathmandu

🇳🇵 Nepal

$481

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,526

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $481 per month in Kathmandu vs $1,526 in Istanbul, rent included.

Kathmandu $481
Istanbul $1,526

A couple spends around $767 per month in Kathmandu vs $2,399 in Istanbul, rent included.

Kathmandu $767
Istanbul $2,399

A family of three spends $1,052 per month in Kathmandu vs $3,272 in Istanbul, rent included.

Kathmandu $1,052
Istanbul $3,272

Kathmandu is about 68% cheaper than Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Kathmandu sits 64% below the global median, while Istanbul is 14% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.94 NPR 300

$11.88 ₺585

-83.67%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$20.45 NPR 3,165

$55.1 ₺2,714

-62.88%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.71 NPR 1,194

$9.14 ₺450

-15.65%

Cappuccino

$1.51 NPR 233

$4.24 ₺209

-64.39%

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

$0.49 NPR 76.5

$1.75 ₺86.0

-72.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.16 NPR 24.27

$0.54 ₺26.83

-70.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.04 NPR 471

$4.69 ₺231

-35.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.27 NPR 506

$5.97 ₺294

-45.23%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.76 NPR 118

$1.26 ₺62.1

-39.68%

White Bread (500g)

$0.62 NPR 96.3

$0.95 ₺46.81

-34.74%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.85 NPR 131

$2.31 ₺114

-63.20%

Eggs

$1.65 NPR 255

$2.47 ₺122

-33.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.15 NPR 1,106

$10.55 ₺520

-32.23%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.18 NPR 492

$5.60 ₺276

-43.21%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$5.93 NPR 917

$21.21 ₺1,045

-72.04%

Apples (1kg)

$2.02 NPR 313

$1.93 ₺95.1

4.66%

Banana (1kg)

$1.16 NPR 179

$2.29 ₺113

-49.34%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.43 NPR 222

$1.28 ₺63.1

11.72%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.53 NPR 82.5

$1.84 ₺90.8

-71.20%

Potato (1kg)

$0.38 NPR 59.0

$0.67 ₺32.86

-43.28%

Onion (1kg)

$0.53 NPR 82.6

$0.59 ₺29.31

-10.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.45 NPR 69.6

$1.33 ₺65.4

-66.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.22 NPR 33.94

$0.59 ₺29.10

-62.71%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.48 NPR 385

$2.36 ₺116

5.08%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.83 NPR 1,211

$13.47 ₺664

-41.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.29 NPR 355

$2.42 ₺119

-5.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.08 NPR 476

$3.54 ₺174

-12.99%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.17 NPR 26.30

$0.83 ₺40.64

-79.52%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$9.64 NPR 1,493

$66.5 ₺3,273

-85.49%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 NPR 285

$1.35 ₺66.6

36.30%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.18 NPR 183

$0.85 ₺42.05

38.82%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.18 NPR 492

$10.86 ₺535

-70.72%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 NPR 207

$1.47 ₺72.3

-9.52%

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

$28.7K NPR 4.4M

$51.6K ₺2.5M

-44.45%

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

$36.0K NPR 5.6M

$44.4K ₺2.2M

-18.97%

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

$31.63 NPR 4,895

$89.2 ₺4,395

-64.55%

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

$3.48 NPR 538

$11.60 ₺572

-70.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$8.94 NPR 1,384

$16.10 ₺793

-44.47%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$21.47 NPR 3,323

$77.3 ₺3,805

-72.21%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.71 NPR 1,038

$22.66 ₺1,116

-70.39%

Cinema Ticket

$3.00 NPR 465

$8.34 ₺411

-64.03%

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

$66.8 NPR 10.3K

$974 ₺48.0K

-93.14%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,541 NPR 857.5K

$25.8K ₺1.3M

-78.50%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$24.59 NPR 3,806

$52.7 ₺2,597

-53.35%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$26.39 NPR 4,084

$39.16 ₺1,929

-32.61%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$63.1 NPR 9,761

$103 ₺5,083

-38.88%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$28.31 NPR 4,381

$96.6 ₺4,759

-70.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$216 NPR 33.5K

$994 ₺49.0K

-78.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$101 NPR 15.6K

$629 ₺31.0K

-83.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$430 NPR 66.5K

$2,024 ₺99.7K

-78.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$198 NPR 30.6K

$1,155 ₺56.9K

-82.87%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,248 NPR 347.9K

$3,160 ₺155.7K

-28.87%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,338 NPR 207.1K

$1,838 ₺90.5K

-27.17%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$264 NPR 40.9K

$1,203 ₺59.3K

-78.02%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

9.72

41.09

-76.34%

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

Last update for Kathmandu: October 4, 2026

Last update for Istanbul: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Kathmandu

$144 30.1%

Istanbul

$264 17.3% 82.9% $120

Accommodation & Living

Kathmandu

$101 21%

Istanbul

$629 41.2% 524% $528

Eating Out

Kathmandu

$81 16.9%

Istanbul

$218 14.3% 169% $137

Clothing & Footwear

Kathmandu

$64 13.4%

Istanbul

$131 8.6% 105% $67

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kathmandu

$44 9.2%

Istanbul

$117 7.7% 165% $73

Sport & Entertainment

Kathmandu

$27 5.7%

Istanbul

$94 6.1% 242% $66

Getting Around

Kathmandu

$18 3.8%

Istanbul

$75 4.9% 317% $57

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $216 in Kathmandu versus $994 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 355% 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 $20.00 in Kathmandu versus $55.0 in Istanbul. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $144 vs $264 – making Kathmandu the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇳🇵 Kathmandu

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

06:53 6:53 AM

04:08 4:08 AM

2 h 45 min behind Kathmandu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

975,000 Capital

15,701,602

💱 Currency

Nepalese Rupee NPR रु

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 NPR = 6.46 USD

1,000 NPR = 5.76 EUR

100 TRY = 2.03 USD

100 TRY = 1.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TRY, USD, EUR to NPR – Nepalese Rupee Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇳🇵 Nepalese Rupee (रु)

Nepalese Rupee exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 155 NPR (1,000 NPR = 6.46 USD). 1 EUR = 174 NPR (1,000 NPR = 5.76 EUR).

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 49.26 TRY (100 TRY = 2.03 USD). 1 EUR = 55.25 TRY (100 TRY = 1.81 EUR).

USD to NPR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Kathmandu Istanbul 5,280 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Kathmandu
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

Kathmandu vs Istanbul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 217%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $722 per month in Kathmandu and $2,289 in Istanbul. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Kindergarten costs $66.8 per month in Kathmandu and $974 in Istanbul. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 83% 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 Kathmandu, where all-in costs run around $481, than in Istanbul at $1,526. In Kathmandu it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Kathmandu – 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 Kathmandu. 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.