Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kharkiv and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in Kharkiv: $718 a month against $1,519 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $9,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

34

Cost of Living Index in Kharkiv
Learn more

Kharkiv Living Index
73

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index

Jump to prices

Kharkiv

🇺🇦 Ukraine

$718

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,519

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $718 per month in Kharkiv vs $1,519 in Istanbul, rent included.

Kharkiv $718
Istanbul $1,519

A couple spends around $1,070 per month in Kharkiv vs $2,365 in Istanbul, rent included.

Kharkiv $1,070
Istanbul $2,365

A family of three spends $1,421 per month in Kharkiv vs $3,212 in Istanbul, rent included.

Kharkiv $1,421
Istanbul $3,212

Kharkiv is about 53% cheaper than Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Kharkiv sits 47% below the global median, while Istanbul is 12% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.70 ₴305

$11.81 ₺592

-43.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.78 ₴1,356

$54.9 ₺2,754

-45.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.97 ₴226

$9.26 ₺465

-46.33%

Cappuccino

$1.56 ₴71.0

$4.30 ₺216

-63.72%

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

$1.03 ₴46.84

$1.77 ₺89.0

-41.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 ₴22.98

$0.56 ₺28.32

-10.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.02 ₴46.47

$4.69 ₺235

-78.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.69 ₴76.8

$7.12 ₺357

-76.26%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.04 ₴47.22

$1.25 ₺62.7

-16.80%

White Bread (500g)

$0.69 ₴31.37

$0.88 ₺44.17

-21.59%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.17 ₴53.4

$2.20 ₺111

-46.82%

Eggs

$1.69 ₴77.0

$2.43 ₺122

-30.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.91 ₴360

$10.48 ₺526

-24.52%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.04 ₴184

$5.31 ₺267

-23.92%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.11 ₴324

$21.10 ₺1,058

-66.30%

Apples (1kg)

$1.32 ₴60.3

$1.86 ₺93.1

-29.03%

Banana (1kg)

$1.58 ₴71.8

$2.30 ₺115

-31.30%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.63 ₴74.3

$1.22 ₺61.0

33.61%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 ₴99.3

$1.80 ₺90.2

21.11%

Potato (1kg)

$0.69 ₴31.50

$0.69 ₺34.83

Onion (1kg)

$0.57 ₴26.04

$0.64 ₺32.16

-10.94%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.24 ₴56.5

$1.36 ₺68.0

-8.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 ₴26.49

$0.58 ₺28.94

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.68 ₴122

$2.34 ₺117

14.53%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.42 ₴201

$13.03 ₺653

-66.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.79 ₴35.80

$2.36 ₺118

-66.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.15 ₴52.2

$3.32 ₺166

-65.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.88 ₺44.07

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.1 ₺3,316

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.38 ₴62.9

$1.28 ₺64.4

7.81%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.35 ₴15.75

$0.85 ₺42.80

-58.82%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.20 ₴100

$11.09 ₺556

-80.16%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.77 ₴80.6

$1.48 ₺74.0

19.59%

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

$29.5K ₴1.3M

$48.6K ₺2.4M

-39.33%

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

$23.7K ₴1.1M

$42.0K ₺2.1M

-43.50%

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

$96.0 ₴4,371

$92.7 ₺4,650

3.53%

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

$6.12 ₴279

$11.20 ₺562

-45.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$7.08 ₴322

$15.89 ₺797

-55.44%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$24.27 ₴1,105

$74.7 ₺3,745

-67.50%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.38 ₴609

$22.95 ₺1,151

-41.70%

Cinema Ticket

$4.52 ₴206

$8.05 ₺404

-43.85%

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

$274 ₴12.5K

$948 ₺47.6K

-71.11%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,327 ₴151.5K

$36.9K ₺1.9M

-90.99%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.7 ₴2,536

$53.9 ₺2,702

3.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.48 ₴1,934

$41.49 ₺2,081

2.39%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.2 ₴4,064

$101 ₺5,060

-11.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 ₴4,755

$91.3 ₺4,580

14.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$280 ₴12.8K

$1,014 ₺50.8K

-72.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$182 ₴8,281

$625 ₺31.3K

-70.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$518 ₴23.6K

$2,005 ₺100.6K

-74.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$204 ₴9,267

$1,126 ₺56.5K

-81.93%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,018 ₴46.4K

$2,988 ₺149.8K

-65.92%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$604 ₴27.5K

$1,730 ₺86.8K

-65.09%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$540 ₴24.6K

$1,136 ₺57.0K

-52.50%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

17.89

40.42

-55.74%

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

Last update for Kharkiv: October 31, 2026

Last update for Istanbul: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Kharkiv

$182 25.3%

Istanbul

$625 41.1% 243% $443

Groceries & Markets

Kharkiv

$158 22%

Istanbul

$258 17% 63.8% $101

Clothing & Footwear

Kharkiv

$131 18.3%

Istanbul

$129 8.5% 1.5% $1.9

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kharkiv

$109 15.2%

Istanbul

$120 7.9% 9.7% $11

Eating Out

Kharkiv

$102 14.2%

Istanbul

$221 14.6% 117% $119

Sport & Entertainment

Kharkiv

$33 4.6%

Istanbul

$91 6% 173% $57

Getting Around

Kharkiv

$3.1 * 0.4%

Istanbul

$75 5% 2317% $72

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $280 in Kharkiv 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.

Salaries in Istanbul are about 2.1 times higher, 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 $30 in Kharkiv versus $55 in Istanbul. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $158 vs $258 – making Kharkiv the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇦 Kharkiv

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

12:09 12:09 PM

13:09 1:09 PM

1 h ahead of Kharkiv

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,447,652

15,701,602

💱 Currency

Ukrainian Hryvnia UAH ₴

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

📈 Exchange rate

100 UAH = 2.2 USD

100 UAH = 1.96 EUR

100 TRY = 1.99 USD

100 TRY = 1.78 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TRY, USD, EUR to UAH – Ukrainian Hryvnia Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇺🇦 Ukrainian Hryvnia (₴)

Ukrainian Hryvnia exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 45.54 UAH (100 UAH = 2.2 USD). 1 EUR = 51.14 UAH (100 UAH = 1.96 EUR).

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 50.15 TRY (100 TRY = 1.99 USD). 1 EUR = 56.33 TRY (100 TRY = 1.78 EUR).

USD to UAH in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Kharkiv Istanbul 1,150 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Kharkiv
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

Kharkiv vs Istanbul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 111%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,077 per month in Kharkiv 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 Kharkiv, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $280 there versus $1,014 in Istanbul.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $30 in Kharkiv and $55 in Istanbul. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 64% more in Istanbul, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $800 monthly budget goes further in Kharkiv, where all-in costs run around $718, than in Istanbul at $1,519. In Kharkiv it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Kharkiv costs $718 versus $1,519 in Istanbul. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

If budget matters most, go with Kharkiv. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Istanbul makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.