Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kostanay and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in Kostanay: $961 a month against $1,519 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $6,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

46

Cost of Living Index in Kostanay
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Kostanay Living Index
73

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index

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Kostanay

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$961

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,519

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $961 per month in Kostanay vs $1,519 in Istanbul, rent included.

Kostanay $961
Istanbul $1,519

A couple spends around $1,450 per month in Kostanay vs $2,365 in Istanbul, rent included.

Kostanay $1,450
Istanbul $2,365

A family of three spends $1,940 per month in Kostanay vs $3,212 in Istanbul, rent included.

Kostanay $1,940
Istanbul $3,212

Kostanay is about 37% cheaper than Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Kostanay sits 29% below the global median, while Istanbul is 12% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.60 ₸2,524

$11.81 ₺592

-52.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.09 ₸13.1K

$54.9 ₺2,754

-47.02%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.30 ₸3,289

$9.26 ₺465

-21.17%

Cappuccino

$2.19 ₸988

$4.30 ₺216

-49.07%

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

$1.17 ₸526

$1.77 ₺89.0

-33.90%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.85 ₸385

$0.56 ₺28.32

51.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.42 ₸639

$4.69 ₺235

-69.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.61 ₸1,178

$7.12 ₺357

-63.34%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.22 ₸551

$1.25 ₺62.7

-2.40%

White Bread (500g)

$0.49 ₸221

$0.88 ₺44.17

-44.32%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.02 ₸459

$2.20 ₺111

-53.64%

Eggs

$2.18 ₸983

$2.43 ₺122

-10.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.18 ₸4,590

$10.48 ₺526

-2.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.00 ₸2,704

$5.31 ₺267

12.99%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.67 ₸3,907

$21.10 ₺1,058

-58.91%

Apples (1kg)

$1.58 ₸712

$1.86 ₺93.1

-15.05%

Banana (1kg)

$2.34 ₸1,056

$2.30 ₺115

1.74%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.88 ₸846

$1.22 ₺61.0

54.10%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.21 ₸998

$1.80 ₺90.2

22.78%

Potato (1kg)

$0.60 ₸270

$0.69 ₺34.83

-13.04%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₸289

$0.64 ₺32.16

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.26 ₸570

$1.36 ₺68.0

-7.35%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.90 ₸405

$0.58 ₺28.94

55.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.42 ₸1,089

$2.34 ₺117

3.42%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.05 ₸3,630

$13.03 ₺653

-38.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.08 ₸487

$2.36 ₺118

-54.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 ₸1,025

$3.32 ₺166

-31.63%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 ₸141

$0.88 ₺44.07

-64.77%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.1 ₺3,316

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.97 ₸437

$1.28 ₺64.4

-24.22%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.09 ₸492

$0.85 ₺42.80

28.24%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.80 ₸2,616

$11.09 ₺556

-47.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.59 ₸265

$1.48 ₺74.0

-60.14%

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

$30.5K ₸13.8M

$48.6K ₺2.4M

-37.22%

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

$30.7K ₸13.8M

$42.0K ₺2.1M

-26.95%

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

$77.1 ₸34.8K

$92.7 ₺4,650

-16.84%

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

$11.04 ₸4,976

$11.20 ₺562

-1.43%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.61 ₸7,036

$15.89 ₺797

-1.76%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.14 ₸21.7K

$74.7 ₺3,745

-35.54%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.06 ₸9,045

$22.95 ₺1,151

-12.59%

Cinema Ticket

$4.20 ₸1,891

$8.05 ₺404

-47.83%

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

$211 ₸95.3K

$948 ₺47.6K

-77.72%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,534 ₸2.9M

$36.9K ₺1.9M

-82.30%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$95.8 ₸43.2K

$53.9 ₺2,702

77.75%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.2 ₸24.9K

$41.49 ₺2,081

32.97%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 ₸49.4K

$101 ₺5,060

8.61%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.3 ₸42.0K

$91.3 ₺4,580

2.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$395 ₸178.2K

$1,014 ₺50.8K

-61.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$318 ₸143.5K

$625 ₺31.3K

-49.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$600 ₸270.5K

$2,005 ₺100.6K

-70.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$486 ₸218.9K

$1,126 ₺56.5K

-56.87%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,207 ₸544.1K

$2,988 ₺149.8K

-59.61%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$943 ₸425.0K

$1,730 ₺86.8K

-45.51%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$649 ₸292.4K

$1,136 ₺57.0K

-42.92%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

18.5

40.42

-54.23%

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

Last update for Kostanay: 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

Kostanay

$318 33.1%

Istanbul

$625 41.1% 96.2% $306

Groceries & Markets

Kostanay

$202 21%

Istanbul

$258 17% 27.9% $56

Clothing & Footwear

Kostanay

$159 16.6%

Istanbul

$129 8.5% 18.7% $30

Eating Out

Kostanay

$113 11.8%

Istanbul

$221 14.6% 94.9% $108

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kostanay

$104 10.8%

Istanbul

$120 7.9% 15.5% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Kostanay

$57 5.9%

Istanbul

$91 6% 60.6% $34

Getting Around

Kostanay

$7.7 * 0.8%

Istanbul

$75 5% 879% $68

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $395 in Kostanay 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 run about 75% higher in Istanbul. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $29 in Kostanay versus $55 in Istanbul. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $202 vs $258 – making Kostanay the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇰🇿 Kostanay

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

14:20 2:20 PM

12:20 12:20 PM

2 h behind Kostanay

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

264,446

15,701,602

💱 Currency

Kazakhstani Tenge KZT ₸

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 KZT = 2.22 USD

1,000 KZT = 1.98 EUR

100 TRY = 1.99 USD

100 TRY = 1.78 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TRY, USD, EUR to KZT – Kazakhstani Tenge Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇰🇿 Kazakhstani Tenge (₸)

Kazakhstani Tenge exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 451 KZT (1,000 KZT = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 506 KZT (1,000 KZT = 1.98 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 KZT in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Kostanay Istanbul 2,910 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Kostanay
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

Kostanay vs Istanbul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 58%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,441 per month in Kostanay 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 Kostanay, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $395 there versus $1,014 in Istanbul.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $29 in Kostanay and $55 in Istanbul. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 28% more in Istanbul, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $961 in Kostanay and $1,519 in Istanbul. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

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

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

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