Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mazar-i-Sharif and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in Mazar-i-Sharif: $297 a month against $1,526 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $14,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

33

Cost of Living Index in Mazar-i-Sharif
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Mazar-i-Sharif Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index

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Mazar-i-Sharif

🇦🇫 Afghanistan

$297

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,526

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $297 per month in Mazar-i-Sharif vs $1,526 in Istanbul, rent included.

Mazar-i-Sharif $297
Istanbul $1,526

A couple spends around $470 per month in Mazar-i-Sharif vs $2,399 in Istanbul, rent included.

Mazar-i-Sharif $470
Istanbul $2,399

A family of three spends $643 per month in Mazar-i-Sharif vs $3,272 in Istanbul, rent included.

Mazar-i-Sharif $643
Istanbul $3,272

Mazar-i-Sharif is about 81% cheaper than Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Mazar-i-Sharif sits 78% below the global median, while Istanbul is 14% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.31 ؋149

$11.88 ₺585

-80.56%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$15.68 ؋1,015

$55.1 ₺2,715

-71.54%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.90 ؋252

$9.14 ₺450

-57.33%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.53 ؋487

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.76 ؋503

Cappuccino

$1.19 ؋77.3

$4.24 ₺209

-71.93%

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

$0.56 ؋36.07

$1.75 ₺86.0

-68.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.32 ؋20.97

$0.54 ₺26.84

-40.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.69 ₺231

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.97 ₺294

Milk (1 liter)

$0.60 ؋38.87

$1.26 ₺62.1

-52.38%

White Bread (500g)

$0.15 ؋9.41

$0.95 ₺46.82

-84.21%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.15 ؋139

$2.31 ₺114

-6.93%

Eggs

$1.59 ؋103

$2.47 ₺122

-35.63%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.92 ؋513

$10.55 ₺520

-24.93%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.37 ؋218

$5.60 ₺276

-39.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.23 ؋404

$21.21 ₺1,045

-70.63%

Apples (1kg)

$0.59 ؋38.23

$1.93 ₺95.1

-69.43%

Banana (1kg)

$1.17 ؋76.0

$2.29 ₺113

-48.91%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.81 ؋52.6

$1.28 ₺63.1

-36.72%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.61 ؋39.57

$1.84 ₺90.8

-66.85%

Potato (1kg)

$0.51 ؋33.06

$0.67 ₺32.87

-23.88%

Onion (1kg)

$0.40 ؋25.83

$0.59 ₺29.31

-32.20%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.52 ؋33.75

$1.33 ₺65.4

-60.90%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.32 ؋20.76

$0.59 ₺29.11

-45.76%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$1.82 ؋118

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.56 ؋101

$2.36 ₺116

-33.90%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.47 ₺664

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.42 ₺119

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.54 ₺174

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.80 ؋52.0

$0.83 ₺40.65

-3.61%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.5 ₺3,274

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.35 ₺66.6

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 ₺42.06

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.52 ؋98.7

$10.86 ₺535

-86.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ؋96.3

$1.47 ₺72.3

1.36%

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

$9,933 ؋643.3K

$51.6K ₺2.5M

-80.76%

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

$44.4K ₺2.2M

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

$83.8 ؋5,425

$89.2 ₺4,396

-6.12%

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

$16.94 ؋1,097

$11.60 ₺572

46.03%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.10 ₺793

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$11.69 ؋757

$77.3 ₺3,806

-84.87%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.91 ؋253

$22.66 ₺1,116

-82.74%

Cinema Ticket

$4.72 ؋306

$8.34 ₺411

-43.41%

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

$78.1 ؋5,058

$974 ₺48.0K

-91.98%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.8K ₺1.3M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$13.14 ؋851

$52.7 ₺2,597

-75.07%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.16 ₺1,930

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 ₺5,084

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$18.75 ؋1,214

$96.6 ₺4,760

-80.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$994 ₺49.0K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$629 ₺31.0K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,024 ₺99.7K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,155 ₺56.9K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,160 ₺155.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,838 ₺90.5K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$231 ؋15.0K

$1,203 ₺59.3K

-80.81%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

41.09

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

Last update for Mazar-i-Sharif: October 5, 2026

Last update for Istanbul: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Mazar-i-Sharif

$106 36.2%

Istanbul

$264 17.3% 148% $158

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mazar-i-Sharif

$101 * 34.3%

Istanbul

$117 7.7% 16.1% $16

Eating Out

Mazar-i-Sharif

$48 16.3%

Istanbul

$218 14.3% 354% $170

Sport & Entertainment

Mazar-i-Sharif

$21 7.2%

Istanbul

$94 6.1% 345% $73

Clothing & Footwear

Mazar-i-Sharif

$14 * 4.9%

Istanbul

$131 8.6% 815% $117

Getting Around

Mazar-i-Sharif

$3.2 * 1.1%

Istanbul

$75 4.9% 2248% $72

Accommodation & Living

Mazar-i-Sharif

- * 0%

Istanbul

$629 41.2%

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

Cost Breakdown

Salaries run about 421% 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 $16.00 in Mazar-i-Sharif versus $55.0 in Istanbul. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $106 vs $264 – making Mazar-i-Sharif the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇫 Mazar-i-Sharif

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

11:22 11:22 AM

09:52 9:52 AM

1 h 30 min behind Mazar-i-Sharif

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

300,600

15,701,602

💱 Currency

Afghanistan Afghani AFN ؋

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

📈 Exchange rate

100 AFN = 1.54 USD

100 AFN = 1.38 EUR

100 TRY = 2.03 USD

100 TRY = 1.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TRY, USD, EUR to AFN – Afghanistan Afghani Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇫 Afghanistan Afghani (؋)

Afghanistan Afghani exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 64.76 AFN (100 AFN = 1.54 USD). 1 EUR = 72.64 AFN (100 AFN = 1.38 EUR).

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 49.27 TRY (100 TRY = 2.03 USD). 1 EUR = 55.26 TRY (100 TRY = 1.81 EUR).

USD to AFN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Mazar-i-Sharif Istanbul 3,310 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Mazar-i-Sharif
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

Mazar-i-Sharif vs Istanbul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 414%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $445 per month in Mazar-i-Sharif and $2,289 in Istanbul. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $16.00 in Mazar-i-Sharif 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 148% 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 $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Mazar-i-Sharif, where all-in costs run around $297, than in Istanbul at $1,526. In Mazar-i-Sharif it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Mazar-i-Sharif – 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 Mazar-i-Sharif. 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.