Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mehar and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in Mehar: $456 a month against $1,519 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $12,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

22

Cost of Living Index in Mehar
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Mehar Living Index
73

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index

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Mehar

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$456

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,519

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $456 per month in Mehar vs $1,519 in Istanbul, rent included.

Mehar $456
Istanbul $1,519

A couple spends around $683 per month in Mehar vs $2,365 in Istanbul, rent included.

Mehar $683
Istanbul $2,365

A family of three spends $910 per month in Mehar vs $3,212 in Istanbul, rent included.

Mehar $910
Istanbul $3,212

Mehar is about 70% cheaper than Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Mehar sits 66% below the global median, while Istanbul is 12% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.14 PKR 591

$11.81 ₺592

-81.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$10.62 PKR 2,936

$54.9 ₺2,754

-80.66%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.56 PKR 1,535

$9.26 ₺465

-39.96%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.55 PKR 706

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.22 PKR 1,443

Cappuccino

$1.59 PKR 438

$4.30 ₺216

-63.02%

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

$0.34 PKR 94.3

$1.77 ₺89.0

-80.79%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.20 PKR 54.5

$0.56 ₺28.32

-64.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.69 ₺235

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.12 ₺357

Milk (1 liter)

$0.80 PKR 222

$1.25 ₺62.7

-36.00%

White Bread (500g)

$0.59 PKR 163

$0.88 ₺44.17

-32.95%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.13 PKR 313

$2.20 ₺111

-48.64%

Eggs

$1.14 PKR 315

$2.43 ₺122

-53.09%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.95 PKR 1,645

$10.48 ₺526

-43.23%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.47 PKR 681

$5.31 ₺267

-53.48%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$4.92 PKR 1,361

$21.10 ₺1,058

-76.68%

Apples (1kg)

$1.11 PKR 306

$1.86 ₺93.1

-40.32%

Banana (1kg)

$0.53 PKR 147

$2.30 ₺115

-76.96%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.73 PKR 201

$1.22 ₺61.0

-40.16%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.52 PKR 144

$1.80 ₺90.2

-71.11%

Potato (1kg)

$0.28 PKR 77.2

$0.69 ₺34.83

-59.42%

Onion (1kg)

$0.39 PKR 107

$0.64 ₺32.16

-39.06%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.44 PKR 121

$1.36 ₺68.0

-67.65%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.35 PKR 95.6

$0.58 ₺28.94

-39.66%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$1.79 PKR 495

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.06 PKR 294

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.42 PKR 668

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.00 PKR 553

$2.34 ₺117

-14.53%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.03 ₺653

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.36 ₺118

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.32 ₺166

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.17 PKR 47.38

$0.88 ₺44.07

-80.68%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$9.76 PKR 2,697

$66.1 ₺3,316

-85.24%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.11 PKR 305

$1.28 ₺64.4

-13.28%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.69 PKR 192

$0.85 ₺42.80

-18.82%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.61 PKR 446

$11.09 ₺556

-85.48%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.23 PKR 340

$1.48 ₺74.0

-16.89%

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

$21.4K PKR 5.9M

$48.6K ₺2.4M

-56.03%

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

$23.4K PKR 6.5M

$42.0K ₺2.1M

-44.17%

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

$104 PKR 28.6K

$92.7 ₺4,650

11.67%

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

$5.75 PKR 1,589

$11.20 ₺562

-48.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$14.27 PKR 3,943

$15.89 ₺797

-10.20%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$14.93 PKR 4,127

$74.7 ₺3,745

-80.01%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.27 PKR 2,286

$22.95 ₺1,151

-63.97%

Cinema Ticket

$4.37 PKR 1,207

$8.05 ₺404

-45.71%

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

$42.93 PKR 11.9K

$948 ₺47.6K

-95.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,056 PKR 291.9K

$36.9K ₺1.9M

-97.14%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$17.03 PKR 4,707

$53.9 ₺2,702

-68.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$22.37 PKR 6,183

$41.49 ₺2,081

-46.08%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$67.1 PKR 18.5K

$101 ₺5,060

-33.53%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$32.44 PKR 8,964

$91.3 ₺4,580

-64.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$134 PKR 37.2K

$1,014 ₺50.8K

-86.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$86.6 PKR 23.9K

$625 ₺31.3K

-86.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$263 PKR 72.6K

$2,005 ₺100.6K

-86.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$178 PKR 49.2K

$1,126 ₺56.5K

-84.19%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$825 PKR 228.1K

$2,988 ₺149.8K

-72.37%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$505 PKR 139.6K

$1,730 ₺86.8K

-70.79%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$106 PKR 29.4K

$1,136 ₺57.0K

-90.63%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.42

-67.84%

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

Last update for Mehar: November 2, 2026

Last update for Istanbul: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mehar

$124 27.1%

Istanbul

$120 7.9% 3% $3.8

Groceries & Markets

Mehar

$90 19.7%

Istanbul

$258 17% 188% $169

Accommodation & Living

Mehar

$87 19%

Istanbul

$625 41.1% 621% $538

Clothing & Footwear

Mehar

$63 13.7%

Istanbul

$129 8.5% 107% $67

Eating Out

Mehar

$55 12.1%

Istanbul

$221 14.6% 302% $166

Sport & Entertainment

Mehar

$24 5.2%

Istanbul

$91 6% 284% $67

Getting Around

Mehar

$15 3.3%

Istanbul

$75 5% 401% $60

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $134 in Mehar 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 11 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $11 in Mehar versus $55 in Istanbul. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $90 vs $258 – making Mehar the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇰 Mehar

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

09:34 9:34 AM

07:34 7:34 AM

2 h behind Mehar

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

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 = 1.99 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 6, 2026: 1 USD = 276 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.62 USD). 1 EUR = 310 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.22 EUR).

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 50.15 TRY (100 TRY = 1.99 USD). 1 EUR = 56.3 TRY (100 TRY = 1.78 EUR).

USD to PKR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mehar Istanbul 3,850 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Mehar
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

Mehar vs Istanbul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 233%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $684 per month in Mehar 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 Mehar, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $134 there versus $1,014 in Istanbul.

Kindergarten costs $43 per month in Mehar 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 188% more in Istanbul, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $800 monthly budget goes further in Mehar, where all-in costs run around $456, than in Istanbul at $1,519. In Mehar it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

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