Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Oral and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in Oral: $720 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.

73

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index

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Oral

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$720

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,519

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $720 per month in Oral vs $1,519 in Istanbul, rent included.

Oral $720
Istanbul $1,519

A couple spends around $1,097 per month in Oral vs $2,365 in Istanbul, rent included.

Oral $1,097
Istanbul $2,365

A family of three spends $1,474 per month in Oral vs $3,212 in Istanbul, rent included.

Oral $1,474
Istanbul $3,212

Oral is about 53% cheaper than Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.31 ₸3,726

$11.81 ₺592

-29.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$34.52 ₸15.5K

$54.9 ₺2,754

-37.13%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.42 ₸3,777

$9.26 ₺465

-9.07%

Cappuccino

$1.86 ₸833

$4.30 ₺216

-56.74%

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

$1.03 ₸463

$1.77 ₺89.0

-41.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.60 ₸268

$0.56 ₺28.32

7.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.89 ₸401

$4.69 ₺235

-81.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.96 ₸881

$7.12 ₺357

-72.47%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.46 ₸653

$1.25 ₺62.7

16.80%

White Bread (500g)

$0.47 ₸210

$0.88 ₺44.17

-46.59%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.61 ₸722

$2.20 ₺111

-26.82%

Eggs

$1.52 ₸682

$2.43 ₺122

-37.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.87 ₸3,979

$10.48 ₺526

-15.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.36 ₸1,954

$5.31 ₺267

-17.89%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.88 ₸4,877

$21.10 ₺1,058

-48.44%

Apples (1kg)

$1.20 ₸537

$1.86 ₺93.1

-35.48%

Banana (1kg)

$2.02 ₸908

$2.30 ₺115

-12.17%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.30 ₸1,030

$1.22 ₺61.0

88.52%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.39 ₸1,521

$1.80 ₺90.2

88.33%

Potato (1kg)

$0.45 ₸202

$0.69 ₺34.83

-34.78%

Onion (1kg)

$0.35 ₸157

$0.64 ₺32.16

-45.31%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.66 ₸295

$1.36 ₺68.0

-51.47%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.08 ₸484

$0.58 ₺28.94

86.21%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.22 ₸997

$2.34 ₺117

-5.13%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.92 ₸3,552

$13.03 ₺653

-39.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.68 ₸305

$2.36 ₺118

-71.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.32 ₺166

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.21 ₸93.8

$0.88 ₺44.07

-76.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.1 ₺3,316

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.69 ₸309

$1.28 ₺64.4

-46.09%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 ₺42.80

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.44 ₸2,437

$11.09 ₺556

-50.95%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.67 ₸301

$1.48 ₺74.0

-54.73%

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

$48.6K ₺2.4M

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

$30.1K ₸13.5M

$42.0K ₺2.1M

-28.30%

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

$82.7 ₸37.1K

$92.7 ₺4,650

-10.75%

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

$8.61 ₸3,860

$11.20 ₺562

-23.13%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$14.39 ₸6,452

$15.89 ₺797

-9.44%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.3 ₸25.2K

$74.7 ₺3,745

-24.67%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.95 ₺1,151

Cinema Ticket

$3.26 ₸1,463

$8.05 ₺404

-59.50%

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

$948 ₺47.6K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.9K ₺1.9M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$33.36 ₸15.0K

$53.9 ₺2,702

-38.08%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.49 ₺2,081

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 ₺5,060

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.3 ₺4,580

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$282 ₸126.6K

$1,014 ₺50.8K

-72.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$212 ₸95.1K

$625 ₺31.3K

-66.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$450 ₸201.7K

$2,005 ₺100.6K

-77.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$313 ₸140.3K

$1,126 ₺56.5K

-72.22%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,988 ₺149.8K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,730 ₺86.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$434 ₸194.4K

$1,136 ₺57.0K

-61.85%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.42

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

Last update for Oral: November 3, 2026

Last update for Istanbul: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Oral

–

Istanbul

$625 41.1%

Groceries & Markets

Oral

–

Istanbul

$258 17%

Eating Out

Oral

–

Istanbul

$221 14.6%

Clothing & Footwear

Oral

–

Istanbul

$129 8.5%

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Oral

–

Istanbul

$120 7.9%

Sport & Entertainment

Oral

–

Istanbul

$91 6%

Getting Around

Oral

–

Istanbul

$75 5%

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $282 in Oral 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 2.6 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $35 in Oral versus $55 in Istanbul. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $194 vs $258 – making Oral the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇰🇿 Oral

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

17:04 5:04 PM

15:04 3:04 PM

2 h behind Oral

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

256,960

15,701,602

💱 Currency

Kazakhstani Tenge KZT ₸

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 KZT = 2.23 USD

1,000 KZT = 1.99 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 = 448 KZT (1,000 KZT = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 KZT (1,000 KZT = 1.99 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

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Between locations

Oral Istanbul 2,050 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Oral
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

Oral 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 clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,080 per month in Oral 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 Oral, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $282 there versus $1,014 in Istanbul.

Groceries cost about 33% more in Istanbul, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $35 in Oral and $55 in Istanbul. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Oral, where all-in costs run around $720, than in Istanbul at $1,519. In Oral it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Istanbul has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $720 in Oral to $1,519 in Istanbul. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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