Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Osh and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in Osh: $691 a month against $1,526 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $10,000 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

34

Cost of Living Index in Osh
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Osh Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index

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Osh

🇰🇬 Kyrgyzstan

$691

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,526

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $691 per month in Osh vs $1,526 in Istanbul, rent included.

Osh $691
Istanbul $1,526

A couple spends around $1,118 per month in Osh vs $2,399 in Istanbul, rent included.

Osh $1,118
Istanbul $2,399

A family of three spends $1,544 per month in Osh vs $3,272 in Istanbul, rent included.

Osh $1,544
Istanbul $3,272

Osh is about 55% cheaper than Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Osh sits 48% below the global median, while Istanbul is 14% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.46 KGS 390

$11.88 ₺585

-62.46%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.08 KGS 2,017

$55.1 ₺2,714

-58.10%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.33 KGS 815

$9.14 ₺450

2.08%

Cappuccino

$1.91 KGS 167

$4.24 ₺209

-54.95%

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

$0.84 KGS 73.3

$1.75 ₺86.0

-52.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.28 KGS 24.71

$0.54 ₺26.83

-48.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.12 KGS 97.8

$4.69 ₺231

-76.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.29 KGS 113

$5.97 ₺294

-78.39%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.86 KGS 74.8

$1.26 ₺62.1

-31.75%

White Bread (500g)

$0.38 KGS 32.81

$0.95 ₺46.81

-60.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.21 KGS 106

$2.31 ₺114

-47.62%

Eggs

$1.45 KGS 127

$2.47 ₺122

-41.30%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.84 KGS 423

$10.55 ₺520

-54.12%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.52 KGS 308

$5.60 ₺276

-37.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.92 KGS 692

$21.21 ₺1,045

-62.66%

Apples (1kg)

$0.67 KGS 58.7

$1.93 ₺95.1

-65.28%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 KGS 135

$2.29 ₺113

-32.31%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.21 KGS 193

$1.28 ₺63.1

72.66%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.19 KGS 104

$1.84 ₺90.8

-35.33%

Potato (1kg)

$0.47 KGS 40.88

$0.67 ₺32.86

-29.85%

Onion (1kg)

$0.46 KGS 40.30

$0.59 ₺29.31

-22.03%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.59 KGS 51.2

$1.33 ₺65.4

-55.64%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.70 KGS 61.2

$0.59 ₺29.10

18.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.11 KGS 185

$2.36 ₺116

-10.59%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.08 KGS 444

$13.47 ₺664

-62.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.11 KGS 96.7

$2.42 ₺119

-54.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.65 KGS 144

$3.54 ₺174

-53.39%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.22 KGS 19.14

$0.83 ₺40.64

-73.49%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.97 KGS 1,046

$66.5 ₺3,273

-81.99%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.24 KGS 21.01

$1.35 ₺66.6

-82.22%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.33 KGS 29.15

$0.85 ₺42.05

-61.18%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.55 KGS 660

$10.86 ₺535

-30.48%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.00 KGS 87.6

$1.47 ₺72.3

-31.97%

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

$18.4K KGS 1.6M

$51.6K ₺2.5M

-64.41%

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

$17.0K KGS 1.5M

$44.4K ₺2.2M

-61.71%

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

$38.39 KGS 3,356

$89.2 ₺4,395

-56.97%

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

$4.97 KGS 435

$11.60 ₺572

-57.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.38 KGS 820

$16.10 ₺793

-41.74%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.54 KGS 3,981

$77.3 ₺3,805

-41.05%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.09 KGS 1,756

$22.66 ₺1,116

-11.34%

Cinema Ticket

$3.33 KGS 291

$8.34 ₺411

-60.07%

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

$169 KGS 14.8K

$974 ₺48.0K

-82.67%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,886 KGS 164.8K

$25.8K ₺1.3M

-92.68%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$18.96 KGS 1,658

$52.7 ₺2,597

-64.03%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.46 KGS 3,187

$39.16 ₺1,929

-6.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$53.9 KGS 4,713

$103 ₺5,083

-47.75%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$52.2 KGS 4,564

$96.6 ₺4,759

-45.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$367 KGS 32.1K

$994 ₺49.0K

-63.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$272 KGS 23.8K

$629 ₺31.0K

-56.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$900 KGS 78.7K

$2,024 ₺99.7K

-55.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$578 KGS 50.6K

$1,155 ₺56.9K

-49.92%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,233 KGS 107.8K

$3,160 ₺155.7K

-61.00%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,010 KGS 88.3K

$1,838 ₺90.5K

-45.02%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$308 KGS 26.9K

$1,203 ₺59.3K

-74.41%

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 Osh: October 4, 2026

Last update for Istanbul: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Osh

$272 38.8%

Istanbul

$629 41.2% 131% $357

Groceries & Markets

Osh

$138 19.7%

Istanbul

$264 17.3% 90.8% $126

Eating Out

Osh

$99 14.1%

Istanbul

$218 14.3% 120% $119

Clothing & Footwear

Osh

$73 10.4%

Istanbul

$131 8.6% 80.6% $59

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Osh

$53 7.5%

Istanbul

$117 7.7% 122% $64

Sport & Entertainment

Osh

$52 7.4%

Istanbul

$94 6.1% 79.9% $42

Getting Around

Osh

$15 2.1%

Istanbul

$75 4.9% 411% $61

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $367 in Osh versus $994 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 291% 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 $23.00 in Osh versus $55.0 in Istanbul. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $138 vs $264 – making Osh the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇰🇬 Osh

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

09:24 9:24 AM

06:24 6:24 AM

3 h behind Osh

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

270,347

15,701,602

💱 Currency

Kyrgyzstani Som KGS сом

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

📈 Exchange rate

100 KGS = 1.14 USD

100 KGS = 1.02 EUR

100 TRY = 2.03 USD

100 TRY = 1.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TRY, USD, EUR to KGS – Kyrgyzstani Som Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇰🇬 Kyrgyzstani Som (сом)

Kyrgyzstani Som exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 87.42 KGS (100 KGS = 1.14 USD). 1 EUR = 98.05 KGS (100 KGS = 1.02 EUR).

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 49.26 TRY (100 TRY = 2.03 USD). 1 EUR = 55.25 TRY (100 TRY = 1.81 EUR).

USD to KGS in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Osh Istanbul 3,650 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Osh
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

Osh vs Istanbul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 121%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,037 per month in Osh and $2,289 in Istanbul. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Osh, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $169 per month in Osh and $974 in Istanbul. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 91% 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 $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Osh, where all-in costs run around $691, than in Istanbul at $1,526. In Osh it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Osh – 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 Osh. 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.