Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Quetta and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in Quetta: $417 a month against $1,519 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $13,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

Quetta, Pakistan
Istanbul, Turkey
Quetta
🇵🇰 Pakistan
$417
/mo nomad
Istanbul
🇹🇷 Turkey
$1,519
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $417 per month in Quetta vs $1,519 in Istanbul, rent included.

  • Quetta $417
  • Istanbul $1,519

A couple spends around $622 per month in Quetta vs $2,365 in Istanbul, rent included.

  • Quetta $622
  • Istanbul $2,365

A family of three spends $828 per month in Quetta vs $3,212 in Istanbul, rent included.

  • Quetta $828
  • Istanbul $3,212

Quetta is about 73% cheaper than Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Quetta sits 69% below the global median, while Istanbul is 12% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Quetta
Istanbul
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$3.70 PKR 1,022
$11.81 ₺592
-68.67%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$10.91 PKR 3,014
$54.9 ₺2,754
-80.13%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$4.54 PKR 1,255
$9.26 ₺465
-50.97%
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.76 PKR 488
-
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.32 PKR 1,469
-
-
Cappuccino
$1.64 PKR 453
$4.30 ₺216
-61.86%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.39 PKR 108
$1.77 ₺89.0
-77.97%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.21 PKR 57.9
$0.56 ₺28.32
-62.50%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
-
$4.69 ₺235
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$7.12 ₺357
-
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Quetta
Istanbul
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$0.70 PKR 195
$1.25 ₺62.7
-44.00%
White Bread (500g)
$0.55 PKR 153
$0.88 ₺44.17
-37.50%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.30 PKR 361
$2.20 ₺111
-40.91%
Eggs
$1.19 PKR 328
$2.43 ₺122
-51.03%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$4.92 PKR 1,360
$10.48 ₺526
-53.05%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$2.91 PKR 803
$5.31 ₺267
-45.20%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$4.95 PKR 1,367
$21.10 ₺1,058
-76.54%
Apples (1kg)
$0.94 PKR 261
$1.86 ₺93.1
-49.46%
Banana (1kg)
$0.53 PKR 147
$2.30 ₺115
-76.96%
Oranges (1kg)
$0.74 PKR 205
$1.22 ₺61.0
-39.34%
Tomato (1kg)
$0.51 PKR 142
$1.80 ₺90.2
-71.67%
Potato (1kg)
$0.32 PKR 88.8
$0.69 ₺34.83
-53.62%
Onion (1kg)
$0.56 PKR 154
$0.64 ₺32.16
-12.50%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.40 PKR 110
$1.36 ₺68.0
-70.59%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.42 PKR 117
$0.58 ₺28.94
-27.59%
Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)
$1.79 PKR 496
-
-
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.07 PKR 297
-
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.45 PKR 677
-
-
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.05 PKR 566
$2.34 ₺117
-12.39%
Wine (Bottle)
-
$13.03 ₺653
-
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
-
$2.36 ₺118
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$3.32 ₺166
-
🚌 Getting Around
Quetta
Istanbul
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.14 PKR 37.57
$0.88 ₺44.07
-84.09%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$9.68 PKR 2,676
$66.1 ₺3,316
-85.36%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.03 PKR 285
$1.28 ₺64.4
-19.53%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.47 PKR 129
$0.85 ₺42.80
-44.71%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$1.49 PKR 411
$11.09 ₺556
-86.56%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.14 PKR 316
$1.48 ₺74.0
-22.97%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$19.5K PKR 5.4M
$48.6K ₺2.4M
-59.92%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$22.8K PKR 6.3M
$42.0K ₺2.1M
-45.79%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Quetta
Istanbul
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$102 PKR 28.1K
$92.7 ₺4,650
9.66%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$8.35 PKR 2,308
$11.20 ₺562
-25.45%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$16.18 PKR 4,473
$15.89 ₺797
1.83%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Quetta
Istanbul
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$5.80 PKR 1,603
$74.7 ₺3,745
-92.23%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$7.06 PKR 1,952
$22.95 ₺1,151
-69.24%
Cinema Ticket
$3.22 PKR 890
$8.05 ₺404
-60.00%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Quetta
Istanbul
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$34.66 PKR 9,578
$948 ₺47.6K
-96.35%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$1,042 PKR 288.1K
$36.9K ₺1.9M
-97.18%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Quetta
Istanbul
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$8.33 PKR 2,303
$53.9 ₺2,702
-84.54%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$21.76 PKR 6,015
$41.49 ₺2,081
-47.55%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$69.4 PKR 19.2K
$101 ₺5,060
-31.22%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$33.78 PKR 9,335
$91.3 ₺4,580
-63.01%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Quetta
Istanbul
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$72.1 PKR 19.9K
$1,014 ₺50.8K
-92.88%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$51.1 PKR 14.1K
$625 ₺31.3K
-91.82%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$160 PKR 44.1K
$2,005 ₺100.6K
-92.04%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$99.3 PKR 27.5K
$1,126 ₺56.5K
-91.18%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$375 PKR 103.7K
$2,988 ₺149.8K
-87.45%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$217 PKR 60.1K
$1,730 ₺86.8K
-87.43%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Quetta
Istanbul
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$267 PKR 73.7K
$1,136 ₺57.0K
-76.54%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
13
40.42
-67.84%

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

Last update for Quetta: November 3, 2026

Last update for Istanbul: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Quetta
$126
Istanbul
$120 5.1% $6.4
Groceries & Markets
Quetta
$89
Istanbul
$258 191% $169
Eating Out
Quetta
$65
Istanbul
$221 238% $156
Clothing & Footwear
Quetta
$60
Istanbul
$129 116% $69
Accommodation & Living
Quetta
$51
Istanbul
$625 1123% $573
Getting Around
Quetta
$14
Istanbul
$75 453% $62
Sport & Entertainment
Quetta
$12
Istanbul
$91 642% $79

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $72 in Quetta 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 4.3 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $11 in Quetta versus $55 in Istanbul. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $89 vs $258 – making Quetta the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇵🇰 Quetta
🇹🇷 Istanbul
🕒 Local time
10:56 10:56 AM
08:56 8:56 AM
2 h behind Quetta
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
1,001,205
15,701,602
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

TRY, USD, EUR to PKR – Pakistani Rupee Converter

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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Quetta Istanbul 3,610 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Quetta
  • 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
Quetta vs Istanbul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Quetta cheaper than Istanbul?
Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 264%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $626 per month in Quetta and $2,278 in Istanbul. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Quetta, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $72 there versus $1,014 in Istanbul.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Kindergarten costs $35 per month in Quetta and $948 in Istanbul. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
How do food prices compare in Quetta and in Istanbul?
Groceries cost about 191% more in Istanbul, though the gap depends on what you buy.
Is $1,000 a realistic budget for living in Quetta or in Istanbul?
A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Quetta, where all-in costs run around $417, than in Istanbul at $1,519. In Quetta it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Quetta or Istanbul more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Quetta – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Quetta. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Istanbul makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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