Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sanliurfa and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in Sanliurfa: $848 a month against $1,516 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $8,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

41

Cost of Living Index in Sanliurfa
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Sanliurfa Living Index
73

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index

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Sanliurfa

🇹🇷 Turkey

$848

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,516

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $848 per month in Sanliurfa vs $1,516 in Istanbul, rent included.

Sanliurfa $848
Istanbul $1,516

A couple spends around $1,283 per month in Sanliurfa vs $2,356 in Istanbul, rent included.

Sanliurfa $1,283
Istanbul $2,356

A family of three spends $1,718 per month in Sanliurfa vs $3,197 in Istanbul, rent included.

Sanliurfa $1,718
Istanbul $3,197

Sanliurfa is about 44% cheaper than Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Sanliurfa sits 38% below the global median, while Istanbul is 11% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.00 ₺199

$11.59 ₺577

-65.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$15.96 ₺795

$54.7 ₺2,724

-70.81%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.05 ₺351

$9.39 ₺468

-24.92%

Cappuccino

$3.27 ₺163

$4.23 ₺211

-22.70%

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

$1.01 ₺50.5

$1.72 ₺85.6

-41.28%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.19 ₺9.42

$0.57 ₺28.25

-66.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.22 ₺160

$4.65 ₺232

-30.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.65 ₺182

$6.84 ₺341

-46.64%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.89 ₺44.55

$1.20 ₺60.0

-25.83%

White Bread (500g)

$0.67 ₺33.44

$0.94 ₺46.96

-28.72%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.59 ₺79.1

$2.24 ₺112

-29.02%

Eggs

$1.72 ₺85.7

$2.42 ₺121

-28.93%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.50 ₺274

$10.24 ₺510

-46.29%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.24 ₺162

$5.38 ₺268

-39.78%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.30 ₺762

$21.19 ₺1,056

-27.80%

Apples (1kg)

$1.57 ₺78.2

$1.89 ₺94.2

-16.93%

Banana (1kg)

$1.57 ₺78.2

$2.22 ₺111

-29.28%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.82 ₺41.03

$1.26 ₺62.7

-34.92%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.83 ₺41.10

$1.81 ₺90.0

-54.14%

Potato (1kg)

$0.54 ₺26.85

$0.70 ₺34.83

-22.86%

Onion (1kg)

$0.48 ₺23.83

$0.64 ₺32.12

-25.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.76 ₺37.91

$1.22 ₺60.8

-37.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.39 ₺19.23

$0.55 ₺27.35

-29.09%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.93 ₺96.2

$2.32 ₺116

-16.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.06 ₺402

$13.31 ₺663

-39.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.26 ₺112

$2.33 ₺116

-3.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.96 ₺97.5

$3.46 ₺172

-43.35%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.72 ₺35.81

$0.91 ₺45.17

-20.88%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$9.91 ₺494

$66.3 ₺3,305

-85.06%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.57 ₺78.1

$1.29 ₺64.2

21.71%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.67 ₺33.25

$0.86 ₺42.65

-22.09%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.35 ₺366

$11.09 ₺553

-33.72%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.13 ₺56.3

$1.42 ₺70.7

-20.42%

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

$42.1K ₺2.1M

$49.2K ₺2.5M

-14.40%

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

$38.4K ₺1.9M

$42.8K ₺2.1M

-10.28%

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

$80.0 ₺3,987

$87.7 ₺4,371

-8.79%

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

$9.91 ₺494

$11.28 ₺562

-12.15%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$25.79 ₺1,285

$15.89 ₺792

62.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.1 ₺2,593

$75.9 ₺3,782

-31.42%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.21 ₺1,007

$23.04 ₺1,148

-12.28%

Cinema Ticket

$5.27 ₺263

$8.20 ₺409

-35.73%

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

$201 ₺10.0K

$1,028 ₺51.2K

-80.41%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.3K ₺512.0K

$26.0K ₺1.3M

-60.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$15.22 ₺758

$53.3 ₺2,657

-71.46%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.86 ₺2,035

$39.69 ₺1,978

2.95%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$49.97 ₺2,490

$99.8 ₺4,971

-49.91%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$30.30 ₺1,510

$93.5 ₺4,659

-67.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$405 ₺20.2K

$1,003 ₺50.0K

-59.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$297 ₺14.8K

$628 ₺31.3K

-52.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$766 ₺38.2K

$1,963 ₺97.8K

-60.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$562 ₺28.0K

$1,122 ₺55.9K

-49.88%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,315 ₺65.5K

$3,075 ₺153.2K

-57.22%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$975 ₺48.6K

$1,753 ₺87.3K

-44.35%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$791 ₺39.4K

$1,180 ₺58.8K

-32.96%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.69

35.17%

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

Last update for Sanliurfa: October 26, 2026

Last update for Istanbul: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sanliurfa

$297 35%

Istanbul

$628 41.5% 112% $332

Groceries & Markets

Sanliurfa

$174 20.5%

Istanbul

$258 17% 48.6% $84

Eating Out

Sanliurfa

$121 14.2%

Istanbul

$218 14.4% 80.7% $97

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sanliurfa

$116 13.6%

Istanbul

$115 7.6% 0.7% $0.8

Sport & Entertainment

Sanliurfa

$63 7.4%

Istanbul

$92 6.1% 47.5% $30

Clothing & Footwear

Sanliurfa

$61 7.2%

Istanbul

$129 8.5% 110% $67

Getting Around

Sanliurfa

$18 2.1%

Istanbul

$76 5% 327% $58

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $405 in Sanliurfa versus $1,003 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 49% 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 in Sanliurfa versus $55 in Istanbul. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $174 vs $258 – making Sanliurfa the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Sanliurfa

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

16:36 4:36 PM

Same time as Sanliurfa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,143,020

15,701,602

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 2.01 USD

100 TRY = 1.8 EUR

100 TRY = 2.01 USD

100 TRY = 1.8 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Sanliurfa Istanbul 950 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Sanliurfa
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

Sanliurfa vs Istanbul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 79%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,272 per month in Sanliurfa and $2,274 in Istanbul. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Sanliurfa, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $405 there versus $1,003 in Istanbul.

Kindergarten costs $201 per month in Sanliurfa and $1,028 in Istanbul. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 49% 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 $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Sanliurfa, where all-in costs run around $848, than in Istanbul at $1,516. In Sanliurfa it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Sanliurfa – 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 Sanliurfa. 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.