Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sargodha and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in Sargodha: $523 a month against $1,519 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $12,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

Sargodha, Pakistan
Istanbul, Turkey
Sargodha
🇵🇰 Pakistan
$523
/mo nomad
Istanbul
🇹🇷 Turkey
$1,519
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $523 per month in Sargodha vs $1,519 in Istanbul, rent included.

  • Sargodha $523
  • Istanbul $1,519

A couple spends around $825 per month in Sargodha vs $2,365 in Istanbul, rent included.

  • Sargodha $825
  • Istanbul $2,365

A family of three spends $1,127 per month in Sargodha vs $3,212 in Istanbul, rent included.

  • Sargodha $1,127
  • Istanbul $3,212

Sargodha is about 66% cheaper than Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Sargodha sits 61% below the global median, while Istanbul is 12% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Sargodha
Istanbul
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$3.68 PKR 1,016
$11.81 ₺592
-68.84%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$23.22 PKR 6,418
$54.9 ₺2,754
-57.71%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.32 PKR 1,470
$9.26 ₺465
-42.55%
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.64 PKR 1,005
-
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$6.98 PKR 1,928
-
-
Cappuccino
$2.54 PKR 703
$4.30 ₺216
-40.93%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.32 PKR 87.3
$1.77 ₺89.0
-81.92%
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
Sargodha
Istanbul
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.00 PKR 277
$1.25 ₺62.7
-20.00%
White Bread (500g)
$0.78 PKR 215
$0.88 ₺44.17
-11.36%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.29 PKR 357
$2.20 ₺111
-41.36%
Eggs
$1.22 PKR 336
$2.43 ₺122
-49.79%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$6.22 PKR 1,720
$10.48 ₺526
-40.65%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.19 PKR 881
$5.31 ₺267
-39.92%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$5.55 PKR 1,533
$21.10 ₺1,058
-73.70%
Apples (1kg)
$1.33 PKR 368
$1.86 ₺93.1
-28.49%
Banana (1kg)
$0.82 PKR 226
$2.30 ₺115
-64.35%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.07 PKR 294
$1.22 ₺61.0
-12.30%
Tomato (1kg)
$0.53 PKR 146
$1.80 ₺90.2
-70.56%
Potato (1kg)
$0.27 PKR 73.6
$0.69 ₺34.83
-60.87%
Onion (1kg)
$0.36 PKR 98.8
$0.64 ₺32.16
-43.75%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.28 PKR 76.5
$1.36 ₺68.0
-79.41%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.43 PKR 119
$0.58 ₺28.94
-25.86%
Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)
$1.83 PKR 505
-
-
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.24 PKR 342
-
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.35 PKR 648
-
-
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.32 PKR 641
$2.34 ₺117
-0.85%
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
Sargodha
Istanbul
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.20 PKR 55.0
$0.88 ₺44.07
-77.27%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$10.02 PKR 2,770
$66.1 ₺3,316
-84.85%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.23 PKR 339
$1.28 ₺64.4
-3.91%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.74 PKR 204
$0.85 ₺42.80
-12.94%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$1.68 PKR 463
$11.09 ₺556
-84.85%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.34 PKR 370
$1.48 ₺74.0
-9.46%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.9K PKR 6.0M
$48.6K ₺2.4M
-55.02%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.2K PKR 6.4M
$42.0K ₺2.1M
-44.72%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Sargodha
Istanbul
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$102 PKR 28.1K
$92.7 ₺4,650
9.84%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$6.06 PKR 1,676
$11.20 ₺562
-45.89%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$17.02 PKR 4,703
$15.89 ₺797
7.11%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Sargodha
Istanbul
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$14.97 PKR 4,136
$74.7 ₺3,745
-79.95%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$7.87 PKR 2,176
$22.95 ₺1,151
-65.71%
Cinema Ticket
$4.77 PKR 1,317
$8.05 ₺404
-40.75%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Sargodha
Istanbul
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$42.18 PKR 11.7K
$948 ₺47.6K
-95.55%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$1,034 PKR 285.7K
$36.9K ₺1.9M
-97.20%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Sargodha
Istanbul
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$26.16 PKR 7,229
$53.9 ₺2,702
-51.45%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$34.62 PKR 9,569
$41.49 ₺2,081
-16.56%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$97.2 PKR 26.9K
$101 ₺5,060
-3.66%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$40.35 PKR 11.2K
$91.3 ₺4,580
-55.81%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Sargodha
Istanbul
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$135 PKR 37.4K
$1,014 ₺50.8K
-86.64%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$84.9 PKR 23.5K
$625 ₺31.3K
-86.41%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$267 PKR 73.8K
$2,005 ₺100.6K
-86.69%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$181 PKR 49.9K
$1,126 ₺56.5K
-83.95%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$811 PKR 224.0K
$2,988 ₺149.8K
-72.87%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$510 PKR 141.1K
$1,730 ₺86.8K
-70.50%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Sargodha
Istanbul
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$177 PKR 49.1K
$1,136 ₺57.0K
-84.38%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
13.08
40.42
-67.64%

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

Last update for Sargodha: 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
Sargodha
$125
Istanbul
$120 4.1% $5.1
Groceries & Markets
Sargodha
$105
Istanbul
$258 145% $153
Clothing & Footwear
Sargodha
$89
Istanbul
$129 45% $40
Accommodation & Living
Sargodha
$85
Istanbul
$625 636% $540
Eating Out
Sargodha
$78
Istanbul
$221 183% $143
Sport & Entertainment
Sargodha
$25
Istanbul
$91 271% $66
Getting Around
Sargodha
$16
Istanbul
$75 377% $59

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $135 in Sargodha 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 6.4 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $23 in Sargodha versus $55 in Istanbul. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $105 vs $258 – making Sargodha the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇵🇰 Sargodha
🇹🇷 Istanbul
🕒 Local time
14:33 2:33 PM
12:33 12:33 PM
2 h behind Sargodha
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
507,817
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 = 56.33 TRY (100 TRY = 1.78 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Sargodha Istanbul 3,980 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Sargodha
  • 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
Sargodha vs Istanbul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Sargodha cheaper than Istanbul?
Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 191%, 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 $784 per month in Sargodha 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 Sargodha, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $135 there versus $1,014 in Istanbul.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Kindergarten costs $42 per month in Sargodha 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 Sargodha and in Istanbul?
Groceries cost about 145% more in Istanbul, though the gap depends on what you buy.
Is $800 a realistic budget for living in Sargodha or in Istanbul?
A $800 monthly budget goes further in Sargodha, where all-in costs run around $523, than in Istanbul at $1,519. In Sargodha it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Sargodha or Istanbul more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Sargodha – 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 Sargodha. 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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