Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Side and Ankara

For one person, living is cheaper in Side: $1,144 a month against $1,393 in Ankara, rent and utilities included – about $3,000 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Ankara outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

55

Cost of Living Index in Side
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Side Living Index
67

Cost of Living Index in Ankara
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Ankara Living Index

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Side

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,144

/mo nomad

Ankara

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,393

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Side and in Ankara

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Side and in Ankara actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,144 per month in Side vs $1,393 in Ankara, rent included.

Side $1,144
Ankara $1,393

A couple spends around $1,790 per month in Side vs $2,079 in Ankara, rent included.

Side $1,790
Ankara $2,079

A family of three spends $2,435 per month in Side vs $2,765 in Ankara, rent included.

Side $2,435
Ankara $2,765

Side is about 18% cheaper than Ankara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Side sits 16% below the global median, while Ankara is 2% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.26 ₺511

$9.90 ₺493

3.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.76 ₺1,483

$42.89 ₺2,137

-30.61%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.45 ₺471

$9.31 ₺464

1.50%

Cappuccino

$3.44 ₺171

$4.15 ₺207

-17.11%

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

$2.19 ₺109

$1.66 ₺82.6

31.93%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.39 ₺19.48

$0.76 ₺37.93

-48.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.01 ₺200

$5.15 ₺257

-22.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.07 ₺302

$5.85 ₺291

3.76%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.07 ₺53.1

$1.20 ₺59.9

-10.83%

White Bread (500g)

$0.97 ₺48.31

$0.99 ₺49.44

-2.02%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.61 ₺130

$2.15 ₺107

21.40%

Eggs

$2.29 ₺114

$2.69 ₺134

-14.87%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.70 ₺683

$10.22 ₺509

34.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.16 ₺307

$5.45 ₺272

13.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$26.79 ₺1,335

$20.32 ₺1,012

31.84%

Apples (1kg)

$1.57 ₺78.2

$1.91 ₺95.0

-17.80%

Banana (1kg)

$2.46 ₺123

$2.28 ₺113

7.89%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.39 ₺69.1

$1.27 ₺63.1

9.45%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.27 ₺63.5

$1.64 ₺81.7

-22.56%

Potato (1kg)

$0.79 ₺39.50

$0.67 ₺33.27

17.91%

Onion (1kg)

$0.71 ₺35.37

$0.57 ₺28.54

24.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.74 ₺86.9

$1.03 ₺51.3

68.93%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.76 ₺37.62

$0.64 ₺31.68

18.75%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.78 ₺139

$2.19 ₺109

26.94%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.85 ₺690

$12.46 ₺621

11.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.69 ₺84.1

$2.24 ₺112

-24.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.13 ₺156

$3.11 ₺155

0.64%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.69 ₺34.54

$0.82 ₺40.86

-15.85%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.86 ₺591

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.24 ₺61.7

$1.28 ₺63.7

-3.13%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.00 ₺49.63

$0.81 ₺40.60

23.46%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.69 ₺333

$6.46 ₺322

3.56%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 ₺75.2

$1.40 ₺69.7

7.86%

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

$42.1K ₺2.1M

$47.9K ₺2.4M

-12.18%

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

$38.2K ₺1.9M

$40.3K ₺2.0M

-5.19%

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

$76.7 ₺3,822

$93.1 ₺4,638

-17.59%

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

$10.57 ₺527

$10.72 ₺534

-1.40%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.12 ₺1,152

$17.87 ₺891

29.38%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.8 ₺2,631

$72.2 ₺3,596

-26.83%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.34 ₺764

Cinema Ticket

$8.06 ₺402

$8.04 ₺401

0.25%

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

$507 ₺25.3K

$1,032 ₺51.4K

-50.84%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.9K ₺544.0K

$19.2K ₺955.5K

-43.07%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$46.20 ₺2,302

$53.4 ₺2,658

-13.42%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.9 ₺2,936

$48.30 ₺2,406

22.01%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$157 ₺7,810

$104 ₺5,194

50.38%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 ₺5,840

$96.0 ₺4,784

22.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$420 ₺20.9K

$765 ₺38.1K

-45.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$302 ₺15.1K

$569 ₺28.3K

-46.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$761 ₺37.9K

$1,127 ₺56.2K

-32.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$573 ₺28.5K

$893 ₺44.5K

-35.88%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,431 ₺71.3K

$1,678 ₺83.6K

-14.70%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,018 ₺50.7K

$1,158 ₺57.7K

-12.12%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,053 ₺52.4K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

38.25

43.57

-12.21%

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

Last update for Side: October 25, 2026

Last update for Ankara: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Side

$302 26.4%

Ankara

$569 40.9% 88.2% $267

Groceries & Markets

Side

$289 25.3%

Ankara

$254 18.2% 12.2% $35

Eating Out

Side

$194 17%

Ankara

$204 14.7% 5.1% $9.8

Clothing & Footwear

Side

$171 14.9%

Ankara

$136 9.8% 20.4% $35

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Side

$110 9.7%

Ankara

$122 8.7% 10.2% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Side

$69 6%

Ankara

$88 6.3% 28% $19

Getting Around

Side

$9 * 0.8%

Ankara

$21 1.5% 128% $12

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $420 in Side versus $765 in Ankara. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $30 in Side versus $43 in Ankara. Groceries tell a different story – $289 in Side vs $254 in Ankara – so Ankara wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Side

🇹🇷 Ankara

🕒 Local time

16:00 4:00 PM

Same time as Side

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

12,500

5,864,049 Capital

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Side Ankara 370 km

From you

Side
Ankara

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

Side vs Ankara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ankara costs about 22% more than Side, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from leisure. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,717 per month in Side and $2,090 in Ankara. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Side, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $420 there versus $765 in Ankara.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $30 in Side and $43 in Ankara. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 12% cheaper in Ankara – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

Families tend to lean toward Side – 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.