Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sterling and Ankara

For one person, living is cheaper in Ankara: $1,397 a month against $2,824 in Sterling, rent and utilities included – about $17,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

137

Cost of Living Index in Sterling
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Sterling Living Index
68

Cost of Living Index in Ankara
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Ankara Living Index

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Sterling

🇺🇸 United States

$2,824

/mo nomad

Ankara

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,397

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,824 per month in Sterling vs $1,397 in Ankara, rent included.

Sterling $2,824
Ankara $1,397

A couple spends around $4,327 per month in Sterling vs $2,075 in Ankara, rent included.

Sterling $4,327
Ankara $2,075

A family of three spends $5,831 per month in Sterling vs $2,753 in Ankara, rent included.

Sterling $5,831
Ankara $2,753

Sterling costs about 102% more than Ankara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Sterling and Ankara sit above the global median – Sterling by 109%, Ankara by 4%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.32 $19.32

$10.10 ₺500

91.29%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$75.4 $75.4

$43.03 ₺2,130

75.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.84 $11.84

$9.87 ₺489

19.96%

Cappuccino

$5.90 $5.90

$4.17 ₺206

41.49%

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

$2.98 $2.98

$1.74 ₺86.2

71.26%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.48 $2.48

$0.77 ₺38.35

222.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.42 $5.42

$5.12 ₺254

5.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.91 $7.91

$6.21 ₺308

27.38%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.05 $1.05

$1.16 ₺57.2

-9.48%

White Bread (500g)

$4.01 $4.01

$0.93 ₺46.15

331.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.11 $5.11

$2.30 ₺114

122.17%

Eggs

$5.61 $5.61

$2.66 ₺132

110.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.11 $17.11

$10.07 ₺499

69.91%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.54 $14.54

$5.53 ₺274

162.93%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.87 $18.87

$20.03 ₺992

-5.79%

Apples (1kg)

$5.58 $5.58

$1.97 ₺97.7

183.25%

Banana (1kg)

$2.34 $2.34

$2.16 ₺107

8.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.05 $5.05

$1.33 ₺65.6

279.70%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.88 $5.88

$1.68 ₺83.0

250.00%

Potato (1kg)

$2.82 $2.82

$0.63 ₺31.18

347.62%

Onion (1kg)

$3.83 $3.83

$0.54 ₺26.73

609.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.26 $2.26

$1.01 ₺49.86

123.76%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.64 $2.64

$0.69 ₺34.25

282.61%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.90 $9.90

$2.16 ₺107

358.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.96 $13.96

$12.54 ₺621

11.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.32 $2.32

$2.26 ₺112

2.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.54 $5.54

$3.23 ₺160

71.52%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.96 $4.96

$0.70 ₺34.62

608.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.35 ₺611

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.98 $2.98

$1.29 ₺64.1

131.01%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.41 $1.41

$0.80 ₺39.43

76.25%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.86 $22.86

$6.79 ₺336

236.67%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.04 $1.04

$1.44 ₺71.4

-27.78%

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

$36.0K $36.0K

$48.0K ₺2.4M

-25.13%

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

$25.1K $25.1K

$41.7K ₺2.1M

-39.81%

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

$156 $156

$92.9 ₺4,600

68.23%

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

$50.5 $50.5

$10.81 ₺535

367.53%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$79.1 $79.1

$17.73 ₺878

345.97%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.37 $29.37

$72.5 ₺3,589

-59.48%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.27 ₺756

Cinema Ticket

$18.12 $18.12

$8.09 ₺400

123.98%

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

$1,918 $1,918

$1,038 ₺51.4K

84.81%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$32.2K $32.2K

$19.5K ₺966.2K

65.04%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 $52.8

$53.7 ₺2,656

-1.51%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.11 $45.11

$48.13 ₺2,383

-6.27%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.7 $87.7

$104 ₺5,149

-15.71%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 $107

$97.3 ₺4,815

10.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,255 $1,255

$747 ₺37.0K

68.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,512 $1,512

$569 ₺28.2K

165.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,025 $2,025

$1,140 ₺56.5K

77.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,875 $2,875

$873 ₺43.2K

229.43%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,239 $3,239

$1,674 ₺82.9K

93.50%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,372 $2,372

$1,174 ₺58.1K

102.05%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,714 $3,714

$1,068 ₺52.9K

247.66%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.63

43.57

-84.78%

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

Last update for Sterling: October 12, 2026

Last update for Ankara: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sterling

$1.5K 53.6%

Ankara

$569 40.7% 62.4% $943

Groceries & Markets

Sterling

$473 16.8%

Ankara

$253 18.1% 46.4% $220

Eating Out

Sterling

$326 11.5%

Ankara

$209 14.9% 36% $117

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sterling

$286 10.1%

Ankara

$121 8.7% 57.5% $164

Clothing & Footwear

Sterling

$132 4.7%

Ankara

$136 9.8% 3.4% $4.5

Sport & Entertainment

Sterling

$66 2.3%

Ankara

$89 6.3% 35.1% $23

Getting Around

Sterling

$30 * 1.1%

Ankara

$20 1.5% 31.6% $9.5

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,255 in Sterling versus $747 in Ankara. 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 248% higher in Sterling, 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 $75.0 in Sterling versus $43.00 in Ankara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $473 vs $253 – making Ankara the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Sterling

🇹🇷 Ankara

🕒 Local time

02:53 2:53 AM

10:53 10:53 AM

8 h ahead of Sterling

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

14,782

5,864,049 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

100 TRY = 2.02 USD

100 TRY = 1.8 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TRY, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇹🇷 Turkish Lira (₺)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 49.51 TRY (100 TRY = 2.02 USD). 1 EUR = 55.66 TRY (100 TRY = 1.8 EUR).

TRY to USD in detail →

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Between locations

Sterling Ankara 9,240 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Sterling
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

Sterling vs Ankara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sterling costs about 102% more than Ankara, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,236 per month in Sterling and $2,096 in Ankara. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

A mid-range dinner for two costs $75.0 in Sterling and $43.00 in Ankara. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 87% more in Sterling, 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 Ankara, where all-in costs run around $1,397, than in Sterling at $2,824. In Ankara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sterling it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Ankara costs $1,397 versus $2,824 in Sterling. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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 Ankara. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Sterling makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.