Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Turkey and Japan

Name: Japan
Address: JP

For one person, living is cheaper in Turkey: $1,215 a month against $1,297 in Japan, rent and utilities included – about $980 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Turkey
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Turkey Living Index
63

Cost of Living Index in Japan
Learn more

Japan Living Index

Jump to prices

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,215

/mo nomad

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,297

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Turkey and in Japan

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

A single person spends $1,215 per month in Turkey vs $1,297 in Japan, rent included.

Turkey $1,215
Japan $1,297

A couple spends around $1,854 per month in Turkey vs $1,998 in Japan, rent included.

Turkey $1,854
Japan $1,998

A family of three spends $2,492 per month in Turkey vs $2,699 in Japan, rent included.

Turkey $2,492
Japan $2,699

Cost ranges are similar: Turkey spans $657–$1,757, Japan $724–$1,648. City choice affects budget similarly in either country.

The cost of living in Turkey is roughly 6% lower than in Japan on average.

Both Turkey and Japan are more affordable than the global median – Turkey 10% lower, Japan 4% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.96 ₺493

$6.39 ¥1,010

55.87%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.08 ₺1,984

$32.17 ¥5,082

24.59%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.02 ₺447

$5.17 ¥816

74.47%

Cappuccino

$3.76 ₺186

$3.07 ¥486

22.48%

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

$1.54 ₺76.4

$1.16 ¥183

32.76%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.51 ₺25.49

$0.79 ¥125

-35.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.69 ₺183

$3.24 ¥512

13.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.52 ₺224

$3.70 ¥585

22.16%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.02 ₺50.4

$1.48 ¥233

-31.08%

White Bread (500g)

$1.02 ₺50.7

$1.44 ¥228

-29.17%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.09 ₺103

$4.77 ¥754

-56.18%

Eggs

$2.28 ₺113

$2.09 ¥331

9.09%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.73 ₺482

$11.54 ¥1,823

-15.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.91 ₺243

$6.05 ¥956

-18.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.15 ₺998

$17.21 ¥2,718

17.08%

Apples (1kg)

$1.80 ₺89.2

$4.80 ¥758

-62.50%

Banana (1kg)

$2.02 ₺100

$2.41 ¥380

-16.18%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.06 ₺52.7

$4.11 ¥649

-74.21%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.35 ₺67.0

$4.40 ¥695

-69.32%

Potato (1kg)

$0.57 ₺28.37

$2.74 ¥433

-79.20%

Onion (1kg)

$0.47 ₺23.45

$2.58 ¥408

-81.78%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.98 ₺48.30

$1.26 ¥199

-22.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.65 ₺32.11

$0.82 ¥130

-20.73%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.21 ₺109

$3.99 ¥630

-44.61%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.99 ₺594

$7.35 ¥1,161

63.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.17 ₺108

$1.92 ¥303

13.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.91 ₺144

$2.59 ¥409

12.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.78 ₺38.48

$1.40 ¥222

-44.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$37.92 ₺1,878

$58.4 ¥9,225

-35.06%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.42 ₺70.5

$3.68 ¥582

-61.41%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.83 ₺41.08

$3.21 ¥507

-74.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.16 ₺404

$19.82 ¥3,131

-58.83%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.39 ₺69.0

$1.06 ¥168

31.13%

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

$42.6K ₺2.1M

$21.7K ¥3.4M

96.76%

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

$40.4K ₺2.0M

$15.8K ¥2.5M

156.14%

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

$76.9 ₺3,808

$151 ¥23.9K

-49.06%

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

$10.58 ₺524

$24.37 ¥3,851

-56.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.58 ₺772

$32.59 ¥5,149

-52.19%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.7 ₺2,708

$52.1 ¥8,228

5.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.51 ₺1,015

$18.37 ¥2,903

11.65%

Cinema Ticket

$6.87 ₺340

$12.39 ¥1,957

-44.55%

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

$696 ₺34.5K

$529 ¥83.7K

31.50%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.1K ₺798.8K

$11.8K ¥1.9M

37.28%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.4 ₺2,693

$46.12 ¥7,287

17.95%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.94 ₺2,077

$29.36 ¥4,639

42.85%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 ₺5,013

$61.7 ¥9,750

64.06%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.4 ₺4,622

$77.2 ¥12.2K

20.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$613 ₺30.4K

$565 ¥89.3K

8.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$439 ₺21.7K

$389 ¥61.4K

12.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,041 ₺51.6K

$1,321 ¥208.8K

-21.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$711 ₺35.2K

$761 ¥120.3K

-6.65%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,659 ₺82.1K

$5,415 ¥855.5K

-69.36%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,123 ₺55.6K

$2,746 ¥433.8K

-59.10%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,082 ₺53.6K

$2,068 ¥326.6K

-47.68%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

41.67

2.13

1856.34%

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

Last update for Turkey: October 19, 2026

Last update for Japan: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Turkey

$439 36.1%

Japan

$389 30% 11.3% $50

Groceries & Markets

Turkey

$239 19.7%

Japan

$308 23.7% 28.6% $69

Eating Out

Turkey

$188 15.5%

Japan

$135 10.4% 28.1% $53

Clothing & Footwear

Turkey

$131 10.8%

Japan

$96 7.4% 26.3% $34

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Turkey

$103 8.5%

Japan

$208 16% 102% $105

Sport & Entertainment

Turkey

$68 5.6%

Japan

$77 5.9% 12.3% $8.4

Getting Around

Turkey

$47 3.8%

Japan

$84 6.5% 79.7% $37

Cost Breakdown

Average rent: $442 in Turkey vs $522 in Japan. For reference, capital cities sit at $766 in Ankara and $1,288 in Tokyo.

Average salary: $1,040 in Turkey vs $1,926 in Japan. The income gap affects purchasing power and how far your budget stretches in each country.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 18% higher in Japan.

Public transport is 240% more expensive in Japan.

Salaries are 85% higher in Japan, and purchasing power comes out stronger in Japan.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Turkey

🇯🇵 Japan

🕒 Local time

17:19 5:19 PM

23:19 11:19 PM

6 h ahead of Turkey

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

85,372,377

125,440,000

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 2.02 USD

100 TRY = 1.8 EUR

1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.63 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

JPY, USD, EUR to TRY – Turkish Lira Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇷 Turkish Lira (₺)

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 49.51 TRY (100 TRY = 2.02 USD). 1 EUR = 55.66 TRY (100 TRY = 1.8 EUR).

Japanese Yen exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD). 1 EUR = 178 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.63 EUR).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Turkey Japan 8,770 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Turkey
Japan

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

Turkey vs Japan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Turkey is the cheaper option – living costs run roughly 7% lower on average.

Housing costs more in Japan: a central one-bedroom averages $522 versus $442 in Turkey.

$2,000 buys a comfortable lifestyle in Turkey, but in Japan it only works with careful planning outside the capital. Same money, very different lives.

Turkey is the budget-friendly choice for expats – lower housing and daily costs. But cost isn't everything: visa policies, language, healthcare quality, and job markets all weigh in too.