Cost of Living Comparison Between Turkey and South Korea Cost of Living Comparison Between Turkey and South Korea

Name: South Korea
Address: KR

Monthly Cost of Living

A single person spends $1,081 per month in Turkey vs $1,427 in South Korea, rent included.

A couple spends around $1,676 per month in Turkey vs $2,251 in South Korea, rent included.

A family of three spends $2,271 per month in Turkey vs $3,075 in South Korea, rent included.

Turkey is roughly 24% cheaper than South Korea on average – the gap runs across housing, groceries, transport, and services.

Turkey sits 19% below the global median, while South Korea is 6% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Turkey has a wider regional cost range ($866–$1,732) than South Korea ($1,229–$1,742), so location matters more when choosing where to live in Turkey.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.92 ₺410

$7.25 ₩11.0K

23.03%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$38.84 ₺1,784

$44.44 ₩67.3K

-12.60%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.80 ₺358

$5.82 ₩8,813

34.02%

Cappuccino

$3.18 ₺146

$3.68 ₩5,580

-13.59%

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

$1.26 ₺58.1

$1.64 ₩2,483

-23.17%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ₺22.59

$0.82 ₩1,238

-40.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.63 ₺167

$3.57 ₩5,414

1.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.65 ₺214

$4.83 ₩7,312

-3.73%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.99 ₺45.66

$2.22 ₩3,368

-55.41%

White Bread (500g)

$0.79 ₺36.44

$3.06 ₩4,644

-74.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.13 ₺97.7

$3.10 ₩4,696

-31.29%

Eggs

$2.32 ₺107

$3.05 ₩4,627

-23.93%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.78 ₺449

$14.09 ₩21.3K

-30.59%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.70 ₺262

$9.31 ₩14.1K

-38.78%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.78 ₺909

$29.86 ₩45.2K

-33.76%

Apples (1kg)

$1.34 ₺61.6

$8.05 ₩12.2K

-83.35%

Banana (1kg)

$2.19 ₺101

$3.44 ₩5,219

-36.34%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.18 ₺54.3

$6.07 ₩9,199

-80.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.46 ₺67.1

$6.02 ₩9,128

-75.75%

Potato (1kg)

$0.76 ₺34.86

$3.68 ₩5,577

-79.35%

Onion (1kg)

$0.61 ₺28.15

$2.85 ₩4,325

-78.60%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.00 ₺45.86

$2.55 ₩3,858

-60.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ₺23.31

$1.17 ₩1,768

-56.41%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.21 ₺101

$3.22 ₩4,882

-31.37%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.87 ₺499

$16.72 ₩25.3K

-34.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.15 ₺98.6

$2.12 ₩3,207

1.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 ₺130

$2.85 ₩4,317

-1.05%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.70 ₺32.26

$1.08 ₩1,641

-35.19%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.97 ₺2,066

$46.10 ₩69.8K

-2.45%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.06 ₺48.55

$3.27 ₩4,952

-67.58%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.66 ₺30.23

$0.53 ₩805

24.53%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.61 ₺349

$8.70 ₩13.2K

-12.53%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.19 ₺54.5

$1.23 ₩1,870

-3.25%

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

$43.2K ₺2.0M

$27.2K ₩41.3M

58.49%

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

$43.4K ₺2.0M

$23.6K ₩35.8M

83.65%

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

$69.3 ₺3,185

$167 ₩252.5K

-58.39%

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

$10.88 ₺500

$41.34 ₩62.6K

-73.68%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$14.03 ₺645

$22.43 ₩34.0K

-37.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.89 ₺2,292

$51.4 ₩77.9K

-2.96%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.02 ₺828

$19.69 ₩29.8K

-8.48%

Cinema Ticket

$6.53 ₺300

$10.87 ₩16.5K

-39.93%

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

$626 ₺28.7K

$380 ₩576.0K

64.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.0K ₺596.0K

$22.7K ₩34.5M

-42.97%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.3 ₺2,448

$59.6 ₩90.3K

-10.59%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.13 ₺1,982

$48.44 ₩73.4K

-10.96%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 ₺4,946

$79.5 ₩120.4K

35.49%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$95.7 ₺4,399

$108 ₩163.7K

-11.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$627 ₺28.8K

$615 ₩931.2K

2.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$454 ₺20.9K

$411 ₩622.1K

10.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,175 ₺54.0K

$1,557 ₩2.4M

-24.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$726 ₺33.3K

$976 ₩1.5M

-25.63%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,741 ₺80.0K

$13.5K ₩20.5M

-87.13%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,078 ₺49.5K

$7,411 ₩11.2M

-85.46%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,056 ₺48.5K

$2,077 ₩3.1M

-49.16%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

42.38

4.2

909.05%

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

Last update for Turkey: May 31, 2026

Last update for South Korea: May 30, 2026

Cost Breakdown

Average rent: $528 in Turkey vs $456 in South Korea. For reference, capital cities sit at $741 in Ankara and $957 in Seoul.

Average salary: $1,056 in Turkey vs $1,954 in South Korea. The income gap affects purchasing power and how far your budget stretches in each country.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 16% higher in Turkey.

Dining out costs 33% more in South Korea.

Public transport is 158% more expensive in Turkey.

Salaries are 85% higher in South Korea, giving South Korea stronger purchasing power.

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 South Korea: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Turkey is the cheaper option – living costs run roughly 14% lower on average. The gap is consistent across housing, groceries, transport, and entertainment.

Housing costs more in South Korea, and the gap is biggest in capital cities. Regional towns show less difference, but South Korea consistently has higher rents.

Groceries, transport, and utilities all cost less in Turkey, contributing to the overall 14% price gap. The savings show up everywhere – from supermarket receipts to monthly bills.

$2,000 buys a comfortable lifestyle in Turkey, but in South Korea 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.