Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Turkey and South Korea

Name: South Korea
Address: KR

For one person, living is cheaper in Turkey: $1,212 a month against $1,596 in South Korea, rent and utilities included – about $4,600 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
77

Cost of Living Index in South Korea
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South Korea Living Index

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🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,212

/mo nomad

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,596

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Turkey and in South Korea

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 South Korea actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,212 per month in Turkey vs $1,596 in South Korea, rent included.

Turkey $1,212
South Korea $1,596

A couple spends around $1,844 per month in Turkey vs $2,542 in South Korea, rent included.

Turkey $1,844
South Korea $2,542

A family of three spends $2,475 per month in Turkey vs $3,487 in South Korea, rent included.

Turkey $2,475
South Korea $3,487

The regional cost range is wider in Turkey ($656–$1,765) than in South Korea ($1,044–$1,848), so city choice matters more there.

The cost of living in Turkey is roughly 24% lower than in South Korea on average.

Turkey sits 11% below the global median, while South Korea is 17% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.14 ₺456

$7.44 ₩9,936

22.85%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.12 ₺2,003

$44.54 ₩59.5K

-9.92%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.91 ₺445

$6.51 ₩8,694

36.87%

Cappuccino

$3.75 ₺187

$3.83 ₩5,113

-2.09%

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

$1.47 ₺73.5

$1.59 ₩2,125

-7.55%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.71

$0.78 ₩1,039

-28.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.84 ₺192

$3.84 ₩5,122

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.91 ₺245

$4.42 ₩5,906

11.09%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.02 ₺51.2

$2.20 ₩2,937

-53.64%

White Bread (500g)

$1.00 ₺50.0

$2.96 ₩3,954

-66.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 ₺110

$3.54 ₩4,722

-37.85%

Eggs

$2.21 ₺111

$3.22 ₩4,296

-31.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.72 ₺485

$13.36 ₩17.8K

-27.25%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.86 ₺243

$8.89 ₩11.9K

-45.33%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.09 ₺1,003

$26.17 ₩34.9K

-23.23%

Apples (1kg)

$1.86 ₺92.6

$8.49 ₩11.3K

-78.09%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 ₺99.1

$3.39 ₩4,521

-41.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.06 ₺53.2

$6.42 ₩8,565

-83.49%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.36 ₺68.0

$5.87 ₩7,840

-76.83%

Potato (1kg)

$0.54 ₺26.91

$3.89 ₩5,196

-86.12%

Onion (1kg)

$0.45 ₺22.35

$2.84 ₩3,796

-84.15%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.00 ₺49.70

$2.69 ₩3,589

-62.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.69 ₺34.29

$1.15 ₩1,542

-40.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.26 ₺113

$3.42 ₩4,570

-33.92%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.91 ₺594

$16.56 ₩22.1K

-28.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.24 ₺112

$2.13 ₩2,837

5.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ₺142

$2.91 ₩3,883

-2.06%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.76 ₺38.08

$1.10 ₩1,465

-30.91%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$39.49 ₺1,972

$48.35 ₩64.6K

-18.32%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.42 ₺71.1

$3.52 ₩4,694

-59.66%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.84 ₺41.73

$0.65 ₩872

29.23%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.98 ₺398

$9.13 ₩12.2K

-12.60%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.38 ₺69.0

$1.38 ₩1,844

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

$41.6K ₺2.1M

$30.3K ₩40.4M

37.60%

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

$40.3K ₺2.0M

$30.0K ₩40.0M

34.51%

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

$75.0 ₺3,743

$210 ₩280.0K

-64.26%

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

$10.38 ₺518

$40.27 ₩53.8K

-74.22%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.56 ₺777

$24.18 ₩32.3K

-35.65%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.2 ₺2,758

$53.8 ₩71.8K

2.70%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.01 ₺1,049

$16.81 ₩22.4K

24.99%

Cinema Ticket

$6.87 ₺343

$11.50 ₩15.4K

-40.26%

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

$680 ₺34.0K

$985 ₩1.3M

-30.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.9K ₺794.0K

$23.7K ₩31.6M

-32.78%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.7 ₺2,729

$58.9 ₩78.6K

-7.21%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.98 ₺2,146

$45.48 ₩60.7K

-5.50%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 ₺5,084

$78.3 ₩104.6K

29.99%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.9 ₺4,686

$97.7 ₩130.4K

-3.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$614 ₺30.7K

$645 ₩861.1K

-4.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$441 ₺22.0K

$446 ₩595.3K

-1.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,011 ₺50.5K

$1,711 ₩2.3M

-40.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$703 ₺35.1K

$999 ₩1.3M

-29.65%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,710 ₺85.4K

$15.8K ₩21.1M

-89.16%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,115 ₺55.7K

$8,299 ₩11.1M

-86.56%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,061 ₺53.0K

$2,345 ₩3.1M

-54.77%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

41.67

4.23

885.11%

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

Last update for Turkey: October 26, 2026

Last update for South Korea: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Turkey

$441 36.4%

South Korea

$446 27.9% 1.2% $5.2

Groceries & Markets

Turkey

$239 19.8%

South Korea

$451 28.3% 88.4% $212

Eating Out

Turkey

$182 15%

South Korea

$163 10.2% 10.7% $19

Clothing & Footwear

Turkey

$132 10.9%

South Korea

$126 7.9% 4.4% $5.8

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Turkey

$101 8.3%

South Korea

$274 17.2% 172% $173

Sport & Entertainment

Turkey

$69 5.7%

South Korea

$77 4.8% 11.3% $7.8

Getting Around

Turkey

$48 4%

South Korea

$60 3.7% 23.6% $11

Cost Breakdown

Average rent: $446 in Turkey vs $493 in South Korea. For reference, capital cities sit at $765 in Ankara and $924 in Seoul.

Average salary: $1,034 in Turkey vs $2,148 in South Korea. The income gap affects purchasing power and how far your budget stretches in each country.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 11% higher in South Korea.

Dining out costs 24% more in South Korea.

Public transport is 45% more expensive in South Korea.

Salaries are about 2.1 times higher in South Korea, and purchasing power comes out stronger in South Korea.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Turkey

🇰🇷 South Korea

🕒 Local time

23:40 11:40 PM

05:40 5:40 AM

6 h ahead of Turkey

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

85,372,377

51,466,201

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

South Korean Won KRW ₩

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 2 USD

100 TRY = 1.79 EUR

10,000 KRW = 7.49 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.71 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

KRW, USD, EUR to TRY – Turkish Lira Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇷 Turkish Lira (₺)

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 49.93 TRY (100 TRY = 2 USD). 1 EUR = 55.75 TRY (100 TRY = 1.79 EUR).

South Korean Won exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 1,335 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.49 USD). 1 EUR = 1,491 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.71 EUR).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Turkey South Korea 7,750 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Turkey
South Korea

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 South Korea: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Turkey is the cheaper option – living costs run roughly 24% lower on average.

Housing costs more in South Korea: a central one-bedroom averages $493 versus $446 in Turkey.

Groceries, public transport, and eating out all cost less in Turkey – part of why living there is about 24% cheaper overall.

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