Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Turkey and the United States

Name: United States
Address: US

For one person, living is cheaper in Turkey: $1,199 a month against $2,785 in the United States, rent and utilities included – about $19,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Turkey
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Turkey Living Index
133

Cost of Living Index in the United States
Learn more

United States Living Index

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🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,199

/mo nomad

🇺🇸 United States

$2,785

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Turkey and in the United States

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 the United States actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,199 per month in Turkey vs $2,784 in the United States, rent included.

Turkey $1,199
United States $2,784

A couple spends around $1,841 per month in Turkey vs $3,982 in the United States, rent included.

Turkey $1,841
United States $3,982

A family of three spends $2,484 per month in Turkey vs $5,179 in the United States, rent included.

Turkey $2,484
United States $5,179

The regional cost range is wider in the United States ($979–$5,174) than in Turkey ($658–$1,751), so city choice matters more there.

The cost of living in Turkey is roughly 57% lower than in the United States on average.

Turkey sits 10% below the global median, while the United States is 108% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.02 ₺493

$20.22 $20.22

-50.45%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.08 ₺1,974

$81.1 $81.1

-50.60%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.41 ₺463

$12.12 $12.12

-22.36%

Cappuccino

$3.77 ₺186

$5.36 $5.36

-29.66%

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

$1.54 ₺76.1

$2.77 $2.77

-44.40%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.51 ₺25.22

$2.09 $2.09

-75.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.74 ₺184

$5.84 $5.84

-35.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.72 ₺232

$7.92 $7.92

-40.40%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.08 ₺53.1

$1.04 $1.04

3.85%

White Bread (500g)

$1.01 ₺49.90

$3.56 $3.56

-71.63%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.19 ₺108

$4.69 $4.69

-53.30%

Eggs

$2.20 ₺108

$4.43 $4.43

-50.34%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.98 ₺492

$12.91 $12.91

-22.70%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.68 ₺231

$12.20 $12.20

-61.64%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.57 ₺1,013

$17.00 $17.00

21.00%

Apples (1kg)

$1.88 ₺92.6

$5.31 $5.31

-64.60%

Banana (1kg)

$1.97 ₺97.0

$1.67 $1.67

17.96%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.11 ₺54.5

$4.49 $4.49

-75.28%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.36 ₺67.1

$5.05 $5.05

-73.07%

Potato (1kg)

$0.54 ₺26.79

$2.83 $2.83

-80.92%

Onion (1kg)

$0.48 ₺23.76

$3.00 $3.00

-84.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.01 ₺49.64

$2.28 $2.28

-55.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.70 ₺34.31

$2.27 $2.27

-69.16%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.26 ₺111

$10.33 $10.33

-78.12%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.06 ₺594

$14.72 $14.72

-18.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.24 ₺110

$2.05 $2.05

9.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.00 ₺148

$3.66 $3.66

-18.03%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.83 ₺40.91

$2.33 $2.33

-64.38%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$38.24 ₺1,884

$65.1 $65.1

-41.21%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.39 ₺68.5

$3.60 $3.60

-61.39%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.86 ₺42.17

$1.90 $1.90

-54.74%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.08 ₺398

$29.81 $29.81

-72.90%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.40 ₺69.1

$1.03 $1.03

35.92%

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

$41.9K ₺2.1M

$35.1K $35.1K

19.55%

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

$41.6K ₺2.0M

$26.3K $26.3K

58.29%

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

$75.0 ₺3,693

$216 $216

-65.31%

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

$10.58 ₺521

$62.3 $62.3

-83.02%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.64 ₺771

$74.6 $74.6

-79.03%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.7 ₺2,695

$44.70 $44.70

22.39%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.83 ₺1,026

$22.55 $22.55

-7.63%

Cinema Ticket

$7.21 ₺355

$15.19 $15.19

-52.53%

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

$696 ₺34.3K

$1,440 $1,440

-51.71%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.9K ₺785.5K

$25.2K $25.2K

-36.79%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.8 ₺2,652

$53.7 $53.7

0.28%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.14 ₺2,076

$42.44 $42.44

-0.71%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100 ₺4,927

$93.4 $93.4

7.12%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$94.5 ₺4,657

$115 $115

-17.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$631 ₺31.1K

$1,622 $1,622

-61.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$435 ₺21.4K

$1,357 $1,357

-67.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,044 ₺51.4K

$2,681 $2,681

-61.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$718 ₺35.4K

$2,170 $2,170

-66.90%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,709 ₺84.2K

$3,294 $3,294

-48.11%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,142 ₺56.3K

$2,674 $2,674

-57.30%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,085 ₺53.5K

$4,242 $4,242

-74.42%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

41.75

6.55

537.40%

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

Last update for Turkey: October 5, 2026

Last update for the United States: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Turkey

$435 35.8%

United States

$1.4K 49.4% 212% $921

Groceries & Markets

Turkey

$242 19.9%

United States

$411 15% 69.6% $169

Eating Out

Turkey

$190 15.6%

United States

$327 11.9% 72.2% $137

Clothing & Footwear

Turkey

$131 10.8%

United States

$137 5% 4.8% $6.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Turkey

$101 8.3%

United States

$353 12.9% 249% $252

Sport & Entertainment

Turkey

$69 5.7%

United States

$75 2.7% 8.6% $6

Getting Around

Turkey

$47 3.9%

United States

$87 3.2% 85.2% $40

Cost Breakdown

Average rent: $447 in Turkey vs $1,605 in the United States. For reference, capital cities sit at $756 in Ankara and $2,726 in Washington, DC.

Average salary: $1,049 in Turkey vs $4,534 in the United States. The income gap affects purchasing power and how far your budget stretches in each country.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 259% higher in the United States.

Dining out costs 121% more in the United States.

Public transport is 80% more expensive in the United States.

Salaries are 332% higher in the United States, and purchasing power comes out stronger in the United States.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Turkey

🇺🇸 United States

🕒 Local time

19:39 7:39 PM

12:39 12:39 PM

7 h behind Turkey

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

85,372,377

340,110,988

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 2.03 USD

100 TRY = 1.81 EUR

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to TRY – Turkish Lira Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇷 Turkish Lira (₺)

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 49.26 TRY (100 TRY = 2.03 USD). 1 EUR = 55.2 TRY (100 TRY = 1.81 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Turkey United States 9,610 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Turkey
United States

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 United States: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Turkey is the cheaper option – living costs run roughly 132% lower on average.

Housing costs more in the United States: a central one-bedroom averages $1,605 versus $447 in Turkey.

Groceries, public transport, and eating out all cost less in Turkey, adding to the overall 132% price gap.

$2,000 buys a comfortable lifestyle in Turkey, but in the United States 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.