Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between the United States and Turkey

Name: Turkey
Address: TR

For one person, living is cheaper in Turkey: $1,212 a month against $2,734 in the United States, rent and utilities included – about $18,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

131

Cost of Living Index in the United States
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United States Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Turkey
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Turkey Living Index

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🇺🇸 United States

$2,734

/mo nomad

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,212

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $2,734 per month in the United States vs $1,212 in Turkey, rent included.

United States $2,734
Turkey $1,212

A couple spends around $3,985 per month in the United States vs $1,844 in Turkey, rent included.

United States $3,985
Turkey $1,844

A family of three spends $5,235 per month in the United States vs $2,475 in Turkey, rent included.

United States $5,235
Turkey $2,475

The regional cost range is wider in the United States ($979–$5,160) than in Turkey ($656–$1,765), so city choice matters more there.

The cost of living in the United States is about 126% higher than in Turkey on average.

The United States sits 101% above the global median, while Turkey is 11% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.03 $20.03

$9.14 ₺455

119.15%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$80.0 $80.0

$40.12 ₺1,999

99.50%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.80 $11.80

$8.91 ₺444

32.44%

Cappuccino

$5.55 $5.55

$3.75 ₺187

48.00%

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

$2.66 $2.66

$1.47 ₺73.3

80.95%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 $2.17

$0.56 ₺27.65

287.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.12 $6.12

$3.84 ₺191

59.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.94 $7.94

$4.91 ₺245

61.71%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.04 $1.04

$1.02 ₺51.1

1.96%

White Bread (500g)

$3.59 $3.59

$1.00 ₺49.91

259.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.52 $4.52

$2.20 ₺110

105.45%

Eggs

$4.28 $4.28

$2.21 ₺110

93.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.22 $13.22

$9.72 ₺484

36.01%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.60 $12.60

$4.86 ₺242

159.26%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.60 $17.60

$20.09 ₺1,001

-12.39%

Apples (1kg)

$5.30 $5.30

$1.86 ₺92.4

184.95%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 $1.69

$1.98 ₺98.9

-14.65%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.44 $4.44

$1.06 ₺53.1

318.87%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.77 $4.77

$1.36 ₺67.8

250.74%

Potato (1kg)

$2.97 $2.97

$0.54 ₺26.85

450.00%

Onion (1kg)

$3.15 $3.15

$0.45 ₺22.30

600.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.20 $2.20

$1.00 ₺49.59

120.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.35 $2.35

$0.69 ₺34.22

240.58%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.98 $10.98

$2.26 ₺113

385.84%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.05 $15.05

$11.91 ₺593

26.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.06 $2.06

$2.24 ₺112

-8.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.79 $3.79

$2.85 ₺142

32.98%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.94 $1.94

$0.76 ₺38.00

155.26%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$59.4 $59.4

$39.49 ₺1,968

50.39%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.58 $3.58

$1.42 ₺70.9

152.11%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.88 $1.88

$0.84 ₺41.64

123.81%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.84 $29.84

$7.98 ₺398

273.93%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.02 $1.02

$1.38 ₺68.8

-26.09%

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

$28.8K $28.8K

$41.6K ₺2.1M

-30.93%

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

$26.2K $26.2K

$40.3K ₺2.0M

-35.04%

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

$218 $218

$75.0 ₺3,735

190.77%

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

$62.5 $62.5

$10.38 ₺517

501.83%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$74.5 $74.5

$15.56 ₺775

378.47%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.86 $41.86

$55.2 ₺2,752

-24.21%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.81 $22.81

$21.01 ₺1,047

8.57%

Cinema Ticket

$14.70 $14.70

$6.87 ₺342

113.97%

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

$1,489 $1,489

$680 ₺33.9K

118.91%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.3K $25.3K

$15.9K ₺792.2K

58.80%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.3 $54.3

$54.7 ₺2,723

-0.59%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.71 $42.71

$42.98 ₺2,141

-0.63%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.1 $94.1

$102 ₺5,072

-7.58%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$114 $114

$93.9 ₺4,676

20.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,659 $1,659

$614 ₺30.6K

170.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,348 $1,348

$441 ₺22.0K

205.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,682 $2,682

$1,011 ₺50.4K

165.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,169 $2,169

$703 ₺35.0K

208.58%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,283 $3,283

$1,710 ₺85.2K

91.95%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,482 $2,482

$1,115 ₺55.6K

122.58%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,296 $4,296

$1,061 ₺52.8K

305.08%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.55

41.67

-84.28%

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

Last update for the United States: October 25, 2026

Last update for Turkey: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

United States

$1.3K 49.3%

Turkey

$441 36.4% 67.3% $907

Groceries & Markets

United States

$415 15.2%

Turkey

$239 19.8% 42.4% $176

Monthly Utilities & Internet

United States

$355 13%

Turkey

$101 8.3% 71.6% $254

Eating Out

United States

$328 12%

Turkey

$182 15% 44.5% $146

Clothing & Footwear

United States

$137 5%

Turkey

$132 10.9% 3.7% $5.1

Getting Around

United States

$80 2.9%

Turkey

$48 4% 39.9% $32

Sport & Entertainment

United States

$71 2.6%

Turkey

$69 5.7% 3.2% $2.3

Cost Breakdown

Average rent: $1,620 in the United States vs $446 in Turkey. For reference, capital cities sit at $2,768 in Washington, DC and $765 in Ankara.

Average salary: $4,549 in the United States vs $1,034 in Turkey. The income gap affects purchasing power and how far your budget stretches in each country.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 263% higher in the United States.

Dining out costs 121% more in the United States.

Public transport is 91% more expensive in the United States.

Salaries are about 4.4 times higher in the United States, and purchasing power comes out stronger in the United States.

Good to know

🇺🇸 United States

🇹🇷 Turkey

🕒 Local time

03:45 3:45 AM

10:45 10:45 AM

7 h ahead of the United States

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

340,110,988

85,372,377

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.899 EUR

100 TRY = 2.01 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 28, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.899 EUR).

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 49.82 TRY (100 TRY = 2.01 USD). 1 EUR = 55.45 TRY (100 TRY = 1.8 EUR).

TRY to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

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

From you

United States
Turkey

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

United States vs Turkey: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Turkey is the cheaper option – living costs run roughly 56% lower on average.

Housing costs more in the United States: a central one-bedroom averages $1,620 versus $446 in Turkey.

Groceries, public transport, and eating out all cost less in Turkey, adding to the overall 126% 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. But cost isn’t everything: visa policies, language, healthcare quality, and job markets all weigh in too.