Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Urumqi and Ankara

For one person, living is cheaper in Urumqi: $605 a month against $1,389 in Ankara, rent and utilities included – about $9,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

29

Cost of Living Index in Urumqi
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Urumqi Living Index
67

Cost of Living Index in Ankara
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Ankara Living Index

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Urumqi

🇨🇳 China

$605

/mo nomad

Ankara

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,389

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Urumqi and in Ankara

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

A single person spends $605 per month in Urumqi vs $1,389 in Ankara, rent included.

Urumqi $605
Ankara $1,389

A couple spends around $960 per month in Urumqi vs $2,087 in Ankara, rent included.

Urumqi $960
Ankara $2,087

A family of three spends $1,315 per month in Urumqi vs $2,785 in Ankara, rent included.

Urumqi $1,315
Ankara $2,785

Urumqi is about 56% cheaper than Ankara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Urumqi sits 55% below the global median, while Ankara is 3% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.34 ¥22.25

$10.10 ₺507

-66.93%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.34 ¥122

$43.81 ₺2,197

-58.14%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.18 ¥34.51

$9.78 ₺490

-47.03%

Cappuccino

$2.84 ¥18.92

$4.12 ₺207

-31.07%

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

$0.43 ¥2.85

$1.68 ₺84.3

-74.40%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.26 ¥1.74

$0.72 ₺36.05

-63.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.11 ¥7.40

$5.02 ₺252

-77.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.86 ¥12.37

$6.60 ₺331

-71.82%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.23 ¥8.16

$1.16 ₺58.4

6.03%

White Bread (500g)

$0.87 ¥5.79

$0.96 ₺48.39

-9.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.65 ¥4.36

$2.25 ₺113

-71.11%

Eggs

$1.48 ¥9.84

$2.66 ₺134

-44.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.86 ¥39.06

$10.09 ₺506

-41.92%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.41 ¥16.07

$5.43 ₺272

-55.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.54 ¥63.6

$19.99 ₺1,003

-52.28%

Apples (1kg)

$2.03 ¥13.49

$1.91 ₺95.8

6.28%

Banana (1kg)

$1.15 ¥7.65

$2.18 ₺109

-47.25%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.84 ¥12.28

$1.26 ₺63.3

46.03%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.78 ¥5.22

$1.65 ₺82.6

-52.73%

Potato (1kg)

$0.51 ¥3.37

$0.65 ₺32.69

-21.54%

Onion (1kg)

$0.63 ¥4.16

$0.55 ₺27.40

14.55%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.55 ¥3.65

$0.99 ₺49.75

-44.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.46 ¥3.06

$0.66 ₺32.90

-30.30%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.94 ¥19.57

$2.25 ₺113

30.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.38 ¥69.1

$12.37 ₺620

-16.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 ¥7.70

$2.12 ₺106

-45.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.52 ¥10.12

$3.20 ₺161

-52.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 ¥2.08

$0.77 ₺38.86

-59.74%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$18.03 ¥120

$11.85 ₺595

52.15%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.47 ¥9.78

$1.28 ₺64.3

14.84%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.31 ¥2.08

$0.84 ₺42.02

-63.10%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.38 ¥49.14

$8.22 ₺412

-10.22%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.20 ¥8.00

$1.39 ₺69.5

-13.67%

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

$17.9K ¥119.3K

$48.4K ₺2.4M

-63.04%

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

$14.3K ¥95.2K

$40.2K ₺2.0M

-64.50%

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

$67.5 ¥450

$99.9 ₺5,011

-32.40%

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

$5.53 ¥36.85

$11.15 ₺559

-50.40%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.25 ¥74.9

$17.94 ₺900

-37.29%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$22.23 ¥148

$72.0 ₺3,611

-69.12%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.06 ¥67.0

$14.80 ₺742

-32.03%

Cinema Ticket

$5.86 ¥39.06

$7.77 ₺390

-24.58%

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

$148 ¥984

$1,084 ₺54.3K

-86.36%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.5K ₺1.1M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.6 ¥343

$53.4 ₺2,677

-3.41%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$22.81 ¥152

$47.87 ₺2,401

-52.35%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$107 ¥712

$104 ₺5,229

2.59%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$44.15 ¥294

$97.8 ₺4,905

-54.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$266 ¥1,772

$748 ₺37.5K

-64.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$118 ¥787

$557 ₺27.9K

-78.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$411 ¥2,737

$1,142 ₺57.3K

-64.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$253 ¥1,683

$902 ₺45.2K

-71.97%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,869 ¥12.5K

$1,644 ₺82.5K

13.72%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,175 ¥7,828

$1,142 ₺57.3K

2.91%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,139 ¥7,585

$1,058 ₺53.1K

7.60%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.39

43.85

-92.27%

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

Last update for Urumqi: November 1, 2026

Last update for Ankara: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Urumqi

$156 25.8%

Ankara

$251 18.1% 60.7% $95

Accommodation & Living

Urumqi

$118 19.6%

Ankara

$557 40.1% 371% $439

Clothing & Footwear

Urumqi

$101 16.8%

Ankara

$136 9.8% 34.5% $35

Eating Out

Urumqi

$88 14.6%

Ankara

$208 14.9% 135% $119

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Urumqi

$84 13.9%

Ankara

$129 9.3% 53% $45

Sport & Entertainment

Urumqi

$34 5.6%

Ankara

$88 6.3% 158% $54

Getting Around

Urumqi

$22 3.7%

Ankara

$20 1.5% 8.5% $1.9

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $266 in Urumqi versus $748 in Ankara. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 8% higher in Urumqi, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $18 in Urumqi versus $44 in Ankara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $156 vs $251 – making Urumqi the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Urumqi

🇹🇷 Ankara

🕒 Local time

02:44 2:44 AM

23:44 11:44 PM

3 h behind Urumqi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,054,369

5,864,049 Capital

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.134 EUR

100 TRY = 1.99 USD

100 TRY = 1.78 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TRY, USD, EUR to CNY – Chinese Yuan Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇳 Chinese Yuan (¥)

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 6.66 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.44 CNY (1 CNY = 0.134 EUR).

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 50.15 TRY (100 TRY = 1.99 USD). 1 EUR = 56.05 TRY (100 TRY = 1.78 EUR).

USD to CNY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Urumqi Ankara 4,470 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Urumqi
Ankara

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

Urumqi vs Ankara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ankara costs about 130% more than Urumqi, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $907 per month in Urumqi and $2,083 in Ankara. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Urumqi, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $266 there versus $748 in Ankara.

Kindergarten costs $148 per month in Urumqi and $1,084 in Ankara. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 61% more in Ankara, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Urumqi, where all-in costs run around $605, than in Ankara at $1,389. In Urumqi it covers expenses comfortably, while in Ankara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Urumqi – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.