Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Van and Ankara

For one person, living is cheaper in Van: $956 a month against $1,393 in Ankara, rent and utilities included – about $5,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

46

Cost of Living Index in Van
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Van Living Index
67

Cost of Living Index in Ankara
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Ankara Living Index

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Van

🇹🇷 Turkey

$956

/mo nomad

Ankara

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,393

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Van 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 Van and in Ankara actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $956 per month in Van vs $1,393 in Ankara, rent included.

Van $956
Ankara $1,393

A couple spends around $1,536 per month in Van vs $2,079 in Ankara, rent included.

Van $1,536
Ankara $2,079

A family of three spends $2,116 per month in Van vs $2,765 in Ankara, rent included.

Van $2,116
Ankara $2,765

Van is about 31% cheaper than Ankara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Van sits 30% below the global median, while Ankara is 2% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.48 ₺373

$9.90 ₺493

-24.44%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$34.59 ₺1,723

$42.89 ₺2,137

-19.35%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.93 ₺395

$9.31 ₺464

-14.82%

Cappuccino

$3.57 ₺178

$4.15 ₺207

-13.98%

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

$1.14 ₺56.6

$1.66 ₺82.6

-31.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.42 ₺21.17

$0.76 ₺37.93

-44.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.33 ₺166

$5.15 ₺257

-35.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.10 ₺154

$5.85 ₺291

-47.01%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.96 ₺47.67

$1.20 ₺59.9

-20.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.00 ₺49.80

$0.99 ₺49.44

1.01%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.25 ₺112

$2.15 ₺107

4.65%

Eggs

$1.48 ₺73.9

$2.69 ₺134

-44.98%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.99 ₺448

$10.22 ₺509

-12.04%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.07 ₺203

$5.45 ₺272

-25.32%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.62 ₺1,127

$20.32 ₺1,012

11.32%

Apples (1kg)

$1.82 ₺90.9

$1.91 ₺95.0

-4.71%

Banana (1kg)

$1.83 ₺91.1

$2.28 ₺113

-19.74%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.09 ₺54.3

$1.27 ₺63.1

-14.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.15 ₺57.4

$1.64 ₺81.7

-29.88%

Potato (1kg)

$0.52 ₺25.73

$0.67 ₺33.27

-22.39%

Onion (1kg)

$0.35 ₺17.44

$0.57 ₺28.54

-38.60%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.74 ₺36.87

$1.03 ₺51.3

-28.16%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.61 ₺30.53

$0.64 ₺31.68

-4.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.16 ₺108

$2.19 ₺109

-1.37%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.36 ₺516

$12.46 ₺621

-16.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.01 ₺99.9

$2.24 ₺112

-10.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.79 ₺139

$3.11 ₺155

-10.29%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.73 ₺36.59

$0.82 ₺40.86

-10.98%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.86 ₺591

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.30 ₺64.6

$1.28 ₺63.7

1.56%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.76 ₺37.85

$0.81 ₺40.60

-6.17%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.21 ₺359

$6.46 ₺322

11.61%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 ₺64.0

$1.40 ₺69.7

-8.57%

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

$42.2K ₺2.1M

$47.9K ₺2.4M

-11.87%

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

$38.9K ₺1.9M

$40.3K ₺2.0M

-3.56%

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

$79.9 ₺3,981

$93.1 ₺4,638

-14.17%

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

$10.46 ₺521

$10.72 ₺534

-2.43%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$13.39 ₺667

$17.87 ₺891

-25.07%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.0 ₺2,841

$72.2 ₺3,596

-20.99%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.34 ₺764

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ₺324

$8.04 ₺401

-19.28%

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

$624 ₺31.1K

$1,032 ₺51.4K

-39.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K ₺566.1K

$19.2K ₺955.5K

-40.76%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$45.86 ₺2,285

$53.4 ₺2,658

-14.06%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.35 ₺1,661

$48.30 ₺2,406

-30.95%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.7 ₺3,969

$104 ₺5,194

-23.58%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.8 ₺4,425

$96.0 ₺4,784

-7.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$469 ₺23.4K

$765 ₺38.1K

-38.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$278 ₺13.9K

$569 ₺28.3K

-51.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$816 ₺40.6K

$1,127 ₺56.2K

-27.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$586 ₺29.2K

$893 ₺44.5K

-34.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,491 ₺74.3K

$1,678 ₺83.6K

-11.14%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$968 ₺48.2K

$1,158 ₺57.7K

-16.44%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,053 ₺52.4K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

41.33

43.57

-5.14%

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

Last update for Van: October 26, 2026

Last update for Ankara: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Van

$278 29.1%

Ankara

$569 40.9% 104% $291

Groceries & Markets

Van

$229 23.9%

Ankara

$254 18.2% 11% $25

Eating Out

Van

$156 16.3%

Ankara

$204 14.7% 31.2% $49

Clothing & Footwear

Van

$111 11.7%

Ankara

$136 9.8% 21.9% $24

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Van

$104 10.9%

Ankara

$122 8.7% 17.3% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Van

$70 7.3%

Ankara

$88 6.3% 26.1% $18

Getting Around

Van

$8 * 0.8%

Ankara

$21 1.5% 155% $12

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $469 in Van versus $765 in Ankara. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $35 in Van versus $43 in Ankara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $229 vs $254 – making Van the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Van

🇹🇷 Ankara

🕒 Local time

13:04 1:04 PM

Same time as Van

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,141,015

5,864,049 Capital

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 2.01 USD

100 TRY = 1.8 EUR

100 TRY = 2.01 USD

100 TRY = 1.8 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Van Ankara 920 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Van
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

Van vs Ankara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ankara costs about 46% more than Van, 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 $1,434 per month in Van and $2,090 in Ankara. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Van, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $469 there versus $765 in Ankara.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $35 in Van and $43 in Ankara. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 11% more in Ankara, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

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

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.