Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Wah and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in Wah: $420 a month against $1,519 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $13,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

20

Cost of Living Index in Wah
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Wah Living Index
73

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index

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Wah

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$420

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,519

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Wah and in Istanbul

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

A single person spends $420 per month in Wah vs $1,519 in Istanbul, rent included.

Wah $420
Istanbul $1,519

A couple spends around $652 per month in Wah vs $2,365 in Istanbul, rent included.

Wah $652
Istanbul $2,365

A family of three spends $883 per month in Wah vs $3,212 in Istanbul, rent included.

Wah $883
Istanbul $3,212

Wah is about 72% cheaper than Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Wah sits 69% below the global median, while Istanbul is 12% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.77 PKR 489

$11.81 ₺592

-85.01%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$10.72 PKR 2,964

$54.9 ₺2,754

-80.48%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.40 PKR 1,492

$9.26 ₺465

-41.68%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.60 PKR 718

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 PKR 592

Cappuccino

$1.23 PKR 341

$4.30 ₺216

-71.40%

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

$0.32 PKR 88.3

$1.77 ₺89.0

-81.92%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.24 PKR 66.2

$0.56 ₺28.32

-57.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.69 ₺235

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.12 ₺357

Milk (1 liter)

$0.78 PKR 216

$1.25 ₺62.7

-37.60%

White Bread (500g)

$0.61 PKR 169

$0.88 ₺44.17

-30.68%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.26 PKR 348

$2.20 ₺111

-42.73%

Eggs

$1.21 PKR 334

$2.43 ₺122

-50.21%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.64 PKR 2,389

$10.48 ₺526

-17.56%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.47 PKR 682

$5.31 ₺267

-53.48%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$4.16 PKR 1,151

$21.10 ₺1,058

-80.28%

Apples (1kg)

$1.10 PKR 304

$1.86 ₺93.1

-40.86%

Banana (1kg)

$0.61 PKR 169

$2.30 ₺115

-73.48%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.60 PKR 167

$1.22 ₺61.0

-50.82%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.60 PKR 166

$1.80 ₺90.2

-66.67%

Potato (1kg)

$0.30 PKR 83.7

$0.69 ₺34.83

-56.52%

Onion (1kg)

$0.48 PKR 133

$0.64 ₺32.16

-25.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.41 PKR 113

$1.36 ₺68.0

-69.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.40 PKR 112

$0.58 ₺28.94

-31.03%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$0.52 PKR 143

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 PKR 146

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.69 PKR 191

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.42 PKR 392

$2.34 ₺117

-39.32%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.03 ₺653

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.36 ₺118

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.32 ₺166

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.18 PKR 49.72

$0.88 ₺44.07

-79.55%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$10.05 PKR 2,779

$66.1 ₺3,316

-84.80%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.09 PKR 302

$1.28 ₺64.4

-14.84%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.10 PKR 305

$0.85 ₺42.80

29.41%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.85 PKR 786

$11.09 ₺556

-74.30%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.17 PKR 322

$1.48 ₺74.0

-20.95%

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

$23.9K PKR 6.6M

$48.6K ₺2.4M

-50.93%

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

$23.3K PKR 6.4M

$42.0K ₺2.1M

-44.52%

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

$66.3 PKR 18.3K

$92.7 ₺4,650

-28.52%

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

$5.43 PKR 1,502

$11.20 ₺562

-51.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$14.56 PKR 4,023

$15.89 ₺797

-8.37%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$14.81 PKR 4,093

$74.7 ₺3,745

-80.17%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.95 PKR 2,197

$22.95 ₺1,151

-65.36%

Cinema Ticket

$7.08 PKR 1,957

$8.05 ₺404

-12.05%

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

$26.82 PKR 7,412

$948 ₺47.6K

-97.17%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,009 PKR 555.1K

$36.9K ₺1.9M

-94.56%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$18.75 PKR 5,183

$53.9 ₺2,702

-65.20%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$26.39 PKR 7,294

$41.49 ₺2,081

-36.39%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$54.6 PKR 15.1K

$101 ₺5,060

-45.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$29.43 PKR 8,132

$91.3 ₺4,580

-67.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$135 PKR 37.2K

$1,014 ₺50.8K

-86.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$84.8 PKR 23.4K

$625 ₺31.3K

-86.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$268 PKR 74.1K

$2,005 ₺100.6K

-86.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$181 PKR 50.1K

$1,126 ₺56.5K

-83.90%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$820 PKR 226.6K

$2,988 ₺149.8K

-72.55%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$512 PKR 141.5K

$1,730 ₺86.8K

-70.40%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,136 ₺57.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.83

40.42

-70.73%

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

Last update for Wah: October 31, 2026

Last update for Istanbul: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Wah

$97 23.2%

Istanbul

$258 17% 165% $161

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Wah

$86 20.5%

Istanbul

$120 7.9% 38.9% $34

Accommodation & Living

Wah

$85 20.2%

Istanbul

$625 41.1% 636% $540

Clothing & Footwear

Wah

$58 13.8%

Istanbul

$129 8.5% 123% $71

Eating Out

Wah

$47 11.3%

Istanbul

$221 14.6% 366% $174

Sport & Entertainment

Wah

$29 6.9%

Istanbul

$91 6% 213% $62

Getting Around

Wah

$17 4.1%

Istanbul

$75 5% 332% $58

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $135 in Wah versus $1,014 in Istanbul. 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 $11 in Wah versus $55 in Istanbul. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $97 vs $258 – making Wah the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇰 Wah

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

07:17 7:17 AM

05:17 5:17 AM

2 h behind Wah

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

400,733

15,701,602

💱 Currency

Pakistani Rupee PKR ₨

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 PKR = 3.62 USD

1,000 PKR = 3.22 EUR

100 TRY = 1.99 USD

100 TRY = 1.78 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TRY, USD, EUR to PKR – Pakistani Rupee Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇰 Pakistani Rupee (₨)

Pakistani Rupee exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 276 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.62 USD). 1 EUR = 310 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.22 EUR).

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 50.15 TRY (100 TRY = 1.99 USD). 1 EUR = 56.3 TRY (100 TRY = 1.78 EUR).

USD to PKR in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Wah Istanbul 3,910 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Wah
Istanbul

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

Wah vs Istanbul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 261%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $631 per month in Wah and $2,278 in Istanbul. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Wah, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $135 there versus $1,014 in Istanbul.

Kindergarten costs $27 per month in Wah and $948 in Istanbul. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 165% more in Istanbul, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Wah, where all-in costs run around $420, than in Istanbul at $1,519. In Wah it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

For expats, Wah is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 72% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.