Cost of living comparison
compared to
Istanbul vs. Ankara Cost of Living Summary
Istanbul is 31.4% more expensive than Ankara.
- Restaurants
-
pay 18.6% more in Istanbul
- Groceries
-
pay 5.1% more in Istanbul
- Transportation
-
pay 2.1 times more in Istanbul
- Housing
-
pay 9.2% more in Istanbul
- Childcare
-
pay 54.1% more in Istanbul
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 15.8% more in Istanbul
- Clothing
-
pay 2.3% more in Istanbul
The cost of transportation, childcare, restaurants, entertainment and sports, housing, and groceries in Istanbul are more expensive than in Ankara. Notably, transportation is significantly more expensive in Istanbul.
Istanbul vs. Ankara Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Istanbul instead of Ankara, you would:
pay 18.6% more for restaurants
|
Ankara
|
Istanbul
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$9.62
TRY409.29
|
$10.83
TRY460.38
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$8.42
TRY358.13
|
$8.42
TRY358.07
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$1.21
TRY51.39
|
$1.41
TRY60.14
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$0.41
TRY17.42
|
$0.52
TRY22.02
|
|
Ankara vs. Istanbul - Cost of restaurants
pay 5.1% more for groceries
|
Ankara
|
Istanbul
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$0.69
TRY29.36
|
$0.74
TRY31.55
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$4.81
TRY204.56
|
$4.71
TRY200.11
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$3.67
TRY156.04
|
$3.92
TRY166.89
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$2.32
TRY98.68
|
$2.56
TRY108.95
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$2.55
TRY108.32
|
$2.81
TRY119.39
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$0.70
TRY29.65
|
$0.70
TRY29.67
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$1.05
TRY44.70
|
$1.04
TRY44.32
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$0.60
TRY25.52
|
$0.61
TRY26.15
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$0.64
TRY27.05
|
$0.66
TRY27.97
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.30
TRY12.55
|
$0.31
TRY12.98
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$0.25
TRY10.63
|
$0.29
TRY12.21
|
|
Ankara vs. Istanbul - Cost of groceries
pay 2.1 times more for transportation
|
Ankara
|
Istanbul
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$4.41
TRY187.55
|
$4.52
TRY192.02
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$9.02
TRY383.71
|
$51.00
TRY2,168.88
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$48,122.27
TRY2,046,447.66
|
$46,262.10
TRY1,967,342.23
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$6.74
TRY286.50
|
$6.40
TRY272.13
|
|
Ankara vs. Istanbul - Cost of transportation
pay 9.2% more for housing
|
Ankara
|
Istanbul
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$13.72
TRY583.66
|
$14.42
TRY613.18
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$717.46
TRY30,510.67
|
$944.04
TRY40,146.28
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$512.73
TRY21,804.41
|
$600.84
TRY25,551.50
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$62.15
TRY2,643.06
|
$51.55
TRY2,192.36
|
|
Ankara vs. Istanbul - Cost of housing
pay 54.1% more for childcare
|
Ankara
|
Istanbul
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$600.60
TRY25,541.24
|
$1,054.93
TRY44,862.11
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$14,110.57
TRY600,066.10
|
$18,729.11
TRY796,473.95
|
|
Ankara vs. Istanbul - Cost of childcare
pay 15.8% more for entertainment and sports
|
Ankara
|
Istanbul
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$3.61
TRY153.48
|
$3.61
TRY153.46
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$3.22
TRY137.05
|
$3.73
TRY158.56
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$2.17
TRY92.09
|
$2.17
TRY92.08
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$55.91
TRY2,377.78
|
$60.55
TRY2,574.89
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$6.44
TRY273.71
|
$7.94
TRY337.61
|
|
Ankara vs. Istanbul - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 2.3% more for clothing
|
Ankara
|
Istanbul
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$57.32
TRY2,437.66
|
$55.12
TRY2,344.15
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$45.55
TRY1,937.12
|
$46.04
TRY1,958.06
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$104.18
TRY4,430.56
|
$112.25
TRY4,773.38
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$95.96
TRY4,080.86
|
$100.05
TRY4,254.83
|
|
Ankara vs. Istanbul - Cost of clothing
The statistics used to build this comparison are calculated using data from users just like you.
We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world.
Learn more about our data sources. Page last updated: December 2025
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