Cost of living comparison

compared to

Columbus vs. Istanbul Cost of Living Summary

Columbus is 31.4% more expensive than Istanbul.

Restaurants
pay 28.6% more in Columbus
Groceries
pay 90.9% more in Columbus
Transportation
pay 26.0% less in Columbus
Housing
pay 55.1% more in Columbus
Childcare
pay 3.6% more in Columbus
Entertainment and Sports
pay 15.6% more in Columbus
Clothing
pay 4.7% less in Columbus

The cost of groceries, housing, restaurants, entertainment and sports, and childcare in Columbus are more expensive than in Istanbul. Expenses including transportation and clothing are lower in Columbus. Notably, groceries is significantly more expensive in Columbus.

Columbus vs. Istanbul Cost Breakdown

If you lived in Columbus instead of Istanbul, you would:

pay 28.6% more for restaurants

 
Istanbul
Columbus
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant $12.19
TRY611.44
$15.00
 
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
$9.35
TRY468.77
$10.00
 
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) $1.73
TRY86.80
$2.27
 

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pay 90.9% more for groceries

 
Istanbul
Columbus
Bread
1 loaf
$0.92
TRY46.16
$3.19
 
Local cheese (8 oz) $5.28
TRY264.59
$6.40
 
Milk (1 gallon) $4.69
TRY234.91
$3.44
 

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pay 26.0% less for transportation

 
Istanbul
Columbus
Gasoline (1 gallon) $5.43
TRY272.44
$3.32
 
Monthly public transit pass $67.03
TRY3,360.91
??
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) $50,810.11
TRY3M
$36,168.00
 

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pay 55.1% more for housing

 
Istanbul
Columbus
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
$16.15
TRY809.55
$72.63
 
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area $996.85
TRY49,983.16
$1,324.50
 
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center $647.83
TRY32,482.99
$1,000.00
 

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pay 3.6% more for childcare

 
Istanbul
Columbus
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly $1,021.62
TRY51,225.46
$1,462.50
 
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters $25,999.20
TRY1M
$19,510.00
 

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pay 15.6% more for entertainment and sports

 
Istanbul
Columbus
Domestic/local beer (1 pint) $4.78
TRY239.48
$5.50
 
Cappuccino in mid-range area $4.31
TRY216.34
$4.96
 
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
$2.34
TRY117.19
$8.00
 

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pay 4.7% less for clothing

 
Istanbul
Columbus
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
$53.35
TRY2,674.81
$45.31
 
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
$39.62
TRY1,986.48
$40.00
 
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
$99.91
TRY5,009.73
$84.80
 

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We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world. Sources: MyLifeElsewhere's cost-of-living dataset (prices updated November 2026). How we calculate this

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