Cost of living comparison
compared to
Istanbul vs. Nanjing Cost of Living Summary
Istanbul is 61.0% more expensive than Nanjing.
- Restaurants
-
pay 2.6 times more in Istanbul
- Groceries
-
pay 1.1% less in Istanbul
- Transportation
-
pay 77.0% more in Istanbul
- Housing
-
pay 98.6% more in Istanbul
- Childcare
-
pay 10.5% less in Istanbul
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 77.9% more in Istanbul
- Clothing
-
pay 25.1% more in Istanbul
The cost of restaurants, housing, entertainment and sports, transportation, and clothing in Istanbul are more expensive than in Nanjing. Expenses including childcare and groceries are lower in Istanbul. Notably, restaurants, housing, and entertainment and sports are significantly more expensive in Istanbul.
Istanbul vs. Nanjing Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Istanbul instead of Nanjing, you would:
pay 2.6 times more for restaurants
|
Nanjing
|
Istanbul
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$3.73
CN¥24.89
|
$12.19
TRY606.11
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$4.85
CN¥32.35
|
$9.35
TRY464.68
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$0.51
CN¥3.43
|
$1.73
TRY86.04
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$0.26
CN¥1.74
|
$0.58
TRY28.76
|
|
Nanjing vs. Istanbul - Cost of restaurants
pay 1.1% less for groceries
|
Nanjing
|
Istanbul
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$2.11
CN¥14.10
|
$0.92
TRY45.76
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$5.29
CN¥35.34
|
$5.28
TRY262.29
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$8.05
CN¥53.70
|
$4.69
TRY232.86
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$1.33
CN¥8.90
|
$2.41
TRY119.84
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$1.35
CN¥9.03
|
$2.54
TRY126.19
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$0.95
CN¥6.36
|
$0.85
TRY42.32
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.58
CN¥3.84
|
$1.03
TRY51.06
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$0.79
CN¥5.31
|
$0.57
TRY28.45
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$0.49
CN¥3.30
|
$0.84
TRY41.53
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.40
CN¥2.64
|
$0.31
TRY15.42
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$0.42
CN¥2.82
|
$0.29
TRY14.22
|
|
Nanjing vs. Istanbul - Cost of groceries
pay 77.0% more for transportation
|
Nanjing
|
Istanbul
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$5.04
CN¥33.65
|
$5.43
TRY270.07
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$29.83
CN¥199.09
|
$67.03
TRY3,331.58
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$19,374.76
CN¥129K
|
$50,810.11
TRY3M
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$4.94
CN¥32.95
|
$8.40
TRY417.69
|
|
Nanjing vs. Istanbul - Cost of transportation
pay 98.6% more for housing
|
Nanjing
|
Istanbul
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$7.16
CN¥47.78
|
$16.15
TRY802.49
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$523.69
CN¥3,495.09
|
$996.85
TRY49,547.03
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$296.48
CN¥1,978.71
|
$647.83
TRY32,199.56
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$41.74
CN¥278.60
|
$68.87
TRY3,423.14
|
|
Nanjing vs. Istanbul - Cost of housing
pay 10.5% less for childcare
|
Nanjing
|
Istanbul
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,482.08
CN¥9,891.40
|
$1,021.62
TRY50,778.49
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$22,372.70
CN¥149K
|
$25,999.20
TRY1M
|
|
Nanjing vs. Istanbul - Cost of childcare
pay 77.9% more for entertainment and sports
|
Nanjing
|
Istanbul
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$1.49
CN¥9.95
|
$4.78
TRY237.39
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$3.08
CN¥20.57
|
$4.31
TRY214.45
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$3.73
CN¥24.89
|
$2.34
TRY116.17
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$28.59
CN¥190.79
|
$76.22
TRY3,788.18
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$5.97
CN¥39.82
|
$8.13
TRY404.07
|
|
Nanjing vs. Istanbul - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 25.1% more for clothing
|
Nanjing
|
Istanbul
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$42.71
CN¥285.03
|
$53.35
TRY2,651.47
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$33.91
CN¥226.34
|
$39.62
TRY1,969.15
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$65.18
CN¥435.01
|
$99.91
TRY4,966.02
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$87.34
CN¥582.90
|
$95.52
TRY4,747.86
|
|
Nanjing vs. Istanbul - Cost of clothing
We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world. Sources: MyLifeElsewhere's cost-of-living dataset (prices updated October 2026). How we calculate this
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