Cost of Living · JP vs TR
🇯🇵 Tokyo vs 🇹🇷 Istanbul: what everyday life costs
Monthly essentials: $1,435 in Japan vs $745 in Türkiye — 48.07% cheaper.
Biggest differences
Much cheaper in Türkiye
- 🏙️ Rent: 1-bedroom, city center: -53.02%
- 🏡 Rent: 1-bedroom, outside center: -53.02%
- 🏢 Rent: 3-bedroom, city center: -53.02%
Closest to Japan prices
- ⛽ Petrol/gasoline, 1L: -18.75%
- 🍻 Imported beer, 330ml bottle: -19.38%
- 👖 Jeans (mid-range brand): -19.4%
The full basket (32 items)
| Item | Japan | Türkiye | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | |||
| 🏙️ Rent: 1-bedroom, city center | $972 | $457 (18,014 TRY) | -53.02% |
| 🏡 Rent: 1-bedroom, outside center | $778 | $365 (14,411 TRY) | -53.02% |
| 🏢 Rent: 3-bedroom, city center | $1,777 | $835 (32,941 TRY) | -53.02% |
| Food out | |||
| 🍜 Meal, inexpensive restaurant | $11.34 | $6.26 (247 TRY) | -44.8% |
| 🍽️ Dinner for two, mid-range | $47.25 | $26.10 (1,030 TRY) | -44.76% |
| 🍔 Fast-food combo meal | $7.23 | $4.21 (166 TRY) | -41.77% |
| Groceries | |||
| 🥛 Milk, 1L | $0.79 | $0.51 (20 TRY) | -35.44% |
| 🍞 Bread, fresh loaf 500g | $2.29 | $1.48 (58 TRY) | -35.37% |
| 🥚 Eggs, dozen | $2.43 | $1.58 (62 TRY) | -34.98% |
| 🍗 Chicken breast, 1kg | $7.15 | $4.64 (183 TRY) | -35.1% |
| 🍚 White rice, 1kg | $2.86 | $1.86 (73 TRY) | -34.97% |
| 🍎 Apples, 1kg | $3.43 | $2.23 (88 TRY) | -34.99% |
| 🧀 Local cheese, 1kg | $8.57 | $5.57 (220 TRY) | -35.01% |
| 💧 Water, 1.5L bottle | $1.43 | $0.93 (37 TRY) | -34.97% |
| Drinks | |||
| 🍺 Domestic beer, pint (draught) | $3.78 | $2.09 (82 TRY) | -44.71% |
| 🍻 Imported beer, 330ml bottle | $6.76 | $5.45 (215 TRY) | -19.38% |
| ☕ Cappuccino | $3.15 | $1.74 (69 TRY) | -44.76% |
| 🥤 Coke/Pepsi, 330ml | $1.64 | $1.07 (42 TRY) | -34.76% |
| Transport | |||
| 🚇 Public transport, monthly pass | $42.71 | $24.90 (982 TRY) | -41.7% |
| 🎫 Public transport, one-way | $1.81 | $1.05 (41 TRY) | -41.99% |
| 🚕 Taxi start (normal tariff) | $2.52 | $1.39 (55 TRY) | -44.84% |
| 🛣️ Taxi, per km | $1.13 | $0.63 (25 TRY) | -44.25% |
| ⛽ Petrol/gasoline, 1L | $0.80 | $0.65 (26 TRY) | -18.75% |
| Utilities & comms | |||
| 💡 Basic utilities, 85m² apartment | $131 | $76.60 (3,022 TRY) | -41.7% |
| 🌐 Internet, 60Mbps+ unlimited | $45.99 | $26.81 (1,058 TRY) | -41.7% |
| 📱 Mobile plan, 10GB+ data | $29.57 | $17.24 (680 TRY) | -41.7% |
| Lifestyle | |||
| 🏋️ Gym membership, month | $31.50 | $17.40 (687 TRY) | -44.76% |
| 🎬 Cinema seat | $8.82 | $4.87 (192 TRY) | -44.78% |
| 💈 Men's haircut | $18.90 | $10.44 (412 TRY) | -44.76% |
| 👖 Jeans (mid-range brand) | $46.49 | $37.47 (1,478 TRY) | -19.4% |
| 👟 Running shoes (brand) | $76.08 | $61.31 (2,419 TRY) | -19.41% |
| 💻 Coworking hot desk, month | $157 | $86.99 (3,432 TRY) | -44.76% |
Estimated from World Bank — Consumption price levels with per-item elasticity — model figures, not quotes. Compare any pair in the interactive tool.
Related
Frequently asked questions
- How much cheaper is Türkiye than Japan?
- A single person's monthly essentials run about $745 in Türkiye versus $1,435 in Japan — 48.07% less. Rents differ the most; world-priced goods like petrol and electronics the least.
- What does a beer cost in Türkiye?
- A domestic draught pint is roughly $2.09 in Türkiye (≈ 82.46 TRY), versus about $3.78 in Japan.
- How much is rent in Türkiye compared to Japan?
- A 1-bedroom city-center apartment is estimated at $457/month in Türkiye versus $972/month in Japan (-53.02%). Housing is the most locally-priced item in the basket.
- How are these prices estimated?
- Curated US baseline prices scaled by each country's purchasing-power price level with per-item elasticities (housing 1.4, services 1.1, groceries 0.8, world-priced goods 0.4) — model estimates for orientation, not quotes.