Cost of Living · KR vs TR
🇰🇷 Seoul vs 🇹🇷 Istanbul: what everyday life costs
Monthly essentials: $1,390 in South Korea vs $745 in Türkiye — 46.37% cheaper.
Biggest differences
Much cheaper in Türkiye
- 🏙️ Rent: 1-bedroom, city center: -51.27%
- 🏡 Rent: 1-bedroom, outside center: -51.27%
- 🏢 Rent: 3-bedroom, city center: -51.27%
Closest to South Korea prices
- ⛽ Petrol/gasoline, 1L: -17.72%
- 🍻 Imported beer, 330ml bottle: -18.54%
- 👖 Jeans (mid-range brand): -18.56%
The full basket (32 items)
| Item | South Korea | Türkiye | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | |||
| 🏙️ Rent: 1-bedroom, city center | $937 | $457 (18,014 TRY) | -51.27% |
| 🏡 Rent: 1-bedroom, outside center | $750 | $365 (14,411 TRY) | -51.27% |
| 🏢 Rent: 3-bedroom, city center | $1,713 | $835 (32,941 TRY) | -51.27% |
| Food out | |||
| 🍜 Meal, inexpensive restaurant | $11.02 | $6.26 (247 TRY) | -43.19% |
| 🍽️ Dinner for two, mid-range | $45.90 | $26.10 (1,030 TRY) | -43.14% |
| 🍔 Fast-food combo meal | $7.04 | $4.21 (166 TRY) | -40.2% |
| Groceries | |||
| 🥛 Milk, 1L | $0.77 | $0.51 (20 TRY) | -33.77% |
| 🍞 Bread, fresh loaf 500g | $2.24 | $1.48 (58 TRY) | -33.93% |
| 🥚 Eggs, dozen | $2.38 | $1.58 (62 TRY) | -33.61% |
| 🍗 Chicken breast, 1kg | $7.00 | $4.64 (183 TRY) | -33.71% |
| 🍚 White rice, 1kg | $2.80 | $1.86 (73 TRY) | -33.57% |
| 🍎 Apples, 1kg | $3.36 | $2.23 (88 TRY) | -33.63% |
| 🧀 Local cheese, 1kg | $8.40 | $5.57 (220 TRY) | -33.69% |
| 💧 Water, 1.5L bottle | $1.40 | $0.93 (37 TRY) | -33.57% |
| Drinks | |||
| 🍺 Domestic beer, pint (draught) | $3.67 | $2.09 (82 TRY) | -43.05% |
| 🍻 Imported beer, 330ml bottle | $6.69 | $5.45 (215 TRY) | -18.54% |
| ☕ Cappuccino | $3.06 | $1.74 (69 TRY) | -43.14% |
| 🥤 Coke/Pepsi, 330ml | $1.61 | $1.07 (42 TRY) | -33.54% |
| Transport | |||
| 🚇 Public transport, monthly pass | $41.60 | $24.90 (982 TRY) | -40.14% |
| 🎫 Public transport, one-way | $1.76 | $1.05 (41 TRY) | -40.34% |
| 🚕 Taxi start (normal tariff) | $2.45 | $1.39 (55 TRY) | -43.27% |
| 🛣️ Taxi, per km | $1.10 | $0.63 (25 TRY) | -42.73% |
| ⛽ Petrol/gasoline, 1L | $0.79 | $0.65 (26 TRY) | -17.72% |
| Utilities & comms | |||
| 💡 Basic utilities, 85m² apartment | $128 | $76.60 (3,022 TRY) | -40.16% |
| 🌐 Internet, 60Mbps+ unlimited | $44.80 | $26.81 (1,058 TRY) | -40.16% |
| 📱 Mobile plan, 10GB+ data | $28.80 | $17.24 (680 TRY) | -40.14% |
| Lifestyle | |||
| 🏋️ Gym membership, month | $30.60 | $17.40 (687 TRY) | -43.14% |
| 🎬 Cinema seat | $8.57 | $4.87 (192 TRY) | -43.17% |
| 💈 Men's haircut | $18.36 | $10.44 (412 TRY) | -43.14% |
| 👖 Jeans (mid-range brand) | $46.01 | $37.47 (1,478 TRY) | -18.56% |
| 👟 Running shoes (brand) | $75.29 | $61.31 (2,419 TRY) | -18.57% |
| 💻 Coworking hot desk, month | $153 | $86.99 (3,432 TRY) | -43.15% |
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 South Korea?
- A single person's monthly essentials run about $745 in Türkiye versus $1,390 in South Korea — 46.37% 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 $3.67 in South Korea.
- How much is rent in Türkiye compared to South Korea?
- A 1-bedroom city-center apartment is estimated at $457/month in Türkiye versus $937/month in South Korea (-51.27%). 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.