Cost of Living · TR vs CN
🇹🇷 Istanbul vs 🇨🇳 Shanghai: what everyday life costs
Monthly essentials: $745 in Türkiye vs $1,011 in China — 35.68% more expensive.
Biggest differences
Much cheaper in China
- 👖 Jeans (mid-range brand): 10.62%
- 👟 Running shoes (brand): 10.62%
- 🍻 Imported beer, 330ml bottle: 10.64%
Closest to Türkiye prices
- 🏢 Rent: 3-bedroom, city center: +42.4%
- 🏡 Rent: 1-bedroom, outside center: +42.4%
- 🏙️ Rent: 1-bedroom, city center: +42.4%
The full basket (32 items)
| Item | Türkiye | China | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | |||
| 🏙️ Rent: 1-bedroom, city center | $457 | $650 (4,675 CNY) | +42.4% |
| 🏡 Rent: 1-bedroom, outside center | $365 | $520 (3,740 CNY) | +42.4% |
| 🏢 Rent: 3-bedroom, city center | $835 | $1,189 (8,548 CNY) | +42.4% |
| Food out | |||
| 🍜 Meal, inexpensive restaurant | $6.26 | $8.27 (59 CNY) | +32.11% |
| 🍽️ Dinner for two, mid-range | $26.10 | $34.45 (248 CNY) | +31.99% |
| 🍔 Fast-food combo meal | $4.21 | $5.42 (39 CNY) | +28.74% |
| Groceries | |||
| 🥛 Milk, 1L | $0.51 | $0.62 (4 CNY) | +21.57% |
| 🍞 Bread, fresh loaf 500g | $1.48 | $1.82 (13 CNY) | +22.97% |
| 🥚 Eggs, dozen | $1.58 | $1.93 (14 CNY) | +22.15% |
| 🍗 Chicken breast, 1kg | $4.64 | $5.68 (41 CNY) | +22.41% |
| 🍚 White rice, 1kg | $1.86 | $2.27 (16 CNY) | +22.04% |
| 🍎 Apples, 1kg | $2.23 | $2.73 (20 CNY) | +22.42% |
| 🧀 Local cheese, 1kg | $5.57 | $6.81 (49 CNY) | +22.26% |
| 💧 Water, 1.5L bottle | $0.93 | $1.14 (8 CNY) | +22.58% |
| Drinks | |||
| 🍺 Domestic beer, pint (draught) | $2.09 | $2.76 (20 CNY) | +32.06% |
| 🍻 Imported beer, 330ml bottle | $5.45 | $6.03 (43 CNY) | +10.64% |
| ☕ Cappuccino | $1.74 | $2.30 (17 CNY) | +32.18% |
| 🥤 Coke/Pepsi, 330ml | $1.07 | $1.31 (9 CNY) | +22.43% |
| Transport | |||
| 🚇 Public transport, monthly pass | $24.90 | $32.05 (230 CNY) | +28.71% |
| 🎫 Public transport, one-way | $1.05 | $1.36 (10 CNY) | +29.52% |
| 🚕 Taxi start (normal tariff) | $1.39 | $1.84 (13 CNY) | +32.37% |
| 🛣️ Taxi, per km | $0.63 | $0.83 (6 CNY) | +31.75% |
| ⛽ Petrol/gasoline, 1L | $0.65 | $0.72 (5 CNY) | +10.77% |
| Utilities & comms | |||
| 💡 Basic utilities, 85m² apartment | $76.60 | $98.60 (709 CNY) | +28.72% |
| 🌐 Internet, 60Mbps+ unlimited | $26.81 | $34.51 (248 CNY) | +28.72% |
| 📱 Mobile plan, 10GB+ data | $17.24 | $22.19 (160 CNY) | +28.71% |
| Lifestyle | |||
| 🏋️ Gym membership, month | $17.40 | $22.97 (165 CNY) | +32.01% |
| 🎬 Cinema seat | $4.87 | $6.43 (46 CNY) | +32.03% |
| 💈 Men's haircut | $10.44 | $13.78 (99 CNY) | +31.99% |
| 👖 Jeans (mid-range brand) | $37.47 | $41.45 (298 CNY) | +10.62% |
| 👟 Running shoes (brand) | $61.31 | $67.82 (488 CNY) | +10.62% |
| 💻 Coworking hot desk, month | $86.99 | $115 (826 CNY) | +32% |
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 more expensive is China than Türkiye?
- A single person's monthly essentials run about $1,011 in China versus $745 in Türkiye — 35.68% more. Rents differ the most; world-priced goods like petrol and electronics the least.
- What does a beer cost in China?
- A domestic draught pint is roughly $2.76 in China (≈ 19.84 CNY), versus about $2.09 in Türkiye.
- How much is rent in China compared to Türkiye?
- A 1-bedroom city-center apartment is estimated at $650/month in China versus $457/month in Türkiye (+42.4%). 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.