✦ Compare
Istanbul vs
Tokyo
Cost-of-living comparison and salary equivalence. Enter your current salary to see what you'd need to earn to live equally well.
Istanbul, TR vs Tokyo, JP at a glance — Tokyo, JP is 100% more expensive than Istanbul, TR overall. Median 1-bed rent runs about $1,300/mo versus $650/mo. Top income tax: 45% vs 40%.
To keep the same standard of living in Tokyo, JP, you'd need
$149,972 / year
Tokyo, JP is 100% more expensive overall
Category breakdown (Tokyo, JP vs Istanbul, TR)
- Housing+122%
- Food & groceries+102%
- Transport+125%
- Utilities+92%
- Healthcare+89%
- Goods & services+77%
◎ How Istanbul, TR and Tokyo, JP compare
Index vs the US average — the line marks 100. Lower is cheaper.
▤ Full comparison
| Istanbul, TR | Tokyo, JP | |
|---|---|---|
| Cost of living | ||
| Overall cost index | 54 | 108 |
| Housing | 55 | 122 |
| Food | 52 | 105 |
| Transport | 40 | 90 |
| Utilities | 60 | 115 |
| Healthcare | 45 | 85 |
| Goods & services | 60 | 106 |
| Housing | ||
| Rent, 1-bed centre | $650/mo | $1,300/mo |
| Rent, 1-bed outside | $400/mo | $900/mo |
| Rent, 3-bed centre | $1,300/mo | $2,800/mo |
| Buy price / m² centre | $2,500 | $11,000 |
| Money & purchasing power | ||
| $1,000 goes as far as | $1,852 | $926 |
| Inexpensive meal | $6 | $8 |
| Monthly transit pass | $30 | $90 |
| Taxes | ||
| Income tax (top rate) | 40% | 45% |
| VAT / sales tax | 20% | 10% |
| Social security (employee) | 15% | — |
| Corporate tax | 25% | 30% |
| Capital gains | — | 20.3% |
| Economy & salaries | ||
| Avg net salary | $700/mo | $2,600/mo |
| Avg annual wage (OECD, PPP) | — | $50,183✓ |
| Minimum wage | $720/mo✓ | $1,300/mo |
| GDP per capita | $15,666✓ | $35,951✓ |
| Inflation (annual) | 44%✓ | 3.2%✓ |
| Work & digital nomad | ||
| Digital-nomad visa | Yes | Yes |
| English proficiency | Moderate | Low |
| Coworking spaces | 50 | 90 |
| Time zone | UTC+3 | UTC+9 |
| Quality of life | ||
| Quality of life (overall) | 63 | 81 |
| Safety index | 58 | 82 |
| Healthcare index | 65 | 85 |
| Pollution index | 62 | 45 |
| Internet speed | 60 Mbps | 220 Mbps |
| Walkability | 70 | 92 |
| Public transport | 72 | 98 |
| Family-friendly | 60 | 72 |
| Tap water | Use caution | Safe to drink |
| Health insurance | — | $40/mo |
| Life expectancy | 78 yr✓ | 84 yr✓ |
| LGBTQ+ acceptance | Low | Moderate |
| Climate | ||
| January avg | +6 °C | +6 °C |
| July avg | +24 °C | +27 °C |
| Sunny days / year | 190 | 130 |
| Rainfall / year | 810 mm | 1,520 mm |
| Connectivity | ||
| Flight to nearest hub | 3 h | 1 h |
Taxes & Economy & salaries: Turkey vs Japan. Estimates use approximate cost-of-living indices (US average = 100) and are for general guidance only.
✓ = official statistics (OECD (PPP), Eurostat 2026, World Bank 2025, World Bank 2024). Unmarked figures are CostTrek estimates. How we calculate these figures →
Cost of living: Istanbul vs Tokyo — in your currency
Converted from USD at approximate rates (2026-09).
Good to know before you move to Istanbul
The only megacity straddling two continents — 15 million people where Europe meets Asia. Big-city energy, deep history and world-class food at a fraction of Western-European prices, offset by a volatile lira and long cross-Bosphorus commutes.
- Currency
- Turkish lira (₺ TRY)
- Languages
- Turkish
- Time zone
- UTC+3
- Internet
- 60 Mbps
- English
- Fairly common
- Safety
- 58/100
- Climate
- ❄ 6°C · ☀ 24°C · 190 sunny days/yr
- Tap water
- Bottled recommended
- Power
- C/F · 230V
- Driving
- Right-hand side
- Popular areas
- Kadıköy · Beşiktaş · Cihangir · Şişli
Good to know before you move to Tokyo
Astonishingly safe, clean and well-connected for a megacity — and, thanks to a weak yen, cheaper than most Western capitals right now.
- Currency
- Japanese yen (¥ JPY)
- Languages
- Japanese
- Time zone
- UTC+9
- Internet
- 220 Mbps
- English
- Rarely spoken
- Safety
- 82/100
- Climate
- ❄ 6°C · ☀ 27°C · 130 sunny days/yr
- Tap water
- Safe to drink
- Power
- A/B · 100V
- Driving
- Left-hand side
- Popular areas
- Shibuya · Shinjuku · Setagaya
Plan your move to Istanbul
Everything you will book for the move — sorted, and updated as we add partners.
- FlightsCheapvuelos
- FlightsAviasales
- Car rentalLocalrent
- Tours & ticketsKlook
- Tours & ticketsTiqets
- InsuranceSafetyWing
- eSIM / dataAiralo
- Luggage storageRadical Storage
- MoreAvitoVIP
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Plan your move to Tokyo
Everything you will book for the move — sorted, and updated as we add partners.
- FlightsCheapvuelos
- FlightsAviasales
- HotelsPlanetofhotels
- Car rentalDiscoverCars
- Airport transferKiwitaxi
- Tours & ticketsKlook
- InsuranceSafetyWing
- eSIM / dataAiralo
- Luggage storageRadical Storage
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? Frequently asked questions
Moving from Istanbul to Tokyo: cheaper or more expensive?
Moving from Istanbul to Tokyo, your cost of living will be roughly 100% more expensive. Tokyo’s cost-of-living index is 108 versus 54 for Istanbul (US = 100). Use the salary tool above to see the income you’d need to keep the same lifestyle.
Is Istanbul cheaper than Tokyo?
Tokyo is about 100% more expensive than Istanbul overall — its cost-of-living index is 108 versus 54 for Istanbul.
Which is more expensive, Istanbul or Tokyo?
Tokyo is more expensive than Istanbul. Its cost-of-living index is 108 vs 54 (US = 100) — about 100% higher.
Is rent cheaper in Istanbul or Tokyo?
Rent is cheaper in Istanbul — about $650/month for a one-bedroom in the city centre, vs $1,300 in Tokyo.
How much do you need to earn in Tokyo to live like in Istanbul?
To keep the same standard of living, a $75,000 salary in Istanbul is worth about $149,972 in Tokyo. Enter your own figure in the calculator above.
Which has lower taxes, Istanbul or Tokyo?
Turkey has the lower top income-tax rate — 40% versus 45% in Japan.
◷ More comparisons from Istanbul
How we calculate these figures →
Estimates use approximate cost-of-living indices (US average = 100) and are for general guidance only.