Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ankara and Salem

For one person, living is cheaper in Salem: $356 a month against $1,389 in Ankara, rent and utilities included – about $12,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

67

Cost of Living Index in Ankara
Learn more

Ankara Living Index
17

Cost of Living Index in Salem
Learn more

Salem Living Index

Jump to prices

Ankara

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,389

/mo nomad

Salem

🇮🇳 India

$356

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Ankara and in Salem

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Ankara and in Salem actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,389 per month in Ankara vs $356 in Salem, rent included.

Ankara $1,389
Salem $356

A couple spends around $2,087 per month in Ankara vs $564 in Salem, rent included.

Ankara $2,087
Salem $564

A family of three spends $2,785 per month in Ankara vs $772 in Salem, rent included.

Ankara $2,785
Salem $772

Ankara costs about 290% more than Salem, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Ankara sits 3% above the global median, while Salem is 74% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.10 ₺507

$2.13 ₹201

374.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.81 ₺2,197

$7.47 ₹705

486.48%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.78 ₺490

$3.69 ₹348

165.04%

Cappuccino

$4.12 ₺207

$1.32 ₹125

212.12%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.68 ₺84.3

$0.43 ₹41.05

290.70%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.72 ₺36.05

$0.21 ₹19.42

242.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.02 ₺252

$2.09 ₹197

140.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.60 ₺331

$4.89 ₹462

34.97%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 ₺58.4

$0.53 ₹49.68

118.87%

White Bread (500g)

$0.96 ₺48.39

$0.44 ₹41.60

118.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.25 ₺113

$0.56 ₹52.5

301.79%

Eggs

$2.66 ₺134

$0.75 ₹71.1

254.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.09 ₺506

$5.41 ₹511

86.51%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.43 ₺272

$2.52 ₹238

115.48%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.99 ₺1,003

Apples (1kg)

$1.91 ₺95.8

$2.05 ₹194

-6.83%

Banana (1kg)

$2.18 ₺109

$0.69 ₹65.2

215.94%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.26 ₺63.3

$1.36 ₹129

-7.35%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.65 ₺82.6

$0.37 ₹35.36

345.95%

Potato (1kg)

$0.65 ₺32.69

$0.42 ₹39.98

54.76%

Onion (1kg)

$0.55 ₺27.40

$0.43 ₹40.66

27.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.99 ₺49.75

$0.26 ₹24.75

280.77%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.66 ₺32.90

$0.31 ₹29.33

112.90%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.25 ₺113

$4.97 ₹469

-54.73%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.37 ₺620

$2.92 ₹276

323.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.12 ₺106

$1.42 ₹134

49.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.20 ₺161

$2.17 ₹205

47.47%

Buffalo Round (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) (1kg)

$3.71 ₹350

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.77 ₺38.86

$0.20 ₹18.89

285.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.85 ₺595

$9.78 ₹924

21.17%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 ₺64.3

$1.04 ₹98.2

23.08%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.84 ₺42.02

$0.15 ₹13.96

460.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.22 ₺412

$1.03 ₹97.5

698.06%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.39 ₺69.5

$1.07 ₹101

29.91%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$48.4K ₺2.4M

$11.3K ₹1.1M

327.50%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$40.2K ₺2.0M

$19.1K ₹1.8M

110.51%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$99.9 ₺5,011

$53.7 ₹5,076

85.91%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$11.15 ₺559

$2.83 ₹267

293.99%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.94 ₺900

$9.65 ₹912

85.91%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$72.0 ₺3,611

$17.53 ₹1,656

310.67%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.80 ₺742

$9.82 ₹927

50.71%

Cinema Ticket

$7.77 ₺390

$2.09 ₹197

271.77%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$1,084 ₺54.3K

$55.0 ₹5,192

1871.52%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.5K ₺1.1M

$1,686 ₹159.3K

1233.70%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ₺2,677

$19.44 ₹1,836

174.59%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.87 ₺2,401

$14.70 ₹1,389

225.65%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 ₺5,229

$30.35 ₹2,867

243.53%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.8 ₺4,905

$27.62 ₹2,609

254.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$748 ₺37.5K

$101 ₹9,535

640.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$557 ₺27.9K

$57.9 ₹5,470

861.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,142 ₺57.3K

$263 ₹24.8K

334.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$902 ₺45.2K

$167 ₹15.8K

440.68%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,644 ₺82.5K

$1,333 ₹126.0K

23.30%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,142 ₺57.3K

$427 ₹40.3K

167.45%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,058 ₺53.1K

$346 ₹32.7K

206.00%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

43.85

10.4

321.63%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Ankara: November 2, 2026

Last update for Salem: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Ankara

$557 40.1%

Salem

$58 16.3% 89.6% $499

Groceries & Markets

Ankara

$251 18.1%

Salem

$90 25.2% 64.3% $161

Eating Out

Ankara

$208 14.9%

Salem

$67 18.8% 67.8% $141

Clothing & Footwear

Ankara

$136 9.8%

Salem

$41 11.6% 69.6% $95

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ankara

$129 9.3%

Salem

$66 18.6% 48.7% $63

Sport & Entertainment

Ankara

$88 6.3%

Salem

$22 6.1% 75.2% $66

Getting Around

Ankara

$20 1.5%

Salem

$12 3.5% 39.5% $8.1

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $748 in Ankara versus $101 in Salem. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Ankara are about 3.1 times higher, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44 in Ankara versus $7 in Salem. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $251 vs $90 – making Salem the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Ankara

🇮🇳 Salem

🕒 Local time

13:57 1:57 PM

16:27 4:27 PM

2 h 30 min ahead of Ankara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,864,049 Capital

831,038

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Indian Rupee INR ₹

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 1.99 USD

100 TRY = 1.78 EUR

1,000 INR = 10.59 USD

1,000 INR = 9.43 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

INR, USD, EUR to TRY – Turkish Lira Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇷 Turkish Lira (₺)

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 50.15 TRY (100 TRY = 1.99 USD). 1 EUR = 56.33 TRY (100 TRY = 1.78 EUR).

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 94.47 INR (100 INR = 1.06 USD). 1 EUR = 106 INR (1,000 INR = 9.43 EUR).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Ankara Salem 5,430 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Ankara
Salem

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Ankara vs Salem: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ankara costs about 290% more than Salem, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,083 per month in Ankara and $534 in Salem. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Salem, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $101 there versus $748 in Ankara.

Kindergarten costs $1,084 per month in Ankara and $55 in Salem. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 180% more in Ankara, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Salem, where all-in costs run around $356, than in Ankara at $1,389. In Salem it covers expenses comfortably, while in Ankara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Salem – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Salem. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Ankara makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.