Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Begusarai and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in Begusarai: $266 a month against $1,550 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $15,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

13

Cost of Living Index in Begusarai
Learn more

Begusarai Living Index
75

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index

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Begusarai

🇮🇳 India

$266

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Begusarai and in Istanbul

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $266 in Begusarai versus $1,550 in Istanbul.

Begusarai $266
Istanbul $1,550

Estimated couple costs with rent: $475 in Begusarai versus $2,415 in Istanbul.

Begusarai $475
Istanbul $2,415

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $684 in Begusarai versus $3,281 in Istanbul.

Begusarai $684
Istanbul $3,281

Living in Begusarai costs roughly 83% less than in Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Begusarai is 80% below, Istanbul is 15% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.13 ₹202

$12.30 ₺609

-82.68%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$7.50 ₹713

$54.7 ₺2,709

-86.29%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.11 ₹295

$9.22 ₺457

-66.27%

Cappuccino

$1.54 ₹147

$4.40 ₺218

-65.00%

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

$0.32 ₹30.55

$1.68 ₺83.1

-80.95%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.09 ₹8.25

$0.59 ₺29.41

-84.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.97 ₹187

$4.70 ₺233

-58.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.96 ₹566

$5.91 ₺293

0.85%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.50 ₹47.26

$1.21 ₺60.0

-58.68%

White Bread (500g)

$0.40 ₹37.97

$0.89 ₺44.11

-55.06%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.57 ₹53.7

$2.19 ₺108

-73.97%

Eggs

$0.88 ₹83.2

$2.35 ₺116

-62.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$2.04 ₹193

$10.42 ₺516

-80.42%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.28 ₹216

$5.65 ₺280

-59.65%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.94 ₺1,037

Apples (1kg)

$1.42 ₹135

$1.90 ₺94.1

-25.26%

Banana (1kg)

$0.57 ₹54.0

$2.31 ₺114

-75.32%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.91 ₹86.4

$1.28 ₺63.2

-28.91%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.44 ₹41.45

$1.80 ₺89.0

-75.56%

Potato (1kg)

$0.22 ₹20.92

$0.65 ₺32.17

-66.15%

Onion (1kg)

$0.32 ₹30.13

$0.64 ₺31.92

-50.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.22 ₹20.92

$1.25 ₺62.1

-82.40%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.28 ₹26.83

$0.56 ₺27.59

-50.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.81 ₹362

$2.37 ₺118

60.76%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.33 ₹602

$13.42 ₺664

-52.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.55 ₹147

$2.40 ₺119

-35.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.12 ₹201

$3.48 ₺172

-39.08%

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

$6.39 ₹607

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.26 ₹24.27

$0.89 ₺43.85

-70.79%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$7.21 ₹685

$67.4 ₺3,339

-89.31%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.35 ₹128

$1.29 ₺64.1

4.65%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.15 ₹13.96

$0.92 ₺45.71

-83.70%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.55 ₹148

$10.96 ₺543

-85.86%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.11 ₹106

$1.47 ₺73.0

-24.49%

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

$12.5K ₹1.2M

$50.8K ₺2.5M

-75.42%

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

$10.5K ₹997.0K

$44.5K ₺2.2M

-76.42%

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

$11.33 ₹1,076

$88.6 ₺4,388

-87.21%

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

$2.35 ₹223

$11.59 ₺574

-79.72%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$6.34 ₹602

$15.81 ₺783

-59.90%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$4.20 ₹399

$77.2 ₺3,821

-94.56%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.61 ₹627

$22.74 ₺1,126

-70.93%

Cinema Ticket

$1.08 ₹102

$8.14 ₺403

-86.73%

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

$55.2 ₹5,244

$1,008 ₺49.9K

-94.52%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$617 ₹58.6K

$25.6K ₺1.3M

-97.59%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$24.11 ₹2,290

$54.0 ₺2,672

-55.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$26.48 ₹2,514

$40.83 ₺2,022

-35.15%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$23.91 ₹2,271

$98.9 ₺4,897

-75.82%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$27.58 ₹2,619

$96.6 ₺4,784

-71.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$52.0 ₹4,942

$985 ₺48.8K

-94.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$36.78 ₹3,492

$650 ₺32.2K

-94.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$261 ₹24.8K

$1,983 ₺98.2K

-86.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$182 ₹17.2K

$1,180 ₺58.4K

-84.61%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$848 ₹80.5K

$3,138 ₺155.4K

-72.99%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$444 ₹42.1K

$1,780 ₺88.1K

-75.08%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,062 ₹100.8K

$1,205 ₺59.7K

-11.91%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

9.46

40.92

-76.88%

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

Last update for Begusarai: October 11, 2026

Last update for Istanbul: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Begusarai

$79 29.6%

Istanbul

$260 16.8% 230% $181

Eating Out

Begusarai

$68 25.6%

Istanbul

$223 14.4% 227% $155

Clothing & Footwear

Begusarai

$46 17.2%

Istanbul

$131 8.4% 184% $85

Accommodation & Living

Begusarai

$37 13.8%

Istanbul

$650 41.9% 1667% $613

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Begusarai

$20 7.5%

Istanbul

$116 7.5% 480% $96

Getting Around

Begusarai

$10 3.9%

Istanbul

$77 5% 646% $67

Sport & Entertainment

Begusarai

$6.4 2.4%

Istanbul

$93 6% 1372% $87

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $52.0 in Begusarai and $985 in Istanbul. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Istanbul pays 14% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $8.00 in Begusarai vs $55.0 in Istanbul for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $79.0 vs $260 per month, with Begusarai cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇳 Begusarai

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

22:36 10:36 PM

20:06 8:06 PM

2 h 30 min behind Begusarai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

250,000

15,701,602

💱 Currency

Indian Rupee INR ₹

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 INR = 10.53 USD

1,000 INR = 9.39 EUR

100 TRY = 2.02 USD

100 TRY = 1.8 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TRY, USD, EUR to INR – Indian Rupee Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇳 Indian Rupee (₹)

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of October 16, 2026: 1 USD = 94.96 INR (100 INR = 1.05 USD). 1 EUR = 107 INR (1,000 INR = 9.39 EUR).

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of October 16, 2026: 1 USD = 49.52 TRY (100 TRY = 2.02 USD). 1 EUR = 55.54 TRY (100 TRY = 1.8 EUR).

USD to INR in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Begusarai Istanbul 5,490 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Begusarai
Istanbul

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

Begusarai vs Istanbul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Begusarai is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 482% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 14% lower in Istanbul. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $52.0 in Begusarai versus $985 in Istanbul. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Begusarai – a meal for two runs $8.00 versus $55.0 in Istanbul. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $266 per month in Begusarai versus $1,550 in Istanbul – a 482% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $266 in Begusarai versus $1,550 in Istanbul, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Begusarai but tight or insufficient in Istanbul. The gap between the two cities makes Begusarai the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Begusarai is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Istanbul, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Begusarai and Istanbul are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Begusarai gentler on the wallet – expenses run 482% less than in Istanbul. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.