Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Delhi and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in Delhi: $520 a month against $1,526 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $12,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

25

Cost of Living Index in Delhi
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Delhi Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index

Jump to prices

Delhi

🇮🇳 India

$520

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,526

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Delhi 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 Delhi and in Istanbul actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $520 per month in Delhi vs $1,526 in Istanbul, rent included.

Delhi $520
Istanbul $1,526

A couple spends around $858 per month in Delhi vs $2,399 in Istanbul, rent included.

Delhi $858
Istanbul $2,399

A family of three spends $1,195 per month in Delhi vs $3,272 in Istanbul, rent included.

Delhi $1,195
Istanbul $3,272

Delhi is about 66% cheaper than Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Delhi sits 61% below the global median, while Istanbul is 14% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.67 ₹355

$11.88 ₺585

-69.11%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$20.95 ₹2,027

$55.1 ₺2,714

-61.97%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.74 ₹362

$9.14 ₺450

-59.08%

Cappuccino

$2.33 ₹226

$4.24 ₺209

-45.05%

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

$0.37 ₹35.82

$1.75 ₺86.0

-78.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.20 ₹18.91

$0.54 ₺26.83

-62.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.02 ₹195

$4.69 ₺231

-56.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.19 ₹308

$5.97 ₺294

-46.57%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.68 ₹65.9

$1.26 ₺62.1

-46.03%

White Bread (500g)

$0.52 ₹50.2

$0.95 ₺46.81

-45.26%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.83 ₹80.0

$2.31 ₺114

-64.07%

Eggs

$1.07 ₹104

$2.47 ₺122

-56.68%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.43 ₹428

$10.55 ₺520

-58.01%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.37 ₹326

$5.60 ₺276

-39.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.21 ₺1,045

Apples (1kg)

$1.99 ₹192

$1.93 ₺95.1

3.11%

Banana (1kg)

$0.72 ₹70.1

$2.29 ₺113

-68.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.02 ₹98.4

$1.28 ₺63.1

-20.31%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.52 ₹50.1

$1.84 ₺90.8

-71.74%

Potato (1kg)

$0.27 ₹25.96

$0.67 ₺32.86

-59.70%

Onion (1kg)

$0.37 ₹35.42

$0.59 ₺29.31

-37.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.43 ₹41.64

$1.33 ₺65.4

-67.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.31 ₹30.39

$0.59 ₺29.10

-47.46%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.92 ₹476

$2.36 ₺116

108.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.34 ₹808

$13.47 ₺664

-38.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.64 ₹159

$2.42 ₺119

-32.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.70 ₹261

$3.54 ₺174

-23.73%

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

$6.15 ₹596

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.46 ₹44.04

$0.83 ₺40.64

-44.58%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.29 ₹1,480

$66.5 ₺3,273

-76.99%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.03 ₹99.8

$1.35 ₺66.6

-23.70%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.27 ₹26.38

$0.85 ₺42.05

-68.24%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.53 ₹148

$10.86 ₺535

-85.91%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.05 ₹102

$1.47 ₺72.3

-28.57%

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

$10.5K ₹1.0M

$51.6K ₺2.5M

-79.73%

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

$18.4K ₹1.8M

$44.4K ₺2.2M

-58.68%

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

$42.67 ₹4,129

$89.2 ₺4,395

-52.17%

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

$4.04 ₹391

$11.60 ₺572

-65.17%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$6.75 ₹653

$16.10 ₺793

-58.07%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$19.40 ₹1,878

$77.3 ₺3,805

-74.89%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.06 ₹780

$22.66 ₺1,116

-64.43%

Cinema Ticket

$5.08 ₹492

$8.34 ₺411

-39.09%

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

$100 ₹9,696

$974 ₺48.0K

-89.71%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,268 ₹219.5K

$25.8K ₺1.3M

-91.20%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$24.14 ₹2,336

$52.7 ₺2,597

-54.20%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.38 ₹2,747

$39.16 ₺1,929

-27.53%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$53.3 ₹5,160

$103 ₺5,083

-48.33%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$44.13 ₹4,271

$96.6 ₺4,759

-54.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$264 ₹25.5K

$994 ₺49.0K

-73.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$154 ₹14.9K

$629 ₺31.0K

-75.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$736 ₹71.2K

$2,024 ₺99.7K

-63.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$397 ₹38.5K

$1,155 ₺56.9K

-65.59%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,494 ₹241.4K

$3,160 ₺155.7K

-21.09%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,017 ₹98.4K

$1,838 ₺90.5K

-44.68%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$585 ₹56.7K

$1,203 ₺59.3K

-51.36%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.33

41.09

-79.73%

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

Last update for Delhi: October 6, 2026

Last update for Istanbul: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Delhi

$154 29.7%

Istanbul

$629 41.2% 308% $475

Groceries & Markets

Delhi

$108 20.8%

Istanbul

$264 17.3% 145% $156

Eating Out

Delhi

$87 16.8%

Istanbul

$218 14.3% 150% $131

Clothing & Footwear

Delhi

$67 13%

Istanbul

$131 8.6% 94.5% $64

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Delhi

$53 10.3%

Istanbul

$117 7.7% 119% $63

Sport & Entertainment

Delhi

$30 5.7%

Istanbul

$94 6.1% 218% $64

Getting Around

Delhi

$20 3.8%

Istanbul

$75 4.9% 286% $56

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $264 in Delhi versus $994 in Istanbul. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 106% higher in Istanbul, 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 $21.00 in Delhi versus $55.0 in Istanbul. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $108 vs $264 – making Delhi the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇳 Delhi

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

17:48 5:48 PM

15:18 3:18 PM

2 h 30 min behind Delhi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

16,787,941 Capital

15,701,602

💱 Currency

Indian Rupee INR ₹

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 INR = 10.33 USD

1,000 INR = 9.22 EUR

100 TRY = 2.03 USD

100 TRY = 1.81 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 96.78 INR (100 INR = 1.03 USD). 1 EUR = 108 INR (1,000 INR = 9.22 EUR).

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 49.26 TRY (100 TRY = 2.03 USD). 1 EUR = 55.2 TRY (100 TRY = 1.81 EUR).

USD to INR in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Delhi Istanbul 4,550 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Delhi
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

Delhi vs Istanbul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $520 in Delhi, $1,526 in Istanbul – roughly 193% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $780 per month in Delhi and $2,289 in Istanbul. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Delhi, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $21.00 in Delhi and $55.0 in Istanbul. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $520 in Delhi and $1,526 in Istanbul. That's a gap of about 193%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Delhi, where all-in costs run around $520, than in Istanbul at $1,526. In Delhi it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Istanbul has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $520 in Delhi to $1,526 in Istanbul. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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