Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Gujranwala and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in Gujranwala: $396 a month against $1,519 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $13,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

Gujranwala, Pakistan
Istanbul, Turkey
Gujranwala
🇵🇰 Pakistan
$396
/mo nomad
Istanbul
🇹🇷 Turkey
$1,519
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $396 per month in Gujranwala vs $1,519 in Istanbul, rent included.

  • Gujranwala $396
  • Istanbul $1,519

A couple spends around $617 per month in Gujranwala vs $2,365 in Istanbul, rent included.

  • Gujranwala $617
  • Istanbul $2,365

A family of three spends $838 per month in Gujranwala vs $3,212 in Istanbul, rent included.

  • Gujranwala $838
  • Istanbul $3,212

Gujranwala is about 74% cheaper than Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Gujranwala sits 71% below the global median, while Istanbul is 12% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Gujranwala
Istanbul
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$3.68 PKR 1,016
$11.81 ₺592
-68.84%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$12.55 PKR 3,469
$54.9 ₺2,754
-77.14%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.39 PKR 1,490
$9.26 ₺465
-41.79%
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$0.91 PKR 252
-
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$6.72 PKR 1,856
-
-
Cappuccino
$1.16 PKR 320
$4.30 ₺216
-73.02%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.21 PKR 58.0
$1.77 ₺89.0
-88.14%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.17 PKR 47.00
$0.56 ₺28.32
-69.64%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
-
$4.69 ₺235
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$7.12 ₺357
-
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Gujranwala
Istanbul
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$0.80 PKR 220
$1.25 ₺62.7
-36.00%
White Bread (500g)
$0.70 PKR 195
$0.88 ₺44.17
-20.45%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.09 PKR 301
$2.20 ₺111
-50.45%
Eggs
$1.23 PKR 340
$2.43 ₺122
-49.38%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$6.06 PKR 1,676
$10.48 ₺526
-42.18%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$2.25 PKR 622
$5.31 ₺267
-57.63%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$5.29 PKR 1,463
$21.10 ₺1,058
-74.93%
Apples (1kg)
$1.28 PKR 353
$1.86 ₺93.1
-31.18%
Banana (1kg)
$0.86 PKR 239
$2.30 ₺115
-62.61%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.03 PKR 285
$1.22 ₺61.0
-15.57%
Tomato (1kg)
$0.54 PKR 150
$1.80 ₺90.2
-70.00%
Potato (1kg)
$0.28 PKR 76.4
$0.69 ₺34.83
-59.42%
Onion (1kg)
$0.37 PKR 102
$0.64 ₺32.16
-42.19%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.23 PKR 63.5
$1.36 ₺68.0
-83.09%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.36 PKR 100
$0.58 ₺28.94
-37.93%
Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)
$1.92 PKR 530
-
-
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.23 PKR 341
-
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.68 PKR 741
-
-
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.15 PKR 595
$2.34 ₺117
-8.12%
Wine (Bottle)
-
$13.03 ₺653
-
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
-
$2.36 ₺118
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$3.32 ₺166
-
🚌 Getting Around
Gujranwala
Istanbul
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.18 PKR 50.6
$0.88 ₺44.07
-79.55%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$66.1 ₺3,316
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.00 PKR 278
$1.28 ₺64.4
-21.88%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.70 PKR 193
$0.85 ₺42.80
-17.65%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$1.48 PKR 409
$11.09 ₺556
-86.65%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.16 PKR 320
$1.48 ₺74.0
-21.62%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$17.9K PKR 4.9M
$48.6K ₺2.4M
-63.22%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$21.9K PKR 6.0M
$42.0K ₺2.1M
-47.85%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Gujranwala
Istanbul
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$101 PKR 27.9K
$92.7 ₺4,650
8.79%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$5.48 PKR 1,514
$11.20 ₺562
-51.07%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$16.69 PKR 4,613
$15.89 ₺797
5.03%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Gujranwala
Istanbul
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$7.35 PKR 2,032
$74.7 ₺3,745
-90.16%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$6.05 PKR 1,671
$22.95 ₺1,151
-73.64%
Cinema Ticket
$4.25 PKR 1,173
$8.05 ₺404
-47.20%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Gujranwala
Istanbul
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$28.11 PKR 7,767
$948 ₺47.6K
-97.04%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$938 PKR 259.2K
$36.9K ₺1.9M
-97.46%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Gujranwala
Istanbul
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$14.28 PKR 3,947
$53.9 ₺2,702
-73.50%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$25.56 PKR 7,065
$41.49 ₺2,081
-38.39%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$71.6 PKR 19.8K
$101 ₺5,060
-29.01%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$33.08 PKR 9,143
$91.3 ₺4,580
-63.77%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Gujranwala
Istanbul
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$55.1 PKR 15.2K
$1,014 ₺50.8K
-94.57%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$31.25 PKR 8,638
$625 ₺31.3K
-95.00%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$161 PKR 44.5K
$2,005 ₺100.6K
-91.97%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$99.1 PKR 27.4K
$1,126 ₺56.5K
-91.20%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
-
$2,988 ₺149.8K
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
-
$1,730 ₺86.8K
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Gujranwala
Istanbul
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$234 PKR 64.6K
$1,136 ₺57.0K
-79.43%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.5
40.42
-71.55%

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

Last update for Gujranwala: November 3, 2026

Last update for Istanbul: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Gujranwala
$123
Istanbul
$120 2.6% $3.3
Groceries & Markets
Gujranwala
$95
Istanbul
$258 172% $163
Clothing & Footwear
Gujranwala
$65
Istanbul
$129 98.9% $64
Eating Out
Gujranwala
$61
Istanbul
$221 262% $160
Accommodation & Living
Gujranwala
$31
Istanbul
$625 1899% $593
Sport & Entertainment
Gujranwala
$16
Istanbul
$91 473% $75
Getting Around
Gujranwala
$5.2 *
Istanbul
$75 1338% $70

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $55 in Gujranwala versus $1,014 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 in Istanbul are about 4.9 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $13 in Gujranwala versus $55 in Istanbul. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $95 vs $258 – making Gujranwala the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇵🇰 Gujranwala
🇹🇷 Istanbul
🕒 Local time
11:26 11:26 AM
09:26 9:26 AM
2 h behind Gujranwala
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
2,027,001
15,701,602
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

TRY, USD, EUR to PKR – Pakistani Rupee Converter

Pakistani Rupee exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 276 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.62 USD). 1 EUR = 310 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.22 EUR).

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 50.15 TRY (100 TRY = 1.99 USD). 1 EUR = 56.3 TRY (100 TRY = 1.78 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Gujranwala Istanbul 4,110 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Gujranwala
  • 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
Gujranwala vs Istanbul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in Gujranwala and in Istanbul compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $396 in Gujranwala, $1,519 in Istanbul – Gujranwala comes out roughly 74% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.
What salary covers living expenses in Gujranwala compared to Istanbul?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $594 per month in Gujranwala and $2,278 in Istanbul. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How do rents compare between Gujranwala and Istanbul?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Gujranwala, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $55 there versus $1,014 in Istanbul.
Which city has cheaper restaurants?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $13 in Gujranwala and $55 in Istanbul. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Groceries cost about 172% more in Istanbul, though the gap depends on what you buy.
Which city is more doable on $1,200 per month?
A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Gujranwala, where all-in costs run around $396, than in Istanbul at $1,519. In Gujranwala it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Where should families live: Gujranwala or Istanbul?
Families tend to lean toward Gujranwala – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
How do I decide between Gujranwala and Istanbul?
If budget matters most, go with Gujranwala. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Istanbul makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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