Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Ahmedabad

For one person, living is cheaper in Ahmedabad: $490 a month against $1,526 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $12,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

74

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index
24

Cost of Living Index in Ahmedabad
Learn more

Ahmedabad Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,526

/mo nomad

Ahmedabad

🇮🇳 India

$490

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Ahmedabad

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,526 in Istanbul versus $490 in Ahmedabad.

Istanbul $1,526
Ahmedabad $490

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,399 in Istanbul versus $807 in Ahmedabad.

Istanbul $2,399
Ahmedabad $807

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,272 in Istanbul versus $1,125 in Ahmedabad.

Istanbul $3,272
Ahmedabad $1,125

Living in Istanbul is roughly 212% more expensive than in Ahmedabad, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Istanbul is 14% above, Ahmedabad is 63% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.88 ₺585

$5.12 ₹496

132.03%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.1 ₺2,714

$17.05 ₹1,650

223.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.14 ₺450

$4.10 ₹397

122.93%

Cappuccino

$4.24 ₺209

$2.33 ₹225

81.97%

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

$1.75 ₺86.0

$0.43 ₹41.71

306.98%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.54 ₺26.83

$0.19 ₹18.31

184.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.69 ₺231

$3.17 ₹307

47.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.97 ₺294

$5.38 ₹521

10.97%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.26 ₺62.1

$0.70 ₹67.9

80.00%

White Bread (500g)

$0.95 ₺46.81

$0.63 ₹61.1

50.79%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.31 ₺114

$0.68 ₹65.5

239.71%

Eggs

$2.47 ₺122

$1.10 ₹107

124.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.55 ₺520

$6.03 ₹584

74.96%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.60 ₺276

$4.27 ₹414

31.15%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.21 ₺1,045

Apples (1kg)

$1.93 ₺95.1

$2.22 ₹215

-13.06%

Banana (1kg)

$2.29 ₺113

$0.62 ₹59.8

269.35%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.1

$1.11 ₹107

15.32%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.84 ₺90.8

$0.50 ₹48.51

268.00%

Potato (1kg)

$0.67 ₺32.86

$0.30 ₹28.96

123.33%

Onion (1kg)

$0.59 ₺29.31

$0.39 ₹37.30

51.28%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.33 ₺65.4

$0.55 ₹52.9

141.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₺29.10

$0.28 ₹27.01

110.71%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.36 ₺116

$5.03 ₹487

-53.08%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.47 ₺664

$8.53 ₹826

57.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.42 ₺119

$1.89 ₹183

28.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.54 ₺174

$3.14 ₹304

12.74%

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

$6.32 ₹612

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.83 ₺40.64

$0.28 ₹27.38

196.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.5 ₺3,273

$7.57 ₹732

777.81%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.35 ₺66.6

$1.02 ₹98.3

32.35%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 ₺42.05

$0.25 ₹23.93

240.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.86 ₺535

$2.09 ₹203

419.62%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ₺72.3

$1.06 ₹103

38.68%

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

$51.6K ₺2.5M

$12.6K ₹1.2M

308.81%

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

$44.4K ₺2.2M

$22.6K ₹2.2M

96.40%

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

$89.2 ₺4,395

$42.66 ₹4,129

109.14%

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

$11.60 ₺572

$3.93 ₹380

195.17%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.10 ₺793

$11.51 ₹1,114

39.88%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.3 ₺3,805

$14.58 ₹1,411

429.84%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.66 ₺1,116

$8.20 ₹794

176.34%

Cinema Ticket

$8.34 ₺411

$3.80 ₹367

119.47%

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

$974 ₺48.0K

$50.9 ₹4,930

1811.78%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.8K ₺1.3M

$1,418 ₹137.2K

1717.43%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.7 ₺2,597

$26.62 ₹2,577

98.01%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.16 ₺1,929

$26.66 ₹2,580

46.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 ₺5,083

$47.39 ₹4,586

117.75%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.6 ₺4,759

$28.20 ₹2,730

242.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$994 ₺49.0K

$192 ₹18.5K

418.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$629 ₺31.0K

$113 ₹10.9K

456.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,024 ₺99.7K

$446 ₹43.2K

353.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,155 ₺56.9K

$270 ₹26.2K

327.12%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,160 ₺155.7K

$842 ₹81.5K

275.46%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,838 ₺90.5K

$509 ₹49.2K

261.17%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,203 ₺59.3K

$517 ₹50.0K

132.80%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

41.09

8.86

363.77%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 3, 2026

Last update for Ahmedabad: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$629 41.2%

Ahmedabad

$113 22.9% 82% $516

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$264 17.3%

Ahmedabad

$122 24.6% 53.9% $142

Eating Out

Istanbul

$218 14.3%

Ahmedabad

$110 22.3% 49.4% $108

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$131 8.6%

Ahmedabad

$58 11.7% 55.8% $73

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$117 7.7%

Ahmedabad

$58 11.8% 50.3% $59

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$94 6.1%

Ahmedabad

$22 4.5% 76.4% $72

Getting Around

Istanbul

$75 4.9%

Ahmedabad

$11 2.2% 85.5% $64

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $994 in Istanbul and $192 in Ahmedabad. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Istanbul pays 133% 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: $55.0 in Istanbul vs $17.00 in Ahmedabad for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $264 vs $122 per month, with Ahmedabad cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇮🇳 Ahmedabad

🕒 Local time

09:48 9:48 AM

12:18 12:18 PM

2 h 30 min ahead of Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

6,352,254

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Indian Rupee INR ₹

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 2.03 USD

100 TRY = 1.81 EUR

1,000 INR = 10.33 USD

1,000 INR = 9.21 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 October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 49.26 TRY (100 TRY = 2.03 USD). 1 EUR = 55.25 TRY (100 TRY = 1.81 EUR).

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 96.78 INR (100 INR = 1.03 USD). 1 EUR = 109 INR (1,000 INR = 9.21 EUR).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Istanbul Ahmedabad 4,510 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Ahmedabad

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

Istanbul vs Ahmedabad: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Istanbul and Ahmedabad differ by about 212% in total monthly costs ($1,526 vs $490 including rent). Ahmedabad is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 133% higher in Istanbul, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $994 in Istanbul versus $192 in Ahmedabad. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $974 in Istanbul versus $50.9 in Ahmedabad. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 117% higher in Istanbul. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $490 in Ahmedabad versus $1,526 in Istanbul, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Ahmedabad but tight or insufficient in Istanbul. The gap between the two cities makes Ahmedabad the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Istanbul and Ahmedabad 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 Ahmedabad gentler on the wallet – expenses run 212% less than in Istanbul. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.