Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Aligarh

For one person, living is cheaper in Aligarh: $361 a month against $1,550 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $14,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

75

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index
18

Cost of Living Index in Aligarh
Learn more

Aligarh Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

Aligarh

🇮🇳 India

$361

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Aligarh

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 Aligarh actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,550 per month in Istanbul vs $361 in Aligarh, rent included.

Istanbul $1,550
Aligarh $361

A couple spends around $2,415 per month in Istanbul vs $558 in Aligarh, rent included.

Istanbul $2,415
Aligarh $558

A family of three spends $3,281 per month in Istanbul vs $755 in Aligarh, rent included.

Istanbul $3,281
Aligarh $755

Istanbul costs about 329% more than Aligarh, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Istanbul sits 15% above the global median, while Aligarh is 73% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.30 ₺609

$4.36 ₹414

182.11%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.7 ₺2,708

$10.82 ₹1,028

405.55%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.22 ₺456

$3.67 ₹349

151.23%

Cappuccino

$4.40 ₺218

$2.37 ₹225

85.65%

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

$1.68 ₺83.1

$0.43 ₹40.79

290.70%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₺29.40

$0.09 ₹8.80

555.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.70 ₺233

$1.55 ₹147

203.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.91 ₺292

$3.21 ₹305

84.11%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 ₺60.0

$0.65 ₹61.9

86.15%

White Bread (500g)

$0.89 ₺44.10

$0.44 ₹42.01

102.27%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.19 ₺108

$0.77 ₹73.5

184.42%

Eggs

$2.35 ₺116

$0.87 ₹82.2

170.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.42 ₺516

$4.63 ₹440

125.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.65 ₺280

$2.77 ₹263

103.97%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.94 ₺1,037

Apples (1kg)

$1.90 ₺94.1

$1.21 ₹115

57.02%

Banana (1kg)

$2.31 ₺114

$0.54 ₹51.4

327.78%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.1

$0.87 ₹83.0

47.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺89.0

$0.46 ₹43.25

291.30%

Potato (1kg)

$0.65 ₺32.16

$0.27 ₹25.65

140.74%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺31.91

$0.34 ₹32.08

88.24%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 ₺62.1

$0.58 ₹55.0

115.52%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.58

$0.29 ₹27.14

93.10%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.37 ₺118

$5.04 ₹479

-52.98%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.42 ₺664

$10.28 ₹977

30.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₺119

$1.38 ₹131

73.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 ₺172

$2.88 ₹274

20.83%

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

$4.10 ₹390

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.89 ₺43.84

$0.32 ₹30.50

178.13%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.4 ₺3,338

$2.64 ₹251

2454.17%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.29 ₺64.1

$0.25 ₹23.55

416.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 ₺45.70

$0.22 ₹20.90

318.18%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.96 ₺542

$2.15 ₹204

409.77%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ₺72.9

$1.04 ₹98.6

41.35%

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

$50.8K ₺2.5M

$14.8K ₹1.4M

243.77%

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

$44.5K ₺2.2M

$19.6K ₹1.9M

126.99%

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

$88.6 ₺4,387

$42.12 ₹4,000

110.38%

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

$11.59 ₺574

$3.31 ₹315

250.15%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.81 ₺783

$7.11 ₹675

122.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.2 ₺3,820

$10.61 ₹1,008

627.24%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.74 ₺1,126

$3.16 ₹300

619.62%

Cinema Ticket

$8.14 ₺403

$2.68 ₹254

203.73%

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

$1,008 ₺49.9K

$73.0 ₹6,934

1280.48%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.6K ₺1.3M

$728 ₹69.1K

3411.19%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.0 ₺2,671

$19.23 ₹1,826

180.55%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.83 ₺2,021

$27.59 ₹2,620

47.99%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.9 ₺4,895

$50.2 ₹4,769

96.89%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.6 ₺4,783

$23.93 ₹2,273

303.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$985 ₺48.7K

$61.3 ₹5,822

1505.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$650 ₺32.2K

$41.26 ₹3,919

1474.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,983 ₺98.2K

$105 ₹9,953

1792.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,180 ₺58.4K

$84.7 ₹8,039

1294.05%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,138 ₺155.4K

$1,967 ₹186.8K

59.53%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,780 ₺88.1K

$257 ₹24.4K

592.04%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,205 ₺59.7K

$1,033 ₹98.1K

16.72%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.92

8.76

367.12%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 13, 2026

Last update for Aligarh: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$650 41.9%

Aligarh

$41 11.4% 93.7% $609

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$260 16.8%

Aligarh

$101 27.9% 61.2% $159

Eating Out

Istanbul

$223 14.4%

Aligarh

$91 25.1% 59.4% $133

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$131 8.4%

Aligarh

$54 15.1% 58.3% $76

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$116 7.5%

Aligarh

$53 14.6% 54.7% $63

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$93 6%

Aligarh

$16 4.4% 82.9% $77

Getting Around

Istanbul

$77 5%

Aligarh

$5.3 1.5% 93.1% $72

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $985 in Istanbul versus $61.3 in Aligarh. 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 17% 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 $55.0 in Istanbul versus $11.00 in Aligarh. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $260 vs $101 – making Aligarh the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇮🇳 Aligarh

🕒 Local time

01:05 1:05 AM

03:35 3:35 AM

2 h 30 min ahead of Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

872,575

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Indian Rupee INR ₹

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 2.02 USD

100 TRY = 1.8 EUR

1,000 INR = 10.53 USD

1,000 INR = 9.37 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 17, 2026: 1 USD = 49.51 TRY (100 TRY = 2.02 USD). 1 EUR = 55.66 TRY (100 TRY = 1.8 EUR).

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 94.96 INR (100 INR = 1.05 USD). 1 EUR = 107 INR (1,000 INR = 9.37 EUR).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Istanbul Aligarh 4,670 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Aligarh

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 Aligarh: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 329%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,325 per month in Istanbul and $541 in Aligarh. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Aligarh, 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 $55.0 in Istanbul and $11.00 in Aligarh. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,550 in Istanbul and $361 in Aligarh. That's a gap of about 329%.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Aligarh, where all-in costs run around $361, than in Istanbul at $1,550. In Aligarh it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

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 Aligarh. 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.