Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Allahabad

For one person, living is cheaper in Allahabad: $310 a month against $1,550 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $14,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

75

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index
15

Cost of Living Index in Allahabad
Learn more

Allahabad Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

Allahabad

🇮🇳 India

$310

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Allahabad

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

A single person spends $1,550 per month in Istanbul vs $310 in Allahabad, rent included.

Istanbul $1,550
Allahabad $310

A couple spends around $2,415 per month in Istanbul vs $493 in Allahabad, rent included.

Istanbul $2,415
Allahabad $493

A family of three spends $3,281 per month in Istanbul vs $676 in Allahabad, rent included.

Istanbul $3,281
Allahabad $676

Istanbul costs about 400% more than Allahabad, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Istanbul sits 15% above the global median, while Allahabad is 77% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.30 ₺609

$1.55 ₹147

693.55%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.7 ₺2,708

$10.62 ₹1,008

415.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.22 ₺456

$2.68 ₹254

244.03%

Cappuccino

$4.40 ₺218

$0.95 ₹89.8

363.16%

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

$1.68 ₺83.1

$0.42 ₹39.51

300.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₺29.40

$0.12 ₹11.12

391.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.70 ₺233

$1.54 ₹146

205.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.91 ₺292

$2.35 ₹224

151.49%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 ₺60.0

$0.72 ₹68.8

68.06%

White Bread (500g)

$0.89 ₺44.10

$0.46 ₹43.28

93.48%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.19 ₺108

$0.59 ₹56.5

271.19%

Eggs

$2.35 ₺116

$1.00 ₹95.0

135.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.42 ₺516

$3.33 ₹316

212.91%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.65 ₺280

$2.49 ₹236

126.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.94 ₺1,037

Apples (1kg)

$1.90 ₺94.1

$1.29 ₹123

47.29%

Banana (1kg)

$2.31 ₺114

$0.67 ₹63.4

244.78%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.1

$0.88 ₹83.5

45.45%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺89.0

$0.51 ₹47.96

252.94%

Potato (1kg)

$0.65 ₺32.16

$0.30 ₹28.13

116.67%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺31.91

$0.41 ₹39.25

56.10%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 ₺62.1

$0.42 ₹39.73

197.62%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.58

$0.32 ₹30.45

75.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.37 ₺118

$4.37 ₹415

-45.77%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.42 ₺664

$3.67 ₹349

265.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₺119

$1.67 ₹158

43.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 ₺172

$2.52 ₹239

38.10%

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

$5.12 ₹486

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.89 ₺43.84

$0.22 ₹20.93

304.55%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.4 ₺3,338

$6.44 ₹612

947.05%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.29 ₺64.1

$0.93 ₹88.3

38.71%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 ₺45.70

$0.09 ₹8.32

922.22%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.96 ₺542

$1.12 ₹106

878.57%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ₺72.9

$1.09 ₹104

34.86%

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

$50.8K ₺2.5M

$12.4K ₹1.2M

309.93%

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

$44.5K ₺2.2M

$22.1K ₹2.1M

101.67%

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

$88.6 ₺4,387

$38.87 ₹3,692

127.97%

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

$11.59 ₺574

$2.92 ₹277

296.92%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.81 ₺783

$5.79 ₹550

173.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.2 ₺3,820

$14.30 ₹1,358

439.58%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.74 ₺1,126

$6.45 ₹612

252.56%

Cinema Ticket

$8.14 ₺403

$3.06 ₹291

166.01%

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

$1,008 ₺49.9K

$24.19 ₹2,298

4067.14%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.6K ₺1.3M

$610 ₹58.0K

4087.89%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.0 ₺2,671

$22.98 ₹2,182

134.77%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.83 ₺2,021

$15.57 ₹1,478

162.24%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.9 ₺4,895

$24.19 ₹2,297

308.76%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.6 ₺4,783

$18.78 ₹1,784

414.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$985 ₺48.7K

$112 ₹10.7K

777.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$650 ₺32.2K

$65.2 ₹6,189

897.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,983 ₺98.2K

$213 ₹20.2K

832.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,180 ₺58.4K

$151 ₹14.3K

680.98%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,138 ₺155.4K

$962 ₹91.4K

226.15%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,780 ₺88.1K

$519 ₹49.3K

243.00%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,205 ₺59.7K

$362 ₹34.4K

232.67%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.92

8.53

379.72%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 13, 2026

Last update for Allahabad: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$650 41.9%

Allahabad

$65 21% 90% $585

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$260 16.8%

Allahabad

$85 27.5% 67.3% $175

Eating Out

Istanbul

$223 14.4%

Allahabad

$46 14.9% 79.3% $177

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$131 8.4%

Allahabad

$37 11.8% 71.9% $94

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$116 7.5%

Allahabad

$48 15.4% 59% $68

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$93 6%

Allahabad

$20 6.6% 78.1% $73

Getting Around

Istanbul

$77 5%

Allahabad

$8.7 2.8% 88.7% $68

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $985 in Istanbul versus $112 in Allahabad. 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 233% 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 Allahabad. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $260 vs $85.0 – making Allahabad the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇮🇳 Allahabad

🕒 Local time

09:06 9:06 AM

11:36 11:36 AM

2 h 30 min ahead of Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

5,959,798

💱 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 18, 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 18, 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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Highest

Between locations

Istanbul Allahabad 5,130 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Allahabad

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 Allahabad: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Istanbul costs about 400% more than Allahabad, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,325 per month in Istanbul and $465 in Allahabad. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Groceries cost about 205% more in Istanbul, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55.0 in Istanbul and $11.00 in Allahabad. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Allahabad, where all-in costs run around $310, than in Istanbul at $1,550. In Allahabad it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Allahabad costs $310 versus $1,550 in Istanbul. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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 Allahabad. 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.