Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Bahawalpur

For one person, living is cheaper in Bahawalpur: $289 a month against $1,519 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $14,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

73

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index
14

Cost of Living Index in Bahawalpur
Learn more

Bahawalpur Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,519

/mo nomad

Bahawalpur

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$289

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Bahawalpur

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,519 in Istanbul versus $289 in Bahawalpur.

Istanbul $1,519
Bahawalpur $289

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,365 in Istanbul versus $503 in Bahawalpur.

Istanbul $2,365
Bahawalpur $503

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,212 in Istanbul versus $718 in Bahawalpur.

Istanbul $3,212
Bahawalpur $718

Living in Istanbul is roughly 426% more expensive than in Bahawalpur, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Istanbul is 12% above, Bahawalpur is 79% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.81 ₺592

$1.76 PKR 486

571.02%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.9 ₺2,754

$7.32 PKR 2,025

650.14%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.26 ₺465

$4.56 PKR 1,260

103.07%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.59 PKR 717

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 PKR 591

Cappuccino

$4.30 ₺216

$1.45 PKR 401

196.55%

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

$1.77 ₺89.0

$0.32 PKR 87.4

453.13%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺28.32

$0.22 PKR 60.8

154.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.69 ₺235

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.12 ₺357

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 ₺62.7

$0.53 PKR 148

135.85%

White Bread (500g)

$0.88 ₺44.17

$0.57 PKR 156

54.39%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 ₺111

$1.07 PKR 295

105.61%

Eggs

$2.43 ₺122

$0.84 PKR 231

189.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.48 ₺526

$5.38 PKR 1,489

94.80%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.31 ₺267

$2.56 PKR 708

107.42%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.10 ₺1,058

$4.11 PKR 1,136

413.38%

Apples (1kg)

$1.86 ₺93.1

$1.04 PKR 288

78.85%

Banana (1kg)

$2.30 ₺115

$0.56 PKR 154

310.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.22 ₺61.0

$0.56 PKR 156

117.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺90.2

$0.57 PKR 156

215.79%

Potato (1kg)

$0.69 ₺34.83

$0.30 PKR 83.7

130.00%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺32.16

$0.45 PKR 124

42.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.36 ₺68.0

$0.64 PKR 176

112.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 ₺28.94

$0.37 PKR 103

56.76%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$0.56 PKR 154

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 PKR 143

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.74 PKR 204

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.34 ₺117

$1.43 PKR 395

63.64%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.03 ₺653

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.36 ₺118

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.32 ₺166

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.88 ₺44.07

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.1 ₺3,316

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 ₺64.4

$1.07 PKR 296

19.63%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 ₺42.80

$1.10 PKR 305

-22.73%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.09 ₺556

$2.83 PKR 783

291.87%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 ₺74.0

$1.20 PKR 333

23.33%

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

$48.6K ₺2.4M

$23.5K PKR 6.5M

107.28%

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

$42.0K ₺2.1M

$21.8K PKR 6.0M

92.60%

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

$92.7 ₺4,650

$66.2 PKR 18.3K

40.00%

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

$11.20 ₺562

$4.42 PKR 1,222

153.39%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.89 ₺797

$11.97 PKR 3,310

32.75%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.7 ₺3,745

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.95 ₺1,151

$10.72 PKR 2,965

114.09%

Cinema Ticket

$8.05 ₺404

$7.41 PKR 2,049

8.64%

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

$948 ₺47.6K

$23.24 PKR 6,428

3981.07%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.9K ₺1.9M

$643 PKR 177.7K

5644.43%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₺2,702

$17.03 PKR 4,710

216.38%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.49 ₺2,081

$21.95 PKR 6,070

89.02%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 ₺5,060

$53.6 PKR 14.8K

88.37%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.3 ₺4,580

$30.21 PKR 8,355

202.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,014 ₺50.8K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$625 ₺31.3K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,005 ₺100.6K

$255 PKR 70.5K

686.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,126 ₺56.5K

$128 PKR 35.5K

777.51%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,988 ₺149.8K

$3,607 PKR 997.7K

-17.18%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,730 ₺86.8K

$755 PKR 208.9K

129.05%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,136 ₺57.0K

$138 PKR 38.2K

723.29%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.42

11.83

241.67%

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

Last update for Istanbul: November 2, 2026

Last update for Bahawalpur: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$625 41.1%

Bahawalpur

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$258 17%

Bahawalpur

$82 28.5% 68.1% $176

Eating Out

Istanbul

$221 14.6%

Bahawalpur

$47 16.4% 78.6% $174

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$129 8.5%

Bahawalpur

$55 19.1% 57.3% $74

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$120 7.9%

Bahawalpur

$83 28.6% 31% $37

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$91 6%

Bahawalpur

$15 * 5.1% 83.7% $76

Getting Around

Istanbul

$75 5%

Bahawalpur

$6.6 * 2.3% 91.2% $69

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

Cost Breakdown

Istanbul pays about 8.2 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $55 in Istanbul vs $7 in Bahawalpur for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $258 vs $82 per month, with Bahawalpur cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇵🇰 Bahawalpur

🕒 Local time

21:33 9:33 PM

23:33 11:33 PM

2 h ahead of Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

762,111

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Pakistani Rupee PKR ₨

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 1.99 USD

100 TRY = 1.78 EUR

1,000 PKR = 3.62 USD

1,000 PKR = 3.22 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PKR, USD, EUR to TRY – Turkish Lira Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇷 Turkish Lira (₺)

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 50.15 TRY (100 TRY = 1.99 USD). 1 EUR = 56.33 TRY (100 TRY = 1.78 EUR).

Pakistani Rupee exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 277 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.62 USD). 1 EUR = 311 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.22 EUR).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Istanbul Bahawalpur 4,040 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Bahawalpur

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 Bahawalpur: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bahawalpur wins on cost – living expenses run 81% lower than in Istanbul. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Bahawalpur the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay in Istanbul is about 8.2 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Supermarket bills run roughly 214% higher in Istanbul. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $1,519 per month in Istanbul versus $289 in Bahawalpur – Bahawalpur is about 81% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $289 in Bahawalpur versus $1,519 in Istanbul, a $800 budget is realistic in Bahawalpur but tight or insufficient in Istanbul. The gap between the two cities makes Bahawalpur 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.

It comes down to priorities – Bahawalpur wins on affordability, Istanbul on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.