Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Bhimavaram

For one person, living is cheaper in Bhimavaram: $355 a month against $1,550 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $14,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

Istanbul
🇹🇷 Turkey
$1,550
/mo nomad
Bhimavaram
🇮🇳 India
$355
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Bhimavaram

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

A single person spends $1,550 per month in Istanbul vs $355 in Bhimavaram, rent included.

  • Istanbul $1,550
  • Bhimavaram $355

A couple spends around $2,415 per month in Istanbul vs $563 in Bhimavaram, rent included.

  • Istanbul $2,415
  • Bhimavaram $563

A family of three spends $3,281 per month in Istanbul vs $771 in Bhimavaram, rent included.

  • Istanbul $3,281
  • Bhimavaram $771

Istanbul costs about 337% more than Bhimavaram, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Istanbul sits 15% above the global median, while Bhimavaram is 74% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Istanbul
Bhimavaram
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$12.30 ₺609
$2.08 ₹197
491.35%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$54.7 ₺2,708
$9.01 ₹855
507.10%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.22 ₺456
$3.63 ₹345
153.99%
Cappuccino
$4.40 ₺218
$1.50 ₹143
193.33%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.68 ₺83.1
$0.37 ₹34.72
354.05%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.59 ₺29.40
$0.13 ₹12.33
353.85%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$4.70 ₺233
$1.82 ₹173
158.24%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.91 ₺292
$3.13 ₹297
88.82%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Istanbul
Bhimavaram
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.21 ₺60.0
$0.62 ₹58.7
95.16%
White Bread (500g)
$0.89 ₺44.10
$0.45 ₹43.10
97.78%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.19 ₺108
$0.61 ₹58.0
259.02%
Eggs
$2.35 ₺116
$0.84 ₹80.1
179.76%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.42 ₺516
$4.71 ₹447
121.23%
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
$1.95 ₹185
-2.56%
Banana (1kg)
$2.31 ₺114
$0.72 ₹68.3
220.83%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.28 ₺63.1
$1.02 ₹96.5
25.49%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.80 ₺89.0
$0.48 ₹45.21
275.00%
Potato (1kg)
$0.65 ₺32.16
$0.34 ₹32.11
91.18%
Onion (1kg)
$0.64 ₺31.91
$0.38 ₹35.61
68.42%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.25 ₺62.1
$0.46 ₹43.33
171.74%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.56 ₺27.58
$0.29 ₹27.37
93.10%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.37 ₺118
$4.80 ₹456
-50.63%
Wine (Bottle)
$13.42 ₺664
$7.19 ₹683
86.65%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.40 ₺119
$1.64 ₹155
46.34%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.48 ₺172
$2.75 ₹261
26.55%
Buffalo Round (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) (1kg)
-
$5.02 ₹476
-
🚌 Getting Around
Istanbul
Bhimavaram
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.89 ₺43.84
$0.24 ₹22.94
270.83%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$67.4 ₺3,338
$8.51 ₹808
692.36%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.29 ₺64.1
$0.82 ₹77.9
57.32%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.92 ₺45.70
$0.30 ₹28.06
206.67%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$10.96 ₺542
$1.42 ₹134
671.83%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.47 ₺72.9
$0.98 ₹93.0
50.00%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$50.8K ₺2.5M
$13.1K ₹1.2M
286.23%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$44.5K ₺2.2M
$21.6K ₹2.1M
105.94%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Istanbul
Bhimavaram
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$88.6 ₺4,387
$33.00 ₹3,134
168.52%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$11.59 ₺574
$3.08 ₹293
276.30%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$15.81 ₺783
$6.71 ₹637
135.62%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Istanbul
Bhimavaram
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$77.2 ₺3,820
$12.65 ₹1,202
509.96%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$22.74 ₺1,126
$6.54 ₹621
247.71%
Cinema Ticket
$8.14 ₺403
$2.98 ₹283
173.15%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Istanbul
Bhimavaram
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,008 ₺49.9K
$49.00 ₹4,653
1957.20%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$25.6K ₺1.3M
$1,425 ₹135.3K
1694.27%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Istanbul
Bhimavaram
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$54.0 ₺2,671
$19.60 ₹1,862
175.26%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$40.83 ₺2,021
$23.06 ₹2,190
77.06%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$98.9 ₺4,895
$33.32 ₹3,164
196.76%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$96.6 ₺4,783
$24.59 ₹2,335
292.84%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Istanbul
Bhimavaram
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$985 ₺48.7K
$121 ₹11.5K
716.50%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$650 ₺32.2K
$73.4 ₹6,965
785.85%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,983 ₺98.2K
$262 ₹24.8K
657.90%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,180 ₺58.4K
$174 ₹16.5K
577.53%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,138 ₺155.4K
$989 ₹93.9K
217.31%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,780 ₺88.1K
$528 ₹50.1K
237.20%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Istanbul
Bhimavaram
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,205 ₺59.7K
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
40.92
8.86
361.85%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 13, 2026

Last update for Bhimavaram: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Istanbul
$650
Bhimavaram
$73 88.7% $576
Groceries & Markets
Istanbul
$260
Bhimavaram
$100 61.5% $160
Eating Out
Istanbul
$223
Bhimavaram
$63 71.8% $160
Clothing & Footwear
Istanbul
$131
Bhimavaram
$45 65.3% $85
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Istanbul
$116
Bhimavaram
$43 63.1% $73
Sport & Entertainment
Istanbul
$93
Bhimavaram
$19 80.1% $75
Getting Around
Istanbul
$77
Bhimavaram
$12 84.7% $65

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $985 in Istanbul versus $121 in Bhimavaram. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55.0 in Istanbul versus $9.00 in Bhimavaram. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $260 vs $100 – making Bhimavaram the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇹🇷 Istanbul
🇮🇳 Bhimavaram
🕒 Local time
20:34 8:34 PM
23:04 11:04 PM
2 h 30 min ahead of Istanbul
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
15,701,602
142,184
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

INR, USD, EUR to TRY – Turkish Lira Converter

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 49.51 TRY (100 TRY = 2.02 USD). 1 EUR = 55.67 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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Istanbul Bhimavaram 5,690 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Istanbul
  • Bhimavaram

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 Bhimavaram: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Bhimavaram cheaper than Istanbul?
Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 337%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,325 per month in Istanbul and $532 in Bhimavaram. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Bhimavaram, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Kindergarten costs $1,008 per month in Istanbul and $49.00 in Bhimavaram. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
How do food prices compare in Istanbul and in Bhimavaram?
Groceries cost about 159% more in Istanbul, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in Istanbul or in Bhimavaram?
A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Bhimavaram, where all-in costs run around $355, than in Istanbul at $1,550. In Bhimavaram it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Istanbul or Bhimavaram more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Bhimavaram – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Which city is safer, Istanbul or Bhimavaram?
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.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Bhimavaram. 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.

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