Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Budaun

For one person, living is cheaper in Budaun: $360 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.

75

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index
17

Cost of Living Index in Budaun
Learn more

Budaun Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

Budaun

🇮🇳 India

$360

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Budaun

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,550 in Istanbul versus $360 in Budaun.

Istanbul $1,550
Budaun $360

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,415 in Istanbul versus $598 in Budaun.

Istanbul $2,415
Budaun $598

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,281 in Istanbul versus $836 in Budaun.

Istanbul $3,281
Budaun $836

Living in Istanbul is roughly 330% more expensive than in Budaun, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Istanbul is 15% above, Budaun is 73% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.30 ₺609

$3.60 ₹342

241.67%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.7 ₺2,708

$20.73 ₹1,969

163.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.22 ₺456

$2.67 ₹253

245.32%

Cappuccino

$4.40 ₺218

$0.54 ₹51.2

714.81%

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

$1.68 ₺83.1

$0.35 ₹33.18

380.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₺29.40

$0.15 ₹14.19

293.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.70 ₺233

$1.87 ₹178

151.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.91 ₺292

$1.56 ₹148

278.85%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 ₺60.0

$0.65 ₹62.2

86.15%

White Bread (500g)

$0.89 ₺44.10

$0.30 ₹28.24

196.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.19 ₺108

$0.54 ₹51.6

305.56%

Eggs

$2.35 ₺116

$0.62 ₹58.7

279.03%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.42 ₺516

$4.56 ₹433

128.51%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.65 ₺280

$2.11 ₹200

167.77%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.94 ₺1,037

Apples (1kg)

$1.90 ₺94.1

$1.08 ₹103

75.93%

Banana (1kg)

$2.31 ₺114

$0.43 ₹41.23

437.21%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.1

$0.51 ₹48.32

150.98%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺89.0

$0.40 ₹38.06

350.00%

Potato (1kg)

$0.65 ₺32.16

$0.28 ₹26.39

132.14%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺31.91

$0.30 ₹28.23

113.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 ₺62.1

$0.10 ₹9.24

1150.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.58

$0.31 ₹29.66

80.65%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.37 ₺118

$2.25 ₹214

5.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.42 ₺664

$2.56 ₹243

424.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₺119

$1.22 ₹116

96.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 ₺172

$2.05 ₹195

69.76%

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

$3.17 ₹301

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.89 ₺43.84

$0.24 ₹22.84

270.83%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.4 ₺3,338

$7.79 ₹740

765.60%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.29 ₺64.1

$1.03 ₹98.1

25.24%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 ₺45.70

$0.11 ₹10.60

736.36%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.96 ₺542

$1.54 ₹146

611.69%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ₺72.9

$1.02 ₹97.2

44.12%

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

$50.8K ₺2.5M

$5,173 ₹491.3K

881.68%

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

$44.5K ₺2.2M

$18.4K ₹1.7M

141.95%

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

$88.6 ₺4,387

$42.17 ₹4,004

110.13%

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

$11.59 ₺574

$3.95 ₹375

193.42%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.81 ₺783

$6.95 ₹660

127.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.2 ₺3,820

$15.61 ₹1,482

394.30%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.74 ₺1,126

$6.20 ₹589

266.77%

Cinema Ticket

$8.14 ₺403

$5.26 ₹500

54.75%

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

$1,008 ₺49.9K

$104 ₹9,837

873.10%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.6K ₺1.3M

$2,209 ₹209.8K

1057.20%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.0 ₺2,671

$24.23 ₹2,301

122.66%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.83 ₺2,021

$28.78 ₹2,733

41.87%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.9 ₺4,895

$53.0 ₹5,028

86.74%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.6 ₺4,783

$44.22 ₹4,199

118.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$985 ₺48.7K

$121 ₹11.5K

716.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$650 ₺32.2K

$74.2 ₹7,050

775.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,983 ₺98.2K

$264 ₹25.1K

650.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,180 ₺58.4K

$174 ₹16.5K

579.37%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,138 ₺155.4K

$953 ₹90.5K

229.15%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,780 ₺88.1K

$553 ₹52.5K

221.70%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,205 ₺59.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.92

8.33

391.24%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 13, 2026

Last update for Budaun: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$650 41.9%

Budaun

$74 20.6% 88.6% $576

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$260 16.8%

Budaun

$71 19.8% 72.5% $188

Eating Out

Istanbul

$223 14.4%

Budaun

$58 16% 74.2% $166

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$131 8.4%

Budaun

$68 18.8% 48.3% $63

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$116 7.5%

Budaun

$53 14.7% 54.3% $63

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$93 6%

Budaun

$26 7.3% 72% $67

Getting Around

Istanbul

$77 5%

Budaun

$10 2.9% 86.5% $67

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $985 in Istanbul and $121 in Budaun. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $55.0 in Istanbul vs $21.00 in Budaun for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $260 vs $71.0 per month, with Budaun cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇮🇳 Budaun

🕒 Local time

01:30 1:30 AM

04:00 4:00 AM

2 h 30 min ahead of Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

159,300

💱 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 Budaun 4,740 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Budaun

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 Budaun: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Budaun is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 330% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $2,325 in Istanbul and $541 in Budaun to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $985 in Istanbul versus $121 in Budaun. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Budaun runs roughly 766% less than in Istanbul. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $1,008 in Istanbul versus $104 in Budaun. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $360 in Budaun versus $1,550 in Istanbul, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Budaun but tight or insufficient in Istanbul. The gap between the two cities makes Budaun the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Budaun is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Istanbul, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Istanbul and Budaun 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 Budaun gentler on the wallet – expenses run 330% less than in Istanbul. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.