Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Delhi

For one person, living is cheaper in Delhi: $520 a month against $1,526 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $12,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

74

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index
25

Cost of Living Index in Delhi
Learn more

Delhi Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,526

/mo nomad

Delhi

🇮🇳 India

$520

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Delhi

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

A single person spends $1,526 per month in Istanbul vs $520 in Delhi, rent included.

Istanbul $1,526
Delhi $520

A couple spends around $2,399 per month in Istanbul vs $858 in Delhi, rent included.

Istanbul $2,399
Delhi $858

A family of three spends $3,272 per month in Istanbul vs $1,195 in Delhi, rent included.

Istanbul $3,272
Delhi $1,195

Istanbul costs about 193% more than Delhi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Istanbul sits 14% above the global median, while Delhi is 61% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.88 ₺585

$3.67 ₹355

223.71%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.1 ₺2,715

$20.95 ₹2,027

162.96%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.14 ₺450

$3.74 ₹362

144.39%

Cappuccino

$4.24 ₺209

$2.33 ₹226

81.97%

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

$1.75 ₺86.0

$0.37 ₹35.82

372.97%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.54 ₺26.84

$0.20 ₹18.91

170.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.69 ₺231

$2.02 ₹195

132.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.97 ₺294

$3.19 ₹308

87.15%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.26 ₺62.1

$0.68 ₹65.9

85.29%

White Bread (500g)

$0.95 ₺46.82

$0.52 ₹50.2

82.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.31 ₺114

$0.83 ₹80.0

178.31%

Eggs

$2.47 ₺122

$1.07 ₹104

130.84%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.55 ₺520

$4.43 ₹428

138.15%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.60 ₺276

$3.37 ₹326

66.17%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.21 ₺1,045

Apples (1kg)

$1.93 ₺95.1

$1.99 ₹192

-3.02%

Banana (1kg)

$2.29 ₺113

$0.72 ₹70.1

218.06%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.1

$1.02 ₹98.4

25.49%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.84 ₺90.8

$0.52 ₹50.1

253.85%

Potato (1kg)

$0.67 ₺32.87

$0.27 ₹25.96

148.15%

Onion (1kg)

$0.59 ₺29.31

$0.37 ₹35.42

59.46%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.33 ₺65.4

$0.43 ₹41.64

209.30%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₺29.11

$0.31 ₹30.39

90.32%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.36 ₺116

$4.92 ₹476

-52.03%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.47 ₺664

$8.34 ₹808

61.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.42 ₺119

$1.64 ₹159

47.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.54 ₺174

$2.70 ₹261

31.11%

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

$6.15 ₹596

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.83 ₺40.65

$0.46 ₹44.04

80.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.5 ₺3,274

$15.29 ₹1,480

334.60%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.35 ₺66.6

$1.03 ₹99.8

31.07%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 ₺42.06

$0.27 ₹26.38

214.81%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.86 ₺535

$1.53 ₹148

609.80%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ₺72.3

$1.05 ₹102

40.00%

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

$51.6K ₺2.5M

$10.5K ₹1.0M

393.36%

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

$44.4K ₺2.2M

$18.4K ₹1.8M

141.99%

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

$89.2 ₺4,396

$42.67 ₹4,129

109.09%

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

$11.60 ₺572

$4.04 ₹391

187.13%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.10 ₺793

$6.75 ₹653

138.52%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.3 ₺3,806

$19.40 ₹1,878

298.20%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.66 ₺1,116

$8.06 ₹780

181.14%

Cinema Ticket

$8.34 ₺411

$5.08 ₹492

64.17%

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

$974 ₺48.0K

$100 ₹9,696

872.01%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.8K ₺1.3M

$2,268 ₹219.5K

1036.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.7 ₺2,597

$24.14 ₹2,336

118.35%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.16 ₺1,930

$28.38 ₹2,747

37.98%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 ₺5,084

$53.3 ₹5,160

93.53%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.6 ₺4,760

$44.13 ₹4,271

118.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$994 ₺49.0K

$264 ₹25.5K

276.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$629 ₺31.0K

$154 ₹14.9K

308.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,024 ₺99.7K

$736 ₹71.2K

174.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,155 ₺56.9K

$397 ₹38.5K

190.63%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,160 ₺155.7K

$2,494 ₹241.4K

26.72%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,838 ₺90.5K

$1,017 ₹98.4K

80.76%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,203 ₺59.3K

$585 ₹56.7K

105.58%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

41.09

8.33

393.28%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 3, 2026

Last update for Delhi: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$629 41.2%

Delhi

$154 29.7% 75.5% $475

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$264 17.3%

Delhi

$108 20.8% 59.1% $156

Eating Out

Istanbul

$218 14.3%

Delhi

$87 16.8% 59.9% $131

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$131 8.6%

Delhi

$67 13% 48.6% $64

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$117 7.7%

Delhi

$53 10.3% 54.3% $63

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$94 6.1%

Delhi

$30 5.7% 68.5% $64

Getting Around

Istanbul

$75 4.9%

Delhi

$20 3.8% 74.1% $56

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $994 in Istanbul versus $264 in Delhi. 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 106% 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 $21.00 in Delhi. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $264 vs $108 – making Delhi the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇮🇳 Delhi

🕒 Local time

08:33 8:33 AM

11:03 11:03 AM

2 h 30 min ahead of Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

16,787,941 Capital

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Indian Rupee INR ₹

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 2.03 USD

100 TRY = 1.81 EUR

1,000 INR = 10.33 USD

1,000 INR = 9.21 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 49.27 TRY (100 TRY = 2.03 USD). 1 EUR = 55.26 TRY (100 TRY = 1.81 EUR).

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 96.78 INR (100 INR = 1.03 USD). 1 EUR = 109 INR (1,000 INR = 9.21 EUR).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Istanbul Delhi 4,550 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Delhi

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 Delhi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,526 in Istanbul, $520 in Delhi – roughly 193% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,289 per month in Istanbul and $780 in Delhi. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Delhi, 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 $21.00 in Delhi. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,526 in Istanbul and $520 in Delhi. That's a gap of about 193%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Delhi, where all-in costs run around $520, than in Istanbul at $1,526. In Delhi it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Istanbul has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $520 in Delhi to $1,526 in Istanbul. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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 Delhi. 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.