Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Gujranwala

For one person, living is cheaper in Gujranwala: $396 a month against $1,519 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $13,500 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
19

Cost of Living Index in Gujranwala
Learn more

Gujranwala Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,519

/mo nomad

Gujranwala

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$396

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Gujranwala

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

A single person spends $1,519 per month in Istanbul vs $396 in Gujranwala, rent included.

Istanbul $1,519
Gujranwala $396

A couple spends around $2,365 per month in Istanbul vs $617 in Gujranwala, rent included.

Istanbul $2,365
Gujranwala $617

A family of three spends $3,212 per month in Istanbul vs $838 in Gujranwala, rent included.

Istanbul $3,212
Gujranwala $838

Istanbul costs about 283% more than Gujranwala, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Istanbul sits 12% above the global median, while Gujranwala is 71% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.81 ₺592

$3.68 PKR 1,016

220.92%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.9 ₺2,754

$12.55 PKR 3,469

337.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.26 ₺465

$5.39 PKR 1,490

71.80%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.91 PKR 252

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.72 PKR 1,856

Cappuccino

$4.30 ₺216

$1.16 PKR 320

270.69%

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

$1.77 ₺89.0

$0.21 PKR 58.0

742.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺28.32

$0.17 PKR 47.00

229.41%

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

$0.80 PKR 220

56.25%

White Bread (500g)

$0.88 ₺44.17

$0.70 PKR 195

25.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 ₺111

$1.09 PKR 301

101.83%

Eggs

$2.43 ₺122

$1.23 PKR 340

97.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.48 ₺526

$6.06 PKR 1,676

72.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.31 ₺267

$2.25 PKR 622

136.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.10 ₺1,058

$5.29 PKR 1,463

298.87%

Apples (1kg)

$1.86 ₺93.1

$1.28 PKR 353

45.31%

Banana (1kg)

$2.30 ₺115

$0.86 PKR 239

167.44%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.22 ₺61.0

$1.03 PKR 285

18.45%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺90.2

$0.54 PKR 150

233.33%

Potato (1kg)

$0.69 ₺34.83

$0.28 PKR 76.4

146.43%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺32.16

$0.37 PKR 102

72.97%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.36 ₺68.0

$0.23 PKR 63.5

491.30%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 ₺28.94

$0.36 PKR 100

61.11%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$1.92 PKR 530

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 PKR 341

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.68 PKR 741

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.34 ₺117

$2.15 PKR 595

8.84%

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

$0.18 PKR 50.6

388.89%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.1 ₺3,316

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 ₺64.4

$1.00 PKR 278

28.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 ₺42.80

$0.70 PKR 193

21.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.09 ₺556

$1.48 PKR 409

649.32%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 ₺74.0

$1.16 PKR 320

27.59%

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

$48.6K ₺2.4M

$17.9K PKR 4.9M

171.91%

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

$42.0K ₺2.1M

$21.9K PKR 6.0M

91.75%

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

$92.7 ₺4,650

$101 PKR 27.9K

-8.08%

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

$11.20 ₺562

$5.48 PKR 1,514

104.38%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.89 ₺797

$16.69 PKR 4,613

-4.79%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.7 ₺3,745

$7.35 PKR 2,032

916.05%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.95 ₺1,151

$6.05 PKR 1,671

279.34%

Cinema Ticket

$8.05 ₺404

$4.25 PKR 1,173

89.41%

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

$948 ₺47.6K

$28.11 PKR 7,767

3274.03%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.9K ₺1.9M

$938 PKR 259.2K

3836.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₺2,702

$14.28 PKR 3,947

277.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.49 ₺2,081

$25.56 PKR 7,065

62.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 ₺5,060

$71.6 PKR 19.8K

40.87%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.3 ₺4,580

$33.08 PKR 9,143

176.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,014 ₺50.8K

$55.1 PKR 15.2K

1741.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$625 ₺31.3K

$31.25 PKR 8,638

1898.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,005 ₺100.6K

$161 PKR 44.5K

1144.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,126 ₺56.5K

$99.1 PKR 27.4K

1036.04%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,988 ₺149.8K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,730 ₺86.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,136 ₺57.0K

$234 PKR 64.6K

386.20%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.42

11.5

251.48%

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

Last update for Istanbul: November 2, 2026

Last update for Gujranwala: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$625 41.1%

Gujranwala

$31 7.9% 95% $593

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$258 17%

Gujranwala

$95 23.9% 63.3% $163

Eating Out

Istanbul

$221 14.6%

Gujranwala

$61 15.4% 72.4% $160

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$129 8.5%

Gujranwala

$65 16.4% 49.7% $64

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$120 7.9%

Gujranwala

$123 31% 2.7% $3.3

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$91 6%

Gujranwala

$16 4% 82.5% $75

Getting Around

Istanbul

$75 5%

Gujranwala

$5.2 * 1.3% 93% $70

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,014 in Istanbul versus $55 in Gujranwala. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Istanbul are about 4.9 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55 in Istanbul versus $13 in Gujranwala. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $95 – making Gujranwala the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇵🇰 Gujranwala

🕒 Local time

11:08 11:08 AM

13:08 1:08 PM

2 h ahead of Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

2,027,001

💱 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 = 276 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.62 USD). 1 EUR = 310 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.22 EUR).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Istanbul Gujranwala 4,110 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Gujranwala

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 Gujranwala: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,519 in Istanbul, $396 in Gujranwala – Gujranwala comes out roughly 74% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,278 per month in Istanbul and $594 in Gujranwala. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Gujranwala, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $55 there versus $1,014 in Istanbul.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55 in Istanbul and $13 in Gujranwala. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 172% more in Istanbul, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Gujranwala, where all-in costs run around $396, than in Istanbul at $1,519. In Gujranwala it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Gujranwala – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Gujranwala. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Istanbul makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.