Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Gujrat

For one person, living is cheaper in Gujrat: $395 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 Gujrat
Learn more

Gujrat Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,519

/mo nomad

Gujrat

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$395

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Gujrat

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,519 in Istanbul versus $395 in Gujrat.

Istanbul $1,519
Gujrat $395

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,365 in Istanbul versus $614 in Gujrat.

Istanbul $2,365
Gujrat $614

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,212 in Istanbul versus $833 in Gujrat.

Istanbul $3,212
Gujrat $833

Living in Istanbul is roughly 284% more expensive than in Gujrat, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Istanbul is 12% above, Gujrat is 71% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.81 ₺592

$1.79 PKR 494

559.78%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.9 ₺2,754

$11.03 PKR 3,049

397.82%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.26 ₺465

$5.27 PKR 1,456

75.71%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.48 PKR 686

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.13 PKR 589

Cappuccino

$4.30 ₺216

$0.73 PKR 203

489.04%

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

$1.77 ₺89.0

$0.28 PKR 76.2

532.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺28.32

$0.20 PKR 55.3

180.00%

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

$0.79 PKR 220

58.23%

White Bread (500g)

$0.88 ₺44.17

$0.52 PKR 145

69.23%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 ₺111

$1.25 PKR 345

76.00%

Eggs

$2.43 ₺122

$1.21 PKR 334

100.83%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.48 ₺526

$5.33 PKR 1,474

96.62%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.31 ₺267

$2.56 PKR 709

107.42%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.10 ₺1,058

$4.20 PKR 1,160

402.38%

Apples (1kg)

$1.86 ₺93.1

$1.04 PKR 288

78.85%

Banana (1kg)

$2.30 ₺115

$0.61 PKR 168

277.05%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.22 ₺61.0

$0.57 PKR 159

114.04%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺90.2

$0.59 PKR 162

205.08%

Potato (1kg)

$0.69 ₺34.83

$0.20 PKR 54.9

245.00%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺32.16

$0.35 PKR 95.8

82.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.36 ₺68.0

$0.18 PKR 50.9

655.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 ₺28.94

$0.40 PKR 110

45.00%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$0.56 PKR 154

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 PKR 146

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.69 PKR 191

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.34 ₺117

$1.41 PKR 389

65.96%

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

$0.15 PKR 42.61

486.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.1 ₺3,316

$8.67 PKR 2,395

662.63%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 ₺64.4

$0.73 PKR 202

75.34%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 ₺42.80

$1.10 PKR 304

-22.73%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.09 ₺556

$2.64 PKR 728

320.08%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 ₺74.0

$0.84 PKR 231

76.19%

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

$48.6K ₺2.4M

$23.9K PKR 6.6M

103.81%

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

$42.0K ₺2.1M

$23.3K PKR 6.4M

80.19%

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

$92.7 ₺4,650

$67.7 PKR 18.7K

36.98%

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

$11.20 ₺562

$5.75 PKR 1,589

94.78%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.89 ₺797

$14.36 PKR 3,968

10.65%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.7 ₺3,745

$14.98 PKR 4,139

398.53%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.95 ₺1,151

$8.55 PKR 2,362

168.42%

Cinema Ticket

$8.05 ₺404

$7.20 PKR 1,991

11.81%

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

$948 ₺47.6K

$26.09 PKR 7,210

3535.26%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.9K ₺1.9M

$2,021 PKR 558.4K

1726.97%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₺2,702

$19.17 PKR 5,297

181.06%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.49 ₺2,081

$26.86 PKR 7,423

54.47%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 ₺5,060

$54.8 PKR 15.2K

84.04%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.3 ₺4,580

$30.37 PKR 8,393

200.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,014 ₺50.8K

$144 PKR 39.9K

602.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$625 ₺31.3K

$77.5 PKR 21.4K

705.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,005 ₺100.6K

$243 PKR 67.1K

725.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,126 ₺56.5K

$169 PKR 46.7K

566.27%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,988 ₺149.8K

$697 PKR 192.5K

328.87%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,730 ₺86.8K

$526 PKR 145.5K

228.69%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,136 ₺57.0K

$250 PKR 69.1K

354.37%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.42

267.45%

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

Last update for Istanbul: November 2, 2026

Last update for Gujrat: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$625 41.1%

Gujrat

$78 19.6% 87.6% $547

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$258 17%

Gujrat

$85 21.6% 67% $173

Eating Out

Istanbul

$221 14.6%

Gujrat

$41 10.3% 81.5% $180

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$129 8.5%

Gujrat

$59 14.9% 54.4% $70

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$120 7.9%

Gujrat

$88 22.2% 26.7% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$91 6%

Gujrat

$29 7.4% 67.6% $61

Getting Around

Istanbul

$75 5%

Gujrat

$16 3.9% 79.4% $60

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,014 in Istanbul and $144 in Gujrat. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Istanbul pays about 4.5 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $55 in Istanbul vs $11 in Gujrat for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $258 vs $85 per month, with Gujrat cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇵🇰 Gujrat

🕒 Local time

03:58 3:58 AM

05:58 5:58 AM

2 h ahead of Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

390,533

💱 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 = 56.3 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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Between locations

Istanbul Gujrat 4,080 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Gujrat

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 Gujrat: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,519 in Istanbul and $395 in Gujrat, so Gujrat is about 74% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Istanbul is about 4.5 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,014 in Istanbul versus $144 in Gujrat. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Gujrat – a meal for two runs $11 versus $55 in Istanbul. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $1,519 per month in Istanbul versus $395 in Gujrat – Gujrat is about 74% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $395 in Gujrat versus $1,519 in Istanbul, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Gujrat but tight or insufficient in Istanbul. The gap between the two cities makes Gujrat 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.

Expats usually find Gujrat gentler on the wallet – expenses run 74% less than in Istanbul. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.