Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Hyderabad

For one person, living is cheaper in Hyderabad: $480 a month against $1,526 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $12,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

Istanbul
🇹🇷 Turkey
$1,526
/mo nomad
Hyderabad
🇮🇳 India
$480
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Hyderabad

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

A single person spends $1,526 per month in Istanbul vs $480 in Hyderabad, rent included.

  • Istanbul $1,526
  • Hyderabad $480

A couple spends around $2,399 per month in Istanbul vs $792 in Hyderabad, rent included.

  • Istanbul $2,399
  • Hyderabad $792

A family of three spends $3,272 per month in Istanbul vs $1,103 in Hyderabad, rent included.

  • Istanbul $3,272
  • Hyderabad $1,103

Istanbul costs about 218% more than Hyderabad, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Istanbul sits 14% above the global median, while Hyderabad is 64% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Istanbul
Hyderabad
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.88 ₺585
$2.61 ₹253
355.17%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$55.1 ₺2,715
$15.35 ₹1,486
258.89%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.14 ₺450
$5.17 ₹500
76.79%
Cappuccino
$4.24 ₺209
$2.31 ₹224
83.55%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.75 ₺86.0
$0.44 ₹43.03
297.73%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.54 ₺26.84
$0.16 ₹15.19
237.50%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$4.69 ₺231
$2.02 ₹195
132.18%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.97 ₺294
$4.27 ₹413
39.81%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Istanbul
Hyderabad
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.26 ₺62.1
$0.75 ₹72.2
68.00%
White Bread (500g)
$0.95 ₺46.82
$0.57 ₹55.4
66.67%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.31 ₺114
$0.72 ₹69.6
220.83%
Eggs
$2.47 ₺122
$0.93 ₹90.3
165.59%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.55 ₺520
$6.93 ₹671
52.24%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$5.60 ₺276
$3.42 ₹331
63.74%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$21.21 ₺1,045
-
-
Apples (1kg)
$1.93 ₺95.1
$2.24 ₹216
-13.84%
Banana (1kg)
$2.29 ₺113
$0.70 ₹68.0
227.14%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.28 ₺63.1
$1.11 ₹108
15.32%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.84 ₺90.8
$0.44 ₹42.52
318.18%
Potato (1kg)
$0.67 ₺32.87
$0.38 ₹36.85
76.32%
Onion (1kg)
$0.59 ₺29.31
$0.36 ₹34.76
63.89%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.33 ₺65.4
$0.49 ₹47.02
171.43%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.59 ₺29.11
$0.31 ₹30.33
90.32%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.36 ₺116
$5.10 ₹494
-53.73%
Wine (Bottle)
$13.47 ₺664
$8.29 ₹802
62.48%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.42 ₺119
$1.82 ₹176
32.97%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.54 ₺174
$2.58 ₹250
37.21%
Buffalo Round (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) (1kg)
-
$6.20 ₹600
-
🚌 Getting Around
Istanbul
Hyderabad
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.83 ₺40.65
$0.50 ₹48.19
66.00%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$66.5 ₺3,274
$15.14 ₹1,465
338.90%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.35 ₺66.6
$0.87 ₹83.9
55.17%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.85 ₺42.06
$0.55 ₹52.8
54.55%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$10.86 ₺535
$1.15 ₹112
844.35%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.47 ₺72.3
$1.16 ₹112
26.72%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$51.6K ₺2.5M
$15.3K ₹1.5M
236.45%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$44.4K ₺2.2M
$22.1K ₹2.1M
101.00%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Istanbul
Hyderabad
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$89.2 ₺4,396
$34.79 ₹3,367
156.45%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$11.60 ₺572
$4.14 ₹401
180.19%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$16.10 ₺793
$7.82 ₹757
105.88%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Istanbul
Hyderabad
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$77.3 ₺3,806
$23.68 ₹2,291
226.22%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$22.66 ₺1,116
$7.15 ₹692
216.92%
Cinema Ticket
$8.34 ₺411
$3.03 ₹293
175.25%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Istanbul
Hyderabad
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$974 ₺48.0K
$102 ₹9,880
854.02%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$25.8K ₺1.3M
$2,755 ₹266.6K
835.69%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Istanbul
Hyderabad
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$52.7 ₺2,597
$22.06 ₹2,135
138.94%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$39.16 ₺1,930
$21.22 ₹2,053
84.54%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$103 ₺5,084
$41.71 ₹4,037
147.40%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$96.6 ₺4,760
$34.89 ₹3,376
176.87%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Istanbul
Hyderabad
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$994 ₺49.0K
$227 ₹22.0K
337.01%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$629 ₺31.0K
$128 ₹12.4K
390.74%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,024 ₺99.7K
$618 ₹59.9K
227.30%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,155 ₺56.9K
$327 ₹31.6K
253.19%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,160 ₺155.7K
$1,377 ₹133.3K
129.45%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,838 ₺90.5K
$764 ₹73.9K
140.56%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Istanbul
Hyderabad
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,203 ₺59.3K
$1,220 ₹118.0K
-1.33%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
41.09
8.46
385.70%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 3, 2026

Last update for Hyderabad: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Istanbul
$629
Hyderabad
$128 79.6% $501
Groceries & Markets
Istanbul
$264
Hyderabad
$118 55.3% $146
Eating Out
Istanbul
$218
Hyderabad
$85 60.9% $133
Clothing & Footwear
Istanbul
$131
Hyderabad
$54 58.9% $77
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Istanbul
$117
Hyderabad
$47 60% $70
Sport & Entertainment
Istanbul
$94
Hyderabad
$30 68.3% $64
Getting Around
Istanbul
$75
Hyderabad
$21 72.5% $55

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $994 in Istanbul versus $227 in Hyderabad. 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 1% higher in Hyderabad, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55.0 in Istanbul versus $15.00 in Hyderabad. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $264 vs $118 – making Hyderabad the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇹🇷 Istanbul
🇮🇳 Hyderabad
🕒 Local time
11:45 11:45 AM
14:15 2:15 PM
2 h 30 min ahead of Istanbul
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
15,701,602
6,809,970
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

INR, USD, EUR to TRY – Turkish Lira Converter

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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Istanbul Hyderabad 5,380 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Istanbul
  • Hyderabad

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 Hyderabad: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Istanbul or Hyderabad?
Istanbul costs about 218% more than Hyderabad, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Istanbul and in Hyderabad?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,289 per month in Istanbul and $721 in Hyderabad. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, Istanbul or Hyderabad?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Hyderabad, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
How expensive is transport in Istanbul compared to Hyderabad?
Public transport costs about 339% less in Hyderabad. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.
How do childcare costs compare in Istanbul and in Hyderabad?
Kindergarten costs $974 per month in Istanbul and $102 in Hyderabad. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Can you live on $1,000/month in Istanbul or in Hyderabad?
A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Hyderabad, where all-in costs run around $480, than in Istanbul at $1,526. In Hyderabad it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Which city is better for digital nomads, Istanbul or Hyderabad?
For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Hyderabad costs $480 versus $1,526 in Istanbul. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.
How safe is Istanbul compared to Hyderabad?
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.
Should I move to Istanbul or to Hyderabad?
If budget matters most, go with Hyderabad. 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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