Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Imphal

For one person, living is cheaper in Imphal: $351 a month against $1,550 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $14,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

75

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index
17

Cost of Living Index in Imphal
Learn more

Imphal Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

Imphal

🇮🇳 India

$351

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Imphal

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,550 in Istanbul versus $351 in Imphal.

Istanbul $1,550
Imphal $351

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,415 in Istanbul versus $572 in Imphal.

Istanbul $2,415
Imphal $572

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,281 in Istanbul versus $794 in Imphal.

Istanbul $3,281
Imphal $794

Living in Istanbul is roughly 342% more expensive than in Imphal, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Istanbul is 15% above, Imphal is 74% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.30 ₺609

$2.13 ₹202

477.46%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.7 ₺2,708

$8.26 ₹784

562.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.22 ₺456

$4.54 ₹431

103.08%

Cappuccino

$4.40 ₺218

$0.70 ₹66.6

528.57%

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

$1.68 ₺83.1

$0.45 ₹43.10

273.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₺29.40

$0.18 ₹16.90

227.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.70 ₺233

$1.03 ₹97.9

356.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.91 ₺292

$2.95 ₹280

100.34%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 ₺60.0

$0.70 ₹66.5

72.86%

White Bread (500g)

$0.89 ₺44.10

$0.83 ₹78.6

7.23%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.19 ₺108

$0.43 ₹40.86

409.30%

Eggs

$2.35 ₺116

$1.24 ₹117

89.52%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.42 ₺516

$4.53 ₹430

130.02%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.65 ₺280

$2.81 ₹266

101.07%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.94 ₺1,037

Apples (1kg)

$1.90 ₺94.1

$2.58 ₹245

-26.36%

Banana (1kg)

$2.31 ₺114

$0.64 ₹60.6

260.94%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.1

$0.90 ₹85.6

42.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺89.0

$0.59 ₹56.3

205.08%

Potato (1kg)

$0.65 ₺32.16

$0.41 ₹38.87

58.54%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺31.91

$0.38 ₹35.79

68.42%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 ₺62.1

$0.52 ₹49.35

140.38%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.58

$0.25 ₹23.81

124.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.37 ₺118

$5.16 ₹490

-54.07%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.42 ₺664

$11.49 ₹1,091

16.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₺119

$1.42 ₹135

69.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 ₺172

$1.37 ₹130

154.01%

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

$5.28 ₹501

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.89 ₺43.84

$0.30 ₹28.02

196.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.4 ₺3,338

$7.10 ₹675

849.72%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.29 ₺64.1

$1.03 ₹97.8

25.24%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 ₺45.70

$0.32 ₹30.40

187.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.96 ₺542

$1.64 ₹156

568.29%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ₺72.9

$1.14 ₹109

28.95%

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

$50.8K ₺2.5M

$11.6K ₹1.1M

336.65%

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

$44.5K ₺2.2M

$22.3K ₹2.1M

99.72%

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

$88.6 ₺4,387

$66.1 ₹6,274

34.12%

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

$11.59 ₺574

$3.07 ₹292

277.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.81 ₺783

$4.93 ₹468

220.69%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.2 ₺3,820

$5.32 ₹505

1350.38%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.74 ₺1,126

$1.58 ₹150

1339.24%

Cinema Ticket

$8.14 ₺403

$2.62 ₹249

210.69%

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

$1,008 ₺49.9K

$14.21 ₹1,350

6993.81%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.6K ₺1.3M

$1,397 ₹132.7K

1729.19%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.0 ₺2,671

$20.94 ₹1,989

157.64%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.83 ₺2,021

$20.64 ₹1,960

97.82%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.9 ₺4,895

$31.77 ₹3,017

211.24%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.6 ₺4,783

$31.95 ₹3,034

202.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$985 ₺48.7K

$88.8 ₹8,432

1008.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$650 ₺32.2K

$42.45 ₹4,031

1430.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,983 ₺98.2K

$241 ₹22.9K

721.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,180 ₺58.4K

$182 ₹17.3K

549.17%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,138 ₺155.4K

$424 ₹40.3K

639.47%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,780 ₺88.1K

$253 ₹24.0K

603.06%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,205 ₺59.7K

$185 ₹17.5K

552.50%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.92

14.35

185.16%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 13, 2026

Last update for Imphal: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$650 41.9%

Imphal

$42 12.1% 93.5% $607

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$260 16.8%

Imphal

$113 32.2% 56.6% $147

Eating Out

Istanbul

$223 14.4%

Imphal

$53 15% 76.4% $171

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$131 8.4%

Imphal

$47 13.5% 63.7% $83

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$116 7.5%

Imphal

$74 21.1% 36.2% $42

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$93 6%

Imphal

$11 3% 88.7% $83

Getting Around

Istanbul

$77 5%

Imphal

$11 3.1% 85.8% $66

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $985 in Istanbul and $88.8 in Imphal. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Istanbul pays 552% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $55.0 in Istanbul vs $8.00 in Imphal for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $260 vs $113 per month, with Imphal cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇮🇳 Imphal

🕒 Local time

23:18 11:18 PM

01:48 1:48 AM

2 h 30 min ahead of Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

500,000

💱 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 19, 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 19, 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 Imphal 6,180 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Imphal

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 Imphal: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Istanbul and Imphal differ by about 342% in total monthly costs ($1,550 vs $351 including rent). Imphal is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 552% higher in Istanbul, 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: $985 in Istanbul versus $88.8 in Imphal. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 130% higher in Istanbul. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Imphal – a meal for two runs $8.00 versus $55.0 in Istanbul. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $351 in Imphal versus $1,550 in Istanbul, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Imphal but tight or insufficient in Istanbul. The gap between the two cities makes Imphal 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.

Safety-wise, Istanbul and Imphal 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 Imphal gentler on the wallet – expenses run 342% less than in Istanbul. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.