Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Kakinada

For one person, living is cheaper in Kakinada: $287 a month against $1,550 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $15,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

75

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index
14

Cost of Living Index in Kakinada
Learn more

Kakinada Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

Kakinada

🇮🇳 India

$287

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Kakinada

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

A single person spends $1,550 per month in Istanbul vs $287 in Kakinada, rent included.

Istanbul $1,550
Kakinada $287

A couple spends around $2,415 per month in Istanbul vs $441 in Kakinada, rent included.

Istanbul $2,415
Kakinada $441

A family of three spends $3,281 per month in Istanbul vs $594 in Kakinada, rent included.

Istanbul $3,281
Kakinada $594

Istanbul costs about 440% more than Kakinada, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Istanbul sits 15% above the global median, while Kakinada is 79% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.30 ₺609

$1.04 ₹98.4

1082.69%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.7 ₺2,708

$8.78 ₹834

523.01%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.22 ₺456

$3.22 ₹305

186.34%

Cappuccino

$4.40 ₺218

$0.50 ₹47.19

780.00%

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

$1.68 ₺83.1

$0.30 ₹28.26

460.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₺29.40

$0.10 ₹9.86

490.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.70 ₺233

$1.07 ₹101

339.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.91 ₺292

$2.31 ₹219

155.84%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 ₺60.0

$0.58 ₹54.7

108.62%

White Bread (500g)

$0.89 ₺44.10

$0.50 ₹47.26

78.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.19 ₺108

$0.56 ₹53.5

291.07%

Eggs

$2.35 ₺116

$0.74 ₹70.2

217.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.42 ₺516

$3.84 ₹365

171.35%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.65 ₺280

$2.55 ₹243

121.57%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.94 ₺1,037

Apples (1kg)

$1.90 ₺94.1

$1.81 ₹172

4.97%

Banana (1kg)

$2.31 ₺114

$0.72 ₹68.1

220.83%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.1

$0.76 ₹71.9

68.42%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺89.0

$0.46 ₹43.87

291.30%

Potato (1kg)

$0.65 ₺32.16

$0.36 ₹34.11

80.56%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺31.91

$0.32 ₹30.35

100.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 ₺62.1

$0.62 ₹58.7

101.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.58

$0.28 ₹26.16

100.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.37 ₺118

$4.08 ₹388

-41.91%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.42 ₺664

$7.37 ₹700

82.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₺119

$1.84 ₹175

30.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 ₺172

$3.04 ₹289

14.47%

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

$3.25 ₹309

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.89 ₺43.84

$0.32 ₹30.70

178.13%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.4 ₺3,338

$11.35 ₹1,078

494.10%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.29 ₺64.1

$1.22 ₹116

5.74%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 ₺45.70

$0.21 ₹19.49

338.10%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.96 ₺542

$2.11 ₹200

419.43%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ₺72.9

$1.12 ₹107

31.25%

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

$50.8K ₺2.5M

$15.5K ₹1.5M

227.99%

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

$44.5K ₺2.2M

$20.2K ₹1.9M

120.73%

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

$88.6 ₺4,387

$32.77 ₹3,112

170.40%

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

$11.59 ₺574

$3.11 ₹295

272.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.81 ₺783

$5.28 ₹502

199.43%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.2 ₺3,820

$15.89 ₹1,509

385.59%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.74 ₺1,126

$2.15 ₹204

957.67%

Cinema Ticket

$8.14 ₺403

$2.03 ₹193

300.99%

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

$1,008 ₺49.9K

$28.36 ₹2,693

3454.41%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.6K ₺1.3M

$1,234 ₹117.1K

1971.98%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.0 ₺2,671

$9.68 ₹919

457.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.83 ₺2,021

$7.83 ₹743

421.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.9 ₺4,895

$15.81 ₹1,502

525.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.6 ₺4,783

$13.23 ₹1,257

630.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$985 ₺48.7K

$71.5 ₹6,793

1276.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$650 ₺32.2K

$57.9 ₹5,494

1023.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,983 ₺98.2K

$170 ₹16.2K

1064.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,180 ₺58.4K

$116 ₹11.0K

916.68%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,138 ₺155.4K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,780 ₺88.1K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,205 ₺59.7K

$540 ₹51.3K

123.21%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.92

354.67%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 13, 2026

Last update for Kakinada: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$650 41.9%

Kakinada

$58 20.2% 91.1% $592

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$260 16.8%

Kakinada

$96 33.6% 62.9% $163

Eating Out

Istanbul

$223 14.4%

Kakinada

$35 12.4% 84.1% $188

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$131 8.4%

Kakinada

$21 7.3% 84% $110

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$116 7.5%

Kakinada

$41 14.4% 64.5% $75

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$93 6%

Kakinada

$20 7% 78.6% $73

Getting Around

Istanbul

$77 5%

Kakinada

$15 5.2% 80.6% $62

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $985 in Istanbul versus $71.5 in Kakinada. 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 123% 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 $9.00 in Kakinada. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $260 vs $96.0 – making Kakinada the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇮🇳 Kakinada

🕒 Local time

07:10 7:10 AM

09:40 9:40 AM

2 h 30 min ahead of Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

384,182

💱 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 18, 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 18, 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 Kakinada 5,720 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Kakinada

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 Kakinada: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 440%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,325 per month in Istanbul and $430 in Kakinada. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Kakinada, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $1,008 per month in Istanbul and $28.36 in Kakinada. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 169% more in Istanbul, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Kakinada, where all-in costs run around $287, than in Istanbul at $1,550. In Kakinada it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

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 Kakinada. 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.