Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Kharagpur

For one person, living is cheaper in Kharagpur: $312 a month against $1,550 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $14,900 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
15

Cost of Living Index in Kharagpur
Learn more

Kharagpur Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

Kharagpur

🇮🇳 India

$312

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Kharagpur

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

A single person spends $1,550 per month in Istanbul vs $312 in Kharagpur, rent included.

Istanbul $1,550
Kharagpur $312

A couple spends around $2,415 per month in Istanbul vs $482 in Kharagpur, rent included.

Istanbul $2,415
Kharagpur $482

A family of three spends $3,281 per month in Istanbul vs $653 in Kharagpur, rent included.

Istanbul $3,281
Kharagpur $653

Istanbul costs about 397% more than Kharagpur, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Istanbul sits 15% above the global median, while Kharagpur is 77% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.30 ₺609

$1.39 ₹132

784.89%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.7 ₺2,708

$8.23 ₹782

564.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.22 ₺456

$3.60 ₹342

156.11%

Cappuccino

$4.40 ₺218

$0.88 ₹84.0

400.00%

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

$1.68 ₺83.1

$0.44 ₹41.34

281.82%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₺29.40

$0.14 ₹13.17

321.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.70 ₺233

$1.59 ₹151

195.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.91 ₺292

$3.08 ₹292

91.88%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 ₺60.0

$0.49 ₹46.21

146.94%

White Bread (500g)

$0.89 ₺44.10

$0.41 ₹38.49

117.07%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.19 ₺108

$0.54 ₹51.1

305.56%

Eggs

$2.35 ₺116

$0.89 ₹84.8

164.04%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.42 ₺516

$3.28 ₹312

217.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.65 ₺280

$2.60 ₹246

117.31%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.94 ₺1,037

Apples (1kg)

$1.90 ₺94.1

$1.93 ₹183

-1.55%

Banana (1kg)

$2.31 ₺114

$0.35 ₹33.41

560.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.1

$1.23 ₹116

4.07%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺89.0

$0.38 ₹36.44

373.68%

Potato (1kg)

$0.65 ₺32.16

$0.11 ₹10.44

490.91%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺31.91

$0.22 ₹20.91

190.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 ₺62.1

$0.48 ₹45.55

160.42%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.58

$0.30 ₹28.33

86.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.37 ₺118

$4.95 ₹470

-52.12%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.42 ₺664

$7.97 ₹757

68.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₺119

$1.92 ₹182

25.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 ₺172

$2.41 ₹229

44.40%

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

$6.92 ₹657

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.89 ₺43.84

$0.27 ₹25.68

229.63%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.4 ₺3,338

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.29 ₺64.1

$1.03 ₹98.2

25.24%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 ₺45.70

$0.22 ₹20.93

318.18%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.96 ₺542

$2.03 ₹193

439.90%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ₺72.9

$1.08 ₹102

36.11%

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

$50.8K ₺2.5M

$10.4K ₹990.6K

386.85%

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

$44.5K ₺2.2M

$20.9K ₹2.0M

113.52%

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

$88.6 ₺4,387

$38.07 ₹3,615

132.76%

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

$11.59 ₺574

$3.15 ₹299

267.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.81 ₺783

$6.92 ₹657

128.47%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.2 ₺3,820

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.74 ₺1,126

Cinema Ticket

$8.14 ₺403

$2.87 ₹273

183.62%

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

$1,008 ₺49.9K

$25.86 ₹2,455

3798.03%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.6K ₺1.3M

$774 ₹73.5K

3201.02%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.0 ₺2,671

$22.74 ₹2,159

137.25%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.83 ₺2,021

$25.99 ₹2,468

57.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.9 ₺4,895

$47.66 ₹4,525

107.47%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.6 ₺4,783

$31.86 ₹3,025

203.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$985 ₺48.7K

$80.5 ₹7,639

1123.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$650 ₺32.2K

$55.4 ₹5,261

1072.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,983 ₺98.2K

$180 ₹17.1K

1000.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,180 ₺58.4K

$126 ₹12.0K

834.48%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,138 ₺155.4K

$368 ₹34.9K

752.93%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,780 ₺88.1K

$284 ₹26.9K

527.42%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,205 ₺59.7K

$235 ₹22.4K

412.01%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.92

8.6

375.81%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 13, 2026

Last update for Kharagpur: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$650 41.9%

Kharagpur

$55 17.8% 91.5% $594

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$260 16.8%

Kharagpur

$93 29.7% 64.3% $167

Eating Out

Istanbul

$223 14.4%

Kharagpur

$49 15.7% 78.1% $174

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$131 8.4%

Kharagpur

$58 18.5% 55.8% $73

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$116 7.5%

Kharagpur

$48 15.4% 58.5% $68

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$93 6%

Kharagpur

$5.7 * 1.8% 93.9% $88

Getting Around

Istanbul

$77 5%

Kharagpur

$3.2 * 1% 95.8% $74

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $985 in Istanbul versus $80.5 in Kharagpur. 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 412% 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 $8.00 in Kharagpur. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $260 vs $93.0 – making Kharagpur the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇮🇳 Kharagpur

🕒 Local time

06:39 6:39 AM

09:09 9:09 AM

2 h 30 min ahead of Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

207,600

💱 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 Kharagpur 5,780 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Kharagpur

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 Kharagpur: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 397%, 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 $468 in Kharagpur. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55.0 in Istanbul and $8.00 in Kharagpur. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 180% 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 Kharagpur, where all-in costs run around $312, than in Istanbul at $1,550. In Kharagpur it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Kharagpur – 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 Kharagpur. 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.