Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Kohima

For one person, living is cheaper in Kohima: $369 a month against $1,550 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $14,200 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 Kohima
Learn more

Kohima Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

Kohima

🇮🇳 India

$369

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Kohima

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

A single person spends $1,550 per month in Istanbul vs $369 in Kohima, rent included.

Istanbul $1,550
Kohima $369

A couple spends around $2,415 per month in Istanbul vs $577 in Kohima, rent included.

Istanbul $2,415
Kohima $577

A family of three spends $3,281 per month in Istanbul vs $785 in Kohima, rent included.

Istanbul $3,281
Kohima $785

Istanbul costs about 321% more than Kohima, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Istanbul sits 15% above the global median, while Kohima is 73% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.30 ₺609

$2.34 ₹222

425.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.7 ₺2,708

$8.66 ₹822

531.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.22 ₺456

$3.68 ₹350

150.54%

Cappuccino

$4.40 ₺218

$1.60 ₹152

175.00%

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

$1.68 ₺83.1

$0.40 ₹38.28

320.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₺29.40

$0.10 ₹9.79

490.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.70 ₺233

$1.26 ₹120

273.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.91 ₺292

$3.44 ₹327

71.80%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 ₺60.0

$0.66 ₹62.8

83.33%

White Bread (500g)

$0.89 ₺44.10

$0.41 ₹38.79

117.07%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.19 ₺108

$0.54 ₹51.4

305.56%

Eggs

$2.35 ₺116

$0.83 ₹78.8

183.13%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.42 ₺516

$2.76 ₹262

277.54%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.65 ₺280

$3.39 ₹322

66.67%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.94 ₺1,037

Apples (1kg)

$1.90 ₺94.1

$2.21 ₹209

-14.03%

Banana (1kg)

$2.31 ₺114

$0.66 ₹62.7

250.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.1

$0.94 ₹89.1

36.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺89.0

$0.67 ₹63.5

168.66%

Potato (1kg)

$0.65 ₺32.16

$0.30 ₹28.42

116.67%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺31.91

$0.35 ₹32.90

82.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 ₺62.1

$0.31 ₹29.31

303.23%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.58

$0.29 ₹27.63

93.10%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.37 ₺118

$2.13 ₹202

11.27%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.42 ₺664

$7.02 ₹667

91.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₺119

$1.64 ₹155

46.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 ₺172

$2.50 ₹237

39.20%

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

$3.08 ₹293

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.89 ₺43.84

$0.26 ₹24.79

242.31%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.4 ₺3,338

$7.14 ₹678

844.40%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.29 ₺64.1

$0.73 ₹69.1

76.71%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 ₺45.70

$0.30 ₹28.81

206.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.96 ₺542

$1.35 ₹128

711.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ₺72.9

$1.00 ₹94.8

47.00%

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

$50.8K ₺2.5M

$12.3K ₹1.2M

311.68%

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

$44.5K ₺2.2M

$16.2K ₹1.5M

174.77%

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

$88.6 ₺4,387

$35.29 ₹3,351

151.09%

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

$11.59 ₺574

$3.19 ₹303

263.32%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.81 ₺783

$6.36 ₹604

148.58%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.2 ₺3,820

$14.01 ₹1,330

450.75%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.74 ₺1,126

$7.13 ₹677

218.93%

Cinema Ticket

$8.14 ₺403

$3.19 ₹303

155.17%

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

$1,008 ₺49.9K

$27.89 ₹2,649

3514.31%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.6K ₺1.3M

$2,260 ₹214.6K

1031.26%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.0 ₺2,671

$17.33 ₹1,646

211.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.83 ₺2,021

$30.67 ₹2,912

33.13%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.9 ₺4,895

$38.15 ₹3,623

159.19%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.6 ₺4,783

$26.80 ₹2,545

260.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$985 ₺48.7K

$106 ₹10.0K

831.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$650 ₺32.2K

$80.8 ₹7,676

703.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,983 ₺98.2K

$301 ₹28.6K

558.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,180 ₺58.4K

$176 ₹16.7K

570.37%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,138 ₺155.4K

$870 ₹82.6K

260.70%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,780 ₺88.1K

$512 ₹48.6K

247.62%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,205 ₺59.7K

$208 ₹19.7K

480.25%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.92

7.38

454.47%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 13, 2026

Last update for Kohima: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$650 41.9%

Kohima

$81 21.9% 87.6% $569

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$260 16.8%

Kohima

$97 26.3% 62.6% $163

Eating Out

Istanbul

$223 14.4%

Kohima

$64 17.4% 71.3% $159

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$131 8.4%

Kohima

$51 13.8% 61.1% $80

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$116 7.5%

Kohima

$45 12.2% 61.3% $71

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$93 6%

Kohima

$20 5.5% 78.2% $73

Getting Around

Istanbul

$77 5%

Kohima

$10 2.8% 86.4% $66

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $985 in Istanbul versus $106 in Kohima. 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 480% 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 Kohima. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $260 vs $97.0 – making Kohima the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇮🇳 Kohima

🕒 Local time

18:38 6:38 PM

21:08 9:08 PM

2 h 30 min ahead of Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

115,283

💱 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 Kohima 6,140 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Kohima

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 Kohima: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 321%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,325 per month in Istanbul and $553 in Kohima. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Kohima, 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 $27.89 in Kohima. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 168% 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 $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Kohima, where all-in costs run around $369, than in Istanbul at $1,550. In Kohima it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Kohima – 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 Kohima. 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.