Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Kollam

For one person, living is cheaper in Kollam: $284 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
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index
14

Cost of Living Index in Kollam
Learn more

Kollam Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

Kollam

🇮🇳 India

$284

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Kollam

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

A single person spends $1,550 per month in Istanbul vs $284 in Kollam, rent included.

Istanbul $1,550
Kollam $284

A couple spends around $2,415 per month in Istanbul vs $448 in Kollam, rent included.

Istanbul $2,415
Kollam $448

A family of three spends $3,281 per month in Istanbul vs $613 in Kollam, rent included.

Istanbul $3,281
Kollam $613

Istanbul costs about 447% more than Kollam, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.30 ₺609

$1.04 ₹98.3

1082.69%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.7 ₺2,708

$6.43 ₹610

750.70%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.22 ₺456

$3.21 ₹305

187.23%

Cappuccino

$4.40 ₺218

$1.40 ₹133

214.29%

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

$1.68 ₺83.1

$0.36 ₹34.41

366.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₺29.40

$0.11 ₹10.75

436.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.70 ₺233

$1.33 ₹126

253.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.91 ₺292

$1.87 ₹178

216.04%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 ₺60.0

$0.60 ₹57.1

101.67%

White Bread (500g)

$0.89 ₺44.10

$0.49 ₹46.48

81.63%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.19 ₺108

$0.50 ₹47.86

338.00%

Eggs

$2.35 ₺116

$0.84 ₹79.3

179.76%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.42 ₺516

$3.67 ₹349

183.92%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.65 ₺280

$2.03 ₹193

178.33%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.94 ₺1,037

Apples (1kg)

$1.90 ₺94.1

$1.59 ₹151

19.50%

Banana (1kg)

$2.31 ₺114

$0.56 ₹53.1

312.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.1

$0.73 ₹69.6

75.34%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺89.0

$0.39 ₹37.32

361.54%

Potato (1kg)

$0.65 ₺32.16

$0.35 ₹32.80

85.71%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺31.91

$0.38 ₹36.16

68.42%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 ₺62.1

$0.63 ₹60.1

98.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.58

$0.25 ₹23.57

124.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.37 ₺118

$4.96 ₹471

-52.22%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.42 ₺664

$2.55 ₹242

426.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₺119

$2.00 ₹190

20.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 ₺172

$2.77 ₹263

25.63%

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

$3.32 ₹315

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.89 ₺43.84

$0.16 ₹15.03

456.25%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.4 ₺3,338

$7.00 ₹665

863.29%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.29 ₺64.1

$0.83 ₹78.4

55.42%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 ₺45.70

$0.30 ₹28.44

206.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.96 ₺542

$2.10 ₹199

421.90%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ₺72.9

$1.11 ₹105

32.43%

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

$50.8K ₺2.5M

$9,113 ₹865.3K

457.31%

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

$44.5K ₺2.2M

$16.5K ₹1.6M

170.17%

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

$88.6 ₺4,387

$32.54 ₹3,089

172.31%

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

$11.59 ₺574

$3.04 ₹289

281.25%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.81 ₺783

$5.20 ₹494

204.04%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.2 ₺3,820

$13.66 ₹1,297

464.86%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.74 ₺1,126

$10.25 ₹973

121.85%

Cinema Ticket

$8.14 ₺403

$1.54 ₹146

428.57%

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

$1,008 ₺49.9K

$20.80 ₹1,975

4746.30%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.6K ₺1.3M

$2,666 ₹253.2K

858.69%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.0 ₺2,671

$16.55 ₹1,571

225.98%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.83 ₺2,021

$23.17 ₹2,200

76.22%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.9 ₺4,895

$25.79 ₹2,449

283.40%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.6 ₺4,783

$24.53 ₹2,329

293.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$985 ₺48.7K

$83.1 ₹7,893

1084.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$650 ₺32.2K

$46.94 ₹4,457

1284.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,983 ₺98.2K

$183 ₹17.4K

982.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,180 ₺58.4K

$117 ₹11.1K

911.19%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,138 ₺155.4K

$830 ₹78.8K

278.11%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,780 ₺88.1K

$441 ₹41.9K

303.34%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,205 ₺59.7K

$513 ₹48.7K

135.17%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.92

9.13

348.19%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 13, 2026

Last update for Kollam: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$650 41.9%

Kollam

$47 16.6% 92.8% $603

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$260 16.8%

Kollam

$82 28.8% 68.6% $178

Eating Out

Istanbul

$223 14.4%

Kollam

$47 16.6% 79% $176

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$131 8.4%

Kollam

$41 14.3% 69% $90

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$116 7.5%

Kollam

$41 14.4% 64.9% $75

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$93 6%

Kollam

$17 5.9% 82.1% $77

Getting Around

Istanbul

$77 5%

Kollam

$10 3.5% 87% $67

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $985 in Istanbul versus $83.1 in Kollam. 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 135% 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 $6.00 in Kollam. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $260 vs $82.0 – making Kollam the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇮🇳 Kollam

🕒 Local time

21:13 9:13 PM

23:43 11:43 PM

2 h 30 min ahead of Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

367,107

💱 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 17, 2026: 1 USD = 49.51 TRY (100 TRY = 2.02 USD). 1 EUR = 55.67 TRY (100 TRY = 1.8 EUR).

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 94.95 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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Highest

Between locations

Istanbul Kollam 5,880 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Kollam

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 Kollam: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 447%, 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 $425 in Kollam. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Kollam, 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 $20.80 in Kollam. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 218% 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 Kollam, where all-in costs run around $284, than in Istanbul at $1,550. In Kollam it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Kollam – 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 Kollam. 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.