Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Lahore

For one person, living is cheaper in Lahore: $510 a month against $1,519 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $12,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

73

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index
24

Cost of Living Index in Lahore
Learn more

Lahore Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,519

/mo nomad

Lahore

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$510

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Lahore

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

A single person spends $1,519 per month in Istanbul vs $510 in Lahore, rent included.

Istanbul $1,519
Lahore $510

A couple spends around $2,365 per month in Istanbul vs $777 in Lahore, rent included.

Istanbul $2,365
Lahore $777

A family of three spends $3,212 per month in Istanbul vs $1,045 in Lahore, rent included.

Istanbul $3,212
Lahore $1,045

Istanbul costs about 198% more than Lahore, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Istanbul sits 12% above the global median, while Lahore is 62% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.81 ₺591

$2.49 PKR 688

374.30%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.9 ₺2,748

$15.33 PKR 4,241

258.19%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.26 ₺463

$5.75 PKR 1,590

61.04%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.70 PKR 1,025

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.52 PKR 1,527

Cappuccino

$4.30 ₺215

$2.53 PKR 699

69.96%

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

$1.77 ₺88.8

$0.38 PKR 104

365.79%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺28.26

$0.26 PKR 72.4

115.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.69 ₺234

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.12 ₺356

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 ₺62.6

$0.91 PKR 250

37.36%

White Bread (500g)

$0.88 ₺44.07

$0.75 PKR 206

17.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 ₺110

$1.19 PKR 328

84.87%

Eggs

$2.43 ₺122

$1.20 PKR 333

102.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.48 ₺524

$5.99 PKR 1,657

74.96%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.31 ₺266

$2.57 PKR 710

106.61%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.10 ₺1,056

$4.85 PKR 1,343

335.05%

Apples (1kg)

$1.86 ₺92.9

$1.20 PKR 333

55.00%

Banana (1kg)

$2.30 ₺115

$0.67 PKR 186

243.28%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.22 ₺60.8

$0.83 PKR 231

46.99%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺90.0

$0.67 PKR 185

168.66%

Potato (1kg)

$0.69 ₺34.75

$0.30 PKR 82.7

130.00%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺32.09

$0.35 PKR 97.3

82.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.36 ₺67.8

$0.45 PKR 124

202.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 ₺28.88

$0.37 PKR 103

56.76%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$1.06 PKR 294

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.61 PKR 170

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 PKR 479

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.34 ₺117

$2.11 PKR 585

10.90%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.03 ₺652

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.36 ₺118

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.32 ₺166

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.88 ₺43.97

$0.18 PKR 50.8

388.89%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.1 ₺3,309

$6.15 PKR 1,700

975.12%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 ₺64.3

$0.88 PKR 244

45.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 ₺42.70

$0.73 PKR 203

16.44%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.09 ₺555

$1.78 PKR 492

523.03%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 ₺73.9

$1.39 PKR 384

6.47%

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

$48.6K ₺2.4M

$17.9K PKR 4.9M

172.16%

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

$42.0K ₺2.1M

$24.8K PKR 6.9M

69.25%

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

$92.7 ₺4,639

$120 PKR 33.1K

-22.56%

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

$11.20 ₺560

$5.53 PKR 1,529

102.53%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.89 ₺795

$16.47 PKR 4,557

-3.52%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.7 ₺3,737

$22.27 PKR 6,159

235.34%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.95 ₺1,149

$10.64 PKR 2,943

115.70%

Cinema Ticket

$8.05 ₺403

$4.58 PKR 1,268

75.76%

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

$948 ₺47.5K

$99.4 PKR 27.5K

854.36%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.9K ₺1.8M

$5,418 PKR 1.5M

581.33%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₺2,696

$17.55 PKR 4,854

207.01%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.49 ₺2,076

$23.79 PKR 6,580

74.40%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 ₺5,049

$72.8 PKR 20.1K

38.64%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.3 ₺4,570

$30.32 PKR 8,386

201.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,014 ₺50.7K

$173 PKR 47.8K

486.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$625 ₺31.3K

$94.5 PKR 26.1K

561.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,005 ₺100.4K

$344 PKR 95.3K

482.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,126 ₺56.3K

$209 PKR 57.9K

437.59%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,988 ₺149.5K

$818 PKR 226.4K

265.08%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,730 ₺86.6K

$585 PKR 161.8K

195.84%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,136 ₺56.9K

$193 PKR 53.3K

489.66%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.42

13.94

189.96%

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

Last update for Istanbul: November 2, 2026

Last update for Lahore: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$625 41.1%

Lahore

$94 18.5% 84.9% $530

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$258 17%

Lahore

$96 18.8% 62.8% $162

Eating Out

Istanbul

$221 14.6%

Lahore

$70 13.7% 68.3% $151

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$129 8.5%

Lahore

$65 12.7% 49.8% $64

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$120 7.9%

Lahore

$142 27.8% 18.3% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$91 6%

Lahore

$31 6.2% 65.4% $59

Getting Around

Istanbul

$75 5%

Lahore

$11 2.2% 84.8% $64

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,014 in Istanbul versus $173 in Lahore. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Istanbul are about 5.9 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55 in Istanbul versus $15 in Lahore. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $96 – making Lahore the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇵🇰 Lahore

🕒 Local time

20:25 8:25 PM

22:25 10:25 PM

2 h ahead of Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

11,126,285

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Pakistani Rupee PKR ₨

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 2 USD

100 TRY = 1.78 EUR

1,000 PKR = 3.62 USD

1,000 PKR = 3.22 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PKR, USD, EUR to TRY – Turkish Lira Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇷 Turkish Lira (₺)

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 50.04 TRY (100 TRY = 2 USD). 1 EUR = 56.23 TRY (100 TRY = 1.78 EUR).

Pakistani Rupee exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 277 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.62 USD). 1 EUR = 311 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.22 EUR).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Istanbul Lahore 4,150 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Lahore

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 Lahore: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 198%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,278 per month in Istanbul and $765 in Lahore. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Lahore, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $173 there versus $1,014 in Istanbul.

Kindergarten costs $948 per month in Istanbul and $99 in Lahore. 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 the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Lahore, where all-in costs run around $510, than in Istanbul at $1,519. In Lahore it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

If budget matters most, go with Lahore. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Istanbul makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.