Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Lucknow

For one person, living is cheaper in Lucknow: $373 a month against $1,526 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $13,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

74

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index
18

Cost of Living Index in Lucknow
Learn more

Lucknow Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,526

/mo nomad

Lucknow

🇮🇳 India

$373

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Lucknow

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

A single person spends $1,526 per month in Istanbul vs $373 in Lucknow, rent included.

Istanbul $1,526
Lucknow $373

A couple spends around $2,399 per month in Istanbul vs $573 in Lucknow, rent included.

Istanbul $2,399
Lucknow $573

A family of three spends $3,272 per month in Istanbul vs $773 in Lucknow, rent included.

Istanbul $3,272
Lucknow $773

Istanbul costs about 309% more than Lucknow, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Istanbul sits 14% above the global median, while Lucknow is 72% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.88 ₺585

$1.84 ₹178

545.65%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.1 ₺2,714

$10.53 ₹1,019

423.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.14 ₺450

$3.15 ₹305

190.16%

Cappuccino

$4.24 ₺209

$1.58 ₹153

168.35%

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

$1.75 ₺86.0

$0.37 ₹35.52

372.97%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.54 ₺26.83

$0.13 ₹12.36

315.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.69 ₺231

$1.53 ₹148

206.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.97 ₺294

$2.34 ₹226

155.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.26 ₺62.1

$0.70 ₹68.2

80.00%

White Bread (500g)

$0.95 ₺46.81

$0.44 ₹42.49

115.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.31 ₺114

$0.58 ₹56.4

298.28%

Eggs

$2.47 ₺122

$0.98 ₹95.1

152.04%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.55 ₺520

$3.39 ₹328

211.21%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.60 ₺276

$2.56 ₹248

118.75%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.21 ₺1,045

Apples (1kg)

$1.93 ₺95.1

$1.74 ₹168

10.92%

Banana (1kg)

$2.29 ₺113

$0.62 ₹60.4

269.35%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.1

$0.94 ₹90.6

36.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.84 ₺90.8

$0.50 ₹48.57

268.00%

Potato (1kg)

$0.67 ₺32.86

$0.31 ₹30.34

116.13%

Onion (1kg)

$0.59 ₺29.31

$0.44 ₹42.54

34.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.33 ₺65.4

$0.44 ₹42.93

202.27%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₺29.10

$0.30 ₹28.85

96.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.36 ₺116

$5.00 ₹484

-52.80%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.47 ₺664

$8.39 ₹812

60.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.42 ₺119

$1.65 ₹160

46.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.54 ₺174

$2.53 ₹245

39.92%

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

$5.44 ₹526

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.83 ₺40.64

$0.44 ₹42.58

88.64%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.5 ₺3,273

$5.07 ₹491

1210.65%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.35 ₺66.6

$0.95 ₹91.8

42.11%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 ₺42.05

$0.20 ₹19.34

325.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.86 ₺535

$1.17 ₹113

828.21%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ₺72.3

$1.11 ₹108

32.43%

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

$51.6K ₺2.5M

$12.7K ₹1.2M

306.36%

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

$44.4K ₺2.2M

$21.5K ₹2.1M

106.62%

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

$89.2 ₺4,395

$52.6 ₹5,089

69.68%

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

$11.60 ₺572

$3.67 ₹355

216.08%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.10 ₺793

$8.40 ₹813

91.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.3 ₺3,805

$15.82 ₹1,531

388.31%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.66 ₺1,116

$6.69 ₹647

238.71%

Cinema Ticket

$8.34 ₺411

$3.02 ₹292

176.16%

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

$974 ₺48.0K

$39.14 ₹3,788

2388.15%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.8K ₺1.3M

$965 ₹93.4K

2570.88%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.7 ₺2,597

$22.94 ₹2,220

129.77%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.16 ₺1,929

$24.48 ₹2,370

59.97%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 ₺5,083

$38.47 ₹3,723

168.23%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.6 ₺4,759

$25.68 ₹2,486

276.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$994 ₺49.0K

$125 ₹12.1K

696.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$629 ₺31.0K

$72.3 ₹6,994

770.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,024 ₺99.7K

$349 ₹33.8K

479.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,155 ₺56.9K

$174 ₹16.8K

564.63%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,160 ₺155.7K

$1,268 ₹122.7K

149.27%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,838 ₺90.5K

$544 ₹52.6K

237.90%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,203 ₺59.3K

$332 ₹32.1K

262.91%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

41.09

8.53

381.71%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 3, 2026

Last update for Lucknow: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$629 41.2%

Lucknow

$72 19.4% 88.5% $557

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$264 17.3%

Lucknow

$97 26% 63.4% $167

Eating Out

Istanbul

$218 14.3%

Lucknow

$57 15.5% 73.6% $160

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$131 8.6%

Lucknow

$50 13.5% 61.7% $81

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$117 7.7%

Lucknow

$65 17.4% 44.7% $52

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$94 6.1%

Lucknow

$22 5.9% 76.7% $72

Getting Around

Istanbul

$75 4.9%

Lucknow

$8.8 2.4% 88.4% $67

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $994 in Istanbul versus $125 in Lucknow. 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 263% 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 $11.00 in Lucknow. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $264 vs $97.0 – making Lucknow the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇮🇳 Lucknow

🕒 Local time

06:58 6:58 AM

09:28 9:28 AM

2 h 30 min ahead of Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

4,588,455

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Indian Rupee INR ₹

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 2.03 USD

100 TRY = 1.81 EUR

1,000 INR = 10.33 USD

1,000 INR = 9.21 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 49.26 TRY (100 TRY = 2.03 USD). 1 EUR = 55.25 TRY (100 TRY = 1.81 EUR).

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 96.78 INR (100 INR = 1.03 USD). 1 EUR = 109 INR (1,000 INR = 9.21 EUR).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Istanbul Lucknow 4,970 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Lucknow

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 Lucknow: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 309%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,289 per month in Istanbul and $560 in Lucknow. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Kindergarten costs $974 per month in Istanbul and $39.14 in Lucknow. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 173% 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 Lucknow, where all-in costs run around $373, than in Istanbul at $1,526. In Lucknow it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Lucknow – 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 Lucknow. 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.