Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Pune

For one person, living is cheaper in Pune: $539 a month against $1,526 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $11,800 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
27

Cost of Living Index in Pune
Learn more

Pune Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,526

/mo nomad

Pune

🇮🇳 India

$539

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Pune

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

A single person spends $1,526 per month in Istanbul vs $539 in Pune, rent included.

Istanbul $1,526
Pune $539

A couple spends around $2,399 per month in Istanbul vs $895 in Pune, rent included.

Istanbul $2,399
Pune $895

A family of three spends $3,272 per month in Istanbul vs $1,252 in Pune, rent included.

Istanbul $3,272
Pune $1,252

Istanbul costs about 183% more than Pune, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Istanbul sits 14% above the global median, while Pune is 60% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.88 ₺585

$4.17 ₹403

184.89%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.1 ₺2,714

$17.42 ₹1,686

216.25%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.14 ₺450

$5.21 ₹504

75.43%

Cappuccino

$4.24 ₺209

$2.10 ₹203

101.90%

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

$1.75 ₺86.0

$0.48 ₹46.01

264.58%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.54 ₺26.83

$0.17 ₹16.06

217.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.69 ₺231

$2.82 ₹273

66.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.97 ₺294

$4.27 ₹414

39.81%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.26 ₺62.1

$0.72 ₹70.0

75.00%

White Bread (500g)

$0.95 ₺46.81

$0.57 ₹54.7

66.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.31 ₺114

$0.71 ₹68.3

225.35%

Eggs

$2.47 ₺122

$1.06 ₹103

133.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.55 ₺520

$6.21 ₹601

69.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.60 ₺276

$3.24 ₹313

72.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.21 ₺1,045

Apples (1kg)

$1.93 ₺95.1

$2.79 ₹270

-30.82%

Banana (1kg)

$2.29 ₺113

$0.73 ₹70.8

213.70%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.1

$1.80 ₹174

-28.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.84 ₺90.8

$0.47 ₹45.61

291.49%

Potato (1kg)

$0.67 ₺32.86

$0.42 ₹40.24

59.52%

Onion (1kg)

$0.59 ₺29.31

$0.46 ₹44.98

28.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.33 ₺65.4

$0.61 ₹59.3

118.03%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₺29.10

$0.30 ₹29.02

96.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.36 ₺116

$5.00 ₹484

-52.80%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.47 ₺664

$6.35 ₹614

112.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.42 ₺119

$2.15 ₹208

12.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.54 ₺174

$2.87 ₹278

23.34%

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

$5.75 ₹556

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.83 ₺40.64

$0.44 ₹42.60

88.64%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.5 ₺3,273

$15.79 ₹1,528

320.84%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.35 ₺66.6

$0.41 ₹39.51

229.27%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 ₺42.05

$0.25 ₹24.12

240.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.86 ₺535

$2.14 ₹207

407.48%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ₺72.3

$1.08 ₹105

36.11%

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

$51.6K ₺2.5M

$13.5K ₹1.3M

282.05%

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

$44.4K ₺2.2M

$20.0K ₹1.9M

122.50%

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

$89.2 ₺4,395

$39.33 ₹3,807

126.85%

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

$11.60 ₺572

$3.80 ₹368

205.26%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.10 ₺793

$7.64 ₹739

110.73%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.3 ₺3,805

$20.84 ₹2,017

270.68%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.66 ₺1,116

$6.89 ₹667

228.88%

Cinema Ticket

$8.34 ₺411

$5.11 ₹494

63.21%

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

$974 ₺48.0K

$129 ₹12.5K

656.10%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.8K ₺1.3M

$2,273 ₹220.0K

1033.89%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.7 ₺2,597

$28.83 ₹2,790

82.83%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.16 ₺1,929

$26.23 ₹2,538

49.29%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 ₺5,083

$49.74 ₹4,814

107.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.6 ₺4,759

$37.37 ₹3,617

158.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$994 ₺49.0K

$257 ₹24.9K

286.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$629 ₺31.0K

$164 ₹15.9K

283.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,024 ₺99.7K

$660 ₹63.9K

206.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,155 ₺56.9K

$402 ₹38.9K

187.44%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,160 ₺155.7K

$2,189 ₹211.8K

44.40%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,838 ₺90.5K

$982 ₹95.1K

87.08%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,203 ₺59.3K

$1,166 ₹112.8K

3.24%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

41.09

8.69

372.84%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 3, 2026

Last update for Pune: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$629 41.2%

Pune

$164 29.9% 74% $465

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$264 17.3%

Pune

$120 21.9% 54.5% $144

Eating Out

Istanbul

$218 14.3%

Pune

$99 18.1% 54.4% $119

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$131 8.6%

Pune

$64 11.7% 51.3% $67

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$117 7.7%

Pune

$51 9.3% 56.6% $66

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$94 6.1%

Pune

$31 5.7% 66.9% $63

Getting Around

Istanbul

$75 4.9%

Pune

$19 3.5% 74.5% $56

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $994 in Istanbul versus $257 in Pune. 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 3% 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 $17.00 in Pune. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $264 vs $120 – making Pune the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇮🇳 Pune

🕒 Local time

13:27 1:27 PM

15:57 3:57 PM

2 h 30 min ahead of Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

3,115,431

💱 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 = 9.22 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 = 55.2 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 = 108 INR (1,000 INR = 9.22 EUR).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Istanbul Pune 4,930 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Pune

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 Pune: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 183%, 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 $808 in Pune. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Pune, 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 $129 in Pune. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 120% 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 $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Pune, where all-in costs run around $539, than in Istanbul at $1,526. In Pune it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Pune – 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 Pune. 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.