Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Rajkot

For one person, living is cheaper in Rajkot: $352 a month against $1,526 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $14,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

Istanbul
🇹🇷 Turkey
$1,526
/mo nomad
Rajkot
🇮🇳 India
$352
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Rajkot

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

A single person spends $1,526 per month in Istanbul vs $352 in Rajkot, rent included.

  • Istanbul $1,526
  • Rajkot $352

A couple spends around $2,399 per month in Istanbul vs $567 in Rajkot, rent included.

  • Istanbul $2,399
  • Rajkot $567

A family of three spends $3,272 per month in Istanbul vs $782 in Rajkot, rent included.

  • Istanbul $3,272
  • Rajkot $782

Istanbul costs about 334% more than Rajkot, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Istanbul sits 14% above the global median, while Rajkot is 74% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Istanbul
Rajkot
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.88 ₺585
$2.03 ₹197
485.22%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$55.1 ₺2,714
$9.54 ₹923
477.46%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.14 ₺450
$2.59 ₹251
252.90%
Cappuccino
$4.24 ₺209
$1.64 ₹159
158.54%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.75 ₺86.0
$0.30 ₹28.72
483.33%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.54 ₺26.83
$0.14 ₹13.49
285.71%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$4.69 ₺231
$2.32 ₹225
102.16%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.97 ₺294
$3.55 ₹343
68.17%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Istanbul
Rajkot
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.26 ₺62.1
$0.68 ₹66.2
85.29%
White Bread (500g)
$0.95 ₺46.81
$0.50 ₹47.98
90.00%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.31 ₺114
$0.59 ₹57.1
291.53%
Eggs
$2.47 ₺122
$0.98 ₹95.2
152.04%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.55 ₺520
$4.31 ₹417
144.78%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$5.60 ₺276
$3.35 ₹324
67.16%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$21.21 ₺1,045
-
-
Apples (1kg)
$1.93 ₺95.1
$1.70 ₹164
13.53%
Banana (1kg)
$2.29 ₺113
$0.60 ₹58.1
281.67%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.28 ₺63.1
$0.98 ₹94.4
30.61%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.84 ₺90.8
$0.74 ₹71.8
148.65%
Potato (1kg)
$0.67 ₺32.86
$0.50 ₹48.78
34.00%
Onion (1kg)
$0.59 ₺29.31
$0.62 ₹59.8
-4.84%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.33 ₺65.4
$0.53 ₹51.7
150.94%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.59 ₺29.10
$0.30 ₹29.10
96.67%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.36 ₺116
$5.10 ₹494
-53.73%
Wine (Bottle)
$13.47 ₺664
$10.56 ₹1,022
27.56%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.42 ₺119
$2.54 ₹245
-4.72%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.54 ₺174
$3.17 ₹307
11.67%
Buffalo Round (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) (1kg)
-
$5.87 ₹568
-
🚌 Getting Around
Istanbul
Rajkot
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.83 ₺40.64
$0.22 ₹21.30
277.27%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$66.5 ₺3,273
$3.72 ₹360
1686.29%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.35 ₺66.6
$0.77 ₹74.3
75.32%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.85 ₺42.05
$0.20 ₹19.33
325.00%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$10.86 ₺535
$1.52 ₹147
614.47%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.47 ₺72.3
$1.06 ₹103
38.68%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$51.6K ₺2.5M
$15.6K ₹1.5M
231.71%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$44.4K ₺2.2M
$19.9K ₹1.9M
123.66%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Istanbul
Rajkot
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$89.2 ₺4,395
$29.57 ₹2,861
201.72%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$11.60 ₺572
$3.18 ₹308
264.78%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$16.10 ₺793
$5.23 ₹506
207.84%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Istanbul
Rajkot
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$77.3 ₺3,805
$16.44 ₹1,591
369.89%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$22.66 ₺1,116
$10.50 ₹1,016
115.81%
Cinema Ticket
$8.34 ₺411
$3.15 ₹305
164.76%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Istanbul
Rajkot
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$974 ₺48.0K
$81.8 ₹7,921
1089.96%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$25.8K ₺1.3M
$1,719 ₹166.4K
1398.99%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Istanbul
Rajkot
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$52.7 ₺2,597
$16.94 ₹1,639
211.16%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$39.16 ₺1,929
$21.32 ₹2,063
83.68%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$103 ₺5,083
$23.10 ₹2,236
346.71%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$96.6 ₺4,759
$20.28 ₹1,963
376.33%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Istanbul
Rajkot
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$994 ₺49.0K
$115 ₹11.2K
761.63%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$629 ₺31.0K
$66.1 ₹6,400
851.66%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,024 ₺99.7K
$293 ₹28.4K
590.07%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,155 ₺56.9K
$187 ₹18.1K
516.45%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,160 ₺155.7K
$736 ₹71.2K
329.51%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,838 ₺90.5K
$590 ₹57.1K
211.62%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Istanbul
Rajkot
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,203 ₺59.3K
$247 ₹23.9K
386.41%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
41.09
10.12
306.03%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 3, 2026

Last update for Rajkot: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Istanbul
$629
Rajkot
$66 89.5% $563
Groceries & Markets
Istanbul
$264
Rajkot
$116 56% $148
Eating Out
Istanbul
$218
Rajkot
$64 70.5% $154
Clothing & Footwear
Istanbul
$131
Rajkot
$37 72% $95
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Istanbul
$117
Rajkot
$38 67.5% $79
Sport & Entertainment
Istanbul
$94
Rajkot
$23 75.8% $71
Getting Around
Istanbul
$75
Rajkot
$6.4 91.5% $69

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $994 in Istanbul versus $115 in Rajkot. 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 386% 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 $10.00 in Rajkot. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $264 vs $116 – making Rajkot the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇹🇷 Istanbul
🇮🇳 Rajkot
🕒 Local time
09:35 9:35 AM
12:05 12:05 PM
2 h 30 min ahead of Istanbul
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
15,701,602
1,286,678
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

INR, USD, EUR to TRY – Turkish Lira Converter

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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Istanbul Rajkot 4,420 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Istanbul
  • Rajkot

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 Rajkot: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Rajkot cheaper than Istanbul?
Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 334%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,289 per month in Istanbul and $527 in Rajkot. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Rajkot, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Kindergarten costs $974 per month in Istanbul and $81.8 in Rajkot. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
How do food prices compare in Istanbul and in Rajkot?
Groceries cost about 127% more in Istanbul, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in Istanbul or in Rajkot?
A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Rajkot, where all-in costs run around $352, than in Istanbul at $1,526. In Rajkot it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Istanbul or Rajkot more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Rajkot – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Which city is safer, Istanbul or Rajkot?
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.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Rajkot. 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.

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