Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Rawalpindi

For one person, living is cheaper in Rawalpindi: $503 a month against $1,519 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $12,200 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 Rawalpindi
Learn more

Rawalpindi Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,519

/mo nomad

Rawalpindi

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$503

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Rawalpindi

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

A single person spends $1,519 per month in Istanbul vs $503 in Rawalpindi, rent included.

Istanbul $1,519
Rawalpindi $503

A couple spends around $2,365 per month in Istanbul vs $788 in Rawalpindi, rent included.

Istanbul $2,365
Rawalpindi $788

A family of three spends $3,212 per month in Istanbul vs $1,072 in Rawalpindi, rent included.

Istanbul $3,212
Rawalpindi $1,072

Istanbul costs about 202% more than Rawalpindi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Istanbul sits 12% above the global median, while Rawalpindi is 63% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.81 ₺592

$2.09 PKR 579

465.07%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.9 ₺2,754

$16.18 PKR 4,476

239.37%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.26 ₺465

$6.03 PKR 1,668

53.57%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.76 PKR 487

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 PKR 961

Cappuccino

$4.30 ₺216

$1.94 PKR 537

121.65%

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

$1.77 ₺89.0

$0.44 PKR 122

302.27%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺28.32

$0.25 PKR 69.5

124.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.69 ₺235

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.12 ₺357

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 ₺62.7

$0.91 PKR 253

37.36%

White Bread (500g)

$0.88 ₺44.17

$0.59 PKR 164

49.15%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 ₺111

$1.24 PKR 343

77.42%

Eggs

$2.43 ₺122

$1.14 PKR 314

113.16%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.48 ₺526

$6.38 PKR 1,765

64.26%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.31 ₺267

$3.54 PKR 978

50.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.10 ₺1,058

$5.19 PKR 1,436

306.55%

Apples (1kg)

$1.86 ₺93.1

$1.18 PKR 327

57.63%

Banana (1kg)

$2.30 ₺115

$0.89 PKR 246

158.43%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.22 ₺61.0

$1.24 PKR 343

-1.61%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺90.2

$0.58 PKR 160

210.34%

Potato (1kg)

$0.69 ₺34.83

$0.35 PKR 97.6

97.14%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺32.16

$0.48 PKR 133

33.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.36 ₺68.0

$0.35 PKR 95.5

288.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 ₺28.94

$0.39 PKR 108

48.72%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$16.25 PKR 4,496

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.22 PKR 336

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.49 PKR 688

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.34 ₺117

$1.97 PKR 546

18.78%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.03 ₺653

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 ₺44.07

$0.17 PKR 46.97

417.65%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.1 ₺3,316

$9.81 PKR 2,712

574.01%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 ₺64.4

$0.87 PKR 241

47.13%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 ₺42.80

$0.38 PKR 104

123.68%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.09 ₺556

$2.99 PKR 828

270.90%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 ₺74.0

$1.19 PKR 329

24.37%

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

$48.6K ₺2.4M

$19.1K PKR 5.3M

155.09%

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

$42.0K ₺2.1M

$23.6K PKR 6.5M

77.98%

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

$92.7 ₺4,650

$112 PKR 31.1K

-17.55%

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

$11.20 ₺562

$5.60 PKR 1,549

100.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.89 ₺797

$18.77 PKR 5,191

-15.34%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.7 ₺3,745

$12.23 PKR 3,384

510.63%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.95 ₺1,151

$7.62 PKR 2,109

201.18%

Cinema Ticket

$8.05 ₺404

$4.25 PKR 1,175

89.41%

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

$948 ₺47.6K

$49.55 PKR 13.7K

1814.11%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.9K ₺1.9M

$1,057 PKR 292.2K

3393.89%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₺2,702

$17.14 PKR 4,741

214.35%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.49 ₺2,081

$32.15 PKR 8,892

29.05%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 ₺5,060

$91.8 PKR 25.4K

9.95%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.3 ₺4,580

$36.65 PKR 10.1K

149.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,014 ₺50.8K

$184 PKR 50.8K

451.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$625 ₺31.3K

$87.4 PKR 24.2K

614.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,005 ₺100.6K

$383 PKR 105.8K

424.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,126 ₺56.5K

$224 PKR 61.9K

403.19%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,988 ₺149.8K

$1,016 PKR 280.9K

194.19%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,730 ₺86.8K

$433 PKR 119.7K

299.87%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,136 ₺57.0K

$171 PKR 47.3K

564.24%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.42

22.81

77.20%

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

Last update for Istanbul: November 2, 2026

Last update for Rawalpindi: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$625 41.1%

Rawalpindi

$87 17.4% 86% $537

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$258 17%

Rawalpindi

$104 20.7% 59.7% $154

Eating Out

Istanbul

$221 14.6%

Rawalpindi

$61 12.1% 72.4% $160

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$129 8.5%

Rawalpindi

$80 15.9% 38.2% $49

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$120 7.9%

Rawalpindi

$137 27.2% 14.2% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$91 6%

Rawalpindi

$21 4.1% 77.2% $70

Getting Around

Istanbul

$75 5%

Rawalpindi

$13 2.6% 82.4% $62

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,014 in Istanbul versus $184 in Rawalpindi. 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 6.6 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55 in Istanbul versus $16 in Rawalpindi. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $104 – making Rawalpindi the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇵🇰 Rawalpindi

🕒 Local time

17:06 5:06 PM

19:06 7:06 PM

2 h ahead of Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

2,098,231

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Pakistani Rupee PKR ₨

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 1.99 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 6, 2026: 1 USD = 50.15 TRY (100 TRY = 1.99 USD). 1 EUR = 56.33 TRY (100 TRY = 1.78 EUR).

Pakistani Rupee exchange rates as of November 6, 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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Highest

Between locations

Istanbul Rawalpindi 3,940 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Rawalpindi

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 Rawalpindi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 202%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,278 per month in Istanbul and $755 in Rawalpindi. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Rawalpindi, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $184 there versus $1,014 in Istanbul.

Kindergarten costs $948 per month in Istanbul and $50 in Rawalpindi. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 148% more in Istanbul, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Rawalpindi, where all-in costs run around $503, than in Istanbul at $1,519. In Rawalpindi it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Rawalpindi – 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 Rawalpindi. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Istanbul makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.