Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Shillong

For one person, living is cheaper in Shillong: $402 a month against $1,550 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $13,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

75

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index
20

Cost of Living Index in Shillong
Learn more

Shillong Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

Shillong

🇮🇳 India

$402

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Shillong

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

A single person spends $1,550 per month in Istanbul vs $402 in Shillong, rent included.

Istanbul $1,550
Shillong $402

A couple spends around $2,415 per month in Istanbul vs $638 in Shillong, rent included.

Istanbul $2,415
Shillong $638

A family of three spends $3,281 per month in Istanbul vs $874 in Shillong, rent included.

Istanbul $3,281
Shillong $874

Istanbul costs about 286% more than Shillong, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Istanbul sits 15% above the global median, while Shillong is 70% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.30 ₺609

$3.35 ₹318

267.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.7 ₺2,708

$11.44 ₹1,086

378.15%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.22 ₺456

$4.81 ₹457

91.68%

Cappuccino

$4.40 ₺218

$1.66 ₹157

165.06%

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

$1.68 ₺83.1

$0.41 ₹38.88

309.76%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₺29.40

$0.15 ₹13.94

293.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.70 ₺233

$1.22 ₹116

285.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.91 ₺292

$3.49 ₹331

69.34%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 ₺60.0

$0.61 ₹57.9

98.36%

White Bread (500g)

$0.89 ₺44.10

$0.31 ₹29.06

187.10%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.19 ₺108

$0.58 ₹55.4

277.59%

Eggs

$2.35 ₺116

$0.92 ₹86.9

155.43%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.42 ₺516

$3.86 ₹366

169.95%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.65 ₺280

$2.43 ₹231

132.51%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.94 ₺1,037

Apples (1kg)

$1.90 ₺94.1

$2.16 ₹205

-12.04%

Banana (1kg)

$2.31 ₺114

$0.68 ₹64.4

239.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.1

$0.93 ₹88.4

37.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺89.0

$0.52 ₹49.21

246.15%

Potato (1kg)

$0.65 ₺32.16

$0.31 ₹29.25

109.68%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺31.91

$0.35 ₹32.78

82.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 ₺62.1

$0.22 ₹20.90

468.18%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.58

$0.25 ₹23.68

124.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.37 ₺118

$5.11 ₹485

-53.62%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.42 ₺664

$4.83 ₹458

177.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₺119

$1.28 ₹121

87.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 ₺172

$1.97 ₹187

76.65%

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

$4.78 ₹453

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.89 ₺43.84

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.4 ₺3,338

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.29 ₺64.1

$0.74 ₹70.3

74.32%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 ₺45.70

$0.28 ₹26.52

228.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.96 ₺542

$1.29 ₹123

749.61%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ₺72.9

$1.09 ₹104

34.86%

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

$50.8K ₺2.5M

$12.6K ₹1.2M

302.17%

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

$44.5K ₺2.2M

$16.0K ₹1.5M

177.44%

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

$88.6 ₺4,387

$34.74 ₹3,298

155.07%

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

$11.59 ₺574

$3.29 ₹313

252.28%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.81 ₺783

$6.12 ₹581

158.33%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.2 ₺3,820

$9.99 ₹948

672.37%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.74 ₺1,126

$5.11 ₹486

345.01%

Cinema Ticket

$8.14 ₺403

$3.10 ₹294

162.58%

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

$1,008 ₺49.9K

$27.65 ₹2,626

3545.68%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.6K ₺1.3M

$1,164 ₹110.5K

2096.32%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.0 ₺2,671

$17.41 ₹1,653

209.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.83 ₺2,021

$22.11 ₹2,100

84.67%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.9 ₺4,895

$36.74 ₹3,489

169.13%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.6 ₺4,783

$27.45 ₹2,606

251.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$985 ₺48.7K

$210 ₹19.9K

369.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$650 ₺32.2K

$131 ₹12.4K

397.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,983 ₺98.2K

$727 ₹69.0K

172.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,180 ₺58.4K

$284 ₹26.9K

315.76%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,138 ₺155.4K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,780 ₺88.1K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,205 ₺59.7K

$442 ₹41.9K

173.03%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.92

7.38

454.47%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 13, 2026

Last update for Shillong: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$650 41.9%

Shillong

$131 32.5% 79.9% $519

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$260 16.8%

Shillong

$86 21.3% 67.1% $174

Eating Out

Istanbul

$223 14.4%

Shillong

$76 19% 65.8% $147

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$131 8.4%

Shillong

$47 11.6% 64.3% $84

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$116 7.5%

Shillong

$44 11% 61.9% $72

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$93 6%

Shillong

$16 4% 82.7% $77

Getting Around

Istanbul

$77 5%

Shillong

$2.1 * 0.5% 97.2% $75

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $985 in Istanbul versus $210 in Shillong. 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 173% 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 Shillong. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $260 vs $86.0 – making Shillong the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇮🇳 Shillong

🕒 Local time

05:40 5:40 AM

08:10 8:10 AM

2 h 30 min ahead of Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

143,000

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Indian Rupee INR ₹

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 2.02 USD

100 TRY = 1.79 EUR

1,000 INR = 10.53 USD

1,000 INR = 9.35 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 17, 2026: 1 USD = 49.51 TRY (100 TRY = 2.02 USD). 1 EUR = 55.75 TRY (100 TRY = 1.79 EUR).

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 94.95 INR (100 INR = 1.05 USD). 1 EUR = 107 INR (1,000 INR = 9.35 EUR).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Istanbul Shillong 5,960 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Shillong

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 Shillong: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 286%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,325 per month in Istanbul and $603 in Shillong. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55.0 in Istanbul and $11.00 in Shillong. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 204% 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 $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Shillong, where all-in costs run around $402, than in Istanbul at $1,550. In Shillong it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Shillong – 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 Shillong. 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.