Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Solan

For one person, living is cheaper in Solan: $369 a month against $1,550 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $14,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

75

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index
17

Cost of Living Index in Solan
Learn more

Solan Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

Solan

🇮🇳 India

$369

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Solan

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

A single person spends $1,550 per month in Istanbul vs $369 in Solan, rent included.

Istanbul $1,550
Solan $369

A couple spends around $2,415 per month in Istanbul vs $587 in Solan, rent included.

Istanbul $2,415
Solan $587

A family of three spends $3,281 per month in Istanbul vs $805 in Solan, rent included.

Istanbul $3,281
Solan $805

Istanbul costs about 320% more than Solan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Istanbul sits 15% above the global median, while Solan is 73% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.30 ₺609

$1.27 ₹121

868.50%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.7 ₺2,709

$15.77 ₹1,498

246.86%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.22 ₺457

$3.21 ₹305

187.23%

Cappuccino

$4.40 ₺218

$1.98 ₹188

122.22%

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

$1.68 ₺83.1

$0.32 ₹30.71

425.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₺29.41

$0.09 ₹8.40

555.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.70 ₺233

$2.14 ₹203

119.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.91 ₺293

$2.58 ₹245

129.07%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 ₺60.0

$0.44 ₹41.75

175.00%

White Bread (500g)

$0.89 ₺44.11

$0.54 ₹50.8

64.81%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.19 ₺108

$0.41 ₹38.60

434.15%

Eggs

$2.35 ₺116

$0.68 ₹64.7

245.59%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.42 ₺516

$5.12 ₹486

103.52%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.65 ₺280

$2.37 ₹225

138.40%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.94 ₺1,037

Apples (1kg)

$1.90 ₺94.1

$1.93 ₹184

-1.55%

Banana (1kg)

$2.31 ₺114

$0.77 ₹72.9

200.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.2

$0.54 ₹51.5

137.04%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺89.0

$0.49 ₹46.59

267.35%

Potato (1kg)

$0.65 ₺32.17

$0.30 ₹28.34

116.67%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺31.92

$0.40 ₹37.95

60.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 ₺62.1

$0.64 ₹60.5

95.31%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.59

$0.30 ₹28.05

86.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.37 ₺118

$2.75 ₹261

-13.82%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.42 ₺664

$7.24 ₹687

85.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₺119

$1.72 ₹164

39.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 ₺172

$2.64 ₹251

31.82%

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

$5.44 ₹516

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.89 ₺43.85

$0.27 ₹25.87

229.63%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.4 ₺3,339

$8.31 ₹790

711.43%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.29 ₺64.1

$1.02 ₹96.8

26.47%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 ₺45.71

$0.25 ₹23.62

268.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.96 ₺543

$2.13 ₹203

414.55%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ₺73.0

$0.94 ₹89.0

56.38%

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

$50.8K ₺2.5M

$15.9K ₹1.5M

219.30%

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

$44.5K ₺2.2M

$23.9K ₹2.3M

86.60%

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

$88.6 ₺4,388

$37.62 ₹3,572

135.54%

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

$11.59 ₺574

$2.57 ₹244

350.97%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.81 ₺783

$7.51 ₹713

110.52%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.2 ₺3,821

$14.33 ₹1,361

438.45%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.74 ₺1,126

$6.21 ₹589

266.18%

Cinema Ticket

$8.14 ₺403

$2.05 ₹195

297.07%

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

$1,008 ₺49.9K

$95.6 ₹9,081

954.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.6K ₺1.3M

$1,716 ₹163.0K

1389.38%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.0 ₺2,672

$20.45 ₹1,942

163.81%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.83 ₺2,022

$23.89 ₹2,269

70.91%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.9 ₺4,897

$47.10 ₹4,472

109.94%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.6 ₺4,784

$25.83 ₹2,453

273.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$985 ₺48.8K

$138 ₹13.1K

611.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$650 ₺32.2K

$81.0 ₹7,688

702.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,983 ₺98.2K

$281 ₹26.7K

606.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,180 ₺58.4K

$170 ₹16.1K

596.16%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,138 ₺155.4K

$854 ₹81.1K

267.55%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,780 ₺88.1K

$564 ₹53.6K

215.33%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,205 ₺59.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.92

9.12

348.68%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 13, 2026

Last update for Solan: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$650 41.9%

Solan

$81 21.9% 87.5% $569

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$260 16.8%

Solan

$96 26.1% 62.9% $163

Eating Out

Istanbul

$223 14.4%

Solan

$61 16.6% 72.6% $162

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$131 8.4%

Solan

$53 14.3% 59.6% $78

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$116 7.5%

Solan

$48 12.9% 58.9% $68

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$93 6%

Solan

$18 5% 80.3% $75

Getting Around

Istanbul

$77 5%

Solan

$12 3.2% 84.8% $65

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $985 in Istanbul versus $138 in Solan. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55.0 in Istanbul versus $16.00 in Solan. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $260 vs $96.0 – making Solan the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇮🇳 Solan

🕒 Local time

05:38 5:38 AM

08:08 8:08 AM

2 h 30 min ahead of Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

39,256

💱 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 = 49.52 TRY (100 TRY = 2.02 USD). 1 EUR = 55.76 TRY (100 TRY = 1.79 EUR).

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 94.96 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 Solan 4,420 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Solan

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 Solan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 320%, 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 $553 in Solan. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Kindergarten costs $1,008 per month in Istanbul and $95.6 in Solan. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 170% 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 Solan, where all-in costs run around $369, than in Istanbul at $1,550. In Solan it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Solan – 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 Solan. 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.