Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Surat

For one person, living is cheaper in Surat: $806 a month against $1,526 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $8,600 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

74

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index
39

Cost of Living Index in Surat
Learn more

Surat Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,526

/mo nomad

Surat

🇮🇳 India

$806

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Surat

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

A single person spends $1,526 per month in Istanbul vs $806 in Surat, rent included.

Istanbul $1,526
Surat $806

A couple spends around $2,399 per month in Istanbul vs $826 in Surat, rent included.

Istanbul $2,399
Surat $826

A family of three spends $3,272 per month in Istanbul vs $847 in Surat, rent included.

Istanbul $3,272
Surat $847

Istanbul costs about 89% more than Surat, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Istanbul sits 14% above the global median, while Surat is 40% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.88 ₺585

$3.18 ₹307

273.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.1 ₺2,714

$10.40 ₹1,006

429.71%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.14 ₺450

$3.14 ₹304

191.08%

Cappuccino

$4.24 ₺209

$1.83 ₹177

131.69%

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

$1.75 ₺86.0

$0.36 ₹34.38

386.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.54 ₺26.83

$0.15 ₹14.56

260.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.69 ₺231

$2.92 ₹282

60.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.97 ₺294

$3.19 ₹309

87.15%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.26 ₺62.1

$0.73 ₹70.9

72.60%

White Bread (500g)

$0.95 ₺46.81

$0.47 ₹45.50

102.13%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.31 ₺114

$0.66 ₹63.5

250.00%

Eggs

$2.47 ₺122

$0.95 ₹91.5

160.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.55 ₺520

$4.34 ₹420

143.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.60 ₺276

$2.73 ₹265

105.13%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.21 ₺1,045

Apples (1kg)

$1.93 ₺95.1

$1.70 ₹164

13.53%

Banana (1kg)

$2.29 ₺113

$0.62 ₹59.6

269.35%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.1

$0.80 ₹77.4

60.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.84 ₺90.8

$0.54 ₹52.2

240.74%

Potato (1kg)

$0.67 ₺32.86

$0.35 ₹33.56

91.43%

Onion (1kg)

$0.59 ₺29.31

$0.43 ₹41.73

37.21%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.33 ₺65.4

$0.48 ₹46.59

177.08%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₺29.10

$0.30 ₹28.89

96.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.36 ₺116

$5.12 ₹495

-53.91%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.47 ₺664

$7.60 ₹735

77.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.42 ₺119

$1.86 ₹180

30.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.54 ₺174

$3.01 ₹291

17.61%

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

$6.06 ₹586

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.83 ₺40.64

$0.22 ₹21.19

277.27%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.5 ₺3,273

$5.27 ₹510

1160.91%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.35 ₺66.6

$0.59 ₹57.2

128.81%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 ₺42.05

$0.22 ₹21.32

286.36%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.86 ₺535

$1.07 ₹103

914.95%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ₺72.3

$1.13 ₹110

30.09%

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

$51.6K ₺2.5M

$12.1K ₹1.2M

324.90%

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

$44.4K ₺2.2M

$18.3K ₹1.8M

142.45%

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

$89.2 ₺4,395

$36.72 ₹3,554

142.97%

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

$11.60 ₺572

$3.64 ₹353

218.68%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.10 ₺793

$7.44 ₹720

116.40%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.3 ₺3,805

$18.59 ₹1,799

315.55%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.66 ₺1,116

$5.16 ₹499

339.15%

Cinema Ticket

$8.34 ₺411

$2.88 ₹278

189.58%

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

$974 ₺48.0K

$33.35 ₹3,227

2820.12%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.8K ₺1.3M

$891 ₹86.2K

2792.57%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.7 ₺2,597

$22.51 ₹2,179

134.16%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.16 ₺1,929

$24.53 ₹2,374

59.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 ₺5,083

$40.90 ₹3,958

152.30%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.6 ₺4,759

$32.42 ₹3,137

197.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$994 ₺49.0K

$216 ₹20.9K

359.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$629 ₺31.0K

$499 ₹48.3K

26.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,024 ₺99.7K

$375 ₹36.3K

440.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,155 ₺56.9K

$201 ₹19.5K

474.36%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,160 ₺155.7K

$660 ₹63.8K

379.01%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,838 ₺90.5K

$309 ₹29.9K

494.98%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,203 ₺59.3K

$313 ₹30.3K

284.19%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

41.09

9.17

348.09%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 3, 2026

Last update for Surat: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$629 41.2%

Surat

$499 61.3% 20.7% $131

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$264 17.3%

Surat

$101 12.4% 61.7% $163

Eating Out

Istanbul

$218 14.3%

Surat

$80 9.8% 63.4% $138

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$131 8.6%

Surat

$54 6.7% 58.7% $77

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$117 7.7%

Surat

$48 5.9% 59.1% $69

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$94 6.1%

Surat

$24 3% 74.1% $70

Getting Around

Istanbul

$75 4.9%

Surat

$7.8 1% 89.6% $68

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $994 in Istanbul versus $216 in Surat. 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 284% 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 Surat. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $264 vs $101 – making Surat the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇮🇳 Surat

🕒 Local time

10:52 10:52 AM

13:22 1:22 PM

2 h 30 min ahead of Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

6,936,534

💱 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 = 9.21 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 = 55.25 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).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Istanbul Surat 4,660 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Surat

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 Surat: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 89%, 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 $1,209 in Surat. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Surat, 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 $33.35 in Surat. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 161% 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 Surat, where all-in costs run around $806, than in Istanbul at $1,526. In Surat it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Surat – 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 Surat. 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.