Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Tura

For one person, living is cheaper in Tura: $341 a month against $1,525 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $14,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

Istanbul
🇹🇷 Turkey
$1,525
/mo nomad
Tura
🇮🇳 India
$341
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Tura

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

A single person spends $1,525 per month in Istanbul vs $341 in Tura, rent included.

  • Istanbul $1,525
  • Tura $341

A couple spends around $2,390 per month in Istanbul vs $548 in Tura, rent included.

  • Istanbul $2,390
  • Tura $548

A family of three spends $3,256 per month in Istanbul vs $756 in Tura, rent included.

  • Istanbul $3,256
  • Tura $756

Istanbul costs about 347% more than Tura, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Istanbul sits 13% above the global median, while Tura is 75% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Istanbul
Tura
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.96 ₺592
$2.84 ₹270
321.13%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$57.2 ₺2,834
$11.60 ₹1,102
393.36%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.51 ₺471
$3.12 ₹297
204.81%
Cappuccino
$4.40 ₺218
$0.97 ₹92.0
353.61%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.75 ₺86.6
$0.30 ₹28.16
483.33%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.56 ₺27.57
$0.11 ₹10.92
409.09%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$4.71 ₺233
$1.22 ₹115
286.07%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$6.14 ₺304
$1.86 ₹176
230.11%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Istanbul
Tura
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.24 ₺61.6
$0.61 ₹58.3
103.28%
White Bread (500g)
$0.95 ₺47.25
$0.47 ₹44.77
102.13%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.28 ₺113
$0.51 ₹48.39
347.06%
Eggs
$2.45 ₺121
$0.88 ₹83.1
178.41%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.56 ₺523
$3.92 ₹372
169.39%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$5.50 ₺272
$3.22 ₹305
70.81%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$21.65 ₺1,072
-
-
Apples (1kg)
$1.83 ₺90.6
$2.14 ₹203
-14.49%
Banana (1kg)
$2.29 ₺113
$0.71 ₹67.9
222.54%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.28 ₺63.4
$0.90 ₹85.5
42.22%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.82 ₺90.1
$0.63 ₹59.8
188.89%
Potato (1kg)
$0.66 ₺32.74
$0.34 ₹32.66
94.12%
Onion (1kg)
$0.63 ₺31.14
$0.35 ₹33.17
80.00%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.27 ₺62.8
$0.31 ₹29.32
309.68%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.56 ₺27.62
$0.29 ₹27.81
93.10%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.36 ₺117
$3.69 ₹350
-36.04%
Wine (Bottle)
$12.98 ₺642
$6.84 ₹650
89.77%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.48 ₺123
$1.53 ₹145
62.09%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.50 ₺174
$2.45 ₹233
42.86%
Buffalo Round (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) (1kg)
-
$4.93 ₹468
-
🚌 Getting Around
Istanbul
Tura
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.82 ₺40.77
$0.25 ₹23.53
228.00%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$65.2 ₺3,228
$7.55 ₹717
763.58%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.33 ₺65.7
$0.73 ₹69.6
82.19%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.90 ₺44.60
$0.28 ₹26.48
221.43%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$10.91 ₺540
$1.07 ₹102
919.63%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.43 ₺70.7
$0.99 ₹94.3
44.44%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$49.6K ₺2.5M
$12.7K ₹1.2M
290.84%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$43.2K ₺2.1M
$16.1K ₹1.5M
167.53%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Istanbul
Tura
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$88.8 ₺4,395
$34.07 ₹3,236
160.55%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$11.69 ₺579
$3.08 ₹292
279.55%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$16.09 ₺797
$6.18 ₹587
160.36%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Istanbul
Tura
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$76.3 ₺3,776
$14.37 ₹1,365
430.69%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$22.72 ₺1,125
$6.42 ₹610
253.89%
Cinema Ticket
$8.26 ₺409
$3.10 ₹295
166.45%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Istanbul
Tura
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,015 ₺50.2K
$27.81 ₹2,641
3548.72%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$25.8K ₺1.3M
$1,270 ₹120.6K
1934.59%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Istanbul
Tura
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$53.3 ₺2,636
$15.56 ₹1,477
242.22%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$40.55 ₺2,008
$12.74 ₹1,209
218.29%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$100 ₺4,956
$31.16 ₹2,959
221.25%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$93.5 ₺4,630
$25.71 ₹2,442
263.79%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Istanbul
Tura
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$977 ₺48.4K
$121 ₹11.5K
708.84%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$627 ₺31.0K
$74.4 ₹7,063
743.05%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,980 ₺98.0K
$262 ₹24.8K
656.78%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,147 ₺56.8K
$173 ₹16.4K
564.88%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,095 ₺153.2K
$967 ₹91.9K
219.96%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,787 ₺88.5K
$514 ₹48.8K
247.81%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Istanbul
Tura
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,213 ₺60.1K
$619 ₹58.8K
95.95%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
40.69
7.38
451.36%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 19, 2026

Last update for Tura: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Istanbul
$627
Tura
$74 88.1% $553
Groceries & Markets
Istanbul
$263
Tura
$99 62.4% $164
Eating Out
Istanbul
$222
Tura
$55 75.2% $167
Clothing & Footwear
Istanbul
$129
Tura
$38 70.4% $91
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Istanbul
$117
Tura
$43 62.8% $73
Sport & Entertainment
Istanbul
$93
Tura
$21 77.8% $72
Getting Around
Istanbul
$74
Tura
$11 85.6% $64

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $977 in Istanbul versus $121 in Tura. 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 96% 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 $57.0 in Istanbul versus $12.00 in Tura. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $263 vs $99.0 – making Tura the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇹🇷 Istanbul
🇮🇳 Tura
🕒 Local time
03:19 3:19 AM
05:49 5:49 AM
2 h 30 min ahead of Istanbul
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
15,701,602
75,000
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

INR, USD, EUR to TRY – Turkish Lira Converter

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 49.51 TRY (100 TRY = 2.02 USD). 1 EUR = 55.66 TRY (100 TRY = 1.8 EUR).

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 94.96 INR (100 INR = 1.05 USD). 1 EUR = 107 INR (1,000 INR = 9.37 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Istanbul Tura 5,830 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Istanbul
  • Tura

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 Tura: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Tura cheaper than Istanbul?
Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 347%, 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 $2,287 per month in Istanbul and $512 in Tura. 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 Tura, 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 $1,015 per month in Istanbul and $27.81 in Tura. 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 Tura?
Groceries cost about 166% 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 $1,000 a realistic budget for living in Istanbul or in Tura?
A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Tura, where all-in costs run around $341, than in Istanbul at $1,525. In Tura it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Istanbul or Tura more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Tura – 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 Tura?
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 Tura. 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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