Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Ulhasnagar

For one person, living is cheaper in Ulhasnagar: $364 a month against $1,516 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $13,800 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
18

Cost of Living Index in Ulhasnagar
Learn more

Ulhasnagar Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,516

/mo nomad

Ulhasnagar

🇮🇳 India

$364

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Ulhasnagar

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

A single person spends $1,516 per month in Istanbul vs $364 in Ulhasnagar, rent included.

Istanbul $1,516
Ulhasnagar $364

A couple spends around $2,356 per month in Istanbul vs $579 in Ulhasnagar, rent included.

Istanbul $2,356
Ulhasnagar $579

A family of three spends $3,197 per month in Istanbul vs $794 in Ulhasnagar, rent included.

Istanbul $3,197
Ulhasnagar $794

Istanbul costs about 317% more than Ulhasnagar, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Istanbul sits 11% above the global median, while Ulhasnagar is 73% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.59 ₺577

$2.84 ₹270

308.10%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.7 ₺2,725

$10.34 ₹984

428.82%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.39 ₺468

$5.27 ₹502

78.18%

Cappuccino

$4.23 ₺211

$1.85 ₹176

128.65%

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

$1.72 ₺85.6

$0.35 ₹32.93

391.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.57 ₺28.26

$0.16 ₹15.54

256.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.65 ₺232

$2.06 ₹197

125.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.84 ₺341

$3.23 ₹307

111.76%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.20 ₺60.0

$0.66 ₹62.4

81.82%

White Bread (500g)

$0.94 ₺46.97

$0.45 ₹43.12

108.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.24 ₺112

$0.60 ₹57.5

273.33%

Eggs

$2.42 ₺121

$0.79 ₹75.4

206.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.24 ₺510

$6.14 ₹585

66.78%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.38 ₺268

$2.59 ₹246

107.72%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.19 ₺1,056

Apples (1kg)

$1.89 ₺94.3

$2.20 ₹209

-14.09%

Banana (1kg)

$2.22 ₺111

$0.53 ₹50.8

318.87%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.26 ₺62.7

$0.91 ₹86.2

38.46%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.81 ₺90.0

$0.58 ₹55.6

212.07%

Potato (1kg)

$0.70 ₺34.84

$0.39 ₹37.55

79.49%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺32.13

$0.49 ₹46.38

30.61%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.22 ₺60.9

$0.40 ₹38.25

205.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ₺27.35

$0.29 ₹27.29

89.66%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.32 ₺116

$5.14 ₹489

-54.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.31 ₺663

$4.61 ₹439

188.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.33 ₺116

$1.71 ₹163

36.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 ₺172

$2.65 ₹253

30.57%

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

$3.75 ₹357

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.91 ₺45.18

$0.19 ₹18.33

378.95%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.3 ₺3,306

$6.89 ₹656

862.84%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.29 ₺64.2

$0.30 ₹28.80

330.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.86 ₺42.66

$0.25 ₹23.69

244.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.09 ₺553

$1.02 ₹97.3

987.25%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.42 ₺70.8

$1.08 ₹103

31.48%

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

$49.2K ₺2.5M

$11.1K ₹1.1M

342.51%

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

$42.8K ₺2.1M

$17.8K ₹1.7M

140.75%

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

$87.7 ₺4,373

$22.44 ₹2,137

291.00%

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

$11.28 ₺562

$3.48 ₹331

224.14%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.89 ₺792

$6.61 ₹630

140.39%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$75.9 ₺3,783

$15.85 ₹1,509

378.86%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.04 ₺1,148

$6.82 ₹649

237.83%

Cinema Ticket

$8.20 ₺409

$3.44 ₹328

138.37%

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

$1,028 ₺51.2K

$67.3 ₹6,404

1428.53%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$26.0K ₺1.3M

$934 ₹89.0K

2678.29%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.3 ₺2,658

$12.97 ₹1,235

311.18%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.69 ₺1,978

$16.64 ₹1,584

138.52%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.8 ₺4,972

$37.68 ₹3,588

164.78%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.5 ₺4,661

$30.79 ₹2,932

203.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,003 ₺50.0K

$121 ₹11.5K

728.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$628 ₺31.3K

$76.4 ₹7,276

722.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,963 ₺97.8K

$244 ₹23.3K

703.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,122 ₺55.9K

$166 ₹15.8K

576.08%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,075 ₺153.2K

$1,027 ₹97.7K

199.52%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,753 ₺87.3K

$563 ₹53.6K

211.25%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,180 ₺58.8K

$372 ₹35.4K

217.39%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.69

9.16

344.21%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 27, 2026

Last update for Ulhasnagar: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$628 41.5%

Ulhasnagar

$76 21% 87.8% $552

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$258 17%

Ulhasnagar

$99 27.2% 61.7% $159

Eating Out

Istanbul

$218 14.4%

Ulhasnagar

$80 21.9% 63.5% $138

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$129 8.5%

Ulhasnagar

$44 12.1% 65.7% $85

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$115 7.6%

Ulhasnagar

$33 9% 71.7% $82

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$92 6.1%

Ulhasnagar

$23 6.3% 75.4% $70

Getting Around

Istanbul

$76 5%

Ulhasnagar

$9.2 2.5% 87.8% $66

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,003 in Istanbul versus $121 in Ulhasnagar. 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 3.2 times higher, 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 in Istanbul versus $10 in Ulhasnagar. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $99 – making Ulhasnagar the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇮🇳 Ulhasnagar

🕒 Local time

02:43 2:43 AM

05:13 5:13 AM

2 h 30 min ahead of Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

506,937

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Indian Rupee INR ₹

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 2.01 USD

100 TRY = 1.8 EUR

1,000 INR = 10.5 USD

1,000 INR = 9.43 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 49.83 TRY (100 TRY = 2.01 USD). 1 EUR = 55.48 TRY (100 TRY = 1.8 EUR).

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 95.22 INR (100 INR = 1.05 USD). 1 EUR = 106 INR (1,000 INR = 9.43 EUR).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Istanbul Ulhasnagar 4,820 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Ulhasnagar

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 Ulhasnagar: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 317%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,274 per month in Istanbul and $545 in Ulhasnagar. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Ulhasnagar, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $121 there versus $1,003 in Istanbul.

Kindergarten costs $1,028 per month in Istanbul and $67 in Ulhasnagar. 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 the gap depends on what you buy.

A $800 monthly budget goes further in Ulhasnagar, where all-in costs run around $364, than in Istanbul at $1,516. In Ulhasnagar it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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