Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Unnao

For one person, living is cheaper in Unnao: $361 a month against $1,550 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $14,300 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 Unnao
Learn more

Unnao Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

Unnao

🇮🇳 India

$361

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Unnao

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

A single person spends $1,550 per month in Istanbul vs $361 in Unnao, rent included.

Istanbul $1,550
Unnao $361

A couple spends around $2,415 per month in Istanbul vs $579 in Unnao, rent included.

Istanbul $2,415
Unnao $579

A family of three spends $3,281 per month in Istanbul vs $797 in Unnao, rent included.

Istanbul $3,281
Unnao $797

Istanbul costs about 329% more than Unnao, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.30 ₺609

$0.64 ₹60.9

1821.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.7 ₺2,708

$15.57 ₹1,479

251.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.22 ₺456

$3.70 ₹351

149.19%

Cappuccino

$4.40 ₺218

$1.97 ₹187

123.35%

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

$1.68 ₺83.1

$0.44 ₹42.16

281.82%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₺29.40

$0.16 ₹14.82

268.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.70 ₺233

$2.05 ₹195

129.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.91 ₺292

$2.55 ₹242

131.76%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 ₺60.0

$0.66 ₹62.4

83.33%

White Bread (500g)

$0.89 ₺44.10

$0.56 ₹53.4

58.93%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.19 ₺108

$0.38 ₹36.39

476.32%

Eggs

$2.35 ₺116

$0.99 ₹93.8

137.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.42 ₺516

$2.80 ₹266

272.14%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.65 ₺280

$4.37 ₹415

29.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.94 ₺1,037

Apples (1kg)

$1.90 ₺94.1

$1.28 ₹122

48.44%

Banana (1kg)

$2.31 ₺114

$0.50 ₹47.85

362.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.1

$0.54 ₹51.2

137.04%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺89.0

$0.33 ₹31.09

445.45%

Potato (1kg)

$0.65 ₺32.16

$0.30 ₹28.12

116.67%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺31.91

$0.33 ₹30.89

93.94%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 ₺62.1

$0.78 ₹73.9

60.26%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.58

$0.25 ₹23.51

124.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.37 ₺118

$5.11 ₹486

-53.62%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.42 ₺664

$7.24 ₹688

85.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₺119

$1.43 ₹135

67.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 ₺172

$2.65 ₹252

31.32%

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

$7.23 ₹687

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.89 ₺43.84

$0.25 ₹23.51

256.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.4 ₺3,338

$7.78 ₹738

766.71%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.29 ₺64.1

$0.32 ₹30.44

303.13%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 ₺45.70

$0.09 ₹8.47

922.22%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.96 ₺542

$1.22 ₹116

798.36%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ₺72.9

$0.97 ₹92.3

51.55%

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

$50.8K ₺2.5M

$10.4K ₹991.4K

386.43%

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

$44.5K ₺2.2M

$19.2K ₹1.8M

132.20%

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

$88.6 ₺4,387

$34.73 ₹3,298

155.14%

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

$11.59 ₺574

$3.33 ₹316

248.05%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.81 ₺783

$6.46 ₹614

144.74%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.2 ₺3,820

$14.17 ₹1,346

444.53%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.74 ₺1,126

$6.52 ₹619

248.77%

Cinema Ticket

$8.14 ₺403

$1.07 ₹101

660.75%

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

$1,008 ₺49.9K

$35.00 ₹3,324

2780.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.6K ₺1.3M

$630 ₹59.8K

3957.33%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.0 ₺2,671

$32.78 ₹3,113

64.58%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.83 ₺2,021

$19.52 ₹1,854

109.17%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.9 ₺4,895

$50.2 ₹4,764

97.09%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.6 ₺4,783

$27.67 ₹2,627

249.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$985 ₺48.7K

$120 ₹11.4K

721.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$650 ₺32.2K

$78.8 ₹7,478

725.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,983 ₺98.2K

$242 ₹22.9K

721.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,180 ₺58.4K

$169 ₹16.0K

598.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,138 ₺155.4K

$987 ₹93.7K

218.02%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,780 ₺88.1K

$467 ₹44.3K

281.41%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,205 ₺59.7K

$263 ₹24.9K

359.10%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.92

8.33

391.24%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 13, 2026

Last update for Unnao: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$650 41.9%

Unnao

$79 21.8% 87.9% $571

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$260 16.8%

Unnao

$96 26.5% 63.1% $164

Eating Out

Istanbul

$223 14.4%

Unnao

$58 16% 74.2% $166

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$131 8.4%

Unnao

$59 16.2% 55.2% $72

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$116 7.5%

Unnao

$45 12.3% 61.6% $72

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$93 6%

Unnao

$16 4.5% 82.5% $77

Getting Around

Istanbul

$77 5%

Unnao

$9.5 2.6% 87.6% $67

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $985 in Istanbul versus $120 in Unnao. 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 359% 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 $16.00 in Unnao. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $260 vs $96.0 – making Unnao the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇮🇳 Unnao

🕒 Local time

09:06 9:06 AM

11:36 11:36 AM

2 h 30 min ahead of Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

177,658

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Indian Rupee INR ₹

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 2.02 USD

100 TRY = 1.8 EUR

1,000 INR = 10.53 USD

1,000 INR = 9.37 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 18, 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 18, 2026: 1 USD = 94.96 INR (100 INR = 1.05 USD). 1 EUR = 107 INR (1,000 INR = 9.37 EUR).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Istanbul Unnao 4,950 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Unnao

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 Unnao: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 329%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,325 per month in Istanbul and $542 in Unnao. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Unnao, 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 $35.00 in Unnao. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 171% 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 $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Unnao, where all-in costs run around $361, than in Istanbul at $1,550. In Unnao it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Unnao – 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 Unnao. 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.