Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kollam and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in Kollam: $284 a month against $1,550 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $15,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

14

Cost of Living Index in Kollam
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Kollam Living Index
75

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index

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Kollam

🇮🇳 India

$284

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Kollam and in Istanbul

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Kollam and in Istanbul actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $284 per month in Kollam vs $1,550 in Istanbul, rent included.

Kollam $284
Istanbul $1,550

A couple spends around $448 per month in Kollam vs $2,415 in Istanbul, rent included.

Kollam $448
Istanbul $2,415

A family of three spends $613 per month in Kollam vs $3,281 in Istanbul, rent included.

Kollam $613
Istanbul $3,281

Kollam is about 82% cheaper than Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Kollam sits 79% below the global median, while Istanbul is 15% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.04 ₹98.3

$12.30 ₺609

-91.54%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$6.43 ₹610

$54.7 ₺2,708

-88.24%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.21 ₹305

$9.22 ₺456

-65.18%

Cappuccino

$1.40 ₹133

$4.40 ₺218

-68.18%

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

$0.36 ₹34.41

$1.68 ₺83.1

-78.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.11 ₹10.75

$0.59 ₺29.40

-81.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.33 ₹126

$4.70 ₺233

-71.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 ₹178

$5.91 ₺292

-68.36%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.60 ₹57.1

$1.21 ₺60.0

-50.41%

White Bread (500g)

$0.49 ₹46.48

$0.89 ₺44.10

-44.94%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.50 ₹47.86

$2.19 ₺108

-77.17%

Eggs

$0.84 ₹79.3

$2.35 ₺116

-64.26%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$3.67 ₹349

$10.42 ₺516

-64.78%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.03 ₹193

$5.65 ₺280

-64.07%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.94 ₺1,037

Apples (1kg)

$1.59 ₹151

$1.90 ₺94.1

-16.32%

Banana (1kg)

$0.56 ₹53.1

$2.31 ₺114

-75.76%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.73 ₹69.6

$1.28 ₺63.1

-42.97%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.39 ₹37.32

$1.80 ₺89.0

-78.33%

Potato (1kg)

$0.35 ₹32.80

$0.65 ₺32.16

-46.15%

Onion (1kg)

$0.38 ₹36.16

$0.64 ₺31.91

-40.63%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.63 ₹60.1

$1.25 ₺62.1

-49.60%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.25 ₹23.57

$0.56 ₺27.58

-55.36%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.96 ₹471

$2.37 ₺118

109.28%

Wine (Bottle)

$2.55 ₹242

$13.42 ₺664

-81.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.00 ₹190

$2.40 ₺119

-16.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.77 ₹263

$3.48 ₺172

-20.40%

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

$3.32 ₹315

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.16 ₹15.03

$0.89 ₺43.84

-82.02%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$7.00 ₹665

$67.4 ₺3,338

-89.62%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.83 ₹78.4

$1.29 ₺64.1

-35.66%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.30 ₹28.44

$0.92 ₺45.70

-67.39%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.10 ₹199

$10.96 ₺542

-80.84%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.11 ₹105

$1.47 ₺72.9

-24.49%

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

$9,113 ₹865.3K

$50.8K ₺2.5M

-82.06%

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

$16.5K ₹1.6M

$44.5K ₺2.2M

-62.99%

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

$32.54 ₹3,089

$88.6 ₺4,387

-63.28%

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

$3.04 ₹289

$11.59 ₺574

-73.77%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$5.20 ₹494

$15.81 ₺783

-67.11%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$13.66 ₹1,297

$77.2 ₺3,820

-82.30%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.25 ₹973

$22.74 ₺1,126

-54.93%

Cinema Ticket

$1.54 ₹146

$8.14 ₺403

-81.08%

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

$20.80 ₹1,975

$1,008 ₺49.9K

-97.94%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,666 ₹253.2K

$25.6K ₺1.3M

-89.57%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$16.55 ₹1,571

$54.0 ₺2,671

-69.32%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$23.17 ₹2,200

$40.83 ₺2,021

-43.25%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$25.79 ₹2,449

$98.9 ₺4,895

-73.92%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$24.53 ₹2,329

$96.6 ₺4,783

-74.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$83.1 ₹7,893

$985 ₺48.7K

-91.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$46.94 ₹4,457

$650 ₺32.2K

-92.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$183 ₹17.4K

$1,983 ₺98.2K

-90.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$117 ₹11.1K

$1,180 ₺58.4K

-90.11%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$830 ₹78.8K

$3,138 ₺155.4K

-73.55%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$441 ₹41.9K

$1,780 ₺88.1K

-75.21%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$513 ₹48.7K

$1,205 ₺59.7K

-57.48%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

9.13

40.92

-77.69%

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

Last update for Kollam: October 12, 2026

Last update for Istanbul: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Kollam

$82 28.8%

Istanbul

$260 16.8% 218% $178

Eating Out

Kollam

$47 16.6%

Istanbul

$223 14.4% 375% $176

Accommodation & Living

Kollam

$47 16.6%

Istanbul

$650 41.9% 1284% $603

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kollam

$41 14.4%

Istanbul

$116 7.5% 185% $75

Clothing & Footwear

Kollam

$41 14.3%

Istanbul

$131 8.4% 222% $90

Sport & Entertainment

Kollam

$17 5.9%

Istanbul

$93 6% 459% $77

Getting Around

Kollam

$10 3.5%

Istanbul

$77 5% 672% $67

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $83.1 in Kollam versus $985 in Istanbul. 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 135% 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 $6.00 in Kollam versus $55.0 in Istanbul. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $82.0 vs $260 – making Kollam the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇳 Kollam

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

23:03 11:03 PM

20:33 8:33 PM

2 h 30 min behind Kollam

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

367,107

15,701,602

💱 Currency

Indian Rupee INR ₹

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 INR = 10.53 USD

1,000 INR = 9.37 EUR

100 TRY = 2.02 USD

100 TRY = 1.8 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TRY, USD, EUR to INR – Indian Rupee Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇳 Indian Rupee (₹)

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 94.95 INR (100 INR = 1.05 USD). 1 EUR = 107 INR (1,000 INR = 9.37 EUR).

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 49.51 TRY (100 TRY = 2.02 USD). 1 EUR = 55.67 TRY (100 TRY = 1.8 EUR).

USD to INR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Kollam Istanbul 5,880 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Kollam
Istanbul

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

Kollam vs Istanbul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 447%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $425 per month in Kollam and $2,325 in Istanbul. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Kindergarten costs $20.80 per month in Kollam and $1,008 in Istanbul. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 218% 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 $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Kollam, where all-in costs run around $284, than in Istanbul at $1,550. In Kollam it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Kollam – 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 Kollam. 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.