Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Surat and Istanbul

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.

39

Cost of Living Index in Surat
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Surat Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index

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Surat

🇮🇳 India

$806

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,526

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Surat 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 Surat and in Istanbul actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

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

Surat $806
Istanbul $1,526

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

Surat $826
Istanbul $2,399

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

Surat $847
Istanbul $3,272

Surat is about 47% cheaper than Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.18 ₹307

$11.88 ₺585

-73.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$10.40 ₹1,006

$55.1 ₺2,714

-81.12%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.14 ₹304

$9.14 ₺450

-65.65%

Cappuccino

$1.83 ₹177

$4.24 ₺209

-56.84%

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

$0.36 ₹34.38

$1.75 ₺86.0

-79.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.15 ₹14.56

$0.54 ₺26.83

-72.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.92 ₹282

$4.69 ₺231

-37.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.19 ₹309

$5.97 ₺294

-46.57%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.73 ₹70.9

$1.26 ₺62.1

-42.06%

White Bread (500g)

$0.47 ₹45.50

$0.95 ₺46.81

-50.53%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.66 ₹63.5

$2.31 ₺114

-71.43%

Eggs

$0.95 ₹91.5

$2.47 ₺122

-61.54%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.34 ₹420

$10.55 ₺520

-58.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.73 ₹265

$5.60 ₺276

-51.25%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.21 ₺1,045

Apples (1kg)

$1.70 ₹164

$1.93 ₺95.1

-11.92%

Banana (1kg)

$0.62 ₹59.6

$2.29 ₺113

-72.93%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.80 ₹77.4

$1.28 ₺63.1

-37.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.54 ₹52.2

$1.84 ₺90.8

-70.65%

Potato (1kg)

$0.35 ₹33.56

$0.67 ₺32.86

-47.76%

Onion (1kg)

$0.43 ₹41.73

$0.59 ₺29.31

-27.12%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.48 ₹46.59

$1.33 ₺65.4

-63.91%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.30 ₹28.89

$0.59 ₺29.10

-49.15%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.12 ₹495

$2.36 ₺116

116.95%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.60 ₹735

$13.47 ₺664

-43.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.86 ₹180

$2.42 ₺119

-23.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.01 ₹291

$3.54 ₺174

-14.97%

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

$6.06 ₹586

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.22 ₹21.19

$0.83 ₺40.64

-73.49%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$5.27 ₹510

$66.5 ₺3,273

-92.07%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.59 ₹57.2

$1.35 ₺66.6

-56.30%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.22 ₹21.32

$0.85 ₺42.05

-74.12%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.07 ₹103

$10.86 ₺535

-90.15%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.13 ₹110

$1.47 ₺72.3

-23.13%

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

$12.1K ₹1.2M

$51.6K ₺2.5M

-76.47%

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

$18.3K ₹1.8M

$44.4K ₺2.2M

-58.75%

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

$36.72 ₹3,554

$89.2 ₺4,395

-58.84%

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

$3.64 ₹353

$11.60 ₺572

-68.62%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$7.44 ₹720

$16.10 ₺793

-53.79%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$18.59 ₹1,799

$77.3 ₺3,805

-75.94%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.16 ₹499

$22.66 ₺1,116

-77.23%

Cinema Ticket

$2.88 ₹278

$8.34 ₺411

-65.47%

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

$33.35 ₹3,227

$974 ₺48.0K

-96.58%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$891 ₹86.2K

$25.8K ₺1.3M

-96.54%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$22.51 ₹2,179

$52.7 ₺2,597

-57.29%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.53 ₹2,374

$39.16 ₺1,929

-37.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$40.90 ₹3,958

$103 ₺5,083

-60.36%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$32.42 ₹3,137

$96.6 ₺4,759

-66.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$216 ₹20.9K

$994 ₺49.0K

-78.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$499 ₹48.3K

$629 ₺31.0K

-20.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$375 ₹36.3K

$2,024 ₺99.7K

-81.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$201 ₹19.5K

$1,155 ₺56.9K

-82.59%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$660 ₹63.8K

$3,160 ₺155.7K

-79.12%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$309 ₹29.9K

$1,838 ₺90.5K

-83.19%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$313 ₹30.3K

$1,203 ₺59.3K

-73.97%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

9.17

41.09

-77.68%

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

Last update for Surat: October 4, 2026

Last update for Istanbul: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Surat

$499 61.3%

Istanbul

$629 41.2% 26.2% $131

Groceries & Markets

Surat

$101 12.4%

Istanbul

$264 17.3% 161% $163

Eating Out

Surat

$80 9.8%

Istanbul

$218 14.3% 173% $138

Clothing & Footwear

Surat

$54 6.7%

Istanbul

$131 8.6% 142% $77

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Surat

$48 5.9%

Istanbul

$117 7.7% 145% $69

Sport & Entertainment

Surat

$24 3%

Istanbul

$94 6.1% 286% $70

Getting Around

Surat

$7.8 1%

Istanbul

$75 4.9% 861% $68

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $216 in Surat versus $994 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 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 $10.00 in Surat versus $55.0 in Istanbul. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $101 vs $264 – making Surat the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇳 Surat

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

13:47 1:47 PM

11:17 11:17 AM

2 h 30 min behind Surat

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,936,534

15,701,602

💱 Currency

Indian Rupee INR ₹

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 INR = 10.33 USD

1,000 INR = 9.21 EUR

100 TRY = 2.03 USD

100 TRY = 1.81 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 96.78 INR (100 INR = 1.03 USD). 1 EUR = 109 INR (1,000 INR = 9.21 EUR).

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).

USD to INR in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Surat Istanbul 4,660 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Surat
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

Surat vs Istanbul: 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 $1,209 per month in Surat and $2,289 in Istanbul. 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 $33.35 per month in Surat and $974 in Istanbul. 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.