Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Varanasi and Ankara

For one person, living is cheaper in Varanasi: $293 a month against $1,389 in Ankara, rent and utilities included – about $13,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

14

Cost of Living Index in Varanasi
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Varanasi Living Index
67

Cost of Living Index in Ankara
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Ankara Living Index

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Varanasi

🇮🇳 India

$293

/mo nomad

Ankara

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,389

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Varanasi and in Ankara

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

A single person spends $293 per month in Varanasi vs $1,389 in Ankara, rent included.

Varanasi $293
Ankara $1,389

A couple spends around $483 per month in Varanasi vs $2,087 in Ankara, rent included.

Varanasi $483
Ankara $2,087

A family of three spends $672 per month in Varanasi vs $2,785 in Ankara, rent included.

Varanasi $672
Ankara $2,785

Varanasi is about 79% cheaper than Ankara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Varanasi sits 78% below the global median, while Ankara is 3% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.89 ₹178

$10.10 ₺507

-81.29%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$8.02 ₹758

$43.81 ₺2,197

-81.69%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.21 ₹304

$9.78 ₺490

-67.18%

Cappuccino

$1.65 ₹156

$4.12 ₺207

-59.95%

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

$0.41 ₹38.66

$1.68 ₺84.3

-75.60%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.11 ₹10.08

$0.72 ₺36.05

-84.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.62 ₹153

$5.02 ₺252

-67.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.12 ₹201

$6.60 ₺331

-67.88%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.66 ₹62.5

$1.16 ₺58.4

-43.10%

White Bread (500g)

$0.29 ₹27.18

$0.96 ₺48.39

-69.79%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.54 ₹50.6

$2.25 ₺113

-76.00%

Eggs

$0.83 ₹78.4

$2.66 ₺134

-68.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$3.28 ₹309

$10.09 ₺506

-67.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.13 ₹201

$5.43 ₺272

-60.77%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.99 ₺1,003

Apples (1kg)

$1.43 ₹135

$1.91 ₺95.8

-25.13%

Banana (1kg)

$0.65 ₹61.2

$2.18 ₺109

-70.18%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.89 ₹84.3

$1.26 ₺63.3

-29.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.35 ₹32.64

$1.65 ₺82.6

-78.79%

Potato (1kg)

$0.26 ₹24.63

$0.65 ₺32.69

-60.00%

Onion (1kg)

$0.24 ₹22.67

$0.55 ₺27.40

-56.36%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.46 ₹43.19

$0.99 ₺49.75

-53.54%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.28 ₹26.52

$0.66 ₺32.90

-57.58%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.20 ₹302

$2.25 ₺113

42.22%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.83 ₹551

$12.37 ₺620

-52.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ₹152

$2.12 ₺106

-24.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.98 ₹187

$3.20 ₺161

-38.13%

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

$4.24 ₹401

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 ₹52.3

$0.77 ₺38.86

-28.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$9.71 ₹918

$11.85 ₺595

-18.06%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.24 ₹22.65

$1.28 ₺64.3

-81.25%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.12 ₹10.95

$0.84 ₺42.02

-85.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.04 ₹98.6

$8.22 ₺412

-87.35%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.05 ₹99.7

$1.39 ₺69.5

-24.46%

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

$11.3K ₹1.1M

$48.4K ₺2.4M

-76.74%

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

$22.2K ₹2.1M

$40.2K ₺2.0M

-44.82%

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

$12.68 ₹1,198

$99.9 ₺5,011

-87.31%

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

$3.63 ₹343

$11.15 ₺559

-67.44%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$6.84 ₹646

$17.94 ₺900

-61.87%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$12.72 ₹1,201

$72.0 ₺3,611

-82.33%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.80 ₺742

Cinema Ticket

$2.91 ₹274

$7.77 ₺390

-62.55%

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

$38.77 ₹3,663

$1,084 ₺54.3K

-96.42%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,088 ₹102.8K

$22.5K ₺1.1M

-95.16%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$23.62 ₹2,232

$53.4 ₺2,677

-55.75%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.11 ₹2,372

$47.87 ₺2,401

-47.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$38.81 ₹3,666

$104 ₺5,229

-62.78%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$25.32 ₹2,391

$97.8 ₺4,905

-74.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$114 ₹10.8K

$748 ₺37.5K

-84.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$46.99 ₹4,439

$557 ₺27.9K

-91.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$200 ₹18.8K

$1,142 ₺57.3K

-82.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$140 ₹13.2K

$902 ₺45.2K

-84.48%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$560 ₹52.9K

$1,644 ₺82.5K

-65.96%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$340 ₹32.1K

$1,142 ₺57.3K

-70.24%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$575 ₹54.3K

$1,058 ₺53.1K

-45.72%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.53

43.85

-80.55%

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

Last update for Varanasi: November 1, 2026

Last update for Ankara: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Varanasi

$82 28%

Ankara

$251 18.1% 206% $169

Eating Out

Varanasi

$59 20.1%

Ankara

$208 14.9% 252% $149

Clothing & Footwear

Varanasi

$51 17.3%

Ankara

$136 9.8% 169% $86

Accommodation & Living

Varanasi

$47 16%

Ankara

$557 40.1% 1085% $510

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Varanasi

$23 7.9%

Ankara

$129 9.3% 457% $106

Sport & Entertainment

Varanasi

$19 6.3%

Ankara

$88 6.3% 372% $69

Getting Around

Varanasi

$13 4.4%

Ankara

$20 1.5% 60.2% $7.7

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $114 in Varanasi versus $748 in Ankara. 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 84% higher in Ankara, 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 $8 in Varanasi versus $44 in Ankara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $82 vs $251 – making Varanasi the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇳 Varanasi

🇹🇷 Ankara

🕒 Local time

11:48 11:48 AM

09:18 9:18 AM

2 h 30 min behind Varanasi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,100,000

5,864,049 Capital

💱 Currency

Indian Rupee INR ₹

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 INR = 10.59 USD

1,000 INR = 9.43 EUR

100 TRY = 1.99 USD

100 TRY = 1.78 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 November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 94.47 INR (100 INR = 1.06 USD). 1 EUR = 106 INR (1,000 INR = 9.43 EUR).

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 50.15 TRY (100 TRY = 1.99 USD). 1 EUR = 56.3 TRY (100 TRY = 1.78 EUR).

USD to INR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Varanasi Ankara 4,900 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Varanasi
Ankara

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

Varanasi vs Ankara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ankara costs about 374% more than Varanasi, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $440 per month in Varanasi and $2,083 in Ankara. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Varanasi, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $114 there versus $748 in Ankara.

Kindergarten costs $39 per month in Varanasi and $1,084 in Ankara. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 206% more in Ankara, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Varanasi, where all-in costs run around $293, than in Ankara at $1,389. In Varanasi it covers expenses comfortably, while in Ankara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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