Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Beirut and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in Istanbul: $1,519 a month against $1,702 in Beirut, rent and utilities included – about $2,200 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

81

Cost of Living Index in Beirut
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Beirut Living Index
73

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index

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Beirut

🇱🇧 Lebanon

$1,702

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,519

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,702 in Beirut versus $1,519 in Istanbul.

Beirut $1,702
Istanbul $1,519

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,718 in Beirut versus $2,365 in Istanbul.

Beirut $2,718
Istanbul $2,365

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,735 in Beirut versus $3,212 in Istanbul.

Beirut $3,735
Istanbul $3,212

Living in Beirut is roughly 12% more expensive than in Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Beirut 26% above, Istanbul 12% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.02 LBP 1.3M

$11.81 ₺592

27.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.6 LBP 6.1M

$54.9 ₺2,754

24.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.05 LBP 899.3K

$9.26 ₺465

8.53%

Cappuccino

$5.08 LBP 455.0K

$4.30 ₺216

18.14%

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

$2.40 LBP 214.5K

$1.77 ₺89.0

35.59%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.81 LBP 72.2K

$0.56 ₺28.32

44.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.02 LBP 448.9K

$4.69 ₺235

7.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.69 LBP 420.1K

$7.12 ₺357

-34.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.00 LBP 179.4K

$1.25 ₺62.7

60.00%

White Bread (500g)

$0.85 LBP 76.5K

$0.88 ₺44.17

-3.41%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.18 LBP 194.8K

$2.20 ₺111

-0.91%

Eggs

$3.54 LBP 317.0K

$2.43 ₺122

45.68%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.18 LBP 1.0M

$10.48 ₺526

6.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.96 LBP 891.5K

$5.31 ₺267

87.57%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.72 LBP 1.3M

$21.10 ₺1,058

-30.24%

Apples (1kg)

$3.13 LBP 280.0K

$1.86 ₺93.1

68.28%

Banana (1kg)

$1.66 LBP 148.4K

$2.30 ₺115

-27.83%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.64 LBP 146.5K

$1.22 ₺61.0

34.43%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.46 LBP 130.7K

$1.80 ₺90.2

-18.89%

Potato (1kg)

$1.22 LBP 109.1K

$0.69 ₺34.83

76.81%

Onion (1kg)

$1.55 LBP 138.6K

$0.64 ₺32.16

142.19%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.21 LBP 108.3K

$1.36 ₺68.0

-11.03%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.71 LBP 63.7K

$0.58 ₺28.94

22.41%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.04 LBP 272.3K

$2.34 ₺117

29.91%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.14 LBP 997.1K

$13.03 ₺653

-14.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.33 LBP 118.6K

$2.36 ₺118

-43.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 LBP 225.2K

$3.32 ₺166

-24.10%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.58 LBP 141.7K

$0.88 ₺44.07

79.55%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.3 LBP 6.8M

$66.1 ₺3,316

15.32%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.91 LBP 439.8K

$1.28 ₺64.4

283.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.18 LBP 195.5K

$0.85 ₺42.80

156.47%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.60 LBP 2.0M

$11.09 ₺556

103.79%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.06 LBP 95.2K

$1.48 ₺74.0

-28.38%

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

$54.2K LBP 4.9B

$48.6K ₺2.4M

11.41%

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

$32.2K LBP 2.9B

$42.0K ₺2.1M

-23.36%

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

$211 LBP 18.9M

$92.7 ₺4,650

128.12%

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

$23.33 LBP 2.1M

$11.20 ₺562

108.30%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$37.50 LBP 3.4M

$15.89 ₺797

136.00%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$101 LBP 9.0M

$74.7 ₺3,745

34.75%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$33.17 LBP 3.0M

$22.95 ₺1,151

44.53%

Cinema Ticket

$9.81 LBP 878.2K

$8.05 ₺404

21.86%

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

$686 LBP 61.4M

$948 ₺47.6K

-27.70%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.6K LBP 1.1B

$36.9K ₺1.9M

-65.94%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.8 LBP 6.2M

$53.9 ₺2,702

27.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.1 LBP 4.5M

$41.49 ₺2,081

20.82%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$139 LBP 12.4M

$101 ₺5,060

37.63%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 LBP 10.9M

$91.3 ₺4,580

33.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$974 LBP 87.1M

$1,014 ₺50.8K

-3.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$509 LBP 45.6M

$625 ₺31.3K

-18.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,373 LBP 212.3M

$2,005 ₺100.6K

18.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,084 LBP 97.0M

$1,126 ₺56.5K

-3.75%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,503 LBP 403.1M

$2,988 ₺149.8K

50.73%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,921 LBP 171.9M

$1,730 ₺86.8K

11.01%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$690 LBP 61.8M

$1,136 ₺57.0K

-39.26%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.42

-72.79%

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

Last update for Beirut: November 3, 2026

Last update for Istanbul: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Beirut

$509 29.9%

Istanbul

$625 41.1% 22.7% $116

Groceries & Markets

Beirut

$272 16%

Istanbul

$258 17% 5.2% $14

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Beirut

$272 16%

Istanbul

$120 7.9% 56% $153

Eating Out

Beirut

$259 15.2%

Istanbul

$221 14.6% 14.6% $38

Clothing & Footwear

Beirut

$171 10.1%

Istanbul

$129 8.5% 24.3% $42

Sport & Entertainment

Beirut

$120 7.1%

Istanbul

$91 6% 24.5% $29

Getting Around

Beirut

$98 5.8%

Istanbul

$75 5% 23.6% $23

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $974 in Beirut and $1,014 in Istanbul. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Istanbul pays 65% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $69 in Beirut vs $55 in Istanbul for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $272 vs $258 per month, with Istanbul cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇱🇧 Beirut

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

08:09 8:09 AM

09:09 9:09 AM

1 h ahead of Beirut

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,916,100 Capital

15,701,602

💱 Currency

Lebanese Pound LBP ل.ل

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

📈 Exchange rate

1,000,000 LBP = 11.17 USD

1,000,000 LBP = 9.95 EUR

100 TRY = 1.99 USD

100 TRY = 1.78 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TRY, USD, EUR to LBP – Lebanese Pound Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇱🇧 Lebanese Pound (ل.ل)

Lebanese Pound exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 89,500 LBP (100,000 LBP = 1.12 USD). 1 EUR = 100,472 LBP (1,000,000 LBP = 9.95 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 LBP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Beirut Istanbul 980 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Beirut
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

Beirut vs Istanbul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Istanbul is about 11% cheaper overall, especially in clothing, eating out, and utilities. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 39% lower in Beirut. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $974 in Beirut versus $1,014 in Istanbul. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $1,702 per month in Beirut versus $1,519 in Istanbul – Istanbul is about 11% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Istanbul runs roughly 13% less than in Beirut. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,500. Istanbul is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.