Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hermel and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in Hermel: $980 a month against $1,519 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $6,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

47

Cost of Living Index in Hermel
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Hermel Living Index
73

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index

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Hermel

🇱🇧 Lebanon

$980

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,519

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $980 in Hermel versus $1,519 in Istanbul.

Hermel $980
Istanbul $1,519

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,585 in Hermel versus $2,365 in Istanbul.

Hermel $1,585
Istanbul $2,365

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,190 in Hermel versus $3,212 in Istanbul.

Hermel $2,190
Istanbul $3,212

Living in Hermel costs roughly 35% less than in Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

The two cities straddle the global median: Hermel is 27% below, Istanbul is 12% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.03 LBP 1.1M

$11.81 ₺592

1.86%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$69.8 LBP 6.2M

$54.9 ₺2,754

27.04%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.01 LBP 896.2K

$9.26 ₺465

8.10%

Cappuccino

$4.47 LBP 399.8K

$4.30 ₺216

3.95%

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

$2.26 LBP 202.4K

$1.77 ₺89.0

27.68%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.90 LBP 80.8K

$0.56 ₺28.32

60.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.14 LBP 459.8K

$4.69 ₺235

9.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.62 LBP 413.5K

$7.12 ₺357

-35.11%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.00 LBP 179.1K

$1.25 ₺62.7

60.00%

White Bread (500g)

$0.89 LBP 79.9K

$0.88 ₺44.17

1.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.22 LBP 199.0K

$2.20 ₺111

0.91%

Eggs

$3.66 LBP 327.5K

$2.43 ₺122

50.62%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.26 LBP 1.0M

$10.48 ₺526

7.44%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 LBP 941.5K

$5.31 ₺267

98.12%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.72 LBP 1.3M

$21.10 ₺1,058

-30.24%

Apples (1kg)

$3.08 LBP 276.0K

$1.86 ₺93.1

65.59%

Banana (1kg)

$1.66 LBP 148.4K

$2.30 ₺115

-27.83%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.67 LBP 149.0K

$1.22 ₺61.0

36.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.54 LBP 137.4K

$1.80 ₺90.2

-14.44%

Potato (1kg)

$1.26 LBP 112.8K

$0.69 ₺34.83

82.61%

Onion (1kg)

$1.55 LBP 138.9K

$0.64 ₺32.16

142.19%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.22 LBP 109.1K

$1.36 ₺68.0

-10.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.71 LBP 63.7K

$0.58 ₺28.94

22.41%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.96 LBP 264.6K

$2.34 ₺117

26.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.07 LBP 990.7K

$13.03 ₺653

-15.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.33 LBP 118.7K

$2.36 ₺118

-43.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.56 LBP 229.5K

$3.32 ₺166

-22.89%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.88 ₺44.07

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.1 ₺3,316

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.04 LBP 450.9K

$1.28 ₺64.4

293.75%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.26 LBP 202.4K

$0.85 ₺42.80

165.88%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.63 LBP 2.0M

$11.09 ₺556

104.06%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.05 LBP 94.3K

$1.48 ₺74.0

-29.05%

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

$53.6K LBP 4.8B

$48.6K ₺2.4M

10.13%

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

$32.9K LBP 2.9B

$42.0K ₺2.1M

-21.51%

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

$211 LBP 18.9M

$92.7 ₺4,650

127.94%

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

$23.42 LBP 2.1M

$11.20 ₺562

109.11%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$37.72 LBP 3.4M

$15.89 ₺797

137.38%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.7 ₺3,745

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.95 ₺1,151

Cinema Ticket

$9.98 LBP 893.1K

$8.05 ₺404

23.98%

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

$684 LBP 61.3M

$948 ₺47.6K

-27.83%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.6K LBP 945.7M

$36.9K ₺1.9M

-71.38%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$66.8 LBP 6.0M

$53.9 ₺2,702

23.96%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.55 LBP 4.4M

$41.49 ₺2,081

19.43%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$136 LBP 12.2M

$101 ₺5,060

35.23%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 LBP 10.7M

$91.3 ₺4,580

30.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,014 ₺50.8K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$625 ₺31.3K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,005 ₺100.6K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,126 ₺56.5K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,988 ₺149.8K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,730 ₺86.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,136 ₺57.0K

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 Hermel: November 2, 2026

Last update for Istanbul: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Hermel

$277 28.2%

Istanbul

$258 17% 6.7% $19

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hermel

$272 27.8%

Istanbul

$120 7.9% 56% $153

Eating Out

Hermel

$227 23.2%

Istanbul

$221 14.6% 2.9% $6.5

Clothing & Footwear

Hermel

$167 17.1%

Istanbul

$129 8.5% 22.7% $38

Sport & Entertainment

Hermel

$20 * 2%

Istanbul

$91 6% 355% $71

Getting Around

Hermel

$16 * 1.7%

Istanbul

$75 5% 360% $59

Accommodation & Living

Hermel

- * 0%

Istanbul

$625 41.1%

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $70 in Hermel vs $55 in Istanbul for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $277 vs $258 per month, with Istanbul cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇱🇧 Hermel

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

03:38 3:38 AM

04:38 4:38 AM

1 h ahead of Hermel

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

22,250

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

Hermel Istanbul 980 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Hermel
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

Hermel vs Istanbul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Hermel wins on cost – living expenses run 35% lower than in Istanbul. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Hermel the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $1,471 in Hermel and $2,278 in Istanbul to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Shoppers in Istanbul pay roughly 7% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you’ll spend $980 per month in Hermel versus $1,519 in Istanbul – Hermel is about 35% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Both cities are expensive relative to $800. Hermel 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.