Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Alytus

For one person, living is cheaper in Alytus: $1,362 a month against $1,519 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $1,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Istanbul, Turkey
Alytus, Lithuania
Istanbul
🇹🇷 Turkey
$1,519
/mo nomad
Alytus
🇱🇹 Lithuania
$1,362
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Alytus

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

A single person spends $1,519 per month in Istanbul vs $1,362 in Alytus, rent included.

  • Istanbul $1,519
  • Alytus $1,362

A couple spends around $2,365 per month in Istanbul vs $2,041 in Alytus, rent included.

  • Istanbul $2,365
  • Alytus $2,041

A family of three spends $3,212 per month in Istanbul vs $2,721 in Alytus, rent included.

  • Istanbul $3,212
  • Alytus $2,721

Istanbul costs about 12% more than Alytus, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Istanbul
Alytus
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.81 ₺592
$12.10 €10.77
-2.40%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$54.9 ₺2,754
$49.93 €44.45
9.97%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.26 ₺465
$6.52 €5.81
42.02%
Cappuccino
$4.30 ₺216
$3.06 €2.72
40.52%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.77 ₺89.0
$2.77 €2.47
-36.10%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.56 ₺28.32
$1.87 €1.67
-70.05%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$4.69 ₺235
$5.14 €4.58
-8.75%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$7.12 ₺357
$4.96 €4.42
43.55%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Istanbul
Alytus
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.25 ₺62.7
$1.24 €1.10
0.81%
White Bread (500g)
$0.88 ₺44.17
$1.50 €1.34
-41.33%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.20 ₺111
$1.78 €1.59
23.60%
Eggs
$2.43 ₺122
$2.99 €2.67
-18.73%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.48 ₺526
$10.10 €9.00
3.76%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$5.31 ₺267
$5.59 €4.98
-5.01%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$21.10 ₺1,058
$9.42 €8.39
123.99%
Apples (1kg)
$1.86 ₺93.1
$1.69 €1.51
10.06%
Banana (1kg)
$2.30 ₺115
$1.44 €1.28
59.72%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.22 ₺61.0
$1.70 €1.52
-28.24%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.80 ₺90.2
$2.99 €2.66
-39.80%
Potato (1kg)
$0.69 ₺34.83
$0.80 €0.71
-13.75%
Onion (1kg)
$0.64 ₺32.16
$0.91 €0.81
-29.67%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.36 ₺68.0
$1.48 €1.32
-8.11%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.58 ₺28.94
$0.78 €0.69
-25.64%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.34 ₺117
$5.76 €5.13
-59.38%
Wine (Bottle)
$13.03 ₺653
$8.26 €7.36
57.75%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.36 ₺118
$1.59 €1.42
48.43%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.32 ₺166
$1.73 €1.54
91.91%
🚌 Getting Around
Istanbul
Alytus
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.88 ₺44.07
$1.14 €1.02
-22.81%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$66.1 ₺3,316
$31.81 €28.33
107.86%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.28 ₺64.4
$3.09 €2.75
-58.58%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.85 ₺42.80
$0.83 €0.74
2.41%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$11.09 ₺556
$13.26 €11.81
-16.37%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.48 ₺74.0
$1.56 €1.39
-5.13%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$48.6K ₺2.4M
$27.3K €24.3K
78.40%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$42.0K ₺2.1M
$27.1K €24.1K
54.87%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Istanbul
Alytus
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$92.7 ₺4,650
$203 €181
-54.30%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$11.20 ₺562
$15.51 €13.81
-27.79%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$15.89 ₺797
$11.34 €10.10
40.12%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Istanbul
Alytus
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$74.7 ₺3,745
$39.69 €35.34
88.16%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$22.95 ₺1,151
$10.21 €9.09
124.78%
Cinema Ticket
$8.05 ₺404
$7.70 €6.85
4.55%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Istanbul
Alytus
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$948 ₺47.6K
$523 €466
81.23%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$36.9K ₺1.9M
$9,383 €8,355
293.44%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Istanbul
Alytus
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$53.9 ₺2,702
$132 €117
-59.13%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$41.49 ₺2,081
$63.0 €56.1
-34.15%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$101 ₺5,060
$81.5 €72.6
23.76%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$91.3 ₺4,580
$182 €162
-49.96%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Istanbul
Alytus
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,014 ₺50.8K
$593 €528
70.93%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$625 ₺31.3K
$401 €357
55.82%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,005 ₺100.6K
$854 €760
134.93%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,126 ₺56.5K
$640 €570
75.87%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,988 ₺149.8K
$1,419 €1,263
110.59%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,730 ₺86.8K
$1,020 €908
69.58%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Istanbul
Alytus
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,136 ₺57.0K
$1,205 €1,073
-5.72%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
40.42
3.97
918.14%

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

Last update for Istanbul: November 2, 2026

Last update for Alytus: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Istanbul
$625
Alytus
$401 35.8% $224
Groceries & Markets
Istanbul
$258
Alytus
$219 15.1% $39
Eating Out
Istanbul
$221
Alytus
$207 6.2% $14
Clothing & Footwear
Istanbul
$129
Alytus
$206 59.6% $77
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Istanbul
$120
Alytus
$230 91.8% $110
Sport & Entertainment
Istanbul
$91
Alytus
$55 39.3% $36
Getting Around
Istanbul
$75
Alytus
$44 42% $32

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,014 in Istanbul versus $593 in Alytus. 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 6% higher in Alytus, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55 in Istanbul versus $50 in Alytus. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $219 – making Alytus the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇹🇷 Istanbul
🇱🇹 Alytus
🕒 Local time
06:42 6:42 AM
05:42 5:42 AM
1 h behind Istanbul
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
15,701,602
59,964
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to TRY – Turkish Lira Converter

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).

Euro exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 0.89 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

On the map
Between locations
  • Istanbul Alytus 1,530 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Istanbul
  • Alytus

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
Istanbul vs Alytus: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in Istanbul and in Alytus compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $1,519 in Istanbul, $1,362 in Alytus – Alytus comes out roughly 10% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.
What salary covers living expenses in Istanbul compared to Alytus?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,278 per month in Istanbul and $2,043 in Alytus. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How do rents compare between Istanbul and Alytus?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Alytus, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $593 there versus $1,014 in Istanbul.
How do commuting costs compare in Istanbul and in Alytus?
Public transport costs about 52% less in Alytus. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Istanbul and Alytus?
Kindergarten costs $948 per month in Istanbul and $523 in Alytus. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
How far does $2,000 go in Istanbul compared to Alytus?
$2,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,519 in Istanbul and $1,362 in Alytus, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.
Where should families live: Istanbul or Alytus?
Families tend to lean toward Alytus – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Is Istanbul or Alytus safer for residents?
Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.
Where should expats move: Istanbul or Alytus?
For expats, Alytus is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 10% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.

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