Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Byblos

For one person, living is cheaper in Byblos: $1,004 a month against $1,519 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $6,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

73

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index
48

Cost of Living Index in Byblos
Learn more

Byblos Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,519

/mo nomad

Byblos

🇱🇧 Lebanon

$1,004

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Byblos

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 Byblos actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,519 in Istanbul versus $1,004 in Byblos.

Istanbul $1,519
Byblos $1,004

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,365 in Istanbul versus $1,617 in Byblos.

Istanbul $2,365
Byblos $1,617

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,212 in Istanbul versus $2,231 in Byblos.

Istanbul $3,212
Byblos $2,231

Living in Istanbul is roughly 51% more expensive than in Byblos, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Istanbul is 12% above, Byblos is 26% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.81 ₺592

$9.17 LBP 820.4K

28.79%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.9 ₺2,754

$41.75 LBP 3.7M

31.52%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.26 ₺465

$6.97 LBP 623.5K

32.86%

Cappuccino

$4.30 ₺216

$3.02 LBP 270.5K

42.38%

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

$1.77 ₺89.0

$0.98 LBP 87.6K

80.61%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺28.32

$0.98 LBP 87.6K

-42.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.69 ₺235

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.12 ₺357

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 ₺62.7

$1.20 LBP 107.3K

4.17%

White Bread (500g)

$0.88 ₺44.17

$0.65 LBP 58.3K

35.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 ₺111

$1.58 LBP 141.5K

39.24%

Eggs

$2.43 ₺122

$2.04 LBP 183.0K

19.12%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.48 ₺526

$8.82 LBP 789.7K

18.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.31 ₺267

$8.45 LBP 755.9K

-37.16%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.10 ₺1,058

$11.97 LBP 1.1M

76.27%

Apples (1kg)

$1.86 ₺93.1

$3.08 LBP 275.4K

-39.61%

Banana (1kg)

$2.30 ₺115

$1.94 LBP 173.8K

18.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.22 ₺61.0

$1.02 LBP 91.4K

19.61%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺90.2

$2.04 LBP 182.9K

-11.76%

Potato (1kg)

$0.69 ₺34.83

$0.99 LBP 88.5K

-30.30%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺32.16

$0.97 LBP 87.3K

-34.02%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.36 ₺68.0

$1.03 LBP 92.0K

32.04%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 ₺28.94

$0.97 LBP 87.1K

-40.21%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.34 ₺117

Wine (Bottle)

$13.03 ₺653

$3.90 LBP 348.6K

234.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.36 ₺118

$1.48 LBP 132.8K

59.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.32 ₺166

$1.94 LBP 173.9K

71.13%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.88 ₺44.07

$1.01 LBP 90.7K

-12.87%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.1 ₺3,316

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 ₺64.4

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 ₺42.80

$0.97 LBP 86.9K

-12.37%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.09 ₺556

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 ₺74.0

$0.98 LBP 87.9K

51.02%

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

$48.6K ₺2.4M

$22.8K LBP 2.0B

113.17%

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

$42.0K ₺2.1M

$22.4K LBP 2.0B

87.26%

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

$92.7 ₺4,650

$100 LBP 9.0M

-7.64%

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

$11.20 ₺562

$22.19 LBP 2.0M

-49.53%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.89 ₺797

$24.87 LBP 2.2M

-36.11%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.7 ₺3,745

$37.82 LBP 3.4M

97.46%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.95 ₺1,151

$39.92 LBP 3.6M

-42.51%

Cinema Ticket

$8.05 ₺404

$10.04 LBP 898.3K

-19.82%

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

$948 ₺47.6K

$399 LBP 35.7M

137.85%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.9K ₺1.9M

$3,016 LBP 269.9M

1124.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₺2,702

$100.0 LBP 8.9M

-46.11%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.49 ₺2,081

$99.3 LBP 8.9M

-58.23%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 ₺5,060

$122 LBP 10.9M

-17.20%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.3 ₺4,580

$149 LBP 13.3M

-38.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,014 ₺50.8K

$303 LBP 27.1M

234.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$625 ₺31.3K

$221 LBP 19.8M

182.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,005 ₺100.6K

$788 LBP 70.5M

154.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,126 ₺56.5K

$408 LBP 36.5M

176.12%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,988 ₺149.8K

$1,351 LBP 120.9M

121.11%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,730 ₺86.8K

$826 LBP 73.9M

109.52%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,136 ₺57.0K

$1,009 LBP 90.3M

12.59%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.42

405.25%

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

Last update for Istanbul: November 2, 2026

Last update for Byblos: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$625 41.1%

Byblos

$221 22% 64.7% $404

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$258 17%

Byblos

$219 21.8% 15.3% $40

Eating Out

Istanbul

$221 14.6%

Byblos

$138 * 13.8% 37.4% $83

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$129 8.5%

Byblos

$212 21.1% 63.5% $82

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$120 7.9%

Byblos

$147 14.7% 23.1% $28

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$91 6%

Byblos

$58 5.8% 36.2% $33

Getting Around

Istanbul

$75 5%

Byblos

$8.9 * 0.9% 88.1% $66

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,014 in Istanbul and $303 in Byblos. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Istanbul pays 13% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $55 in Istanbul vs $42 in Byblos for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $258 vs $219 per month, with Byblos cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇱🇧 Byblos

🕒 Local time

07:45 7:45 AM

06:45 6:45 AM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

20,784

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Lebanese Pound LBP ل.ل

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 1.99 USD

100 TRY = 1.78 EUR

1,000,000 LBP = 11.17 USD

1,000,000 LBP = 9.95 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

LBP, USD, EUR to TRY – Turkish Lira Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇷 Turkish Lira (₺)

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).

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).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Istanbul Byblos 960 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Byblos

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 Byblos: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Byblos is about 34% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, transport, and groceries. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 13% higher in Istanbul, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,014 in Istanbul versus $303 in Byblos. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $948 in Istanbul versus $399 in Byblos. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Byblos – a meal for two runs $42 versus $55 in Istanbul. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,004 in Byblos versus $1,519 in Istanbul, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Byblos but tight or insufficient in Istanbul. The gap between the two cities makes Byblos the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Byblos is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Istanbul, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

It comes down to priorities – Byblos wins on affordability, Istanbul on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.