Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Hermel

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.

73

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index
47

Cost of Living Index in Hermel
Learn more

Hermel Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,519

/mo nomad

Hermel

🇱🇧 Lebanon

$980

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Hermel

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

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

Istanbul $1,519
Hermel $980

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

Istanbul $2,365
Hermel $1,585

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

Istanbul $3,212
Hermel $2,190

Living in Istanbul is roughly 55% more expensive than in Hermel, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.81 ₺591

$12.03 LBP 1.1M

-1.83%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.9 ₺2,748

$69.8 LBP 6.2M

-21.29%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.26 ₺463

$10.01 LBP 896.2K

-7.49%

Cappuccino

$4.30 ₺215

$4.47 LBP 399.8K

-3.80%

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

$1.77 ₺88.8

$2.26 LBP 202.4K

-21.68%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺28.26

$0.90 LBP 80.8K

-37.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.69 ₺234

$5.14 LBP 459.8K

-8.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.12 ₺356

$4.62 LBP 413.5K

54.11%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 ₺62.6

$2.00 LBP 179.1K

-37.50%

White Bread (500g)

$0.88 ₺44.07

$0.89 LBP 79.9K

-1.12%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 ₺110

$2.22 LBP 199.0K

-0.90%

Eggs

$2.43 ₺122

$3.66 LBP 327.5K

-33.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.48 ₺524

$11.26 LBP 1.0M

-6.93%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.31 ₺266

$10.52 LBP 941.5K

-49.52%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.10 ₺1,056

$14.72 LBP 1.3M

43.34%

Apples (1kg)

$1.86 ₺92.9

$3.08 LBP 276.0K

-39.61%

Banana (1kg)

$2.30 ₺115

$1.66 LBP 148.4K

38.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.22 ₺60.8

$1.67 LBP 149.0K

-26.95%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺90.0

$1.54 LBP 137.4K

16.88%

Potato (1kg)

$0.69 ₺34.75

$1.26 LBP 112.8K

-45.24%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺32.09

$1.55 LBP 138.9K

-58.71%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.36 ₺67.8

$1.22 LBP 109.1K

11.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 ₺28.88

$0.71 LBP 63.7K

-18.31%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.34 ₺117

$2.96 LBP 264.6K

-20.95%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.03 ₺652

$11.07 LBP 990.7K

17.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.36 ₺118

$1.33 LBP 118.7K

77.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.32 ₺166

$2.56 LBP 229.5K

29.69%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.88 ₺43.97

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.1 ₺3,309

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 ₺64.3

$5.04 LBP 450.9K

-74.60%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 ₺42.70

$2.26 LBP 202.4K

-62.39%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.09 ₺555

$22.63 LBP 2.0M

-50.99%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 ₺73.9

$1.05 LBP 94.3K

40.95%

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

$48.6K ₺2.4M

$53.6K LBP 4.8B

-9.20%

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

$42.0K ₺2.1M

$32.9K LBP 2.9B

27.40%

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

$92.7 ₺4,639

$211 LBP 18.9M

-56.13%

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

$11.20 ₺560

$23.42 LBP 2.1M

-52.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.89 ₺795

$37.72 LBP 3.4M

-57.87%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.7 ₺3,737

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.95 ₺1,149

Cinema Ticket

$8.05 ₺403

$9.98 LBP 893.1K

-19.34%

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

$948 ₺47.5K

$684 LBP 61.3M

38.57%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.9K ₺1.8M

$10.6K LBP 945.7M

249.38%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₺2,696

$66.8 LBP 6.0M

-19.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.49 ₺2,076

$49.55 LBP 4.4M

-16.27%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 ₺5,049

$136 LBP 12.2M

-26.05%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.3 ₺4,570

$119 LBP 10.7M

-23.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,014 ₺50.7K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$625 ₺31.3K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,005 ₺100.4K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,126 ₺56.3K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,988 ₺149.5K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,730 ₺86.6K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,136 ₺56.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.42

267.45%

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

Last update for Istanbul: November 2, 2026

Last update for Hermel: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$625 41.1%

Hermel

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$258 17%

Hermel

$277 28.2% 7.2% $19

Eating Out

Istanbul

$221 14.6%

Hermel

$227 23.2% 3% $6.5

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$129 8.5%

Hermel

$167 17.1% 29.3% $38

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$120 7.9%

Hermel

$272 27.8% 127% $153

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$91 6%

Hermel

$20 * 2% 78% $71

Getting Around

Istanbul

$75 5%

Hermel

$16 * 1.7% 78.3% $59

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

Cost Breakdown

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

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇱🇧 Hermel

🕒 Local time

21:46 9:46 PM

20:46 8:46 PM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

22,250

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Lebanese Pound LBP ل.ل

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 2 USD

100 TRY = 1.78 EUR

1,000,000 LBP = 11.17 USD

1,000,000 LBP = 9.94 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 5, 2026: 1 USD = 50.04 TRY (100 TRY = 2 USD). 1 EUR = 56.23 TRY (100 TRY = 1.78 EUR).

Lebanese Pound exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 89,500 LBP (100,000 LBP = 1.12 USD). 1 EUR = 100,573 LBP (1,000,000 LBP = 9.94 EUR).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Istanbul Hermel 980 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Hermel

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 Hermel: 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 $2,278 in Istanbul and $1,471 in Hermel 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 $1,519 per month in Istanbul versus $980 in Hermel – 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.