Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Kaunas

For one person, living costs are similar in Istanbul and in Kaunas: $1,519 and $1,512 a month, rent and utilities included.

73

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index
73

Cost of Living Index in Kaunas
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Kaunas Living Index

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Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,519

/mo nomad

Kaunas

🇱🇹 Lithuania

$1,512

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Kaunas

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

A single person spends $1,519 per month in Istanbul vs $1,512 in Kaunas, rent included.

Istanbul $1,519
Kaunas $1,512

A couple spends around $2,365 per month in Istanbul vs $2,275 in Kaunas, rent included.

Istanbul $2,365
Kaunas $2,275

A family of three spends $3,212 per month in Istanbul vs $3,038 in Kaunas, rent included.

Istanbul $3,212
Kaunas $3,038

Istanbul and Kaunas have comparable living costs – the differences are in the details.

Both Istanbul and Kaunas sit above the global median – Istanbul by 12%, Kaunas by 12%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.81 ₺592

$11.77 €10.48

0.34%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.9 ₺2,754

$69.7 €62.0

-21.19%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.26 ₺465

$10.21 €9.09

-9.30%

Cappuccino

$4.30 ₺216

$3.62 €3.23

18.78%

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

$1.77 ₺89.0

$3.45 €3.07

-48.70%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺28.32

$3.19 €2.84

-82.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.69 ₺235

$5.31 €4.73

-11.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.12 ₺357

$4.51 €4.02

57.87%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 ₺62.7

$1.56 €1.39

-19.87%

White Bread (500g)

$0.88 ₺44.17

$1.74 €1.55

-49.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 ₺111

$2.16 €1.92

1.85%

Eggs

$2.43 ₺122

$3.31 €2.95

-26.59%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.48 ₺526

$14.90 €13.27

-29.66%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.31 ₺267

$8.01 €7.13

-33.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.10 ₺1,058

$13.89 €12.37

51.91%

Apples (1kg)

$1.86 ₺93.1

$1.54 €1.37

20.78%

Banana (1kg)

$2.30 ₺115

$1.56 €1.38

47.44%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.22 ₺61.0

$2.11 €1.88

-42.18%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺90.2

$3.26 €2.90

-44.79%

Potato (1kg)

$0.69 ₺34.83

$0.96 €0.86

-28.13%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺32.16

$0.89 €0.79

-28.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.36 ₺68.0

$1.85 €1.65

-26.49%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 ₺28.94

$0.94 €0.83

-38.30%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.34 ₺117

$6.05 €5.38

-61.32%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.03 ₺653

$9.63 €8.57

35.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.36 ₺118

$1.66 €1.48

42.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.32 ₺166

$2.10 €1.87

58.10%

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

$31.02 €27.62

113.15%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 ₺64.4

$2.32 €2.07

-44.83%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 ₺42.80

$1.67 €1.49

-49.10%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.09 ₺556

$22.78 €20.28

-51.32%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 ₺74.0

$1.91 €1.70

-22.51%

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

$48.6K ₺2.4M

$27.4K €24.4K

77.53%

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

$42.0K ₺2.1M

$28.1K €25.0K

49.59%

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

$92.7 ₺4,650

$196 €175

-52.76%

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

$11.20 ₺562

$15.94 €14.20

-29.74%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.89 ₺797

$15.29 €13.61

3.92%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.7 ₺3,745

$32.37 €28.82

130.71%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.95 ₺1,151

$27.91 €24.85

-17.77%

Cinema Ticket

$8.05 ₺404

$11.63 €10.35

-30.78%

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

$948 ₺47.6K

$659 €587

43.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.9K ₺1.9M

$9,873 €8,791

273.93%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₺2,702

$84.8 €75.5

-36.45%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.49 ₺2,081

$40.45 €36.02

2.57%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 ₺5,060

$121 €108

-16.62%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.3 ₺4,580

$166 €148

-45.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,014 ₺50.8K

$684 €609

48.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$625 ₺31.3K

$488 €435

27.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,005 ₺100.6K

$1,058 €942

89.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,126 ₺56.5K

$707 €629

59.30%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,988 ₺149.8K

$3,415 €3,041

-12.50%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,730 ₺86.8K

$2,268 €2,019

-23.70%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,136 ₺57.0K

$1,748 €1,557

-35.00%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.42

4.05

898.02%

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

Last update for Istanbul: November 2, 2026

Last update for Kaunas: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$625 41.1%

Kaunas

$488 32.3% 21.8% $136

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$258 17%

Kaunas

$278 18.4% 7.7% $20

Eating Out

Istanbul

$221 14.6%

Kaunas

$230 15.2% 4.3% $9.5

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$129 8.5%

Kaunas

$186 12.3% 43.4% $56

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$120 7.9%

Kaunas

$227 15.1% 89.9% $108

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$91 6%

Kaunas

$56 3.7% 38.7% $35

Getting Around

Istanbul

$75 5%

Kaunas

$46 3.1% 38.4% $29

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,014 in Istanbul versus $684 in Kaunas. 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 54% higher in Kaunas. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55 in Istanbul versus $70 in Kaunas. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $278 – making Istanbul the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇱🇹 Kaunas

🕒 Local time

14:55 2:55 PM

13:55 1:55 PM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

315,993

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 1.99 USD

100 TRY = 1.78 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD 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 = 56.33 TRY (100 TRY = 1.78 EUR).

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

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Istanbul Kaunas 1,590 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Kaunas

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 Kaunas: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,278 per month in Istanbul and $2,268 in Kaunas. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Kaunas, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $684 there versus $1,014 in Istanbul.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55 in Istanbul and $70 in Kaunas. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Public transport costs about 53% less in Kaunas. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,519 in Istanbul and $1,512 in Kaunas. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Kaunas – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.