Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Kedainiai

For one person, living is cheaper in Kedainiai: $1,366 a month against $1,519 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $1,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Istanbul, Turkey
Kedainiai, Lithuania
Istanbul
🇹🇷 Turkey
$1,519
/mo nomad
Kedainiai
🇱🇹 Lithuania
$1,366
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Kedainiai

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

A single person spends $1,519 per month in Istanbul vs $1,366 in Kedainiai, rent included.

  • Istanbul $1,519
  • Kedainiai $1,366

A couple spends around $2,365 per month in Istanbul vs $2,062 in Kedainiai, rent included.

  • Istanbul $2,365
  • Kedainiai $2,062

A family of three spends $3,212 per month in Istanbul vs $2,758 in Kedainiai, rent included.

  • Istanbul $3,212
  • Kedainiai $2,758

Istanbul costs about 11% more than Kedainiai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Istanbul
Kedainiai
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.81 ₺592
$12.11 €10.84
-2.48%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$54.9 ₺2,754
$49.95 €44.70
9.93%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.26 ₺465
$6.77 €6.06
36.78%
Cappuccino
$4.30 ₺216
$3.21 €2.87
33.96%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.77 ₺89.0
$2.76 €2.47
-35.87%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.56 ₺28.32
$1.95 €1.74
-71.28%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$4.69 ₺235
$5.51 €4.93
-14.88%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$7.12 ₺357
$5.15 €4.61
38.25%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Istanbul
Kedainiai
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.25 ₺62.7
$1.23 €1.10
1.63%
White Bread (500g)
$0.88 ₺44.17
$1.52 €1.36
-42.11%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.20 ₺111
$1.71 €1.53
28.65%
Eggs
$2.43 ₺122
$2.83 €2.53
-14.13%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.48 ₺526
$10.08 €9.02
3.97%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$5.31 ₺267
$5.80 €5.19
-8.45%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$21.10 ₺1,058
$9.54 €8.54
121.17%
Apples (1kg)
$1.86 ₺93.1
$1.66 €1.48
12.05%
Banana (1kg)
$2.30 ₺115
$1.40 €1.25
64.29%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.22 ₺61.0
$1.65 €1.47
-26.06%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.80 ₺90.2
$3.09 €2.77
-41.75%
Potato (1kg)
$0.69 ₺34.83
$0.73 €0.66
-5.48%
Onion (1kg)
$0.64 ₺32.16
$0.97 €0.87
-34.02%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.36 ₺68.0
$1.54 €1.38
-11.69%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.58 ₺28.94
$0.83 €0.74
-30.12%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.34 ₺117
$6.03 €5.40
-61.19%
Wine (Bottle)
$13.03 ₺653
$8.27 €7.40
57.56%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.36 ₺118
$1.66 €1.48
42.17%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.32 ₺166
$1.73 €1.55
91.91%
🚌 Getting Around
Istanbul
Kedainiai
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.88 ₺44.07
$1.15 €1.03
-23.48%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$66.1 ₺3,316
$32.99 €29.52
100.42%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.28 ₺64.4
$3.09 €2.76
-58.58%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.85 ₺42.80
$0.87 €0.78
-2.30%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$11.09 ₺556
$13.21 €11.82
-16.05%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.48 ₺74.0
$1.88 €1.68
-21.28%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$48.6K ₺2.4M
$27.4K €24.5K
77.29%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$42.0K ₺2.1M
$27.0K €24.1K
55.58%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Istanbul
Kedainiai
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$92.7 ₺4,650
$205 €184
-54.82%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$11.20 ₺562
$13.18 €11.79
-15.02%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$15.89 ₺797
$10.97 €9.82
44.85%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Istanbul
Kedainiai
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$74.7 ₺3,745
$38.81 €34.72
92.42%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$22.95 ₺1,151
$22.62 €20.24
1.46%
Cinema Ticket
$8.05 ₺404
$8.97 €8.03
-10.26%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Istanbul
Kedainiai
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$948 ₺47.6K
$525 €470
80.53%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$36.9K ₺1.9M
$9,037 €8,086
308.52%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Istanbul
Kedainiai
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$53.9 ₺2,702
$135 €121
-60.03%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$41.49 ₺2,081
$63.3 €56.6
-34.42%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$101 ₺5,060
$80.5 €72.0
25.33%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$91.3 ₺4,580
$180 €161
-49.17%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Istanbul
Kedainiai
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,014 ₺50.8K
$584 €522
73.63%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$625 ₺31.3K
$395 €353
58.11%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,005 ₺100.6K
$848 €759
136.37%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,126 ₺56.5K
$650 €582
73.11%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,988 ₺149.8K
$3,093 €2,767
-3.39%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,730 ₺86.8K
$1,881 €1,683
-8.00%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Istanbul
Kedainiai
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,136 ₺57.0K
$1,326 €1,187
-14.30%
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 Kedainiai: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Istanbul
$625
Kedainiai
$395 36.8% $230
Groceries & Markets
Istanbul
$258
Kedainiai
$221 14.5% $37
Eating Out
Istanbul
$221
Kedainiai
$212 3.9% $8.5
Clothing & Footwear
Istanbul
$129
Kedainiai
$206 59.3% $77
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Istanbul
$120
Kedainiai
$229 91.5% $110
Sport & Entertainment
Istanbul
$91
Kedainiai
$57 37.5% $34
Getting Around
Istanbul
$75
Kedainiai
$45 40.1% $30

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,014 in Istanbul versus $584 in Kedainiai. 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 17% higher in Kedainiai, 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 Kedainiai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $221 – making Kedainiai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇹🇷 Istanbul
🇱🇹 Kedainiai
🕒 Local time
21:49 9:49 PM
20:49 8:49 PM
1 h behind Istanbul
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
15,701,602
26,648
💱 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 = 56.33 TRY (100 TRY = 1.78 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 0.895 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

On the map
Between locations
  • Istanbul Kedainiai 1,630 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Istanbul
  • Kedainiai

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 Kedainiai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Kedainiai cheaper than Istanbul?
Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 11%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,278 per month in Istanbul and $2,048 in Kedainiai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Kedainiai, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $584 there versus $1,014 in Istanbul.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Kindergarten costs $948 per month in Istanbul and $525 in Kedainiai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
How do food prices compare in Istanbul and in Kedainiai?
Groceries cost about 17% more in Istanbul, though the gap depends on what you buy.
Is $2,000 enough for either Istanbul or Kedainiai?
$2,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,519 in Istanbul and $1,366 in Kedainiai, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.
Is Istanbul or Kedainiai more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Kedainiai – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Which city is easier to live in as a foreigner?
For expats, Kedainiai 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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