Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Lankaran

For one person, living is cheaper in Lankaran: $501 a month against $1,550 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $12,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

75

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index
24

Cost of Living Index in Lankaran
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Lankaran Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

Lankaran

🇦🇿 Azerbaijan

$501

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Lankaran

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

A single person spends $1,550 per month in Istanbul vs $501 in Lankaran, rent included.

Istanbul $1,550
Lankaran $501

A couple spends around $2,415 per month in Istanbul vs $842 in Lankaran, rent included.

Istanbul $2,415
Lankaran $842

A family of three spends $3,281 per month in Istanbul vs $1,183 in Lankaran, rent included.

Istanbul $3,281
Lankaran $1,183

Istanbul costs about 209% more than Lankaran, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Istanbul sits 15% above the global median, while Lankaran is 63% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.30 ₺609

$8.47 ₼14.39

45.22%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.7 ₺2,708

$28.83 ₼49.00

89.73%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.22 ₺456

$6.00 ₼10.19

53.67%

Cappuccino

$4.40 ₺218

$2.74 ₼4.65

60.58%

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

$1.68 ₺83.1

$0.91 ₼1.55

84.62%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₺29.40

$0.58 ₼0.98

1.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.70 ₺233

$1.15 ₼1.96

308.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.91 ₺292

$2.32 ₼3.95

154.74%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 ₺60.0

$0.57 ₼0.97

112.28%

White Bread (500g)

$0.89 ₺44.10

$0.25 ₼0.43

256.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.19 ₺108

$1.95 ₼3.31

12.31%

Eggs

$2.35 ₺116

$1.13 ₼1.93

107.96%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.42 ₺516

$1.77 ₼3.01

488.70%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.65 ₺280

$3.02 ₼5.13

87.09%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.94 ₺1,037

$8.33 ₼14.16

151.38%

Apples (1kg)

$1.90 ₺94.1

$0.57 ₼0.97

233.33%

Banana (1kg)

$2.31 ₺114

$1.20 ₼2.04

92.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.1

$0.69 ₼1.17

85.51%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺89.0

$0.34 ₼0.58

429.41%

Potato (1kg)

$0.65 ₺32.16

$0.30 ₼0.51

116.67%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺31.91

$0.23 ₼0.39

178.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 ₺62.1

$0.10 ₼0.18

1150.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.58

$0.55 ₼0.93

1.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.37 ₺118

$2.90 ₼4.92

-18.28%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.42 ₺664

$3.60 ₼6.12

272.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₺119

$0.85 ₼1.44

182.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 ₺172

$1.86 ₼3.17

87.10%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.89 ₺43.84

$0.23 ₼0.39

286.96%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.4 ₺3,338

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.29 ₺64.1

$1.16 ₼1.97

11.21%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 ₺45.70

$0.28 ₼0.47

228.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.96 ₺542

$4.58 ₼7.79

139.30%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ₺72.9

$0.61 ₼1.03

140.98%

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

$50.8K ₺2.5M

$11.6K ₼19.7K

337.66%

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

$44.5K ₺2.2M

$14.2K ₼24.1K

213.41%

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

$88.6 ₺4,387

$33.14 ₼56.3

167.38%

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

$11.59 ₺574

$8.75 ₼14.88

32.46%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.81 ₺783

$14.42 ₼24.50

9.64%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.2 ₺3,820

$15.92 ₼27.06

384.67%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.74 ₺1,126

$6.00 ₼10.20

279.00%

Cinema Ticket

$8.14 ₺403

$4.65 ₼7.91

75.05%

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

$1,008 ₺49.9K

$146 ₼248

591.71%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.6K ₺1.3M

$16.7K ₼28.4K

52.79%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.0 ₺2,671

$89.6 ₼152

-39.81%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.83 ₺2,021

$59.7 ₼101

-31.60%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.9 ₺4,895

$128 ₼218

-22.98%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.6 ₺4,783

$117 ₼199

-17.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$985 ₺48.7K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$650 ₺32.2K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,983 ₺98.2K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,180 ₺58.4K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,138 ₺155.4K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,780 ₺88.1K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,205 ₺59.7K

$291 ₼495

314.28%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.92

309.20%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 13, 2026

Last update for Lankaran: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$650 41.9%

Lankaran

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$260 16.8%

Lankaran

$104 20.7% 60% $156

Eating Out

Istanbul

$223 14.4%

Lankaran

$135 26.9% 39.6% $88

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$131 8.4%

Lankaran

$178 35.4% 36% $47

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$116 7.5%

Lankaran

$56 11.2% 51.5% $60

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$93 6%

Lankaran

$25 5% 73% $68

Getting Around

Istanbul

$77 5%

Lankaran

$3.5 * 0.7% 95.5% $73

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

Cost Breakdown

Salaries run about 314% higher in Istanbul, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55.0 in Istanbul versus $29.00 in Lankaran. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $260 vs $104 – making Lankaran the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇦🇿 Lankaran

🕒 Local time

23:21 11:21 PM

00:21 12:21 AM

1 h ahead of Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

51,600

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Azerbaijani Manat AZN ₼

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 2.02 USD

100 TRY = 1.8 EUR

1 AZN = 0.588 USD

1 AZN = 0.523 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AZN, USD, EUR to TRY – Turkish Lira Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇷 Turkish Lira (₺)

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 49.51 TRY (100 TRY = 2.02 USD). 1 EUR = 55.67 TRY (100 TRY = 1.8 EUR).

Azerbaijani Manat exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 1.7 AZN (1 AZN = 0.588 USD). 1 EUR = 1.91 AZN (1 AZN = 0.523 EUR).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Istanbul Lankaran 1,710 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Lankaran

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 Lankaran: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 209%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,325 per month in Istanbul and $752 in Lankaran. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55.0 in Istanbul and $29.00 in Lankaran. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 150% more in Istanbul, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Lankaran, where all-in costs run around $501, than in Istanbul at $1,550. In Lankaran it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Lankaran. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Istanbul makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.