Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Libreville

For one person, living costs are similar in Istanbul and in Libreville: $1,526 and $1,486 a month, rent and utilities included.

74

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Libreville
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Libreville Living Index

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Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,526

/mo nomad

Libreville

🇬🇦 Gabon

$1,486

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Libreville

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

A single person spends $1,526 per month in Istanbul vs $1,486 in Libreville, rent included.

Istanbul $1,526
Libreville $1,486

A couple spends around $2,399 per month in Istanbul vs $2,489 in Libreville, rent included.

Istanbul $2,399
Libreville $2,489

A family of three spends $3,272 per month in Istanbul vs $3,493 in Libreville, rent included.

Istanbul $3,272
Libreville $3,493

Istanbul costs about 3% more than Libreville, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Istanbul and Libreville sit above the global median – Istanbul by 14%, Libreville by 11%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.88 ₺585

$17.40 FCFA 10.2K

-31.72%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.1 ₺2,714

$68.3 FCFA 39.9K

-19.28%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.14 ₺450

$15.29 FCFA 8,945

-40.22%

Cappuccino

$4.24 ₺209

$5.94 FCFA 3,475

-28.62%

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

$1.75 ₺86.0

$1.67 FCFA 978

4.79%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.54 ₺26.83

$1.41 FCFA 825

-61.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.69 ₺231

$1.00 FCFA 588

369.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.97 ₺294

$1.93 FCFA 1,127

209.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.26 ₺62.1

$3.44 FCFA 2,010

-63.37%

White Bread (500g)

$0.95 ₺46.81

$1.20 FCFA 703

-20.83%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.31 ₺114

$2.87 FCFA 1,681

-19.51%

Eggs

$2.47 ₺122

$4.45 FCFA 2,604

-44.49%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.55 ₺520

$10.40 FCFA 6,086

1.44%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.60 ₺276

$8.66 FCFA 5,065

-35.33%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.21 ₺1,045

$25.83 FCFA 15.1K

-17.89%

Apples (1kg)

$1.93 ₺95.1

$2.91 FCFA 1,703

-33.68%

Banana (1kg)

$2.29 ₺113

$3.78 FCFA 2,214

-39.42%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.1

$3.95 FCFA 2,310

-67.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.84 ₺90.8

$3.44 FCFA 2,011

-46.51%

Potato (1kg)

$0.67 ₺32.86

$2.95 FCFA 1,724

-77.29%

Onion (1kg)

$0.59 ₺29.31

$4.19 FCFA 2,449

-85.92%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.33 ₺65.4

$2.15 FCFA 1,258

-38.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₺29.10

$1.65 FCFA 966

-64.24%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.36 ₺116

$2.56 FCFA 1,495

-7.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.47 ₺664

$11.30 FCFA 6,611

19.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.42 ₺119

$0.97 FCFA 570

149.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.54 ₺174

$1.32 FCFA 771

168.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.83 ₺40.64

$0.90 FCFA 526

-7.78%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.5 ₺3,273

$47.94 FCFA 28.0K

38.61%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.35 ₺66.6

$1.27 FCFA 742

6.30%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 ₺42.05

$0.73 FCFA 428

16.44%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.86 ₺535

$17.44 FCFA 10.2K

-37.73%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ₺72.3

$1.04 FCFA 608

41.35%

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

$51.6K ₺2.5M

$29.4K FCFA 17.2M

75.70%

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

$44.4K ₺2.2M

$22.6K FCFA 13.2M

96.71%

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

$89.2 ₺4,395

$84.8 FCFA 49.6K

5.19%

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

$11.60 ₺572

$34.33 FCFA 20.1K

-66.21%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.10 ₺793

$64.8 FCFA 37.9K

-75.14%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.3 ₺3,805

$65.0 FCFA 38.0K

18.79%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.66 ₺1,116

$26.05 FCFA 15.2K

-13.01%

Cinema Ticket

$8.34 ₺411

$4.57 FCFA 2,676

82.49%

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

$974 ₺48.0K

$170 FCFA 99.6K

472.08%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.8K ₺1.3M

$5,520 FCFA 3.2M

366.88%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.7 ₺2,597

$85.2 FCFA 49.8K

-38.10%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.16 ₺1,929

$42.56 FCFA 24.9K

-7.99%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 ₺5,083

$51.9 FCFA 30.3K

98.98%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.6 ₺4,759

$103 FCFA 60.0K

-5.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$994 ₺49.0K

$1,020 FCFA 596.5K

-2.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$629 ₺31.0K

$421 FCFA 246.2K

49.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,024 ₺99.7K

$2,114 FCFA 1.2M

-4.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,155 ₺56.9K

$843 FCFA 493.0K

37.04%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,160 ₺155.7K

$3,588 FCFA 2.1M

-11.92%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,838 ₺90.5K

$2,721 FCFA 1.6M

-32.47%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,203 ₺59.3K

$429 FCFA 250.9K

180.59%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

41.09

11.5

257.30%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 3, 2026

Last update for Libreville: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$629 41.2%

Libreville

$421 27.8% 33.1% $209

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$264 17.3%

Libreville

$374 24.7% 41.5% $110

Eating Out

Istanbul

$218 14.3%

Libreville

$278 18.3% 27.4% $60

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$131 8.6%

Libreville

$127 8.4% 3.3% $4.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$117 7.7%

Libreville

$184 12.2% 57.3% $67

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$94 6.1%

Libreville

$74 4.9% 21% $20

Getting Around

Istanbul

$75 4.9%

Libreville

$56 3.7% 25.1% $19

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $994 in Istanbul versus $1,020 in Libreville. 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 181% 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 $68.0 in Libreville. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $264 vs $374 – making Istanbul the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇬🇦 Libreville

🕒 Local time

14:20 2:20 PM

12:20 12:20 PM

2 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

850,000 Capital

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Central African CFA Franc XAF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 2.03 USD

100 TRY = 1.81 EUR

1,000 XAF = 1.71 USD

1,000 XAF = 1.53 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

XAF, USD, EUR to TRY – Turkish Lira Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇷 Turkish Lira (₺)

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 49.26 TRY (100 TRY = 2.03 USD). 1 EUR = 55.2 TRY (100 TRY = 1.81 EUR).

Central African CFA Franc exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 585 XAF (1,000 XAF = 1.71 USD). 1 EUR = 656 XAF (1,000 XAF = 1.53 EUR).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Istanbul Libreville 4,920 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Libreville

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 Libreville: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 3%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,289 per month in Istanbul and $2,228 in Libreville. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Libreville, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $974 per month in Istanbul and $170 in Libreville. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 42% cheaper in Istanbul – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Libreville, where all-in costs run around $1,486, than in Istanbul at $1,526. In Libreville it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Libreville – 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 Libreville. 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.