Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Liepaja

For one person, living is cheaper in Liepaja: $1,295 a month against $1,519 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $2,700 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
62

Cost of Living Index in Liepaja
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Liepaja Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,519

/mo nomad

Liepaja

🇱🇻 Latvia

$1,295

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Liepaja

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

A single person spends $1,519 per month in Istanbul vs $1,295 in Liepaja, rent included.

Istanbul $1,519
Liepaja $1,295

A couple spends around $2,365 per month in Istanbul vs $2,011 in Liepaja, rent included.

Istanbul $2,365
Liepaja $2,011

A family of three spends $3,212 per month in Istanbul vs $2,726 in Liepaja, rent included.

Istanbul $3,212
Liepaja $2,726

Istanbul costs about 17% more than Liepaja, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Istanbul sits 12% above the global median, while Liepaja is 4% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.81 ₺592

$10.97 €9.82

7.66%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.9 ₺2,754

$66.7 €59.7

-17.70%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.26 ₺465

$8.92 €7.99

3.81%

Cappuccino

$4.30 ₺216

$2.86 €2.56

50.35%

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

$1.77 ₺89.0

$1.58 €1.41

12.03%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺28.32

$1.25 €1.12

-55.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.69 ₺235

$3.83 €3.43

22.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.12 ₺357

$2.18 €1.95

226.61%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 ₺62.7

$1.21 €1.09

3.31%

White Bread (500g)

$0.88 ₺44.17

$1.48 €1.33

-40.54%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 ₺111

$2.54 €2.28

-13.39%

Eggs

$2.43 ₺122

$3.59 €3.22

-32.31%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.48 ₺526

$10.21 €9.13

2.64%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.31 ₺267

$8.20 €7.34

-35.24%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.10 ₺1,058

$13.97 €12.50

51.04%

Apples (1kg)

$1.86 ₺93.1

$2.07 €1.85

-10.14%

Banana (1kg)

$2.30 ₺115

$1.80 €1.61

27.78%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.22 ₺61.0

$2.53 €2.26

-51.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺90.2

$2.18 €1.95

-17.43%

Potato (1kg)

$0.69 ₺34.83

$0.86 €0.77

-19.77%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺32.16

$0.87 €0.78

-26.44%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.36 ₺68.0

$1.68 €1.50

-19.05%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 ₺28.94

$1.00 €0.89

-42.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.34 ₺117

$6.13 €5.49

-61.83%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.03 ₺653

$6.73 €6.02

93.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.36 ₺118

$1.96 €1.76

20.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.32 ₺166

$2.09 €1.87

58.85%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.88 ₺44.07

$1.69 €1.51

-47.93%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.1 ₺3,316

$33.29 €29.78

98.62%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 ₺64.4

$2.27 €2.03

-43.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 ₺42.80

$1.00 €0.89

-15.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.09 ₺556

$17.89 €16.01

-38.01%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 ₺74.0

$1.74 €1.55

-14.94%

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

$48.6K ₺2.4M

$27.8K €24.9K

74.80%

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

$42.0K ₺2.1M

$29.3K €26.2K

43.15%

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

$92.7 ₺4,650

$314 €281

-70.45%

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

$11.20 ₺562

$16.86 €15.09

-33.57%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.89 ₺797

$18.91 €16.92

-15.97%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.7 ₺3,745

$55.5 €49.69

34.49%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.95 ₺1,151

$13.29 €11.89

72.69%

Cinema Ticket

$8.05 ₺404

$8.68 €7.77

-7.26%

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

$948 ₺47.6K

$171 €153

456.20%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.9K ₺1.9M

$22.9K €20.5K

61.45%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₺2,702

$69.9 €62.5

-22.87%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.49 ₺2,081

$49.57 €44.35

-16.30%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 ₺5,060

$87.1 €78.0

15.78%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.3 ₺4,580

$138 €124

-34.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,014 ₺50.8K

$318 €284

219.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$625 ₺31.3K

$229 €205

172.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,005 ₺100.6K

$653 €584

207.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,126 ₺56.5K

$459 €410

145.51%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,988 ₺149.8K

$1,499 €1,342

99.27%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,730 ₺86.8K

$1,124 €1,006

53.96%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,136 ₺57.0K

$1,102 €986

3.17%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.42

4.2

862.38%

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

Last update for Istanbul: November 2, 2026

Last update for Liepaja: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$625 41.1%

Liepaja

$229 17.7% 63.3% $396

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$258 17%

Liepaja

$258 19.9% 0.2% $0.6

Eating Out

Istanbul

$221 14.6%

Liepaja

$184 14.2% 16.9% $37

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$129 8.5%

Liepaja

$155 12% 19.9% $26

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$120 7.9%

Liepaja

$349 27% 192% $230

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$91 6%

Liepaja

$73 5.6% 19.7% $18

Getting Around

Istanbul

$75 5%

Liepaja

$47 3.7% 37.1% $28

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,014 in Istanbul versus $318 in Liepaja. 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 3% 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 in Istanbul versus $67 in Liepaja. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $258 – making Istanbul the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇱🇻 Liepaja

🕒 Local time

16:57 4:57 PM

15:57 3:57 PM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

78,787

💱 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 = 0.895 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to TRY in detail →

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Between locations

Istanbul Liepaja 1,820 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Liepaja

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 Liepaja: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 17%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,278 per month in Istanbul and $1,943 in Liepaja. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Liepaja, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $318 there versus $1,014 in Istanbul.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55 in Istanbul and $67 in Liepaja. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Public transport costs about 50% less in Liepaja. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Liepaja, where all-in costs run around $1,295, than in Istanbul at $1,519. In Liepaja it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Liepaja – 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.

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