Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Livno

For one person, living is cheaper in Livno: $869 a month against $1,550 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $8,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

75

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index
43

Cost of Living Index in Livno
Learn more

Livno Living Index

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Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

Livno

🇧🇦 Bosnia and Herzegovina

$869

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Livno

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

A single person spends $1,550 per month in Istanbul vs $869 in Livno, rent included.

Istanbul $1,550
Livno $869

A couple spends around $2,415 per month in Istanbul vs $1,302 in Livno, rent included.

Istanbul $2,415
Livno $1,302

A family of three spends $3,281 per month in Istanbul vs $1,735 in Livno, rent included.

Istanbul $3,281
Livno $1,735

Istanbul costs about 78% more than Livno, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Istanbul sits 15% above the global median, while Livno is 36% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.30 ₺609

$4.55 BAM 7.91

170.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.7 ₺2,708

$31.26 BAM 54.4

74.98%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.22 ₺456

$5.67 BAM 9.87

62.61%

Cappuccino

$4.40 ₺218

$1.81 BAM 3.15

143.09%

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

$1.68 ₺83.1

$1.89 BAM 3.29

-11.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₺29.40

$1.24 BAM 2.16

-52.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.70 ₺233

$2.61 BAM 4.53

80.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.91 ₺292

$1.75 BAM 3.05

237.71%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 ₺60.0

$1.12 BAM 1.95

8.04%

White Bread (500g)

$0.89 ₺44.10

$0.88 BAM 1.53

1.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.19 ₺108

$1.98 BAM 3.44

10.61%

Eggs

$2.35 ₺116

$2.55 BAM 4.44

-7.84%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.42 ₺516

$7.79 BAM 13.55

33.76%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.65 ₺280

$7.17 BAM 12.46

-21.20%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.94 ₺1,037

$10.69 BAM 18.60

95.88%

Apples (1kg)

$1.90 ₺94.1

$1.10 BAM 1.91

72.73%

Banana (1kg)

$2.31 ₺114

$1.62 BAM 2.81

42.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.1

$1.37 BAM 2.38

-6.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺89.0

$1.20 BAM 2.09

50.00%

Potato (1kg)

$0.65 ₺32.16

$1.04 BAM 1.81

-37.50%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺31.91

$1.01 BAM 1.76

-36.63%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 ₺62.1

$0.70 BAM 1.23

78.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.58

$0.68 BAM 1.18

-17.65%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.37 ₺118

$3.81 BAM 6.62

-37.80%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.42 ₺664

$3.95 BAM 6.87

239.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₺119

$0.73 BAM 1.28

228.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 ₺172

$0.94 BAM 1.64

270.21%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.89 ₺43.84

$1.35 BAM 2.35

-34.07%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.4 ₺3,338

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.29 ₺64.1

$1.73 BAM 3.01

-25.43%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 ₺45.70

$0.55 BAM 0.95

67.27%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.96 ₺542

$5.60 BAM 9.73

95.71%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ₺72.9

$1.61 BAM 2.81

-8.70%

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

$50.8K ₺2.5M

$30.3K BAM 52.7K

67.66%

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

$44.5K ₺2.2M

$20.9K BAM 36.3K

113.13%

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

$88.6 ₺4,387

$133 BAM 231

-33.17%

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

$11.59 ₺574

$17.64 BAM 30.68

-34.30%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.81 ₺783

$25.72 BAM 44.73

-38.53%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.2 ₺3,820

$32.85 BAM 57.1

134.89%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.74 ₺1,126

Cinema Ticket

$8.14 ₺403

$5.62 BAM 9.78

44.84%

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

$1,008 ₺49.9K

$196 BAM 341

413.72%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.6K ₺1.3M

$2,287 BAM 3,976

1017.76%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.0 ₺2,671

$58.3 BAM 101

-7.40%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.83 ₺2,021

$33.26 BAM 57.8

22.76%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.9 ₺4,895

$84.7 BAM 147

16.73%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.6 ₺4,783

$81.8 BAM 142

18.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$985 ₺48.7K

$298 BAM 519

230.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$650 ₺32.2K

$233 BAM 405

179.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,983 ₺98.2K

$466 BAM 810

325.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,180 ₺58.4K

$376 BAM 653

214.05%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,138 ₺155.4K

$2,774 BAM 4,824

13.12%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,780 ₺88.1K

$2,791 BAM 4,854

-36.24%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,205 ₺59.7K

$575 BAM 1,000

109.55%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.92

4.33

845.03%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 13, 2026

Last update for Livno: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$650 41.9%

Livno

$233 26.8% 64.2% $417

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$260 16.8%

Livno

$186 21.4% 28.5% $74

Eating Out

Istanbul

$223 14.4%

Livno

$104 12% 53.3% $119

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$131 8.4%

Livno

$116 13.4% 11.1% $14

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$116 7.5%

Livno

$176 20.3% 51.7% $60

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$93 6%

Livno

$44 5.1% 52.8% $49

Getting Around

Istanbul

$77 5%

Livno

$9.9 * 1.1% 87.1% $67

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $985 in Istanbul versus $298 in Livno. 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 110% 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 $31.00 in Livno. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $260 vs $186 – making Livno the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇧🇦 Livno

🕒 Local time

12:55 12:55 PM

11:55 11:55 AM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

17,000

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Bosnia and Herzegovina Convertible Mark BAM KM

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 2.02 USD

100 TRY = 1.8 EUR

1 BAM = 0.575 USD

1 BAM = 0.512 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BAM, USD, EUR to TRY – Turkish Lira Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇷 Turkish Lira (₺)

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 49.51 TRY (100 TRY = 2.02 USD). 1 EUR = 55.66 TRY (100 TRY = 1.8 EUR).

Bosnia and Herzegovina Convertible Mark exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 1.74 BAM (1 BAM = 0.575 USD). 1 EUR = 1.95 BAM (1 BAM = 0.512 EUR).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Istanbul Livno 1,030 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Livno

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 Livno: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 78%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,325 per month in Istanbul and $1,303 in Livno. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55.0 in Istanbul and $31.00 in Livno. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 40% 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 $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Livno, where all-in costs run around $869, than in Istanbul at $1,550. In Livno it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Livno – 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 Livno. 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.