Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Lohja

For one person, living is cheaper in Lohja: $981 a month against $1,519 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $6,500 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Istanbul outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

73

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index
47

Cost of Living Index in Lohja
Learn more

Lohja Living Index

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Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,519

/mo nomad

Lohja

🇫🇮 Finland

$981

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Lohja

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

A single person spends $1,519 per month in Istanbul vs $981 in Lohja, rent included.

Istanbul $1,519
Lohja $981

A couple spends around $2,365 per month in Istanbul vs $2,121 in Lohja, rent included.

Istanbul $2,365
Lohja $2,121

A family of three spends $3,212 per month in Istanbul vs $3,262 in Lohja, rent included.

Istanbul $3,212
Lohja $3,262

Istanbul costs about 55% more than Lohja, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Istanbul sits 12% above the global median, while Lohja is 27% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.81 ₺592

$13.23 €11.78

-10.73%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.9 ₺2,754

$61.8 €55.1

-11.19%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.26 ₺465

$11.68 €10.40

-20.72%

Cappuccino

$4.30 ₺216

$4.89 €4.35

-12.07%

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

$1.77 ₺89.0

$2.87 €2.55

-38.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺28.32

$1.94 €1.73

-71.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.69 ₺235

$7.94 €7.07

-40.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.12 ₺357

$6.84 €6.09

4.09%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 ₺62.7

$1.25 €1.11

White Bread (500g)

$0.88 ₺44.17

$2.22 €1.98

-60.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 ₺111

$2.41 €2.15

-8.71%

Eggs

$2.43 ₺122

$2.75 €2.45

-11.64%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.48 ₺526

$8.91 €7.93

17.62%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.31 ₺267

$13.49 €12.01

-60.64%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.10 ₺1,058

$16.60 €14.78

27.11%

Apples (1kg)

$1.86 ₺93.1

$2.29 €2.04

-18.78%

Banana (1kg)

$2.30 ₺115

$2.05 €1.83

12.20%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.22 ₺61.0

$1.15 €1.02

6.09%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺90.2

$4.00 €3.56

-55.00%

Potato (1kg)

$0.69 ₺34.83

$1.30 €1.15

-46.92%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺32.16

$1.92 €1.71

-66.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.36 ₺68.0

$2.82 €2.51

-51.77%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 ₺28.94

$1.96 €1.75

-70.41%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.34 ₺117

$12.87 €11.46

-81.82%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.03 ₺653

$16.26 €14.48

-19.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.36 ₺118

$3.17 €2.82

-25.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.32 ₺166

$3.24 €2.89

2.47%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.88 ₺44.07

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.1 ₺3,316

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 ₺64.4

$4.38 €3.90

-70.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 ₺42.80

$1.36 €1.21

-37.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.09 ₺556

$67.6 €60.2

-83.60%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 ₺74.0

$2.01 €1.79

-26.37%

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

$48.6K ₺2.4M

$37.1K €33.0K

31.12%

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

$42.0K ₺2.1M

$37.6K €33.4K

11.77%

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

$92.7 ₺4,650

$79.5 €70.8

16.59%

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

$11.20 ₺562

$24.68 €21.98

-54.62%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.89 ₺797

$22.29 €19.84

-28.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.7 ₺3,745

$33.18 €29.55

125.08%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.95 ₺1,151

$16.27 €14.48

41.06%

Cinema Ticket

$8.05 ₺404

$15.53 €13.83

-48.16%

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

$948 ₺47.6K

$335 €298

183.39%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.9K ₺1.9M

$9,728 €8,662

279.50%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₺2,702

$93.9 €83.6

-42.63%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.49 ₺2,081

$33.68 €29.99

23.19%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 ₺5,060

$78.2 €69.6

29.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.3 ₺4,580

$153 €136

-40.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,014 ₺50.8K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$625 ₺31.3K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,005 ₺100.6K

$1,120 €998

79.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,126 ₺56.5K

$967 €861

16.43%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,988 ₺149.8K

$1,332 €1,186

124.33%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,730 ₺86.8K

$1,105 €984

56.54%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,136 ₺57.0K

$3,405 €3,032

-66.63%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.42

3.51

1051.57%

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

Last update for Istanbul: November 2, 2026

Last update for Lohja: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$625 41.1%

Lohja

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$258 17%

Lohja

$345 35.2% 33.6% $87

Eating Out

Istanbul

$221 14.6%

Lohja

$272 27.8% 23.2% $51

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$129 8.5%

Lohja

$161 16.5% 24.6% $32

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$120 7.9%

Lohja

$126 12.9% 5.6% $6.7

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$91 6%

Lohja

$64 6.6% 29.2% $27

Getting Around

Istanbul

$75 5%

Lohja

$11 * 1.1% 85.1% $64

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

Cost Breakdown

Salaries in Lohja are about 3 times higher, 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 $62 in Lohja. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $345 – making Istanbul the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇫🇮 Lohja

🕒 Local time

11:03 11:03 AM

10:03 10:03 AM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

45,654

💱 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 = 0.89 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Istanbul Lohja 2,170 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Lohja

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 Lohja: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 55%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,278 per month in Istanbul and $1,471 in Lohja. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55 in Istanbul and $62 in Lohja. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 25% cheaper in Istanbul – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

It depends on your priorities. Istanbul has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $981 in Lohja to $1,519 in Istanbul. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.