Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Masallatah

For one person, living is cheaper in Masallatah: $369 a month against $1,550 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $14,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

75

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index
16

Cost of Living Index in Masallatah
Learn more

Masallatah Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

Masallatah

🇱🇾 Libya

$369

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Masallatah

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

A single person spends $1,550 per month in Istanbul vs $369 in Masallatah, rent included.

Istanbul $1,550
Masallatah $369

A couple spends around $2,415 per month in Istanbul vs $571 in Masallatah, rent included.

Istanbul $2,415
Masallatah $571

A family of three spends $3,281 per month in Istanbul vs $773 in Masallatah, rent included.

Istanbul $3,281
Masallatah $773

Istanbul costs about 320% more than Masallatah, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Istanbul sits 15% above the global median, while Masallatah is 73% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.30 ₺609

$3.83 LYD 24.54

221.15%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.7 ₺2,708

$15.66 LYD 100

249.30%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.22 ₺456

$2.56 LYD 16.42

260.16%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.65 LYD 4.15

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.72 LYD 4.60

Cappuccino

$4.40 ₺218

$0.48 LYD 3.08

816.67%

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

$1.68 ₺83.1

$0.46 LYD 2.94

265.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₺29.40

$0.10 LYD 0.63

490.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.70 ₺233

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.91 ₺292

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 ₺60.0

$0.92 LYD 5.91

31.52%

White Bread (500g)

$0.89 ₺44.10

$0.20 LYD 1.28

345.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.19 ₺108

$1.17 LYD 7.51

87.18%

Eggs

$2.35 ₺116

$1.42 LYD 9.12

65.49%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.42 ₺516

$5.35 LYD 34.29

94.77%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.65 ₺280

$3.49 LYD 22.35

61.89%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.94 ₺1,037

$9.36 LYD 60.0

123.72%

Apples (1kg)

$1.90 ₺94.1

$2.26 LYD 14.48

-15.93%

Banana (1kg)

$2.31 ₺114

$1.49 LYD 9.52

55.03%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.1

$0.68 LYD 4.37

88.24%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺89.0

$0.56 LYD 3.56

221.43%

Potato (1kg)

$0.65 ₺32.16

$0.71 LYD 4.52

-8.45%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺31.91

$0.47 LYD 3.00

36.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 ₺62.1

$0.39 LYD 2.52

220.51%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.58

$0.16 LYD 1.04

250.00%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$1.75 LYD 11.23

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.97 LYD 6.23

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.82 LYD 5.25

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.37 ₺118

$1.96 LYD 12.59

20.92%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.42 ₺664

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₺119

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 ₺172

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.89 ₺43.84

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.4 ₺3,338

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.29 ₺64.1

$0.75 LYD 4.82

72.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 ₺45.70

$0.45 LYD 2.87

104.44%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.96 ₺542

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ₺72.9

$0.02 LYD 0.13

7250.00%

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

$50.8K ₺2.5M

$23.2K LYD 148.4K

119.25%

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

$44.5K ₺2.2M

$21.1K LYD 135.2K

111.05%

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

$88.6 ₺4,387

$93.4 LYD 598

-5.10%

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

$11.59 ₺574

$6.20 LYD 39.71

86.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.81 ₺783

$27.43 LYD 176

-42.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.2 ₺3,820

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.74 ₺1,126

Cinema Ticket

$8.14 ₺403

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

$1,008 ₺49.9K

$52.9 LYD 339

1805.54%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.6K ₺1.3M

$1,528 LYD 9,792

1572.70%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.0 ₺2,671

$22.85 LYD 146

136.11%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.83 ₺2,021

$17.53 LYD 112

132.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.9 ₺4,895

$65.2 LYD 418

51.68%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.6 ₺4,783

$65.1 LYD 417

48.39%

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

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.92

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 13, 2026

Last update for Masallatah: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$650 41.9%

Masallatah

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$260 16.8%

Masallatah

$115 31.3% 55.5% $144

Eating Out

Istanbul

$223 14.4%

Masallatah

$46 12.6% 79.3% $177

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$131 8.4%

Masallatah

$77 20.8% 41.2% $54

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$116 7.5%

Masallatah

$127 34.5% 9.5% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$93 6%

Masallatah

- * 0% 100%

Getting Around

Istanbul

$77 5%

Masallatah

$3 * 0.8% 96.1% $74

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55.0 in Istanbul versus $16.00 in Masallatah. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $260 vs $115 – making Masallatah the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇱🇾 Masallatah

🕒 Local time

17:11 5:11 PM

16:11 4:11 PM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Libyan Dinar LYD ل.د

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 2.02 USD

100 TRY = 1.8 EUR

1 LYD = 0.156 USD

1 LYD = 0.139 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

LYD, USD, EUR to TRY – Turkish Lira Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇷 Turkish Lira (₺)

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 49.51 TRY (100 TRY = 2.02 USD). 1 EUR = 55.66 TRY (100 TRY = 1.8 EUR).

Libyan Dinar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 6.41 LYD (1 LYD = 0.156 USD). 1 EUR = 7.2 LYD (1 LYD = 0.139 EUR).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Istanbul Masallatah 1,620 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Masallatah

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 Masallatah: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 320%, 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 $553 in Masallatah. 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 $16.00 in Masallatah. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 125% 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 $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Masallatah, where all-in costs run around $369, than in Istanbul at $1,550. In Masallatah it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Masallatah – 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 Masallatah. 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.