Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Maseru

For one person, living is cheaper in Maseru: $658 a month against $1,526 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $10,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

74

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index
32

Cost of Living Index in Maseru
Learn more

Maseru Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,526

/mo nomad

Maseru

🇱🇸 Lesotho

$658

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Maseru

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

A single person spends $1,526 per month in Istanbul vs $658 in Maseru, rent included.

Istanbul $1,526
Maseru $658

A couple spends around $2,399 per month in Istanbul vs $1,123 in Maseru, rent included.

Istanbul $2,399
Maseru $1,123

A family of three spends $3,272 per month in Istanbul vs $1,588 in Maseru, rent included.

Istanbul $3,272
Maseru $1,588

Istanbul costs about 132% more than Maseru, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Istanbul sits 14% above the global median, while Maseru is 51% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.88 ₺585

$9.06 LSL 149

31.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.1 ₺2,714

$23.68 LSL 391

132.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.14 ₺450

$8.35 LSL 138

9.46%

Cappuccino

$4.24 ₺209

$2.01 LSL 33.20

110.95%

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

$1.75 ₺86.0

$1.05 LSL 17.27

66.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.54 ₺26.83

$0.80 LSL 13.18

-32.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.69 ₺231

$1.75 LSL 28.89

168.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.97 ₺294

$2.46 LSL 40.61

142.68%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.26 ₺62.1

$1.18 LSL 19.47

6.78%

White Bread (500g)

$0.95 ₺46.81

$0.80 LSL 13.14

18.75%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.31 ₺114

$1.78 LSL 29.34

29.78%

Eggs

$2.47 ₺122

$1.53 LSL 25.23

61.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.55 ₺520

$6.71 LSL 111

57.23%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.60 ₺276

$6.32 LSL 104

-11.39%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.21 ₺1,045

$6.20 LSL 102

242.10%

Apples (1kg)

$1.93 ₺95.1

$1.92 LSL 31.60

0.52%

Banana (1kg)

$2.29 ₺113

$2.30 LSL 37.95

-0.43%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.1

$2.64 LSL 43.54

-51.52%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.84 ₺90.8

$2.36 LSL 39.02

-22.03%

Potato (1kg)

$0.67 ₺32.86

$1.59 LSL 26.25

-57.86%

Onion (1kg)

$0.59 ₺29.31

$1.62 LSL 26.75

-63.58%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.33 ₺65.4

$1.52 LSL 25.10

-12.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₺29.10

$0.78 LSL 12.88

-24.36%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.36 ₺116

$5.03 LSL 83.0

-53.08%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.47 ₺664

$7.31 LSL 121

84.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.42 ₺119

$1.03 LSL 16.99

134.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.54 ₺174

$1.52 LSL 25.15

132.89%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.83 ₺40.64

$0.77 LSL 12.68

7.79%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.5 ₺3,273

$30.06 LSL 496

121.06%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.35 ₺66.6

$0.73 LSL 12.05

84.93%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 ₺42.05

$0.63 LSL 10.36

34.92%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.86 ₺535

$3.65 LSL 60.3

197.53%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ₺72.3

$1.33 LSL 22.02

10.53%

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

$51.6K ₺2.5M

$20.9K LSL 344.3K

147.39%

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

$44.4K ₺2.2M

$16.4K LSL 270.6K

171.04%

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

$89.2 ₺4,395

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

$11.60 ₺572

$14.63 LSL 241

-20.71%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.10 ₺793

$37.63 LSL 621

-57.21%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.3 ₺3,805

$23.17 LSL 382

233.41%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.66 ₺1,116

Cinema Ticket

$8.34 ₺411

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

$974 ₺48.0K

$51.2 LSL 845

1800.59%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.8K ₺1.3M

$1,181 LSL 19.5K

2082.22%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.7 ₺2,597

$46.25 LSL 763

13.97%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.16 ₺1,929

$55.2 LSL 911

-29.05%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 ₺5,083

$105 LSL 1,736

-1.91%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.6 ₺4,759

$151 LSL 2,493

-36.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$994 ₺49.0K

$92.4 LSL 1,525

975.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$629 ₺31.0K

$55.8 LSL 920

1028.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,024 ₺99.7K

$426 LSL 7,025

375.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,155 ₺56.9K

$173 LSL 2,851

568.21%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,160 ₺155.7K

$377 LSL 6,219

738.42%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,838 ₺90.5K

$514 LSL 8,481

257.51%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,203 ₺59.3K

$631 LSL 10.4K

90.84%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

41.09

8.5

383.41%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 3, 2026

Last update for Maseru: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$629 41.2%

Maseru

$56 8.4% 91.1% $574

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$264 17.3%

Maseru

$195 29.3% 26% $69

Eating Out

Istanbul

$218 14.3%

Maseru

$143 21.4% 34.5% $75

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$131 8.6%

Maseru

$161 24.1% 22.7% $30

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$117 7.7%

Maseru

$52 * 7.8% 55.3% $65

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$94 6.1%

Maseru

$23 * 3.5% 75.3% $71

Getting Around

Istanbul

$75 4.9%

Maseru

$37 5.6% 50.9% $38

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $994 in Istanbul versus $92.4 in Maseru. 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 91% 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 $24.00 in Maseru. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $264 vs $195 – making Maseru the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇱🇸 Maseru

🕒 Local time

13:21 1:21 PM

12:21 12:21 PM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

227,880 Capital

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Lesotho Loti LSL L

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 2.03 USD

100 TRY = 1.81 EUR

100 LSL = 6.06 USD

100 LSL = 5.41 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

LSL, 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).

Lesotho Loti exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 16.5 LSL (100 LSL = 6.06 USD). 1 EUR = 18.49 LSL (100 LSL = 5.41 EUR).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Istanbul Maseru 7,820 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Maseru

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 Maseru: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 132%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,289 per month in Istanbul and $987 in Maseru. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Maseru, 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 $51.2 in Maseru. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 35% 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 $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Maseru, where all-in costs run around $658, than in Istanbul at $1,526. In Maseru it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Maseru – 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 Maseru. 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.