Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Mytilene

For one person, living is cheaper in Mytilene: $1,416 a month against $1,516 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $1,200 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Istanbul outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

73

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index
68

Cost of Living Index in Mytilene
Learn more

Mytilene Living Index

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Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,516

/mo nomad

Mytilene

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,416

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Mytilene

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

A single person spends $1,516 per month in Istanbul vs $1,416 in Mytilene, rent included.

Istanbul $1,516
Mytilene $1,416

A couple spends around $2,356 per month in Istanbul vs $2,071 in Mytilene, rent included.

Istanbul $2,356
Mytilene $2,071

A family of three spends $3,197 per month in Istanbul vs $2,727 in Mytilene, rent included.

Istanbul $3,197
Mytilene $2,727

Istanbul costs about 7% more than Mytilene, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both Istanbul and Mytilene sit above the global median – Istanbul by 11%, Mytilene by 4%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.59 ₺579

$12.14 €10.88

-4.53%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.7 ₺2,732

$44.49 €39.86

22.90%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.39 ₺469

$10.22 €9.16

-8.12%

Cappuccino

$4.23 ₺211

$3.83 €3.43

10.44%

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

$1.72 ₺85.9

$2.62 €2.35

-34.35%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.57 ₺28.33

$0.59 €0.53

-3.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.65 ₺232

$3.34 €2.99

39.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.84 ₺342

$5.44 €4.88

25.74%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.20 ₺60.1

$1.54 €1.38

-22.08%

White Bread (500g)

$0.94 ₺47.09

$1.52 €1.36

-38.16%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.24 ₺112

$2.84 €2.54

-21.13%

Eggs

$2.42 ₺121

$2.82 €2.53

-14.18%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.24 ₺511

$13.34 €11.96

-23.24%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.38 ₺269

$9.44 €8.46

-43.01%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.19 ₺1,059

$12.96 €11.62

63.50%

Apples (1kg)

$1.89 ₺94.5

$2.13 €1.91

-11.27%

Banana (1kg)

$2.22 ₺111

$1.98 €1.77

12.12%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.26 ₺62.9

$1.41 €1.26

-10.64%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.81 ₺90.2

$2.03 €1.82

-10.84%

Potato (1kg)

$0.70 ₺34.93

$1.18 €1.06

-40.68%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺32.21

$1.11 €0.99

-42.34%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.22 ₺61.0

$1.09 €0.97

11.93%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ₺27.42

$0.81 €0.72

-32.10%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.32 ₺116

$5.33 €4.78

-56.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.31 ₺665

$12.33 €11.05

7.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.33 ₺116

$2.00 €1.79

16.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 ₺173

$2.50 €2.24

38.40%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.91 ₺45.29

$1.39 €1.24

-34.53%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.3 ₺3,314

$50.8 €45.48

30.72%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.29 ₺64.3

$2.54 €2.27

-49.21%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.86 ₺42.77

$1.16 €1.04

-25.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.09 ₺554

$17.94 €16.08

-38.18%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.42 ₺70.9

$2.15 €1.92

-33.95%

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

$49.2K ₺2.5M

$29.5K €26.4K

66.78%

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

$42.8K ₺2.1M

$24.0K €21.5K

78.13%

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

$87.7 ₺4,384

$244 €219

-64.08%

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

$11.28 ₺563

$23.28 €20.86

-51.55%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.89 ₺794

$55.2 €49.44

-71.20%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$75.9 ₺3,792

$52.3 €46.84

45.21%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.04 ₺1,151

$22.07 €19.78

4.40%

Cinema Ticket

$8.20 ₺410

$7.78 €6.97

5.40%

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

$1,028 ₺51.4K

$413 €370

149.22%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$26.0K ₺1.3M

$9,451 €8,469

174.71%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.3 ₺2,664

$87.9 €78.8

-39.34%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.69 ₺1,983

$35.12 €31.47

13.01%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.8 ₺4,985

$99.2 €88.9

0.62%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.5 ₺4,673

$112 €100

-16.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,003 ₺50.1K

$339 €303

196.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$628 ₺31.4K

$319 €286

97.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,963 ₺98.1K

$625 €560

213.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,122 ₺56.0K

$471 €422

138.09%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,075 ₺153.6K

$2,324 €2,082

32.31%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,753 ₺87.6K

$2,241 €2,008

-21.79%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,180 ₺58.9K

$1,082 €970

8.98%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.69

5.15

690.10%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 27, 2026

Last update for Mytilene: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$628 41.5%

Mytilene

$319 22.5% 49.3% $310

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$258 17%

Mytilene

$277 19.6% 7.4% $19

Eating Out

Istanbul

$218 14.4%

Mytilene

$214 15.1% 1.7% $3.6

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$129 8.5%

Mytilene

$150 10.6% 16.8% $22

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$115 7.6%

Mytilene

$323 22.8% 181% $208

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$92 6.1%

Mytilene

$68 4.8% 26.5% $24

Getting Around

Istanbul

$76 5%

Mytilene

$65 4.6% 14.4% $11

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,003 in Istanbul versus $339 in Mytilene. 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 9% higher in Istanbul. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55 in Istanbul versus $44 in Mytilene. Groceries tell a different story – $258 in Istanbul vs $277 in Mytilene – so Istanbul wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇬🇷 Mytilene

🕒 Local time

09:10 9:10 AM

08:10 8:10 AM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

36,163

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 2 USD

100 TRY = 1.79 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 2, 2026: 1 USD = 49.96 TRY (100 TRY = 2 USD). 1 EUR = 55.78 TRY (100 TRY = 1.79 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to TRY in detail →

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Istanbul Mytilene 300 km

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Istanbul
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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 Mytilene: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 7%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in leisure.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,274 per month in Istanbul and $2,123 in Mytilene. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Mytilene, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $339 there versus $1,003 in Istanbul.

Kindergarten costs $1,028 per month in Istanbul and $413 in Mytilene. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 7% cheaper in Istanbul – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,516 in Istanbul and $1,416 in Mytilene. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Mytilene – 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 Mytilene. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Istanbul makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.