Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Sabratha

For one person, living is cheaper in Sabratha: $406 a month against $1,550 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $13,700 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
20

Cost of Living Index in Sabratha
Learn more

Sabratha Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

Sabratha

🇱🇾 Libya

$406

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Sabratha

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

A single person spends $1,550 per month in Istanbul vs $406 in Sabratha, rent included.

Istanbul $1,550
Sabratha $406

A couple spends around $2,415 per month in Istanbul vs $597 in Sabratha, rent included.

Istanbul $2,415
Sabratha $597

A family of three spends $3,281 per month in Istanbul vs $787 in Sabratha, rent included.

Istanbul $3,281
Sabratha $787

Istanbul costs about 282% more than Sabratha, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Istanbul sits 15% above the global median, while Sabratha is 70% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.30 ₺609

$3.04 LYD 19.46

304.61%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.7 ₺2,708

$9.22 LYD 59.1

493.28%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.22 ₺456

$1.52 LYD 9.75

506.58%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.65 LYD 4.14

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.73 LYD 4.70

Cappuccino

$4.40 ₺218

$0.48 LYD 3.09

816.67%

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

$1.68 ₺83.1

$0.30 LYD 1.90

460.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₺29.40

$0.07 LYD 0.44

742.86%

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

$0.89 LYD 5.67

35.96%

White Bread (500g)

$0.89 ₺44.10

$0.22 LYD 1.41

304.55%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.19 ₺108

$1.10 LYD 7.07

99.09%

Eggs

$2.35 ₺116

$1.37 LYD 8.76

71.53%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.42 ₺516

$5.27 LYD 33.79

97.72%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.65 ₺280

$3.48 LYD 22.32

62.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.94 ₺1,037

$9.58 LYD 61.4

118.58%

Apples (1kg)

$1.90 ₺94.1

$2.00 LYD 12.79

-5.00%

Banana (1kg)

$2.31 ₺114

$1.54 LYD 9.89

50.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.1

$0.73 LYD 4.70

75.34%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺89.0

$0.57 LYD 3.64

215.79%

Potato (1kg)

$0.65 ₺32.16

$0.49 LYD 3.13

32.65%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺31.91

$0.29 LYD 1.89

120.69%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 ₺62.1

$0.32 LYD 2.06

290.62%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.58

$0.17 LYD 1.06

229.41%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$1.76 LYD 11.30

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.91 LYD 5.85

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 LYD 5.00

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.37 ₺118

$1.84 LYD 11.79

28.80%

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

$0.75 LYD 4.80

18.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.4 ₺3,338

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.29 ₺64.1

$0.76 LYD 4.88

69.74%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 ₺45.70

$0.30 LYD 1.89

206.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.96 ₺542

$0.81 LYD 5.22

1253.09%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ₺72.9

$0.02 LYD 0.14

7250.00%

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

$50.8K ₺2.5M

$22.9K LYD 146.9K

121.57%

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

$44.5K ₺2.2M

$21.3K LYD 136.5K

109.12%

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

$88.6 ₺4,387

$92.0 LYD 590

-3.71%

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

$11.59 ₺574

$3.99 LYD 25.56

190.48%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.81 ₺783

$13.73 LYD 88.0

15.15%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.2 ₺3,820

$10.85 LYD 69.5

611.15%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.74 ₺1,126

$7.74 LYD 49.62

193.80%

Cinema Ticket

$8.14 ₺403

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

$1,008 ₺49.9K

$39.51 LYD 253

2451.33%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.6K ₺1.3M

$945 LYD 6,055

2604.99%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.0 ₺2,671

$19.54 LYD 125

176.10%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.83 ₺2,021

$17.60 LYD 113

131.99%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.9 ₺4,895

$64.6 LYD 414

52.97%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.6 ₺4,783

$15.66 LYD 100

516.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$985 ₺48.7K

$158 LYD 1,011

523.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$650 ₺32.2K

$78.2 LYD 501

730.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,983 ₺98.2K

$229 LYD 1,466

767.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,180 ₺58.4K

$110 LYD 705

972.00%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,138 ₺155.4K

$281 LYD 1,802

1015.94%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,780 ₺88.1K

$185 LYD 1,183

864.35%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,205 ₺59.7K

$189 LYD 1,212

537.42%

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 Sabratha: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$650 41.9%

Sabratha

$78 19.3% 88% $572

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$260 16.8%

Sabratha

$113 27.9% 56.4% $146

Eating Out

Istanbul

$223 14.4%

Sabratha

$36 8.9% 83.8% $187

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$131 8.4%

Sabratha

$53 13% 59.5% $78

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$116 7.5%

Sabratha

$110 27% 5.4% $6.3

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$93 6%

Sabratha

$11 * 2.7% 88.4% $83

Getting Around

Istanbul

$77 5%

Sabratha

$5.2 * 1.3% 93.2% $72

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 $158 in Sabratha. 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 537% 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 $9.00 in Sabratha. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $260 vs $113 – making Sabratha the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇱🇾 Sabratha

🕒 Local time

17:46 5:46 PM

16:46 4:46 PM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

83,398

💱 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 Sabratha 1,720 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Sabratha

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 Sabratha: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 282%, 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 $609 in Sabratha. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Sabratha, 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 $9.00 in Sabratha. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 129% 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 Sabratha, where all-in costs run around $406, than in Istanbul at $1,550. In Sabratha it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Sabratha – 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 Sabratha. 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.