Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Sin el Fil

For one person, living is cheaper in Sin el Fil: $987 a month against $1,519 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $6,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

73

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index
47

Cost of Living Index in Sin el Fil
Learn more

Sin el Fil Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,519

/mo nomad

Sin el Fil

🇱🇧 Lebanon

$987

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Sin el Fil

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 Sin el Fil actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,519 per month in Istanbul vs $987 in Sin el Fil, rent included.

Istanbul $1,519
Sin el Fil $987

A couple spends around $2,365 per month in Istanbul vs $1,592 in Sin el Fil, rent included.

Istanbul $2,365
Sin el Fil $1,592

A family of three spends $3,212 per month in Istanbul vs $2,196 in Sin el Fil, rent included.

Istanbul $3,212
Sin el Fil $2,196

Istanbul costs about 54% more than Sin el Fil, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.81 ₺592

$12.14 LBP 1.1M

-2.72%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.9 ₺2,754

$68.3 LBP 6.1M

-19.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.26 ₺465

$10.05 LBP 899.8K

-7.86%

Cappuccino

$4.30 ₺216

$4.60 LBP 411.6K

-6.52%

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

$1.77 ₺89.0

$2.28 LBP 204.2K

-22.37%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺28.32

$0.81 LBP 72.8K

-30.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.69 ₺235

$5.15 LBP 460.8K

-8.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.12 ₺357

$4.66 LBP 416.8K

52.79%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 ₺62.7

$1.98 LBP 177.1K

-36.87%

White Bread (500g)

$0.88 ₺44.17

$0.90 LBP 80.4K

-2.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 ₺111

$2.27 LBP 202.8K

-3.08%

Eggs

$2.43 ₺122

$3.63 LBP 324.5K

-33.06%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.48 ₺526

$11.21 LBP 1.0M

-6.51%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.31 ₺267

$10.66 LBP 953.7K

-50.19%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.10 ₺1,058

$14.64 LBP 1.3M

44.13%

Apples (1kg)

$1.86 ₺93.1

$3.14 LBP 281.0K

-40.76%

Banana (1kg)

$2.30 ₺115

$1.71 LBP 153.2K

34.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.22 ₺61.0

$1.61 LBP 143.9K

-24.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺90.2

$1.54 LBP 137.7K

16.88%

Potato (1kg)

$0.69 ₺34.83

$1.24 LBP 111.1K

-44.35%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺32.16

$1.62 LBP 144.7K

-60.49%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.36 ₺68.0

$1.20 LBP 107.6K

13.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 ₺28.94

$0.72 LBP 64.7K

-19.44%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.34 ₺117

$2.93 LBP 262.4K

-20.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.03 ₺653

$11.22 LBP 1.0M

16.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.36 ₺118

$1.28 LBP 114.5K

84.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.32 ₺166

$2.49 LBP 223.3K

33.33%

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

$5.10 LBP 456.3K

-74.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 ₺42.80

$2.28 LBP 204.1K

-62.72%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.09 ₺556

$22.53 LBP 2.0M

-50.78%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 ₺74.0

$1.09 LBP 97.9K

35.78%

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

$48.6K ₺2.4M

$53.3K LBP 4.8B

-8.70%

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

$42.0K ₺2.1M

$32.8K LBP 2.9B

28.02%

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

$92.7 ₺4,650

$213 LBP 19.0M

-56.39%

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

$11.20 ₺562

$23.82 LBP 2.1M

-52.98%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.89 ₺797

$37.30 LBP 3.3M

-57.40%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.7 ₺3,745

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.95 ₺1,151

Cinema Ticket

$8.05 ₺404

$9.90 LBP 886.3K

-18.69%

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

$948 ₺47.6K

$693 LBP 62.1M

36.78%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.9K ₺1.9M

$10.8K LBP 963.0M

243.12%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₺2,702

$68.6 LBP 6.1M

-21.41%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.49 ₺2,081

$48.31 LBP 4.3M

-14.12%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 ₺5,060

$138 LBP 12.4M

-26.90%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.3 ₺4,580

$121 LBP 10.9M

-24.83%

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

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,126 ₺56.5K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,988 ₺149.8K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,730 ₺86.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,136 ₺57.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.42

267.45%

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

Last update for Istanbul: November 2, 2026

Last update for Sin el Fil: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$625 41.1%

Sin el Fil

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$258 17%

Sin el Fil

$278 28.1% 7.5% $19

Eating Out

Istanbul

$221 14.6%

Sin el Fil

$230 23.3% 4.1% $9

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$129 8.5%

Sin el Fil

$169 17.2% 30.9% $40

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$120 7.9%

Sin el Fil

$274 27.7% 129% $154

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$91 6%

Sin el Fil

$20 * 2% 78.2% $71

Getting Around

Istanbul

$75 5%

Sin el Fil

$17 * 1.7% 78.1% $59

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 in Istanbul versus $68 in Sin el Fil. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $278 – making Istanbul the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇱🇧 Sin el Fil

🕒 Local time

20:15 8:15 PM

19:15 7:15 PM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

1,916,100

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Lebanese Pound LBP ل.ل

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 1.99 USD

100 TRY = 1.78 EUR

1,000,000 LBP = 11.17 USD

1,000,000 LBP = 9.95 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

LBP, USD, EUR 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).

Lebanese Pound exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 89,500 LBP (100,000 LBP = 1.12 USD). 1 EUR = 100,517 LBP (1,000,000 LBP = 9.95 EUR).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Istanbul Sin el Fil 980 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Sin el Fil

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 Sin el Fil: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 54%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in leisure.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,278 per month in Istanbul and $1,480 in Sin el Fil. 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 $68 in Sin el Fil. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

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

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,519 in Istanbul and $987 in Sin el Fil. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Istanbul has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $987 in Sin el Fil to $1,519 in Istanbul. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.