Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Telsiai

For one person, living is cheaper in Telsiai: $1,435 a month against $1,519 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $1,000 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 Telsiai
Learn more

Telsiai Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,519

/mo nomad

Telsiai

🇱🇹 Lithuania

$1,435

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Telsiai

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

A single person spends $1,519 per month in Istanbul vs $1,435 in Telsiai, rent included.

Istanbul $1,519
Telsiai $1,435

A couple spends around $2,365 per month in Istanbul vs $2,200 in Telsiai, rent included.

Istanbul $2,365
Telsiai $2,200

A family of three spends $3,212 per month in Istanbul vs $2,965 in Telsiai, rent included.

Istanbul $3,212
Telsiai $2,965

Istanbul costs about 6% more than Telsiai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both Istanbul and Telsiai sit above the global median – Istanbul by 12%, Telsiai by 6%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.81 ₺592

$14.72 €13.17

-19.77%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.9 ₺2,754

$74.8 €66.9

-26.55%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.26 ₺465

$8.93 €7.99

3.70%

Cappuccino

$4.30 ₺216

$3.82 €3.42

12.57%

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

$1.77 ₺89.0

$2.42 €2.16

-26.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺28.32

$2.24 €2.00

-75.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.69 ₺235

$5.63 €5.03

-16.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.12 ₺357

$4.46 €3.99

59.64%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 ₺62.7

$1.52 €1.36

-17.76%

White Bread (500g)

$0.88 ₺44.17

$1.67 €1.49

-47.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 ₺111

$2.38 €2.13

-7.56%

Eggs

$2.43 ₺122

$3.23 €2.89

-24.77%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.48 ₺526

$10.30 €9.21

1.75%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.31 ₺267

$8.45 €7.56

-37.16%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.10 ₺1,058

$11.81 €10.57

78.66%

Apples (1kg)

$1.86 ₺93.1

$1.86 €1.66

Banana (1kg)

$2.30 ₺115

$1.47 €1.31

56.46%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.22 ₺61.0

$1.74 €1.56

-29.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺90.2

$3.38 €3.03

-46.75%

Potato (1kg)

$0.69 ₺34.83

$0.96 €0.86

-28.13%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺32.16

$0.78 €0.70

-17.95%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.36 ₺68.0

$1.62 €1.45

-16.05%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 ₺28.94

$0.85 €0.76

-31.76%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.34 ₺117

$6.19 €5.54

-62.20%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.03 ₺653

$8.97 €8.02

45.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.36 ₺118

$1.82 €1.63

29.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.32 ₺166

$1.90 €1.70

74.74%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.88 ₺44.07

$1.09 €0.98

-19.27%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.1 ₺3,316

$31.84 €28.49

107.66%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 ₺64.4

$3.05 €2.73

-58.03%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 ₺42.80

$1.21 €1.09

-29.75%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.09 ₺556

$14.09 €12.61

-21.29%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 ₺74.0

$1.92 €1.72

-22.92%

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

$48.6K ₺2.4M

$27.0K €24.2K

80.03%

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

$42.0K ₺2.1M

$27.9K €25.0K

50.45%

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

$92.7 ₺4,650

$232 €208

-60.11%

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

$11.20 ₺562

$13.59 €12.16

-17.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.89 ₺797

$20.14 €18.02

-21.10%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.7 ₺3,745

$39.33 €35.19

89.88%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.95 ₺1,151

$22.67 €20.29

1.24%

Cinema Ticket

$8.05 ₺404

$10.16 €9.09

-20.77%

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

$948 ₺47.6K

$658 €589

44.13%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.9K ₺1.9M

$11.5K €10.3K

221.84%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₺2,702

$96.0 €85.9

-43.85%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.49 ₺2,081

$41.62 €37.24

-0.31%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 ₺5,060

$92.8 €83.1

8.67%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.3 ₺4,580

$129 €116

-29.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,014 ₺50.8K

$592 €529

71.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$625 ₺31.3K

$399 €357

56.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,005 ₺100.6K

$832 €744

141.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,126 ₺56.5K

$634 €567

77.70%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,988 ₺149.8K

$3,131 €2,802

-4.59%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,730 ₺86.8K

$1,877 €1,679

-7.80%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,136 ₺57.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.42

3.99

913.03%

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

Last update for Istanbul: November 2, 2026

Last update for Telsiai: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$625 41.1%

Telsiai

$399 27.8% 36.1% $226

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$258 17%

Telsiai

$257 17.9% 0.5% $1.3

Eating Out

Istanbul

$221 14.6%

Telsiai

$246 17.2% 11.4% $25

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$129 8.5%

Telsiai

$162 11.3% 25.1% $32

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$120 7.9%

Telsiai

$266 18.6% 122% $146

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$91 6%

Telsiai

$60 4.2% 34.3% $31

Getting Around

Istanbul

$75 5%

Telsiai

$45 3.2% 39.7% $30

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,014 in Istanbul versus $592 in Telsiai. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55 in Istanbul versus $75 in Telsiai. Groceries tell a different story – $258 in Istanbul vs $257 in Telsiai – so Telsiai wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇱🇹 Telsiai

🕒 Local time

17:18 5:18 PM

16:18 4:18 PM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

25,540

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 1.99 USD

100 TRY = 1.78 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 6, 2026: 1 USD = 50.15 TRY (100 TRY = 1.99 USD). 1 EUR = 56.33 TRY (100 TRY = 1.78 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 0.895 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Istanbul Telsiai 1,740 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Telsiai

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 Telsiai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 6%, 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 $2,152 in Telsiai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Telsiai, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $592 there versus $1,014 in Istanbul.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55 in Istanbul and $75 in Telsiai. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Public transport costs about 52% less in Telsiai. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Families tend to lean toward Telsiai – 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.