Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Vilnius

For one person, living is cheaper in Istanbul: $1,519 a month against $1,705 in Vilnius, rent and utilities included – about $2,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

73

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index
82

Cost of Living Index in Vilnius
Learn more

Vilnius Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,519

/mo nomad

Vilnius

🇱🇹 Lithuania

$1,705

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Vilnius

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

A single person spends $1,519 per month in Istanbul vs $1,705 in Vilnius, rent included.

Istanbul $1,519
Vilnius $1,705

A couple spends around $2,365 per month in Istanbul vs $2,587 in Vilnius, rent included.

Istanbul $2,365
Vilnius $2,587

A family of three spends $3,212 per month in Istanbul vs $3,469 in Vilnius, rent included.

Istanbul $3,212
Vilnius $3,469

Istanbul is about 11% cheaper than Vilnius, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Istanbul and Vilnius sit above the global median – Istanbul by 12%, Vilnius by 26%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.81 ₺592

$15.35 €13.67

-23.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.9 ₺2,754

$75.8 €67.5

-27.52%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.26 ₺465

$9.03 €8.04

2.55%

Cappuccino

$4.30 ₺216

$3.73 €3.32

15.28%

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

$1.77 ₺89.0

$2.29 €2.04

-22.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺28.32

$2.27 €2.02

-75.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.69 ₺235

$5.68 €5.06

-17.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.12 ₺357

$4.57 €4.07

55.80%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 ₺62.7

$1.45 €1.29

-13.79%

White Bread (500g)

$0.88 ₺44.17

$1.61 €1.44

-45.34%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 ₺111

$2.41 €2.15

-8.71%

Eggs

$2.43 ₺122

$3.23 €2.88

-24.77%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.48 ₺526

$10.52 €9.37

-0.38%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.31 ₺267

$8.47 €7.55

-37.31%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.10 ₺1,058

$11.96 €10.65

76.42%

Apples (1kg)

$1.86 ₺93.1

$1.85 €1.65

0.54%

Banana (1kg)

$2.30 ₺115

$1.44 €1.28

59.72%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.22 ₺61.0

$1.69 €1.50

-27.81%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺90.2

$3.42 €3.04

-47.37%

Potato (1kg)

$0.69 ₺34.83

$0.90 €0.80

-23.33%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺32.16

$0.77 €0.69

-16.88%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.36 ₺68.0

$1.63 €1.45

-16.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 ₺28.94

$0.81 €0.72

-28.40%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.34 ₺117

$6.22 €5.54

-62.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.03 ₺653

$9.18 €8.17

41.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.36 ₺118

$1.77 €1.57

33.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.32 ₺166

$1.95 €1.73

70.26%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.88 ₺44.07

$1.10 €0.98

-20.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.1 ₺3,316

$41.67 €37.10

58.68%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 ₺64.4

$3.26 €2.90

-60.74%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 ₺42.80

$1.60 €1.42

-46.88%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.09 ₺556

$14.23 €12.67

-22.07%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 ₺74.0

$2.01 €1.79

-26.37%

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

$48.6K ₺2.4M

$27.3K €24.3K

78.23%

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

$42.0K ₺2.1M

$28.6K €25.4K

46.91%

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

$92.7 ₺4,650

$233 €208

-60.28%

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

$11.20 ₺562

$13.92 €12.39

-19.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.89 ₺797

$20.25 €18.03

-21.53%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.7 ₺3,745

$40.17 €35.76

85.91%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.95 ₺1,151

$35.70 €31.79

-35.71%

Cinema Ticket

$8.05 ₺404

$10.00 €8.90

-19.50%

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

$948 ₺47.6K

$649 €578

46.05%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.9K ₺1.9M

$12.9K €11.4K

187.11%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₺2,702

$95.3 €84.8

-43.45%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.49 ₺2,081

$42.02 €37.42

-1.26%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 ₺5,060

$92.3 €82.2

9.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.3 ₺4,580

$129 €115

-29.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,014 ₺50.8K

$849 €756

19.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$625 ₺31.3K

$651 €580

-4.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,005 ₺100.6K

$1,521 €1,354

31.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,126 ₺56.5K

$1,085 €966

3.78%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,988 ₺149.8K

$5,746 €5,116

-48.00%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,730 ₺86.8K

$3,320 €2,957

-47.89%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,136 ₺57.0K

$1,924 €1,713

-40.94%

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 Vilnius: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$625 41.1%

Vilnius

$651 38.2% 4.3% $27

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$258 17%

Vilnius

$256 15% 0.8% $2

Eating Out

Istanbul

$221 14.6%

Vilnius

$250 14.7% 13.4% $30

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$129 8.5%

Vilnius

$162 9.5% 24.9% $32

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$120 7.9%

Vilnius

$268 15.7% 123% $148

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$91 6%

Vilnius

$60 3.5% 33.7% $31

Getting Around

Istanbul

$75 5%

Vilnius

$57 3.4% 23.8% $18

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,014 in Istanbul versus $849 in Vilnius. 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 69% higher in Vilnius. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55 in Istanbul versus $76 in Vilnius. Groceries tell a different story – $258 in Istanbul vs $256 in Vilnius – so Vilnius wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇱🇹 Vilnius

🕒 Local time

13:03 1:03 PM

12:03 12:03 PM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

581,475 Capital

💱 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 = 0.89 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Istanbul Vilnius 1,550 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Vilnius

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 Vilnius: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Vilnius is pricier by about 12%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,278 per month in Istanbul and $2,557 in Vilnius. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Vilnius, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $849 there versus $1,014 in Istanbul.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55 in Istanbul and $76 in Vilnius. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Public transport costs about 37% less in Vilnius. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$1,500 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,519 in Istanbul and $1,705 in Vilnius. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Istanbul costs $1,519 versus $1,705 in Vilnius. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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 Istanbul. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Vilnius makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.