Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Zgharta

For one person, living is cheaper in Zgharta: $988 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 Zgharta
Learn more

Zgharta Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,519

/mo nomad

Zgharta

🇱🇧 Lebanon

$988

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Zgharta

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

A single person spends $1,519 per month in Istanbul vs $988 in Zgharta, rent included.

Istanbul $1,519
Zgharta $988

A couple spends around $2,365 per month in Istanbul vs $1,593 in Zgharta, rent included.

Istanbul $2,365
Zgharta $1,593

A family of three spends $3,212 per month in Istanbul vs $2,199 in Zgharta, rent included.

Istanbul $3,212
Zgharta $2,199

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

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.81 ₺592

$12.12 LBP 1.1M

-2.56%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.9 ₺2,754

$69.5 LBP 6.2M

-21.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.26 ₺465

$10.01 LBP 896.3K

-7.49%

Cappuccino

$4.30 ₺216

$4.61 LBP 412.5K

-6.72%

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

$1.77 ₺89.0

$2.27 LBP 203.2K

-22.03%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺28.32

$0.90 LBP 80.6K

-37.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.69 ₺235

$5.15 LBP 460.7K

-8.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.12 ₺357

$4.81 LBP 430.2K

48.02%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 ₺62.7

$1.93 LBP 172.6K

-35.23%

White Bread (500g)

$0.88 ₺44.17

$0.85 LBP 76.3K

3.53%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 ₺111

$2.22 LBP 199.1K

-0.90%

Eggs

$2.43 ₺122

$3.64 LBP 325.9K

-33.24%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.48 ₺526

$11.26 LBP 1.0M

-6.93%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.31 ₺267

$10.73 LBP 960.4K

-50.51%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.10 ₺1,058

$14.60 LBP 1.3M

44.52%

Apples (1kg)

$1.86 ₺93.1

$2.98 LBP 266.6K

-37.58%

Banana (1kg)

$2.30 ₺115

$1.66 LBP 148.3K

38.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.22 ₺61.0

$1.67 LBP 149.7K

-26.95%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺90.2

$1.46 LBP 131.1K

23.29%

Potato (1kg)

$0.69 ₺34.83

$1.26 LBP 112.8K

-45.24%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺32.16

$1.60 LBP 142.8K

-60.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.36 ₺68.0

$1.18 LBP 105.3K

15.25%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 ₺28.94

$0.73 LBP 65.3K

-20.55%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.34 ₺117

$3.05 LBP 273.3K

-23.28%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.03 ₺653

$11.18 LBP 1.0M

16.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.36 ₺118

$1.31 LBP 117.7K

80.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.32 ₺166

$2.50 LBP 223.6K

32.80%

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

$5.05 LBP 452.0K

-74.65%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 ₺42.80

$2.23 LBP 199.1K

-61.88%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.09 ₺556

$22.20 LBP 2.0M

-50.05%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 ₺74.0

$1.09 LBP 97.4K

35.78%

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

$48.6K ₺2.4M

$53.8K LBP 4.8B

-9.52%

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

$42.0K ₺2.1M

$33.2K LBP 3.0B

26.60%

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

$92.7 ₺4,650

$216 LBP 19.3M

-57.06%

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

$11.20 ₺562

$23.70 LBP 2.1M

-52.74%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.89 ₺797

$37.67 LBP 3.4M

-57.82%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.7 ₺3,745

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.95 ₺1,151

Cinema Ticket

$8.05 ₺404

$9.83 LBP 879.8K

-18.11%

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

$948 ₺47.6K

$695 LBP 62.2M

36.45%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.9K ₺1.9M

$10.8K LBP 965.7M

242.13%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₺2,702

$68.9 LBP 6.2M

-21.80%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.49 ₺2,081

$49.56 LBP 4.4M

-16.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 ₺5,060

$137 LBP 12.3M

-26.49%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.3 ₺4,580

$119 LBP 10.6M

-22.99%

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 Zgharta: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$625 41.1%

Zgharta

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$258 17%

Zgharta

$276 27.9% 6.8% $17

Eating Out

Istanbul

$221 14.6%

Zgharta

$230 23.3% 4.3% $9.4

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$129 8.5%

Zgharta

$168 17.1% 30.2% $39

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$120 7.9%

Zgharta

$277 28.1% 132% $157

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$91 6%

Zgharta

$20 * 2% 78.3% $71

Getting Around

Istanbul

$75 5%

Zgharta

$16 * 1.6% 78.5% $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 $70 in Zgharta. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $276 – making Istanbul the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇱🇧 Zgharta

🕒 Local time

17:36 5:36 PM

16:36 4:36 PM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

💱 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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Highest

Between locations

Istanbul Zgharta 950 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Zgharta

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 Zgharta: 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 $1,481 in Zgharta. 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 $70 in Zgharta. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 6% cheaper in Istanbul – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Zgharta, where all-in costs run around $988, than in Istanbul at $1,519. In Zgharta it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Istanbul has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $988 in Zgharta to $1,519 in Istanbul. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.