Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kaunas and Istanbul

For one person, living costs are similar in Kaunas and in Istanbul: $1,512 and $1,519 a month, rent and utilities included.

73

Cost of Living Index in Kaunas
Learn more

Kaunas Living Index
73

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index

Jump to prices

Kaunas

🇱🇹 Lithuania

$1,512

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,519

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Kaunas and in Istanbul

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Kaunas and in Istanbul actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,512 per month in Kaunas vs $1,519 in Istanbul, rent included.

Kaunas $1,512
Istanbul $1,519

A couple spends around $2,275 per month in Kaunas vs $2,365 in Istanbul, rent included.

Kaunas $2,275
Istanbul $2,365

A family of three spends $3,038 per month in Kaunas vs $3,212 in Istanbul, rent included.

Kaunas $3,038
Istanbul $3,212

Kaunas and Istanbul have comparable living costs – the differences are in the details.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.77 €10.48

$11.81 ₺592

-0.34%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$69.7 €62.0

$54.9 ₺2,754

26.88%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.21 €9.09

$9.26 ₺465

10.26%

Cappuccino

$3.62 €3.23

$4.30 ₺216

-15.81%

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

$3.45 €3.07

$1.77 ₺89.0

94.92%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.19 €2.84

$0.56 ₺28.32

469.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.31 €4.73

$4.69 ₺235

13.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.51 €4.02

$7.12 ₺357

-36.66%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 €1.39

$1.25 ₺62.7

24.80%

White Bread (500g)

$1.74 €1.55

$0.88 ₺44.17

97.73%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.16 €1.92

$2.20 ₺111

-1.82%

Eggs

$3.31 €2.95

$2.43 ₺122

36.21%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.90 €13.27

$10.48 ₺526

42.18%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.01 €7.13

$5.31 ₺267

50.85%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.89 €12.37

$21.10 ₺1,058

-34.17%

Apples (1kg)

$1.54 €1.37

$1.86 ₺93.1

-17.20%

Banana (1kg)

$1.56 €1.38

$2.30 ₺115

-32.17%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.11 €1.88

$1.22 ₺61.0

72.95%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.26 €2.90

$1.80 ₺90.2

81.11%

Potato (1kg)

$0.96 €0.86

$0.69 ₺34.83

39.13%

Onion (1kg)

$0.89 €0.79

$0.64 ₺32.16

39.06%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.85 €1.65

$1.36 ₺68.0

36.03%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 €0.83

$0.58 ₺28.94

62.07%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.05 €5.38

$2.34 ₺117

158.55%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.63 €8.57

$13.03 ₺653

-26.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 €1.48

$2.36 ₺118

-29.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.10 €1.87

$3.32 ₺166

-36.75%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.14 €1.02

$0.88 ₺44.07

29.55%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$31.02 €27.62

$66.1 ₺3,316

-53.09%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.32 €2.07

$1.28 ₺64.4

81.25%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.67 €1.49

$0.85 ₺42.80

96.47%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.78 €20.28

$11.09 ₺556

105.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.91 €1.70

$1.48 ₺74.0

29.05%

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

$27.4K €24.4K

$48.6K ₺2.4M

-43.67%

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

$28.1K €25.0K

$42.0K ₺2.1M

-33.15%

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

$196 €175

$92.7 ₺4,650

111.68%

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

$15.94 €14.20

$11.20 ₺562

42.32%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.29 €13.61

$15.89 ₺797

-3.78%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.37 €28.82

$74.7 ₺3,745

-56.66%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.91 €24.85

$22.95 ₺1,151

21.61%

Cinema Ticket

$11.63 €10.35

$8.05 ₺404

44.47%

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

$659 €587

$948 ₺47.6K

-30.54%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,873 €8,791

$36.9K ₺1.9M

-73.26%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.8 €75.5

$53.9 ₺2,702

57.37%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.45 €36.02

$41.49 ₺2,081

-2.51%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 €108

$101 ₺5,060

19.93%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$166 €148

$91.3 ₺4,580

81.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$684 €609

$1,014 ₺50.8K

-32.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$488 €435

$625 ₺31.3K

-21.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,058 €942

$2,005 ₺100.6K

-47.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$707 €629

$1,126 ₺56.5K

-37.22%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,415 €3,041

$2,988 ₺149.8K

14.29%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,268 €2,019

$1,730 ₺86.8K

31.07%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,748 €1,557

$1,136 ₺57.0K

53.86%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.05

40.42

-89.98%

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

Last update for Kaunas: October 31, 2026

Last update for Istanbul: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Kaunas

$488 32.3%

Istanbul

$625 41.1% 27.9% $136

Groceries & Markets

Kaunas

$278 18.4%

Istanbul

$258 17% 7.2% $20

Eating Out

Kaunas

$230 15.2%

Istanbul

$221 14.6% 4.1% $9.5

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kaunas

$227 15.1%

Istanbul

$120 7.9% 47.3% $108

Clothing & Footwear

Kaunas

$186 12.3%

Istanbul

$129 8.5% 30.2% $56

Sport & Entertainment

Kaunas

$56 3.7%

Istanbul

$91 6% 63.2% $35

Getting Around

Kaunas

$46 3.1%

Istanbul

$75 5% 62.4% $29

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $684 in Kaunas versus $1,014 in Istanbul. 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 54% higher in Kaunas. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $70 in Kaunas versus $55 in Istanbul. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $278 vs $258 – making Istanbul the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇱🇹 Kaunas

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

09:18 9:18 AM

10:18 10:18 AM

1 h ahead of Kaunas

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

315,993

15,701,602

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 TRY = 1.99 USD

100 TRY = 1.78 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Kaunas Istanbul 1,590 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Kaunas
Istanbul

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

Kaunas vs Istanbul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,268 per month in Kaunas and $2,278 in Istanbul. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Kaunas, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $684 there versus $1,014 in Istanbul.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $70 in Kaunas and $55 in Istanbul. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Public transport costs about 53% less in Kaunas. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,512 in Kaunas and $1,519 in Istanbul. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Kaunas – 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.