Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Koura and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in Koura: $1,238 a month against $1,519 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $3,400 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Istanbul outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

59

Cost of Living Index in Koura
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Koura Living Index
73

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index

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Koura

🇱🇧 Lebanon

$1,238

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,519

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Koura 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 Koura and in Istanbul actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,238 per month in Koura vs $1,519 in Istanbul, rent included.

Koura $1,238
Istanbul $1,519

A couple spends around $1,955 per month in Koura vs $2,365 in Istanbul, rent included.

Koura $1,955
Istanbul $2,365

A family of three spends $2,671 per month in Koura vs $3,212 in Istanbul, rent included.

Koura $2,671
Istanbul $3,212

Koura is about 19% cheaper than Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Koura sits 8% below the global median, while Istanbul is 12% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.87 LBP 1.3M

$11.81 ₺592

25.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.4 LBP 6.1M

$54.9 ₺2,754

24.62%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.89 LBP 884.8K

$9.26 ₺465

6.80%

Cappuccino

$4.86 LBP 434.6K

$4.30 ₺216

13.02%

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

$2.31 LBP 206.7K

$1.77 ₺89.0

30.51%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.77 LBP 68.6K

$0.56 ₺28.32

37.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.11 LBP 457.5K

$4.69 ₺235

8.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.82 LBP 431.5K

$7.12 ₺357

-32.30%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.92 LBP 172.1K

$1.25 ₺62.7

53.60%

White Bread (500g)

$0.91 LBP 81.8K

$0.88 ₺44.17

3.41%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.25 LBP 201.1K

$2.20 ₺111

2.27%

Eggs

$3.52 LBP 315.4K

$2.43 ₺122

44.86%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.25 LBP 1.0M

$10.48 ₺526

7.35%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.00 LBP 895.1K

$5.31 ₺267

88.32%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.84 LBP 1.3M

$21.10 ₺1,058

-29.67%

Apples (1kg)

$3.07 LBP 275.0K

$1.86 ₺93.1

65.05%

Banana (1kg)

$1.72 LBP 154.0K

$2.30 ₺115

-25.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.63 LBP 146.0K

$1.22 ₺61.0

33.61%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.54 LBP 137.6K

$1.80 ₺90.2

-14.44%

Potato (1kg)

$1.25 LBP 111.7K

$0.69 ₺34.83

81.16%

Onion (1kg)

$1.58 LBP 141.8K

$0.64 ₺32.16

146.88%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.16 LBP 104.1K

$1.36 ₺68.0

-14.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.68 LBP 61.3K

$0.58 ₺28.94

17.24%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.02 LBP 270.4K

$2.34 ₺117

29.06%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.12 LBP 995.0K

$13.03 ₺653

-14.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.29 LBP 115.2K

$2.36 ₺118

-45.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.59 LBP 231.7K

$3.32 ₺166

-21.99%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.01 LBP 179.9K

$0.88 ₺44.07

128.41%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.1 ₺3,316

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.03 LBP 450.4K

$1.28 ₺64.4

292.97%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.23 LBP 199.7K

$0.85 ₺42.80

162.35%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.54 LBP 2.0M

$11.09 ₺556

103.25%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.91 LBP 81.0K

$1.48 ₺74.0

-38.51%

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

$52.8K LBP 4.7B

$48.6K ₺2.4M

8.64%

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

$33.0K LBP 2.9B

$42.0K ₺2.1M

-21.48%

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

$211 LBP 18.9M

$92.7 ₺4,650

127.60%

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

$23.43 LBP 2.1M

$11.20 ₺562

109.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$37.90 LBP 3.4M

$15.89 ₺797

138.51%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$25.17 LBP 2.3M

$74.7 ₺3,745

-66.30%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$9.89 LBP 885.0K

$22.95 ₺1,151

-56.91%

Cinema Ticket

$10.04 LBP 898.5K

$8.05 ₺404

24.72%

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

$672 LBP 60.2M

$948 ₺47.6K

-29.11%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.6K LBP 1.1B

$36.9K ₺1.9M

-65.98%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$66.5 LBP 6.0M

$53.9 ₺2,702

23.46%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.17 LBP 4.4M

$41.49 ₺2,081

18.51%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$139 LBP 12.4M

$101 ₺5,060

37.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 LBP 10.8M

$91.3 ₺4,580

32.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$251 LBP 22.4M

$1,014 ₺50.8K

-75.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$199 LBP 17.8M

$625 ₺31.3K

-68.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$444 LBP 39.7M

$2,005 ₺100.6K

-77.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$352 LBP 31.5M

$1,126 ₺56.5K

-68.70%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,172 LBP 104.9M

$2,988 ₺149.8K

-60.76%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$837 LBP 74.9M

$1,730 ₺86.8K

-51.63%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$596 LBP 53.3M

$1,136 ₺57.0K

-47.55%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.42

-72.79%

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

Last update for Koura: November 1, 2026

Last update for Istanbul: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Koura

$273 22.1%

Istanbul

$258 17% 5.5% $15

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Koura

$272 22%

Istanbul

$120 7.9% 56% $153

Eating Out

Koura

$254 20.6%

Istanbul

$221 14.6% 13.2% $33

Accommodation & Living

Koura

$199 16.1%

Istanbul

$625 41.1% 214% $425

Clothing & Footwear

Koura

$169 13.7%

Istanbul

$129 8.5% 23.4% $40

Sport & Entertainment

Koura

$45 3.7%

Istanbul

$91 6% 101% $46

Getting Around

Koura

$24 * 2%

Istanbul

$75 5% 210% $51

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $251 in Koura 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 91% higher in Istanbul. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $68 in Koura versus $55 in Istanbul. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $273 vs $258 – making Istanbul the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇱🇧 Koura

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

18:49 6:49 PM

19:49 7:49 PM

1 h ahead of Koura

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

💱 Currency

Lebanese Pound LBP ل.ل

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

📈 Exchange rate

1,000,000 LBP = 11.17 USD

1,000,000 LBP = 9.95 EUR

100 TRY = 1.99 USD

100 TRY = 1.78 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TRY, USD, EUR to LBP – Lebanese Pound Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇱🇧 Lebanese Pound (ل.ل)

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).

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).

USD to LBP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Koura Istanbul 950 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Koura
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

Koura vs Istanbul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 23%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,857 per month in Koura 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 Koura, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $251 there versus $1,014 in Istanbul.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $68 in Koura and $55 in Istanbul. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 5% cheaper in Istanbul – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,238 in Koura and $1,519 in Istanbul. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Koura – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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