Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lamia and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in Lamia: $1,195 a month against $1,519 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $3,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

57

Cost of Living Index in Lamia
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Lamia Living Index
73

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index

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Lamia

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,195

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,519

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,195 per month in Lamia vs $1,519 in Istanbul, rent included.

Lamia $1,195
Istanbul $1,519

A couple spends around $1,863 per month in Lamia vs $2,365 in Istanbul, rent included.

Lamia $1,863
Istanbul $2,365

A family of three spends $2,531 per month in Lamia vs $3,212 in Istanbul, rent included.

Lamia $2,531
Istanbul $3,212

Lamia is about 21% cheaper than Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.73 €14.91

$11.81 ₺591

41.66%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.7 €49.61

$54.9 ₺2,748

1.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.41 €7.49

$9.26 ₺463

-9.18%

Cappuccino

$3.08 €2.74

$4.30 ₺215

-28.37%

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

$1.37 €1.22

$1.77 ₺88.8

-22.60%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.52 €0.46

$0.56 ₺28.26

-7.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.91 €4.37

$4.69 ₺234

4.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.18 €5.51

$7.12 ₺356

-13.20%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.59 €1.42

$1.25 ₺62.6

27.20%

White Bread (500g)

$1.10 €0.98

$0.88 ₺44.07

25.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.09 €1.86

$2.20 ₺110

-5.00%

Eggs

$3.59 €3.20

$2.43 ₺122

47.74%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.72 €8.66

$10.48 ₺524

-7.25%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.01 €5.36

$5.31 ₺266

13.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.12 €8.13

$21.10 ₺1,056

-56.78%

Apples (1kg)

$2.00 €1.78

$1.86 ₺92.9

7.53%

Banana (1kg)

$2.15 €1.91

$2.30 ₺115

-6.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.93 €1.72

$1.22 ₺60.8

58.20%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 €1.91

$1.80 ₺90.0

18.89%

Potato (1kg)

$1.23 €1.10

$0.69 ₺34.75

78.26%

Onion (1kg)

$1.15 €1.02

$0.64 ₺32.09

79.69%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.57 €0.51

$1.36 ₺67.8

-58.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.90 €0.80

$0.58 ₺28.88

55.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.13 €4.57

$2.34 ₺117

119.23%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.98 €6.22

$13.03 ₺652

-46.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.97 €0.86

$2.36 ₺118

-58.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.19 €1.95

$3.32 ₺166

-34.04%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.35 €1.21

$0.88 ₺43.97

53.41%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.4 €44.85

$66.1 ₺3,309

-23.85%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.28 €3.82

$1.28 ₺64.3

234.38%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.14 €1.02

$0.85 ₺42.70

34.12%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.77 €14.94

$11.09 ₺555

51.22%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.07 €1.85

$1.48 ₺73.9

39.86%

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

$28.3K €25.2K

$48.6K ₺2.4M

-41.74%

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

$27.5K €24.5K

$42.0K ₺2.1M

-34.44%

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

$194 €173

$92.7 ₺4,639

109.09%

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

$22.45 €20.00

$11.20 ₺560

100.45%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.02 €26.74

$15.89 ₺795

88.92%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.0 €46.31

$74.7 ₺3,737

-30.38%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.40 €22.63

$22.95 ₺1,149

10.68%

Cinema Ticket

$7.64 €6.80

$8.05 ₺403

-5.09%

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

$280 €249

$948 ₺47.5K

-70.50%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,630 €5,906

$36.9K ₺1.8M

-82.04%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$40.30 €35.90

$53.9 ₺2,696

-25.20%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.19 €41.15

$41.49 ₺2,076

11.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$67.9 €60.5

$101 ₺5,049

-32.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 €116

$91.3 ₺4,570

42.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$486 €433

$1,014 ₺50.7K

-52.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$227 €202

$625 ₺31.3K

-63.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$511 €455

$2,005 ₺100.4K

-74.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$396 €353

$1,126 ₺56.3K

-64.83%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,477 €2,207

$2,988 ₺149.5K

-17.08%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,941 €1,729

$1,730 ₺86.6K

12.17%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,122 €999

$1,136 ₺56.9K

-1.28%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.34

40.42

-86.79%

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

Last update for Lamia: November 2, 2026

Last update for Istanbul: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lamia

$246 20.6%

Istanbul

$120 7.9% 51.4% $127

Eating Out

Lamia

$240 20.1%

Istanbul

$221 14.6% 8.1% $20

Accommodation & Living

Lamia

$227 19%

Istanbul

$625 41.1% 176% $398

Groceries & Markets

Lamia

$220 18.4%

Istanbul

$258 17% 17.5% $38

Clothing & Footwear

Lamia

$128 10.7%

Istanbul

$129 8.5% 1% $1.2

Sport & Entertainment

Lamia

$67 5.6%

Istanbul

$91 6% 35% $24

Getting Around

Lamia

$66 5.5%

Istanbul

$75 5% 14.3% $9.4

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $486 in Lamia 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $56 in Lamia versus $55 in Istanbul. Groceries tell a different story – $220 in Lamia vs $258 in Istanbul – so Lamia wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Lamia

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

19:01 7:01 PM

20:01 8:01 PM

1 h ahead of Lamia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

52,006

15,701,602

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 TRY = 2 USD

100 TRY = 1.78 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Lamia Istanbul 600 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Lamia
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

Lamia vs Istanbul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 27%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,792 per month in Lamia 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 Lamia, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $486 there versus $1,014 in Istanbul.

Public transport costs about 24% less in Lamia. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Groceries cost about 17% more in Istanbul, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,195 in Lamia and $1,519 in Istanbul. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Lamia – 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.