Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lija and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in Istanbul: $1,550 a month against $1,972 in Lija, rent and utilities included – about $5,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

101

Cost of Living Index in Lija
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Lija Living Index
75

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index

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Lija

🇲🇹 Malta

$1,972

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,972 per month in Lija vs $1,550 in Istanbul, rent included.

Lija $1,972
Istanbul $1,550

A couple spends around $3,209 per month in Lija vs $2,415 in Istanbul, rent included.

Lija $3,209
Istanbul $2,415

A family of three spends $4,446 per month in Lija vs $3,281 in Istanbul, rent included.

Lija $4,446
Istanbul $3,281

Lija costs about 27% more than Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Lija and Istanbul sit above the global median – Lija by 46%, Istanbul by 15%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.27 €19.81

$12.30 ₺609

81.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$91.0 €81.0

$54.7 ₺2,708

66.40%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.14 €11.69

$9.22 ₺456

42.52%

Cappuccino

$3.13 €2.79

$4.40 ₺218

-28.86%

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

$2.42 €2.15

$1.68 ₺83.1

44.05%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.97 €1.75

$0.59 ₺29.40

233.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.45 €4.85

$4.70 ₺233

15.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.71 €5.97

$5.91 ₺292

13.54%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.33 €1.18

$1.21 ₺60.0

9.92%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 €1.25

$0.89 ₺44.10

58.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.46 €3.08

$2.19 ₺108

57.99%

Eggs

$4.22 €3.76

$2.35 ₺116

79.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.49 €9.33

$10.42 ₺516

0.67%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.19 €10.84

$5.65 ₺280

115.75%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.21 €16.20

$20.94 ₺1,037

-13.04%

Apples (1kg)

$3.86 €3.44

$1.90 ₺94.1

103.16%

Banana (1kg)

$2.74 €2.44

$2.31 ₺114

18.61%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.83 €3.40

$1.28 ₺63.1

199.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.69 €3.28

$1.80 ₺89.0

105.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.92 €1.71

$0.65 ₺32.16

195.38%

Onion (1kg)

$3.42 €3.04

$0.64 ₺31.91

434.38%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.19 €1.95

$1.25 ₺62.1

75.20%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.54 €1.37

$0.56 ₺27.58

175.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.36 €5.66

$2.37 ₺118

168.35%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.11 €5.44

$13.42 ₺664

-54.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.37 €2.11

$2.40 ₺119

-1.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 €2.03

$3.48 ₺172

-34.48%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.37 €2.11

$0.89 ₺43.84

166.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.4 ₺3,338

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.95 €3.52

$1.29 ₺64.1

206.20%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.78 €1.58

$0.92 ₺45.70

93.48%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.04 €28.50

$10.96 ₺542

192.34%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 €1.35

$1.47 ₺72.9

3.40%

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

$27.8K €24.7K

$50.8K ₺2.5M

-45.23%

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

$39.1K €34.8K

$44.5K ₺2.2M

-12.19%

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

$156 €138

$88.6 ₺4,387

75.61%

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

$31.66 €28.16

$11.59 ₺574

173.17%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.94 €25.75

$15.81 ₺783

83.05%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$70.5 €62.7

$77.2 ₺3,820

-8.70%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.74 ₺1,126

Cinema Ticket

$11.36 €10.11

$8.14 ₺403

39.56%

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

$279 €248

$1,008 ₺49.9K

-72.33%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.2K €10.9K

$25.6K ₺1.3M

-52.09%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.8 €51.4

$54.0 ₺2,671

7.06%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$68.0 €60.5

$40.83 ₺2,021

66.57%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 €98.8

$98.9 ₺4,895

12.30%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 €116

$96.6 ₺4,783

34.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,106 €984

$985 ₺48.7K

12.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$819 €728

$650 ₺32.2K

25.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,794 €1,595

$1,983 ₺98.2K

-9.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,693 €1,506

$1,180 ₺58.4K

43.43%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,111 €3,657

$3,138 ₺155.4K

31.02%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,697 €2,399

$1,780 ₺88.1K

51.53%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,205 ₺59.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.05

40.92

-90.10%

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

Last update for Lija: October 11, 2026

Last update for Istanbul: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lija

$819 41.5%

Istanbul

$650 41.9% 20.6% $169

Groceries & Markets

Lija

$343 17.4%

Istanbul

$260 16.8% 24.3% $83

Eating Out

Lija

$313 15.9%

Istanbul

$223 14.4% 28.8% $90

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lija

$216 11%

Istanbul

$116 7.5% 46.3% $100

Clothing & Footwear

Lija

$165 8.4%

Istanbul

$131 8.4% 20.9% $35

Sport & Entertainment

Lija

$93 4.7%

Istanbul

$93 6% 0.3% $0.3

Getting Around

Lija

$22 * 1.1%

Istanbul

$77 5% 245% $55

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,106 in Lija versus $985 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 $91.0 in Lija versus $55.0 in Istanbul. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $343 vs $260 – making Istanbul the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇹 Lija

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

19:57 7:57 PM

20:57 8:57 PM

1 h ahead of Lija

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,200

15,701,602

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 TRY = 2.02 USD

100 TRY = 1.8 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Lija Istanbul 1,380 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Lija
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

Lija vs Istanbul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

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

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,958 per month in Lija and $2,325 in Istanbul. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Istanbul, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $91.0 in Lija and $55.0 in Istanbul. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 32% more in Lija, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Istanbul, where all-in costs run around $1,550, than in Lija at $1,972. In Istanbul it covers expenses comfortably, while in Lija it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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