Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Limassol and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in Istanbul: $1,519 a month against $2,743 in Limassol, rent and utilities included – about $14,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

132

Cost of Living Index in Limassol
Learn more

Limassol Living Index
73

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index

Jump to prices

Limassol

🇨🇾 Cyprus

$2,743

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,519

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,743 per month in Limassol vs $1,519 in Istanbul, rent included.

Limassol $2,743
Istanbul $1,519

A couple spends around $3,953 per month in Limassol vs $2,365 in Istanbul, rent included.

Limassol $3,953
Istanbul $2,365

A family of three spends $5,163 per month in Limassol vs $3,212 in Istanbul, rent included.

Limassol $5,163
Istanbul $3,212

Limassol costs about 81% more than Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Limassol and Istanbul sit above the global median – Limassol by 103%, Istanbul by 12%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.06 €19.65

$11.81 ₺592

86.79%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$78.5 €69.9

$54.9 ₺2,754

42.89%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.02 €8.03

$9.26 ₺465

-2.59%

Cappuccino

$3.92 €3.49

$4.30 ₺216

-8.84%

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

$1.97 €1.75

$1.77 ₺89.0

11.30%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 €1.13

$0.56 ₺28.32

126.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.46 €4.86

$4.69 ₺235

16.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.48 €4.88

$7.12 ₺357

-23.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.99 €1.77

$1.25 ₺62.7

59.20%

White Bread (500g)

$2.48 €2.21

$0.88 ₺44.17

181.82%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.15 €2.80

$2.20 ₺111

43.18%

Eggs

$4.76 €4.24

$2.43 ₺122

95.88%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.67 €12.17

$10.48 ₺526

30.44%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.26 €8.25

$5.31 ₺267

74.39%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.84 €12.32

$21.10 ₺1,058

-34.41%

Apples (1kg)

$3.63 €3.24

$1.86 ₺93.1

95.16%

Banana (1kg)

$2.43 €2.16

$2.30 ₺115

5.65%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.03 €2.70

$1.22 ₺61.0

148.36%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.80 €3.38

$1.80 ₺90.2

111.11%

Potato (1kg)

$2.20 €1.96

$0.69 ₺34.83

218.84%

Onion (1kg)

$1.66 €1.48

$0.64 ₺32.16

159.38%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 €1.12

$1.36 ₺68.0

-8.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.06 €0.95

$0.58 ₺28.94

82.76%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.62 €5.89

$2.34 ₺117

182.91%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.99 €8.01

$13.03 ₺653

-31.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.88 €1.67

$2.36 ₺118

-20.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.05 €2.71

$3.32 ₺166

-8.13%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.26 €2.01

$0.88 ₺44.07

156.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$51.1 €45.49

$66.1 ₺3,316

-22.73%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$9.94 €8.85

$1.28 ₺64.4

676.56%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.76 €1.57

$0.85 ₺42.80

107.06%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$62.5 €55.6

$11.09 ₺556

463.21%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.81 €1.61

$1.48 ₺74.0

22.30%

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

$31.7K €28.2K

$48.6K ₺2.4M

-34.87%

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

$31.6K €28.1K

$42.0K ₺2.1M

-24.72%

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

$237 €211

$92.7 ₺4,650

155.57%

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

$20.37 €18.14

$11.20 ₺562

81.88%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.67 €29.09

$15.89 ₺797

105.60%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$93.4 €83.2

$74.7 ₺3,745

25.08%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$31.82 €28.33

$22.95 ₺1,151

38.65%

Cinema Ticket

$14.89 €13.26

$8.05 ₺404

84.97%

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

$681 €606

$948 ₺47.6K

-28.25%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K €10.3K

$36.9K ₺1.9M

-68.52%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.0 €88.2

$53.9 ₺2,702

83.82%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$52.1 €46.42

$41.49 ₺2,081

25.67%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 €96.4

$101 ₺5,060

7.26%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$115 €102

$91.3 ₺4,580

25.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,690 €1,505

$1,014 ₺50.8K

66.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,451 €1,292

$625 ₺31.3K

132.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,849 €2,537

$2,005 ₺100.6K

42.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,252 €2,005

$1,126 ₺56.5K

100.01%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,641 €5,023

$2,988 ₺149.8K

88.81%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,304 €3,832

$1,730 ₺86.8K

148.76%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,597 €2,312

$1,136 ₺57.0K

128.51%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.93

40.42

-90.28%

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

Last update for Limassol: November 1, 2026

Last update for Istanbul: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Limassol

$1.5K 52.9%

Istanbul

$625 41.1% 56.9% $826

Groceries & Markets

Limassol

$330 12%

Istanbul

$258 17% 21.8% $72

Eating Out

Limassol

$302 11%

Istanbul

$221 14.6% 26.8% $81

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Limassol

$290 10.6%

Istanbul

$120 7.9% 58.7% $170

Clothing & Footwear

Limassol

$168 6.1%

Istanbul

$129 8.5% 23.1% $39

Sport & Entertainment

Limassol

$123 4.5%

Istanbul

$91 6% 26.3% $32

Getting Around

Limassol

$79 2.9%

Istanbul

$75 5% 4.7% $3.7

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,690 in Limassol 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 in Limassol are about 2.3 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $78 in Limassol versus $55 in Istanbul. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $330 vs $258 – making Istanbul the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇾 Limassol

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

11:11 11:11 AM

12:11 12:11 PM

1 h ahead of Limassol

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

101,000

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

Limassol Istanbul 790 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Limassol
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

Limassol vs Istanbul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Limassol is pricier by about 81%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,114 per month in Limassol 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 Istanbul, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,014 there versus $1,690 in Limassol.

Kindergarten costs $681 per month in Limassol and $948 in Istanbul. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 28% more in Limassol, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$1,500 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,743 in Limassol and $1,519 in Istanbul. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Istanbul has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,519 in Istanbul to $2,743 in Limassol. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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