Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lincoln and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in Istanbul: $1,550 a month against $2,210 in Lincoln, rent and utilities included – about $7,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

107

Cost of Living Index in Lincoln
Learn more

Lincoln Living Index
75

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index

Jump to prices

Lincoln

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,210

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,210 per month in Lincoln vs $1,550 in Istanbul, rent included.

Lincoln $2,210
Istanbul $1,550

A couple spends around $3,279 per month in Lincoln vs $2,415 in Istanbul, rent included.

Lincoln $3,279
Istanbul $2,415

A family of three spends $4,349 per month in Lincoln vs $3,281 in Istanbul, rent included.

Lincoln $4,349
Istanbul $3,281

Lincoln costs about 43% more than Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Lincoln and Istanbul sit above the global median – Lincoln by 64%, Istanbul by 15%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$26.56 £19.93

$12.30 ₺609

115.93%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$86.5 £64.9

$54.7 ₺2,708

58.10%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.97 £5.98

$9.22 ₺456

-13.56%

Cappuccino

$4.85 £3.64

$4.40 ₺218

10.23%

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

$2.58 £1.94

$1.68 ₺83.1

53.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.97 £1.48

$0.59 ₺29.40

233.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.46 £4.85

$4.70 ₺233

37.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.63 £4.97

$5.91 ₺292

12.18%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.38 £1.03

$1.21 ₺60.0

14.05%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 £1.10

$0.89 ₺44.10

64.04%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.35 £1.01

$2.19 ₺108

-38.36%

Eggs

$3.20 £2.40

$2.35 ₺116

36.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.35 £6.26

$10.42 ₺516

-19.87%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.39 £6.30

$5.65 ₺280

48.50%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.31 £8.49

$20.94 ₺1,037

-45.99%

Apples (1kg)

$3.62 £2.72

$1.90 ₺94.1

90.53%

Banana (1kg)

$1.25 £0.93

$2.31 ₺114

-45.89%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.94 £2.20

$1.28 ₺63.1

129.69%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.56 £2.67

$1.80 ₺89.0

97.78%

Potato (1kg)

$1.54 £1.16

$0.65 ₺32.16

136.92%

Onion (1kg)

$1.21 £0.90

$0.64 ₺31.91

89.06%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.04 £0.78

$1.25 ₺62.1

-16.80%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.35 £1.01

$0.56 ₺27.58

141.07%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.20 £17.41

$2.37 ₺118

878.90%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.69 £8.02

$13.42 ₺664

-20.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.30 £2.47

$2.40 ₺119

37.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.54 £2.66

$3.48 ₺172

1.72%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.26 £3.20

$0.89 ₺43.84

378.65%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$107 £80.1

$67.4 ₺3,338

58.39%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.84 £2.88

$1.29 ₺64.1

197.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 £0.58

$0.92 ₺45.70

-15.22%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.63 £14.73

$10.96 ₺542

79.11%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.96 £1.47

$1.47 ₺72.9

33.33%

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

$38.5K £28.9K

$50.8K ₺2.5M

-24.19%

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

$39.7K £29.8K

$44.5K ₺2.2M

-10.73%

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

$308 £231

$88.6 ₺4,387

247.59%

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

$16.78 £12.59

$11.59 ₺574

44.78%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$38.98 £29.24

$15.81 ₺783

146.55%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$26.20 £19.65

$77.2 ₺3,820

-66.04%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.26 £15.95

$22.74 ₺1,126

-6.51%

Cinema Ticket

$15.16 £11.38

$8.14 ₺403

86.24%

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

$1,809 £1,358

$1,008 ₺49.9K

79.51%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.6K £15.4K

$25.6K ₺1.3M

-19.52%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$113 £85.1

$54.0 ₺2,671

110.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 £43.49

$40.83 ₺2,021

41.98%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.0 £65.3

$98.9 ₺4,895

-12.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.4 £73.8

$96.6 ₺4,783

1.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,096 £822

$985 ₺48.7K

11.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$864 £648

$650 ₺32.2K

32.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,952 £1,464

$1,983 ₺98.2K

-1.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,408 £1,056

$1,180 ₺58.4K

19.32%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,548 £1,911

$3,138 ₺155.4K

-18.81%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,205 £904

$1,780 ₺88.1K

-32.29%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,188 £2,391

$1,205 ₺59.7K

164.43%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.88

40.92

-88.07%

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

Last update for Lincoln: October 12, 2026

Last update for Istanbul: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lincoln

$864 39.1%

Istanbul

$650 41.9% 24.8% $214

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lincoln

$364 16.5%

Istanbul

$116 7.5% 68.1% $248

Eating Out

Lincoln

$358 16.2%

Istanbul

$223 14.4% 37.7% $135

Groceries & Markets

Lincoln

$275 12.4%

Istanbul

$260 16.8% 5.6% $15

Clothing & Footwear

Lincoln

$161 7.3%

Istanbul

$131 8.4% 18.7% $30

Getting Around

Lincoln

$132 6%

Istanbul

$77 5% 41.6% $55

Sport & Entertainment

Lincoln

$57 2.6%

Istanbul

$93 6% 65.3% $37

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,096 in Lincoln 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.

Salaries run about 164% higher in Lincoln, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $86.0 in Lincoln versus $55.0 in Istanbul. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $275 vs $260 – making Istanbul the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Lincoln

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

07:55 7:55 AM

09:55 9:55 AM

2 h ahead of Lincoln

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

97,541

15,701,602

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 EUR

100 TRY = 2.02 USD

100 TRY = 1.8 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TRY, USD, EUR to GBP – British Pound Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇧 British Pound (£)

British Pound exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 0.75 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.843 GBP (1 GBP = 1.19 EUR).

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 49.51 TRY (100 TRY = 2.02 USD). 1 EUR = 55.66 TRY (100 TRY = 1.8 EUR).

USD to GBP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Lincoln Istanbul 2,590 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Lincoln
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

Lincoln vs Istanbul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Lincoln is pricier by about 43%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,314 per month in Lincoln 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.

Kindergarten costs $1,809 per month in Lincoln and $1,008 in Istanbul. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 6% more in Lincoln, 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 Lincoln at $2,210. In Istanbul it covers expenses comfortably, while in Lincoln 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, Lincoln makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.