Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ljubljana and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in Istanbul: $1,526 a month against $2,111 in Ljubljana, rent and utilities included – about $7,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

102

Cost of Living Index in Ljubljana
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Ljubljana Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index

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Ljubljana

🇸🇮 Slovenia

$2,111

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,526

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,111 per month in Ljubljana vs $1,526 in Istanbul, rent included.

Ljubljana $2,111
Istanbul $1,526

A couple spends around $3,086 per month in Ljubljana vs $2,399 in Istanbul, rent included.

Ljubljana $3,086
Istanbul $2,399

A family of three spends $4,062 per month in Ljubljana vs $3,272 in Istanbul, rent included.

Ljubljana $4,062
Istanbul $3,272

Ljubljana costs about 38% more than Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Ljubljana and Istanbul sit above the global median – Ljubljana by 58%, Istanbul by 14%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.87 €14.16

$11.88 ₺585

33.59%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.2

$55.1 ₺2,714

22.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.07 €9.88

$9.14 ₺450

21.12%

Cappuccino

$2.90 €2.58

$4.24 ₺209

-31.60%

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

$3.22 €2.87

$1.75 ₺86.0

84.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.97 €1.75

$0.54 ₺26.83

264.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.94 €3.52

$4.69 ₺231

-15.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.43 €3.95

$5.97 ₺294

-25.80%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.37 €1.23

$1.26 ₺62.1

8.73%

White Bread (500g)

$2.21 €1.98

$0.95 ₺46.81

132.63%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.22 €2.87

$2.31 ₺114

39.39%

Eggs

$4.11 €3.67

$2.47 ₺122

66.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.98 €13.36

$10.55 ₺520

41.99%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.17 €9.07

$5.60 ₺276

81.61%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.01 €13.40

$21.21 ₺1,045

-29.23%

Apples (1kg)

$2.29 €2.04

$1.93 ₺95.1

18.65%

Banana (1kg)

$1.72 €1.54

$2.29 ₺113

-24.89%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.27 €2.02

$1.28 ₺63.1

77.34%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.59 €3.21

$1.84 ₺90.8

95.11%

Potato (1kg)

$1.49 €1.33

$0.67 ₺32.86

122.39%

Onion (1kg)

$1.63 €1.45

$0.59 ₺29.31

176.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.71 €1.53

$1.33 ₺65.4

28.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 €0.80

$0.59 ₺29.10

50.85%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.34 €5.66

$2.36 ₺116

168.64%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.91 €7.06

$13.47 ₺664

-41.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.42 €1.26

$2.42 ₺119

-41.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.19 €1.95

$3.54 ₺174

-38.14%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.70 €1.52

$0.83 ₺40.64

104.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.46 €37.00

$66.5 ₺3,273

-37.61%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.15 €1.92

$1.35 ₺66.6

59.26%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.25 €1.11

$0.85 ₺42.05

47.06%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.30 €17.22

$10.86 ₺535

77.72%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.90 €1.69

$1.47 ₺72.3

29.25%

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

$29.6K €26.4K

$51.6K ₺2.5M

-42.64%

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

$25.1K €22.4K

$44.4K ₺2.2M

-43.49%

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

$287 €256

$89.2 ₺4,395

221.56%

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

$16.33 €14.58

$11.60 ₺572

40.78%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.49 €37.92

$16.10 ₺793

163.91%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.5 €48.66

$77.3 ₺3,805

-29.42%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.60 €21.96

$22.66 ₺1,116

8.56%

Cinema Ticket

$10.49 €9.36

$8.34 ₺411

25.78%

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

$661 €590

$974 ₺48.0K

-32.14%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.9K €12.4K

$25.8K ₺1.3M

-46.10%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$116 €104

$52.7 ₺2,597

120.93%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.02 €39.29

$39.16 ₺1,929

12.41%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$109 €97.2

$103 ₺5,083

5.58%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$146 €130

$96.6 ₺4,759

51.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,123 €1,002

$994 ₺49.0K

12.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$884 €789

$629 ₺31.0K

40.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,077 €1,853

$2,024 ₺99.7K

2.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 €1,277

$1,155 ₺56.9K

23.89%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,421 €5,730

$3,160 ₺155.7K

103.19%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,816 €4,298

$1,838 ₺90.5K

162.06%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,001 €1,786

$1,203 ₺59.3K

66.25%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.56

41.09

-91.34%

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

Last update for Ljubljana: October 5, 2026

Last update for Istanbul: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ljubljana

$884 42.1%

Istanbul

$629 41.2% 28.8% $255

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ljubljana

$346 16.5%

Istanbul

$117 7.7% 66.2% $229

Groceries & Markets

Ljubljana

$307 14.6%

Istanbul

$264 17.3% 14.1% $43

Eating Out

Ljubljana

$244 11.6%

Istanbul

$218 14.3% 10.8% $26

Clothing & Footwear

Ljubljana

$187 8.9%

Istanbul

$131 8.6% 29.8% $56

Sport & Entertainment

Ljubljana

$76 3.6%

Istanbul

$94 6.1% 24.4% $18

Getting Around

Ljubljana

$57 2.7%

Istanbul

$75 4.9% 33% $19

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,123 in Ljubljana versus $994 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 66% higher in Ljubljana, 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 $67.0 in Ljubljana versus $55.0 in Istanbul. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $307 vs $264 – making Istanbul the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇸🇮 Ljubljana

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

11:52 11:52 AM

12:52 12:52 PM

1 h ahead of Ljubljana

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

285,604 Capital

15,701,602

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 TRY = 2.03 USD

100 TRY = 1.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Ljubljana Istanbul 1,290 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Ljubljana
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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

Ljubljana vs Istanbul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Ljubljana is pricier by about 38%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,167 per month in Ljubljana and $2,289 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 $661 per month in Ljubljana and $974 in Istanbul. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 16% more in Ljubljana, 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 $1,526, than in Ljubljana at $2,111. In Istanbul it covers expenses comfortably, while in Ljubljana 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, Ljubljana makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.