Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lod and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in Istanbul: $1,519 a month against $2,735 in Lod, rent and utilities included – about $14,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

131

Cost of Living Index in Lod
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Lod Living Index
73

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index

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Lod

🇮🇱 Israel

$2,735

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,519

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,735 per month in Lod vs $1,519 in Istanbul, rent included.

Lod $2,735
Istanbul $1,519

A couple spends around $4,031 per month in Lod vs $2,365 in Istanbul, rent included.

Lod $4,031
Istanbul $2,365

A family of three spends $5,327 per month in Lod vs $3,212 in Istanbul, rent included.

Lod $5,327
Istanbul $3,212

Lod costs about 80% more than Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Lod and Istanbul sit above the global median – Lod by 102%, Istanbul by 12%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.50 ₪72.1

$11.81 ₺592

90.52%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$95.8 ₪307

$54.9 ₺2,754

74.41%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$19.13 ₪61.3

$9.26 ₺465

106.59%

Cappuccino

$4.70 ₪15.07

$4.30 ₺216

9.30%

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

$3.36 ₪10.76

$1.77 ₺89.0

89.83%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ₪9.15

$0.56 ₺28.32

408.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.83 ₪25.09

$4.69 ₺235

66.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.67 ₪31.00

$7.12 ₺357

35.81%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.39 ₪7.65

$1.25 ₺62.7

91.20%

White Bread (500g)

$3.18 ₪10.21

$0.88 ₺44.17

261.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.38 ₪10.82

$2.20 ₺111

53.64%

Eggs

$4.87 ₪15.60

$2.43 ₺122

100.41%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.71 ₪53.6

$10.48 ₺526

59.45%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.07 ₪45.09

$5.31 ₺267

164.97%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$25.25 ₪80.9

$21.10 ₺1,058

19.67%

Apples (1kg)

$4.29 ₪13.76

$1.86 ₺93.1

130.65%

Banana (1kg)

$3.32 ₪10.63

$2.30 ₺115

44.35%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.48 ₪7.93

$1.22 ₺61.0

103.28%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.37 ₪7.60

$1.80 ₺90.2

31.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.83 ₪5.85

$0.69 ₺34.83

165.22%

Onion (1kg)

$1.60 ₪5.14

$0.64 ₺32.16

150.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.02 ₪6.46

$1.36 ₺68.0

48.53%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.87 ₪5.99

$0.58 ₺28.94

222.41%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.37 ₪42.84

$2.34 ₺117

471.37%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.88 ₪47.70

$13.03 ₺653

14.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.70 ₪11.86

$2.36 ₺118

56.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.15 ₪13.30

$3.32 ₺166

25.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.71 ₪8.69

$0.88 ₺44.07

207.95%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$98.5 ₪316

$66.1 ₺3,316

48.96%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.92 ₪12.57

$1.28 ₺64.4

206.25%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.76 ₪2.42

$0.85 ₺42.80

-10.59%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$36.61 ₪117

$11.09 ₺556

230.12%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.50 ₪8.02

$1.48 ₺74.0

68.92%

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

$55.1K ₪176.5K

$48.6K ₺2.4M

13.23%

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

$54.7K ₪175.4K

$42.0K ₺2.1M

30.36%

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

$282 ₪902

$92.7 ₺4,650

203.70%

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

$11.08 ₪35.51

$11.20 ₺562

-1.07%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.09 ₪109

$15.89 ₺797

114.54%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$75.7 ₪243

$74.7 ₺3,745

1.37%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.95 ₺1,151

Cinema Ticket

$14.90 ₪47.76

$8.05 ₺404

85.09%

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

$1,368 ₪4,386

$948 ₺47.6K

44.28%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.0K ₪80.1K

$36.9K ₺1.9M

-32.27%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$115 ₪368

$53.9 ₺2,702

113.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$73.4 ₪235

$41.49 ₺2,081

76.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$145 ₪465

$101 ₺5,060

43.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$157 ₪503

$91.3 ₺4,580

71.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,691 ₪5,419

$1,014 ₺50.8K

66.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,144 ₪3,668

$625 ₺31.3K

83.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,096 ₪6,719

$2,005 ₺100.6K

4.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,793 ₪5,748

$1,126 ₺56.5K

59.28%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$11.1K ₪35.5K

$2,988 ₺149.8K

271.01%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,595 ₪27.5K

$1,730 ₺86.8K

396.75%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,543 ₪8,151

$1,136 ₺57.0K

123.79%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.99

40.42

-87.65%

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

Last update for Lod: 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

Lod

$1.1K 41.8%

Istanbul

$625 41.1% 45.4% $520

Groceries & Markets

Lod

$444 16.2%

Istanbul

$258 17% 41.8% $185

Eating Out

Lod

$377 13.8%

Istanbul

$221 14.6% 41.4% $156

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lod

$327 12%

Istanbul

$120 7.9% 63.3% $207

Clothing & Footwear

Lod

$221 8.1%

Istanbul

$129 8.5% 41.4% $91

Getting Around

Lod

$117 4.3%

Istanbul

$75 5% 35.8% $42

Sport & Entertainment

Lod

$106 3.9%

Istanbul

$91 6% 14% $15

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,691 in Lod 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 Lod are about 2.2 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $96 in Lod versus $55 in Istanbul. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $444 vs $258 – making Istanbul the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇱 Lod

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

09:46 9:46 AM

10:46 10:46 AM

1 h ahead of Lod

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

81,202

15,701,602

💱 Currency

Israeli New Shekel ILS ₪

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

📈 Exchange rate

1 ILS = 0.312 USD

1 ILS = 0.278 EUR

100 TRY = 1.99 USD

100 TRY = 1.78 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TRY, USD, EUR to ILS – Israeli New Shekel Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇱 Israeli New Shekel (₪)

Israeli New Shekel exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 3.21 ILS (1 ILS = 0.312 USD). 1 EUR = 3.6 ILS (1 ILS = 0.278 EUR).

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 50.15 TRY (100 TRY = 1.99 USD). 1 EUR = 56.33 TRY (100 TRY = 1.78 EUR).

USD to ILS in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Lod Istanbul 1,140 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Lod
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

Lod vs Istanbul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Lod is pricier by about 80%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,103 per month in Lod 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 $1,691 in Lod.

Kindergarten costs $1,368 per month in Lod 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 72% more in Lod, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$1,500 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,735 in Lod and $1,519 in Istanbul. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

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 cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

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