Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lyon and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in Istanbul: $1,526 a month against $1,999 in Lyon, rent and utilities included – about $5,700 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

99

Cost of Living Index in Lyon
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Lyon Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index

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Lyon

🇫🇷 France

$1,999

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,526

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,999 per month in Lyon vs $1,526 in Istanbul, rent included.

Lyon $1,999
Istanbul $1,526

A couple spends around $3,120 per month in Lyon vs $2,399 in Istanbul, rent included.

Lyon $3,120
Istanbul $2,399

A family of three spends $4,240 per month in Lyon vs $3,272 in Istanbul, rent included.

Lyon $4,240
Istanbul $3,272

Lyon costs about 31% more than Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Lyon and Istanbul sit above the global median – Lyon by 49%, Istanbul by 14%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.87 €15.06

$11.88 ₺585

42.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.4 €61.0

$55.1 ₺2,714

24.09%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.23 €11.80

$9.14 ₺450

44.75%

Cappuccino

$4.09 €3.65

$4.24 ₺209

-3.54%

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

$2.79 €2.49

$1.75 ₺86.0

59.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$0.54 ₺26.83

222.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.81 €6.97

$4.69 ₺231

66.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.00 €5.35

$5.97 ₺294

0.50%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 €1.40

$1.26 ₺62.1

23.81%

White Bread (500g)

$1.89 €1.69

$0.95 ₺46.81

98.95%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.53 €2.26

$2.31 ₺114

9.52%

Eggs

$4.98 €4.44

$2.47 ₺122

101.62%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$22.71 €20.26

$10.55 ₺520

115.26%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.56 €11.21

$5.60 ₺276

124.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$23.40 €20.88

$21.21 ₺1,045

10.33%

Apples (1kg)

$2.32 €2.07

$1.93 ₺95.1

20.21%

Banana (1kg)

$2.49 €2.23

$2.29 ₺113

8.73%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.50 €3.13

$1.28 ₺63.1

173.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.34 €2.98

$1.84 ₺90.8

81.52%

Potato (1kg)

$2.57 €2.29

$0.67 ₺32.86

283.58%

Onion (1kg)

$2.96 €2.64

$0.59 ₺29.31

401.69%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.38 €1.23

$1.33 ₺65.4

3.76%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.11 €0.99

$0.59 ₺29.10

88.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.08 €12.56

$2.36 ₺116

496.61%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.09 €7.22

$13.47 ₺664

-39.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.68 €2.39

$2.42 ₺119

10.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.36 €3.00

$3.54 ₺174

-5.08%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.32 €2.07

$0.83 ₺40.64

179.52%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$83.5 €74.5

$66.5 ₺3,273

25.61%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$8.26 €7.37

$1.35 ₺66.6

511.85%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.19 €1.95

$0.85 ₺42.05

157.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$42.44 €37.87

$10.86 ₺535

290.79%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.22 €1.98

$1.47 ₺72.3

51.02%

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

$34.4K €30.7K

$51.6K ₺2.5M

-33.41%

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

$34.7K €30.9K

$44.4K ₺2.2M

-22.02%

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

$271 €242

$89.2 ₺4,395

203.34%

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

$14.32 €12.78

$11.60 ₺572

23.45%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.07 €26.83

$16.10 ₺793

86.77%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.48 €35.23

$77.3 ₺3,805

-48.89%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.23 €25.19

$22.66 ₺1,116

24.58%

Cinema Ticket

$14.86 €13.26

$8.34 ₺411

78.18%

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

$636 €567

$974 ₺48.0K

-34.70%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.5K €10.2K

$25.8K ₺1.3M

-55.50%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$117 €105

$52.7 ₺2,597

122.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.54 €38.86

$39.16 ₺1,929

11.18%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$123 €109

$103 ₺5,083

18.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$129 €115

$96.6 ₺4,759

33.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$879 €785

$994 ₺49.0K

-11.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$678 €605

$629 ₺31.0K

7.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,778 €1,587

$2,024 ₺99.7K

-12.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,300 €1,160

$1,155 ₺56.9K

12.59%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,332 €5,651

$3,160 ₺155.7K

100.37%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,977 €3,549

$1,838 ₺90.5K

116.42%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,091 €2,758

$1,203 ₺59.3K

156.81%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.68

41.09

-91.04%

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

Last update for Lyon: October 6, 2026

Last update for Istanbul: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lyon

$678 33.2%

Istanbul

$629 41.2% 7.1% $48

Groceries & Markets

Lyon

$392 19.2%

Istanbul

$264 17.3% 32.6% $128

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lyon

$315 15.4%

Istanbul

$117 7.7% 62.9% $198

Eating Out

Lyon

$293 14.3%

Istanbul

$218 14.3% 25.6% $75

Clothing & Footwear

Lyon

$186 9.1%

Istanbul

$131 8.6% 29.3% $54

Getting Around

Lyon

$112 5.5%

Istanbul

$75 4.9% 32.7% $37

Sport & Entertainment

Lyon

$69 3.4%

Istanbul

$94 6.1% 35.7% $25

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $879 in Lyon 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 157% higher in Lyon, 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 $68.0 in Lyon versus $55.0 in Istanbul. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $392 vs $264 – making Istanbul the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇫🇷 Lyon

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

08:29 8:29 AM

09:29 9:29 AM

1 h ahead of Lyon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

522,250

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

TRY, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 49.26 TRY (100 TRY = 2.03 USD). 1 EUR = 55.25 TRY (100 TRY = 1.81 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Lyon Istanbul 2,010 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Lyon
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

Lyon vs Istanbul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Lyon is pricier by about 31%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,999 per month in Lyon 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 $636 per month in Lyon 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 48% more in Lyon, 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 Lyon at $1,999. In Istanbul it covers expenses comfortably, while in Lyon 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, Lyon makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.