Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sidon and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in Sidon: $1,006 a month against $1,519 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $6,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

48

Cost of Living Index in Sidon
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Sidon Living Index
73

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index

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Sidon

🇱🇧 Lebanon

$1,006

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,519

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,006 per month in Sidon vs $1,519 in Istanbul, rent included.

Sidon $1,006
Istanbul $1,519

A couple spends around $1,623 per month in Sidon vs $2,365 in Istanbul, rent included.

Sidon $1,623
Istanbul $2,365

A family of three spends $2,240 per month in Sidon vs $3,212 in Istanbul, rent included.

Sidon $2,240
Istanbul $3,212

Sidon is about 34% cheaper than Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Sidon sits 26% below the global median, while Istanbul is 12% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.29 LBP 1.4M

$11.81 ₺592

29.47%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.5 LBP 6.1M

$54.9 ₺2,754

24.80%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.11 LBP 905.0K

$9.26 ₺465

9.18%

Cappuccino

$4.88 LBP 436.8K

$4.30 ₺216

13.49%

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

$2.30 LBP 205.6K

$1.77 ₺89.0

29.94%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.80 LBP 71.3K

$0.56 ₺28.32

42.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.03 LBP 450.2K

$4.69 ₺235

7.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.67 LBP 417.9K

$7.12 ₺357

-34.41%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.00 LBP 178.9K

$1.25 ₺62.7

60.00%

White Bread (500g)

$0.84 LBP 75.0K

$0.88 ₺44.17

-4.55%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.19 LBP 196.4K

$2.20 ₺111

-0.45%

Eggs

$3.52 LBP 315.4K

$2.43 ₺122

44.86%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.13 LBP 996.1K

$10.48 ₺526

6.20%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.93 LBP 889.1K

$5.31 ₺267

87.01%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.67 LBP 1.3M

$21.10 ₺1,058

-30.47%

Apples (1kg)

$3.14 LBP 281.0K

$1.86 ₺93.1

68.82%

Banana (1kg)

$1.64 LBP 147.1K

$2.30 ₺115

-28.70%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 LBP 143.3K

$1.22 ₺61.0

31.15%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.47 LBP 131.6K

$1.80 ₺90.2

-18.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.20 LBP 107.1K

$0.69 ₺34.83

73.91%

Onion (1kg)

$1.54 LBP 138.2K

$0.64 ₺32.16

140.63%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.16 LBP 103.4K

$1.36 ₺68.0

-14.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 LBP 59.8K

$0.58 ₺28.94

15.52%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.97 LBP 265.7K

$2.34 ₺117

26.92%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.79 LBP 965.3K

$13.03 ₺653

-17.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.32 LBP 118.1K

$2.36 ₺118

-44.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.47 LBP 221.5K

$3.32 ₺166

-25.60%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.88 ₺44.07

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.1 ₺3,316

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.02 LBP 449.6K

$1.28 ₺64.4

292.19%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.26 LBP 202.3K

$0.85 ₺42.80

165.88%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.54 LBP 2.0M

$11.09 ₺556

103.25%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.11 LBP 99.1K

$1.48 ₺74.0

-25.00%

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

$53.5K LBP 4.8B

$48.6K ₺2.4M

9.94%

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

$32.6K LBP 2.9B

$42.0K ₺2.1M

-22.34%

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

$211 LBP 18.9M

$92.7 ₺4,650

127.97%

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

$23.89 LBP 2.1M

$11.20 ₺562

113.30%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$37.86 LBP 3.4M

$15.89 ₺797

138.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.7 ₺3,745

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.95 ₺1,151

Cinema Ticket

$9.83 LBP 880.1K

$8.05 ₺404

22.11%

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

$676 LBP 60.5M

$948 ₺47.6K

-28.76%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.6K LBP 1.1B

$36.9K ₺1.9M

-65.82%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.8 LBP 6.2M

$53.9 ₺2,702

27.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.12 LBP 4.4M

$41.49 ₺2,081

18.39%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$139 LBP 12.4M

$101 ₺5,060

37.32%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$118 LBP 10.6M

$91.3 ₺4,580

29.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,014 ₺50.8K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$625 ₺31.3K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,005 ₺100.6K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,126 ₺56.5K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,988 ₺149.8K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,730 ₺86.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,136 ₺57.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.42

-72.79%

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

Last update for Sidon: October 31, 2026

Last update for Istanbul: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sidon

$273 27.1%

Istanbul

$120 7.9% 56.1% $153

Groceries & Markets

Sidon

$270 26.9%

Istanbul

$258 17% 4.4% $12

Eating Out

Sidon

$258 25.7%

Istanbul

$221 14.6% 14.4% $37

Clothing & Footwear

Sidon

$169 16.8%

Istanbul

$129 8.5% 23.3% $39

Sport & Entertainment

Sidon

$20 * 2%

Istanbul

$91 6% 362% $71

Getting Around

Sidon

$16 * 1.6%

Istanbul

$75 5% 360% $59

Accommodation & Living

Sidon

- * 0%

Istanbul

$625 41.1%

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $69 in Sidon versus $55 in Istanbul. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $270 vs $258 – making Istanbul the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇱🇧 Sidon

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

04:23 4:23 AM

05:23 5:23 AM

1 h ahead of Sidon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

163,554

15,701,602

💱 Currency

Lebanese Pound LBP ل.ل

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

📈 Exchange rate

1,000,000 LBP = 11.17 USD

1,000,000 LBP = 9.95 EUR

100 TRY = 1.99 USD

100 TRY = 1.78 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TRY, USD, EUR to LBP – Lebanese Pound Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇱🇧 Lebanese Pound (ل.ل)

Lebanese Pound exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 89,500 LBP (100,000 LBP = 1.12 USD). 1 EUR = 100,472 LBP (1,000,000 LBP = 9.95 EUR).

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 50.15 TRY (100 TRY = 1.99 USD). 1 EUR = 56.3 TRY (100 TRY = 1.78 EUR).

USD to LBP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Sidon Istanbul 1,000 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Sidon
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

Sidon vs Istanbul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 51%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in leisure.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,509 per month in Sidon and $2,278 in Istanbul. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $69 in Sidon and $55 in Istanbul. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 4% cheaper in Istanbul – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Sidon, where all-in costs run around $1,006, than in Istanbul at $1,519. In Sidon it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Istanbul has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,006 in Sidon to $1,519 in Istanbul. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.