Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Timor-Leste and Turkey

Name: Turkey
Address: TR

For one person, living is cheaper in Turkey: $1,215 a month against $1,598 in Timor-Leste, rent and utilities included – about $4,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

78

Cost of Living Index in Timor-Leste
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Timor-Leste Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Turkey
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Turkey Living Index

Jump to prices

🇹🇱 Timor-Leste

$1,598

/mo nomad

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,215

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Timor-Leste and in Turkey

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Timor-Leste and in Turkey actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,598 in Timor-Leste versus $1,215 in Turkey.

Timor-Leste $1,598
Turkey $1,215

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,482 in Timor-Leste versus $1,854 in Turkey.

Timor-Leste $2,482
Turkey $1,854

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,366 in Timor-Leste versus $2,492 in Turkey.

Timor-Leste $3,366
Turkey $2,492

Internal cost variation is higher in Timor-Leste: monthly costs span $1,619 to $1,619, compared to $657–$1,757 in Turkey. City choice carries more weight in Timor-Leste.

Living in Timor-Leste is roughly 32% more expensive than in Turkey on average.

Timor-Leste (18% above) and Turkey (10% below) straddle the global median.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.11 $5.11

$9.96 ₺493

-48.69%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.38 $35.38

$40.08 ₺1,984

-11.73%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.57 $6.57

$9.02 ₺447

-27.16%

Cappuccino

$3.95 $3.95

$3.76 ₺186

5.05%

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

$1.80 $1.80

$1.54 ₺76.4

16.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 $2.88

$0.51 ₺25.49

464.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.97 $2.97

$3.69 ₺183

-19.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.89 $3.89

$4.52 ₺224

-13.94%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.28 $2.28

$1.02 ₺50.4

123.53%

White Bread (500g)

$2.42 $2.42

$1.02 ₺50.7

137.25%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.97 $0.97

$2.09 ₺103

-53.59%

Eggs

$2.64 $2.64

$2.28 ₺113

15.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$1.94 $1.94

$9.73 ₺482

-80.06%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.62 $9.62

$4.91 ₺243

95.93%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.83 $15.83

$20.15 ₺998

-21.44%

Apples (1kg)

$3.28 $3.28

$1.80 ₺89.2

82.22%

Banana (1kg)

$1.86 $1.86

$2.02 ₺100

-7.92%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.49 $2.49

$1.06 ₺52.7

134.91%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 $2.31

$1.35 ₺67.0

71.11%

Potato (1kg)

$1.20 $1.20

$0.57 ₺28.37

110.53%

Onion (1kg)

$1.20 $1.20

$0.47 ₺23.45

155.32%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.86 $0.86

$0.98 ₺48.30

-12.24%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.02 $1.02

$0.65 ₺32.11

56.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.03 $3.03

$2.21 ₺109

37.10%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.86 $11.86

$11.99 ₺594

-1.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.29 $2.29

$2.17 ₺108

5.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.81 $2.81

$2.91 ₺144

-3.44%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.24 $0.24

$0.78 ₺38.48

-69.23%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$42.44 $42.44

$37.92 ₺1,878

11.92%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.60 $3.60

$1.42 ₺70.5

153.52%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.63 $3.63

$0.83 ₺41.08

337.35%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.61 $19.61

$8.16 ₺404

140.32%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.42 $1.42

$1.39 ₺69.0

2.16%

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

$20.1K $20.1K

$42.6K ₺2.1M

-52.85%

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

$18.0K $18.0K

$40.4K ₺2.0M

-55.58%

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

$147 $147

$76.9 ₺3,808

91.72%

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

$26.97 $26.97

$10.58 ₺524

154.91%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.58 ₺772

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.1 $74.1

$54.7 ₺2,708

35.43%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.51 ₺1,015

Cinema Ticket

$6.06 $6.06

$6.87 ₺340

-11.79%

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

$1,527 $1,527

$696 ₺34.5K

119.31%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.9K $15.9K

$16.1K ₺798.8K

-1.24%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.1 $61.1

$54.4 ₺2,693

12.22%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.83 $29.83

$41.94 ₺2,077

-28.87%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.4 $79.4

$101 ₺5,013

-21.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$59.1 $59.1

$93.4 ₺4,622

-36.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$830 $830

$613 ₺30.4K

35.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$745 $745

$439 ₺21.7K

69.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,689 $2,689

$1,041 ₺51.6K

158.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,533 $1,533

$711 ₺35.2K

115.65%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,659 ₺82.1K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,123 ₺55.6K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,866 $4,866

$1,082 ₺53.6K

349.85%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.37

41.67

-87.11%

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

Last update for Timor-Leste: October 18, 2026

Last update for Turkey: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Timor-Leste

$745 46.6%

Turkey

$439 36.1% 41.1% $307

Groceries & Markets

Timor-Leste

$274 17.2%

Turkey

$239 19.7% 12.8% $35

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Timor-Leste

$174 * 10.9%

Turkey

$103 8.5% 40.9% $71

Eating Out

Timor-Leste

$149 9.3%

Turkey

$188 15.5% 25.7% $38

Clothing & Footwear

Timor-Leste

$103 6.5%

Turkey

$131 10.8% 26.8% $28

Sport & Entertainment

Timor-Leste

$86 5.4%

Turkey

$68 5.6% 20.6% $18

Getting Around

Timor-Leste

$65 4.1%

Turkey

$47 3.8% 28.5% $19

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

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $815 in Timor-Leste, $442 in Turkey. Capital cities: $815 in Dili vs $766 in Ankara.

National salary averages: $3,531 in Timor-Leste, $1,040 in Turkey. Higher pay doesn't always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 84% higher in Timor-Leste.

Dining out costs 47% more in Timor-Leste.

Public transport is 107% more expensive in Timor-Leste.

Salaries are 240% higher in Timor-Leste, and purchasing power comes out stronger in Timor-Leste.

Good to know

🇹🇱 Timor-Leste

🇹🇷 Turkey

🕒 Local time

20:41 8:41 PM

14:41 2:41 PM

6 h behind Timor-Leste

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,243,235

85,372,377

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

100 TRY = 2.02 USD

100 TRY = 1.8 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TRY, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇹🇷 Turkish Lira (₺)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 24, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of October 24, 2026: 1 USD = 49.51 TRY (100 TRY = 2.02 USD). 1 EUR = 55.66 TRY (100 TRY = 1.8 EUR).

TRY to USD in detail →

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Timor-Leste Turkey 10,850 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

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Timor-Leste
Turkey

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

Timor-Leste vs Turkey: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $1,598 per month in Timor-Leste and $1,215 in Turkey, there's a 32% gap. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.

Day-to-day life is cheaper in Turkey: lower grocery prices, cheaper commutes, and more affordable meals out. Over time, those daily savings make a real difference to your monthly budget and ability to put money away.

Rent for a central one-bedroom averages $815 in Timor-Leste and $442 in Turkey. Rents vary a lot between cities, so the gap depends on where you settle.

In Turkey, $2,000 covers most cities easily; in Timor-Leste it stretches only to regional areas and falls short in the capital – you'll need to make trade-offs on housing or lifestyle.

It depends on what you're after: Turkey wins on affordability; Timor-Leste may offer higher salaries, better infrastructure, and different cultural perks. Both attract large expat communities for different reasons.