Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Zahlah and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in Zahlah: $989 a month against $1,519 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $6,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

47

Cost of Living Index in Zahlah
Learn more

Zahlah Living Index
73

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index

Jump to prices

Zahlah

🇱🇧 Lebanon

$989

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,519

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $989 per month in Zahlah vs $1,519 in Istanbul, rent included.

Zahlah $989
Istanbul $1,519

A couple spends around $1,596 per month in Zahlah vs $2,365 in Istanbul, rent included.

Zahlah $1,596
Istanbul $2,365

A family of three spends $2,203 per month in Zahlah vs $3,212 in Istanbul, rent included.

Zahlah $2,203
Istanbul $3,212

Zahlah is about 35% cheaper than Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Zahlah sits 27% below the global median, while Istanbul is 12% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.18 LBP 1.1M

$11.81 ₺592

3.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$70.1 LBP 6.3M

$54.9 ₺2,754

27.72%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.01 LBP 896.2K

$9.26 ₺465

8.10%

Cappuccino

$4.66 LBP 417.0K

$4.30 ₺216

8.37%

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

$2.27 LBP 203.6K

$1.77 ₺89.0

28.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.91 LBP 81.0K

$0.56 ₺28.32

62.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.12 LBP 458.4K

$4.69 ₺235

9.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.87 LBP 436.2K

$7.12 ₺357

-31.60%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.91 LBP 171.3K

$1.25 ₺62.7

52.80%

White Bread (500g)

$0.84 LBP 75.3K

$0.88 ₺44.17

-4.55%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.16 LBP 193.1K

$2.20 ₺111

-1.82%

Eggs

$3.46 LBP 310.0K

$2.43 ₺122

42.39%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.03 LBP 987.5K

$10.48 ₺526

5.25%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.77 LBP 964.0K

$5.31 ₺267

102.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.66 LBP 1.3M

$21.10 ₺1,058

-30.52%

Apples (1kg)

$3.14 LBP 280.6K

$1.86 ₺93.1

68.82%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 LBP 152.4K

$2.30 ₺115

-26.09%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.62 LBP 144.9K

$1.22 ₺61.0

32.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.53 LBP 137.1K

$1.80 ₺90.2

-15.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.22 LBP 108.8K

$0.69 ₺34.83

76.81%

Onion (1kg)

$1.55 LBP 138.5K

$0.64 ₺32.16

142.19%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.18 LBP 105.6K

$1.36 ₺68.0

-13.24%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 LBP 64.8K

$0.58 ₺28.94

24.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.08 LBP 275.9K

$2.34 ₺117

31.62%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.83 LBP 969.1K

$13.03 ₺653

-16.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.32 LBP 118.0K

$2.36 ₺118

-44.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.46 LBP 220.0K

$3.32 ₺166

-25.90%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.88 ₺44.07

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.1 ₺3,316

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.05 LBP 452.1K

$1.28 ₺64.4

294.53%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.30 LBP 205.5K

$0.85 ₺42.80

170.59%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.81 LBP 2.0M

$11.09 ₺556

105.68%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.05 LBP 94.1K

$1.48 ₺74.0

-29.05%

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

$53.9K LBP 4.8B

$48.6K ₺2.4M

10.81%

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

$33.1K LBP 3.0B

$42.0K ₺2.1M

-21.13%

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

$216 LBP 19.4M

$92.7 ₺4,650

133.42%

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

$23.20 LBP 2.1M

$11.20 ₺562

107.14%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$38.27 LBP 3.4M

$15.89 ₺797

140.84%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.7 ₺3,745

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.95 ₺1,151

Cinema Ticket

$10.08 LBP 901.8K

$8.05 ₺404

25.22%

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

$670 LBP 59.9M

$948 ₺47.6K

-29.39%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.7K LBP 960.7M

$36.9K ₺1.9M

-70.92%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$67.5 LBP 6.0M

$53.9 ₺2,702

25.20%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.76 LBP 4.4M

$41.49 ₺2,081

17.52%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$138 LBP 12.3M

$101 ₺5,060

36.44%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 LBP 10.7M

$91.3 ₺4,580

31.37%

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 Zahlah: November 1, 2026

Last update for Istanbul: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Zahlah

$278 28.1%

Istanbul

$120 7.9% 56.9% $158

Groceries & Markets

Zahlah

$274 27.8%

Istanbul

$258 17% 5.8% $16

Eating Out

Zahlah

$231 23.4%

Istanbul

$221 14.6% 4.5% $10

Clothing & Footwear

Zahlah

$168 17%

Istanbul

$129 8.5% 23.1% $39

Sport & Entertainment

Zahlah

$20 * 2%

Istanbul

$91 6% 351% $71

Getting Around

Zahlah

$17 * 1.7%

Istanbul

$75 5% 355% $59

Accommodation & Living

Zahlah

- * 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 $70 in Zahlah versus $55 in Istanbul. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $274 vs $258 – making Istanbul the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇱🇧 Zahlah

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

15:19 3:19 PM

16:19 4:19 PM

1 h ahead of Zahlah

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

78,145

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 = 100,517 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 = 56.33 TRY (100 TRY = 1.78 EUR).

USD to LBP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

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

From you

Zahlah
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

Zahlah vs Istanbul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 54%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in leisure.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,483 per month in Zahlah 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 $70 in Zahlah 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 6% cheaper in Istanbul – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Zahlah, where all-in costs run around $989, than in Istanbul at $1,519. In Zahlah 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 $989 in Zahlah to $1,519 in Istanbul. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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