Cost of living comparison

compared to

Limassol vs. Istanbul Cost of Living Summary

Limassol is 51.8% more expensive than Istanbul.

Restaurants
pay 43.0% more in Limassol
Groceries
pay 90.8% more in Limassol
Transportation
pay 1.1% less in Limassol
Housing
pay 99.6% more in Limassol
Childcare
pay 47.8% less in Limassol
Entertainment and Sports
pay 35.3% more in Limassol
Clothing
pay 33.3% more in Limassol

The cost of housing, groceries, restaurants, entertainment and sports, and clothing in Limassol are more expensive than in Istanbul. Expenses including childcare and transportation are lower in Limassol. Notably, housing and groceries are significantly more expensive in Limassol.

Limassol vs. Istanbul Cost Breakdown

If you lived in Limassol instead of Istanbul, you would:

pay 43.0% more for restaurants

 
Istanbul
Limassol
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant $12.19
TRY611.44
$22.39
€20.09
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
$9.35
TRY468.77
$9.24
€8.29
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) $1.73
TRY86.80
$1.96
€1.76

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pay 90.8% more for groceries

 
Istanbul
Limassol
Bread
1 loaf
$0.92
TRY46.16
$2.50
€2.24
Local cheese (8 oz) $5.28
TRY264.59
$6.69
€6.00
Milk (1 gallon) $4.69
TRY234.91
$7.40
€6.64

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pay 1.1% less for transportation

 
Istanbul
Limassol
Gasoline (1 gallon) $5.43
TRY272.44
$6.68
€6.00
Monthly public transit pass $67.03
TRY3,360.91
$50.39
€45.21
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) $50,810.11
TRY3M
$32,696.28
€29,333.47

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pay 99.6% more for housing

 
Istanbul
Limassol
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
$16.15
TRY809.55
$32.66
€29.30
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area $996.85
TRY49,983.16
$1,658.07
€1,487.54
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center $647.83
TRY32,482.99
$1,393.27
€1,249.97

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pay 47.8% less for childcare

 
Istanbul
Limassol
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly $1,021.62
TRY51,225.46
$687.47
€616.76
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters $25,999.20
TRY1M
$10,517.12
€9,435.43

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pay 35.3% more for entertainment and sports

 
Istanbul
Limassol
Domestic/local beer (1 pint) $4.78
TRY239.48
$5.32
€4.77
Cappuccino in mid-range area $4.31
TRY216.34
$3.96
€3.55
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
$2.34
TRY117.19
$6.72
€6.03

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pay 33.3% more for clothing

 
Istanbul
Limassol
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
$53.35
TRY2,674.81
$97.74
€87.68
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
$39.62
TRY1,986.48
$51.71
€46.39
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
$99.91
TRY5,009.73
$109.64
€98.36

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We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world. Sources: MyLifeElsewhere's cost-of-living dataset (prices updated November 2026). How we calculate this

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