Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Durres

For one person, living is cheaper in Durres: $1,138 a month against $1,550 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $4,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

75

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index
55

Cost of Living Index in Durres
Learn more

Durres Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

Durres

🇦🇱 Albania

$1,138

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Durres

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,550 in Istanbul versus $1,138 in Durres.

Istanbul $1,550
Durres $1,138

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,415 in Istanbul versus $1,733 in Durres.

Istanbul $2,415
Durres $1,733

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,281 in Istanbul versus $2,329 in Durres.

Istanbul $3,281
Durres $2,329

Living in Istanbul is roughly 36% more expensive than in Durres, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Istanbul is 15% above, Durres is 16% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.30 ₺609

$10.51 ALL 846

17.03%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.7 ₺2,708

$37.27 ALL 3,001

46.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.22 ₺456

$10.18 ALL 820

-9.43%

Cappuccino

$4.40 ₺218

$1.98 ALL 160

122.22%

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

$1.68 ₺83.1

$2.04 ALL 164

-17.65%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₺29.40

$1.05 ALL 84.2

-43.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.70 ₺233

$2.98 ALL 240

57.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.91 ₺292

$4.23 ALL 340

39.72%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 ₺60.0

$2.11 ALL 170

-42.65%

White Bread (500g)

$0.89 ₺44.10

$1.07 ALL 86.2

-16.82%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.19 ₺108

$2.37 ALL 190

-7.59%

Eggs

$2.35 ₺116

$3.69 ALL 297

-36.31%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.42 ₺516

$12.79 ALL 1,030

-18.53%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.65 ₺280

$7.64 ALL 615

-26.05%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.94 ₺1,037

$14.57 ALL 1,173

43.72%

Apples (1kg)

$1.90 ₺94.1

$1.15 ALL 93.0

65.22%

Banana (1kg)

$2.31 ₺114

$2.38 ALL 192

-2.94%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.1

$1.54 ALL 124

-16.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺89.0

$1.31 ALL 106

37.40%

Potato (1kg)

$0.65 ₺32.16

$0.92 ALL 74.0

-29.35%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺31.91

$0.94 ALL 76.1

-31.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 ₺62.1

$1.25 ALL 101

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.58

$0.70 ALL 56.7

-20.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.37 ₺118

$4.24 ALL 341

-44.10%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.42 ₺664

$11.01 ALL 887

21.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₺119

$1.50 ALL 121

60.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 ₺172

$2.06 ALL 166

68.93%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.89 ₺43.84

$0.48 ALL 38.53

85.42%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.4 ₺3,338

$19.19 ALL 1,545

251.38%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.29 ₺64.1

$3.57 ALL 287

-63.87%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 ₺45.70

$2.47 ALL 199

-62.75%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.96 ₺542

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ₺72.9

$2.18 ALL 176

-32.57%

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

$50.8K ₺2.5M

$16.1K ALL 1.3M

216.06%

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

$44.5K ₺2.2M

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

$88.6 ₺4,387

$93.6 ALL 7,534

-5.29%

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

$11.59 ₺574

$16.62 ALL 1,338

-30.26%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.81 ₺783

$16.68 ALL 1,343

-5.22%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.2 ₺3,820

$40.50 ALL 3,262

90.52%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.74 ₺1,126

$61.3 ALL 4,932

-62.87%

Cinema Ticket

$8.14 ₺403

$7.48 ALL 602

8.82%

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

$1,008 ₺49.9K

$183 ALL 14.7K

450.57%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.6K ₺1.3M

$4,590 ALL 369.6K

456.88%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.0 ₺2,671

$39.06 ALL 3,146

38.12%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.83 ₺2,021

$41.02 ALL 3,303

-0.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.9 ₺4,895

$89.4 ALL 7,195

10.67%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.6 ₺4,783

$159 ALL 12.8K

-39.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$985 ₺48.7K

$444 ALL 35.8K

121.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$650 ₺32.2K

$336 ALL 27.0K

93.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,983 ₺98.2K

$690 ALL 55.6K

187.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,180 ₺58.4K

$469 ALL 37.8K

151.42%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,138 ₺155.4K

$1,774 ALL 142.9K

76.85%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,780 ₺88.1K

$1,154 ALL 92.9K

54.25%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,205 ₺59.7K

$940 ALL 75.7K

28.19%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.92

5.25

679.43%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 13, 2026

Last update for Durres: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$650 41.9%

Durres

$336 29.5% 48.3% $314

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$260 16.8%

Durres

$261 22.9% 0.5% $1.2

Eating Out

Istanbul

$223 14.4%

Durres

$174 15.3% 22% $49

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$131 8.4%

Durres

$148 13% 13.2% $17

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$116 7.5%

Durres

$127 11.2% 9.3% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$93 6%

Durres

$55 4.9% 40.6% $38

Getting Around

Istanbul

$77 5%

Durres

$37 3.3% 51.9% $40

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $985 in Istanbul and $444 in Durres. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Istanbul pays 28% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $55.0 in Istanbul vs $37.00 in Durres. Groceries flip the comparison at $260 vs $261, with Istanbul cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇦🇱 Durres

🕒 Local time

15:15 3:15 PM

14:15 2:15 PM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

175,110

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Albanian Lek ALL L

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 2.02 USD

100 TRY = 1.8 EUR

100 ALL = 1.24 USD

100 ALL = 1.1 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ALL, USD, EUR to TRY – Turkish Lira Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇷 Turkish Lira (₺)

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 49.51 TRY (100 TRY = 2.02 USD). 1 EUR = 55.66 TRY (100 TRY = 1.8 EUR).

Albanian Lek exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 80.53 ALL (100 ALL = 1.24 USD). 1 EUR = 90.53 ALL (100 ALL = 1.1 EUR).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Istanbul Durres 800 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Durres

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

Istanbul vs Durres: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Durres wins on cost – living expenses run 36% lower than in Istanbul. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Durres the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 28% higher in Istanbul, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $985 in Istanbul versus $444 in Durres. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,550 per month in Istanbul versus $1,138 in Durres – a 36% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Durres runs roughly 251% less than in Istanbul. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,138 in Durres versus $1,550 in Istanbul, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Durres but tight or insufficient in Istanbul. The gap between the two cities makes Durres the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Durres delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,138 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Durres hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Istanbul and Durres are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Durres gentler on the wallet – expenses run 36% less than in Istanbul. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.