Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Fushe-kruje

For one person, living is cheaper in Fushe-kruje: $1,108 a month against $1,550 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $5,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

75

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index
52

Cost of Living Index in Fushe-kruje
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Fushe-kruje Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

Fushe-kruje

🇦🇱 Albania

$1,108

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Fushe-kruje

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 Fushe-kruje actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,550 in Istanbul versus $1,108 in Fushe-kruje.

Istanbul $1,550
Fushe-kruje $1,108

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,415 in Istanbul versus $1,646 in Fushe-kruje.

Istanbul $2,415
Fushe-kruje $1,646

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,281 in Istanbul versus $2,184 in Fushe-kruje.

Istanbul $3,281
Fushe-kruje $2,184

Living in Istanbul is roughly 40% more expensive than in Fushe-kruje, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Istanbul is 15% above, Fushe-kruje is 18% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.30 ₺609

$9.84 ALL 793

25.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.7 ₺2,708

$38.01 ALL 3,061

43.91%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.22 ₺456

$7.50 ALL 604

22.93%

Cappuccino

$4.40 ₺218

$1.89 ALL 153

132.80%

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

$1.68 ₺83.1

$1.78 ALL 144

-5.62%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₺29.40

$0.68 ALL 54.4

-13.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.70 ₺233

$2.51 ALL 202

87.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.91 ₺292

$3.26 ALL 262

81.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 ₺60.0

$1.93 ALL 155

-37.31%

White Bread (500g)

$0.89 ₺44.10

$0.99 ALL 80.0

-10.10%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.19 ₺108

$2.08 ALL 168

5.29%

Eggs

$2.35 ₺116

$2.72 ALL 219

-13.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.42 ₺516

$9.97 ALL 803

4.51%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.65 ₺280

$8.60 ALL 692

-34.30%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.94 ₺1,037

$14.16 ALL 1,140

47.88%

Apples (1kg)

$1.90 ₺94.1

$1.92 ALL 154

-1.04%

Banana (1kg)

$2.31 ₺114

$2.25 ALL 181

2.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.1

$1.67 ALL 134

-23.35%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺89.0

$1.57 ALL 126

14.65%

Potato (1kg)

$0.65 ₺32.16

$1.02 ALL 82.0

-36.27%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺31.91

$1.21 ALL 97.8

-47.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 ₺62.1

$1.15 ALL 92.4

8.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.58

$0.73 ALL 58.5

-23.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.37 ₺118

$4.29 ALL 346

-44.76%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.42 ₺664

$7.79 ALL 627

72.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₺119

$1.55 ALL 125

54.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 ₺172

$1.87 ALL 151

86.10%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.89 ₺43.84

$0.56 ALL 44.70

58.93%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.4 ₺3,338

$19.52 ALL 1,572

245.44%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.29 ₺64.1

$3.69 ALL 297

-65.04%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 ₺45.70

$3.55 ALL 286

-74.08%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.96 ₺542

$18.67 ALL 1,504

-41.30%

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

$34.0K ALL 2.7M

49.55%

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

$44.5K ₺2.2M

$24.2K ALL 1.9M

83.97%

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

$88.6 ₺4,387

$59.8 ALL 4,818

48.10%

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

$11.59 ₺574

$16.31 ALL 1,313

-28.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.81 ₺783

$17.03 ALL 1,372

-7.16%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.2 ₺3,820

$60.2 ALL 4,851

28.09%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.74 ₺1,126

Cinema Ticket

$8.14 ₺403

$8.55 ALL 689

-4.80%

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

$1,008 ₺49.9K

$98.5 ALL 7,934

923.17%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.6K ₺1.3M

$8,227 ALL 662.5K

210.69%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.0 ₺2,671

$48.55 ALL 3,910

11.12%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.83 ₺2,021

$46.90 ALL 3,777

-12.94%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.9 ₺4,895

$96.0 ALL 7,732

2.98%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.6 ₺4,783

$113 ALL 9,103

-14.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$985 ₺48.7K

$455 ALL 36.6K

116.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$650 ₺32.2K

$357 ALL 28.8K

81.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,983 ₺98.2K

$618 ALL 49.8K

220.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,180 ₺58.4K

$450 ALL 36.2K

162.31%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,138 ₺155.4K

$2,052 ALL 165.3K

52.91%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,780 ₺88.1K

$1,068 ALL 86.0K

66.59%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,205 ₺59.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.92

718.40%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 13, 2026

Last update for Fushe-kruje: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$650 41.9%

Fushe-kruje

$357 32.3% 45% $292

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$260 16.8%

Fushe-kruje

$247 22.3% 4.8% $12

Eating Out

Istanbul

$223 14.4%

Fushe-kruje

$153 13.8% 31.5% $70

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$131 8.4%

Fushe-kruje

$137 12.4% 4.9% $6.4

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$116 7.5%

Fushe-kruje

$93 8.4% 19.7% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$93 6%

Fushe-kruje

$77 7% 17.2% $16

Getting Around

Istanbul

$77 5%

Fushe-kruje

$43 3.9% 43.8% $34

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $985 in Istanbul and $455 in Fushe-kruje. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $55.0 in Istanbul vs $38.00 in Fushe-kruje for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $260 vs $247 per month, with Fushe-kruje cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇦🇱 Fushe-kruje

🕒 Local time

09:12 9:12 AM

08:12 8:12 AM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

18,477

💱 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

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Between locations

Istanbul Fushe-kruje 780 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Fushe-kruje

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 Fushe-kruje: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Fushe-kruje wins on cost – living expenses run 40% lower than in Istanbul. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Fushe-kruje the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $2,325 in Istanbul and $1,662 in Fushe-kruje to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $985 in Istanbul versus $455 in Fushe-kruje. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,008 in Istanbul versus $98.5 in Fushe-kruje. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 5% higher in Istanbul. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,108 in Fushe-kruje versus $1,550 in Istanbul, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Fushe-kruje but tight or insufficient in Istanbul. The gap between the two cities makes Fushe-kruje the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Fushe-kruje delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,108 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Fushe-kruje hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Istanbul and Fushe-kruje 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 Fushe-kruje gentler on the wallet – expenses run 40% less than in Istanbul. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.