Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Korce

For one person, living is cheaper in Korce: $1,001 a month against $1,550 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $6,600 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
49

Cost of Living Index in Korce
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Korce Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

Korce

🇦🇱 Albania

$1,001

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Korce

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 Korce actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,550 per month in Istanbul vs $1,001 in Korce, rent included.

Istanbul $1,550
Korce $1,001

A couple spends around $2,415 per month in Istanbul vs $1,483 in Korce, rent included.

Istanbul $2,415
Korce $1,483

A family of three spends $3,281 per month in Istanbul vs $1,965 in Korce, rent included.

Istanbul $3,281
Korce $1,965

Istanbul costs about 55% more than Korce, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Istanbul sits 15% above the global median, while Korce is 26% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.30 ₺609

$6.07 ALL 489

102.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.7 ₺2,708

$37.94 ALL 3,055

44.18%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.22 ₺456

$5.99 ALL 482

53.92%

Cappuccino

$4.40 ₺218

$1.92 ALL 155

129.17%

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

$1.68 ₺83.1

$1.84 ALL 148

-8.70%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₺29.40

$0.68 ALL 55.0

-13.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.70 ₺233

$2.49 ALL 201

88.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.91 ₺292

$2.41 ALL 194

145.23%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 ₺60.0

$1.93 ALL 155

-37.31%

White Bread (500g)

$0.89 ₺44.10

$1.00 ALL 80.2

-11.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.19 ₺108

$2.08 ALL 168

5.29%

Eggs

$2.35 ₺116

$2.57 ALL 207

-8.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.42 ₺516

$10.26 ALL 826

1.56%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.65 ₺280

$8.69 ALL 700

-34.98%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.94 ₺1,037

$13.92 ALL 1,121

50.43%

Apples (1kg)

$1.90 ₺94.1

$1.22 ALL 98.2

55.74%

Banana (1kg)

$2.31 ₺114

$2.31 ALL 186

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.1

$1.28 ALL 103

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺89.0

$1.64 ALL 132

9.76%

Potato (1kg)

$0.65 ₺32.16

$1.05 ALL 84.4

-38.10%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺31.91

$1.00 ALL 80.3

-36.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 ₺62.1

$1.05 ALL 84.2

19.05%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.58

$0.81 ALL 65.4

-30.86%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.37 ₺118

$4.38 ALL 353

-45.89%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.42 ₺664

$8.03 ALL 647

67.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₺119

$1.80 ALL 145

33.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 ₺172

$1.84 ALL 148

89.13%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.89 ₺43.84

$0.64 ALL 51.3

39.06%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.4 ₺3,338

$18.41 ALL 1,483

266.27%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.29 ₺64.1

$3.72 ALL 300

-65.32%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 ₺45.70

$3.74 ALL 301

-75.40%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.96 ₺542

$18.53 ALL 1,492

-40.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ₺72.9

$2.24 ALL 180

-34.38%

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

$50.8K ₺2.5M

$33.5K ALL 2.7M

51.71%

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

$44.5K ₺2.2M

$24.2K ALL 1.9M

84.17%

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

$88.6 ₺4,387

$59.9 ALL 4,826

47.86%

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

$11.59 ₺574

$18.16 ALL 1,462

-36.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.81 ₺783

$15.08 ALL 1,214

4.84%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.2 ₺3,820

$33.08 ALL 2,664

133.25%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.74 ₺1,126

$18.66 ALL 1,503

21.86%

Cinema Ticket

$8.14 ₺403

$9.92 ALL 799

-17.94%

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

$1,008 ₺49.9K

$224 ALL 18.0K

350.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.6K ₺1.3M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.0 ₺2,671

$44.80 ALL 3,608

20.42%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.83 ₺2,021

$53.9 ALL 4,336

-24.18%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.9 ₺4,895

$104 ALL 8,376

-4.93%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.6 ₺4,783

$144 ALL 11.6K

-32.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$985 ₺48.7K

$474 ALL 38.2K

107.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$650 ₺32.2K

$294 ALL 23.7K

121.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,983 ₺98.2K

$496 ALL 39.9K

299.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,180 ₺58.4K

$305 ALL 24.6K

286.75%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,138 ₺155.4K

$1,377 ALL 110.9K

127.82%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,780 ₺88.1K

$1,120 ALL 90.2K

58.97%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,205 ₺59.7K

$670 ALL 53.9K

80.03%

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 Korce: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$650 41.9%

Korce

$294 29.4% 54.8% $356

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$260 16.8%

Korce

$245 24.5% 5.7% $15

Eating Out

Istanbul

$223 14.4%

Korce

$117 11.7% 47.6% $106

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$131 8.4%

Korce

$156 15.6% 19.3% $25

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$116 7.5%

Korce

$93 9.3% 19.7% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$93 6%

Korce

$53 5.3% 43.4% $41

Getting Around

Istanbul

$77 5%

Korce

$43 4.3% 43.5% $33

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $985 in Istanbul versus $474 in Korce. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 80% higher in Istanbul, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55.0 in Istanbul versus $38.00 in Korce. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $260 vs $245 – making Korce the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇦🇱 Korce

🕒 Local time

09:05 9:05 AM

08:05 8:05 AM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

51,152

💱 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 Korce 690 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Korce

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 Korce: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 55%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,325 per month in Istanbul and $1,502 in Korce. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Korce, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $1,008 per month in Istanbul and $224 in Korce. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 6% more in Istanbul, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Korce, where all-in costs run around $1,001, than in Istanbul at $1,550. In Korce it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Korce – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Korce. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Istanbul makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.