Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Lecce

For one person, living costs are similar in Istanbul and in Lecce: $1,525 and $1,456 a month, rent and utilities included.

74

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index
70

Cost of Living Index in Lecce
Learn more

Lecce Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,525

/mo nomad

Lecce

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,456

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Lecce

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

A single person spends $1,525 per month in Istanbul vs $1,456 in Lecce, rent included.

Istanbul $1,525
Lecce $1,456

A couple spends around $2,390 per month in Istanbul vs $2,334 in Lecce, rent included.

Istanbul $2,390
Lecce $2,334

A family of three spends $3,256 per month in Istanbul vs $3,213 in Lecce, rent included.

Istanbul $3,256
Lecce $3,213

Istanbul costs about 5% more than Lecce, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Istanbul and Lecce sit above the global median – Istanbul by 13%, Lecce by 7%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.96 ₺592

$17.08 €15.19

-29.98%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$57.2 ₺2,834

$66.6 €59.2

-14.02%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.51 ₺471

$10.20 €9.07

-6.76%

Cappuccino

$4.40 ₺218

$2.00 €1.78

120.00%

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

$1.75 ₺86.6

$2.09 €1.85

-16.27%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.57

$1.10 €0.98

-49.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.71 ₺233

$4.02 €3.58

17.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.14 ₺304

$3.28 €2.92

87.20%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.24 ₺61.6

$1.45 €1.29

-14.48%

White Bread (500g)

$0.95 ₺47.25

$1.81 €1.61

-47.51%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.28 ₺113

$2.27 €2.02

0.44%

Eggs

$2.45 ₺121

$2.51 €2.23

-2.39%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.56 ₺523

$12.12 €10.78

-12.87%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.50 ₺272

$11.66 €10.37

-52.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.65 ₺1,072

$16.05 €14.28

34.89%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 ₺90.6

$2.17 €1.93

-15.67%

Banana (1kg)

$2.29 ₺113

$1.88 €1.67

21.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.4

$1.88 €1.67

-31.91%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.82 ₺90.1

$3.63 €3.23

-49.86%

Potato (1kg)

$0.66 ₺32.74

$1.64 €1.46

-59.76%

Onion (1kg)

$0.63 ₺31.14

$1.63 €1.45

-61.35%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.27 ₺62.8

$1.14 €1.01

11.40%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.62

$0.41 €0.36

36.59%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.36 ₺117

$6.56 €5.83

-64.02%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.98 ₺642

$6.56 €5.83

97.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.48 ₺123

$1.39 €1.23

78.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.50 ₺174

$2.39 €2.13

46.44%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.82 ₺40.77

$1.37 €1.22

-40.15%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.2 ₺3,228

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.33 ₺65.7

$5.49 €4.89

-75.77%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.90 ₺44.60

$2.25 €2.00

-60.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.91 ₺540

$23.73 €21.11

-54.02%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.43 ₺70.7

$2.02 €1.80

-29.21%

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

$49.6K ₺2.5M

$35.9K €31.9K

38.19%

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

$43.2K ₺2.1M

$35.0K €31.1K

23.39%

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

$88.8 ₺4,395

$169 €150

-47.47%

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

$11.69 ₺579

$11.59 €10.31

0.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.09 ₺797

$28.28 €25.15

-43.10%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$76.3 ₺3,776

$83.7 €74.5

-8.90%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.72 ₺1,125

$55.8 €49.66

-59.31%

Cinema Ticket

$8.26 ₺409

$8.52 €7.57

-3.05%

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

$1,015 ₺50.2K

$568 €505

78.65%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.8K ₺1.3M

$5,010 €4,457

415.69%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.3 ₺2,636

$82.1 €73.0

-35.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.55 ₺2,008

$47.34 €42.11

-14.34%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100 ₺4,956

$87.8 €78.1

14.06%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.5 ₺4,630

$79.9 €71.1

17.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$977 ₺48.4K

$598 €532

63.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$627 ₺31.0K

$475 €423

32.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,980 ₺98.0K

$1,224 €1,089

61.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,147 ₺56.8K

$914 €813

25.53%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,095 ₺153.2K

$3,043 €2,707

1.71%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,787 ₺88.5K

$1,578 €1,404

13.23%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,213 ₺60.1K

$1,642 €1,461

-26.14%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.69

4.82

744.19%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 19, 2026

Last update for Lecce: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$627 41.1%

Lecce

$475 32.6% 24.2% $152

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$263 17.2%

Lecce

$285 19.6% 8.5% $22

Eating Out

Istanbul

$222 14.6%

Lecce

$231 15.8% 3.8% $8.5

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$129 8.5%

Lecce

$134 9.2% 3.4% $4.4

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$117 7.6%

Lecce

$209 14.4% 79.2% $92

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$93 6.1%

Lecce

$101 6.9% 8.6% $8

Getting Around

Istanbul

$74 4.9%

Lecce

$22 * 1.5% 70.1% $52

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $977 in Istanbul versus $598 in Lecce. 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 35% higher in Lecce, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $57.0 in Istanbul versus $67.0 in Lecce. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $263 vs $285 – making Istanbul the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇮🇹 Lecce

🕒 Local time

18:12 6:12 PM

17:12 5:12 PM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

94,773

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 2.02 USD

100 TRY = 1.8 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to TRY – Turkish Lira Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇷 Turkish Lira (₺)

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 49.51 TRY (100 TRY = 2.02 USD). 1 EUR = 55.66 TRY (100 TRY = 1.8 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Istanbul Lecce 910 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Lecce

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 Lecce: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 5%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,287 per month in Istanbul and $2,184 in Lecce. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

A mid-range dinner for two costs $57.0 in Istanbul and $67.0 in Lecce. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 8% cheaper in Istanbul – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Lecce, where all-in costs run around $1,456, than in Istanbul at $1,525. In Lecce it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Lecce – 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 Lecce. 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.