Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Lecco

For one person, living is cheaper in Istanbul: $1,550 a month against $1,836 in Lecco, rent and utilities included – about $3,400 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

75

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Lecco
Learn more

Lecco Living Index

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Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

Lecco

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,836

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Lecco

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

A single person spends $1,550 per month in Istanbul vs $1,836 in Lecco, rent included.

Istanbul $1,550
Lecco $1,836

A couple spends around $2,415 per month in Istanbul vs $2,718 in Lecco, rent included.

Istanbul $2,415
Lecco $2,718

A family of three spends $3,281 per month in Istanbul vs $3,599 in Lecco, rent included.

Istanbul $3,281
Lecco $3,599

Istanbul is about 16% cheaper than Lecco, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Istanbul and Lecco sit above the global median – Istanbul by 15%, Lecco by 36%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.30 ₺609

$22.04 €19.60

-44.19%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.7 ₺2,708

$88.5 €78.8

-38.21%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.22 ₺456

$13.32 €11.85

-30.78%

Cappuccino

$4.40 ₺218

$1.99 €1.77

121.11%

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

$1.68 ₺83.1

$3.60 €3.20

-53.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₺29.40

$1.69 €1.50

-65.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.70 ₺233

$6.74 €6.00

-30.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.91 ₺292

$5.69 €5.06

3.87%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 ₺60.0

$1.76 €1.57

-31.25%

White Bread (500g)

$0.89 ₺44.10

$2.39 €2.13

-62.76%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.19 ₺108

$2.93 €2.61

-25.26%

Eggs

$2.35 ₺116

$4.21 €3.75

-44.18%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.42 ₺516

$17.53 €15.59

-40.56%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.65 ₺280

$13.55 €12.05

-58.30%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.94 ₺1,037

$22.76 €20.25

-8.00%

Apples (1kg)

$1.90 ₺94.1

$1.79 €1.59

6.15%

Banana (1kg)

$2.31 ₺114

$2.34 €2.08

-1.28%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.1

$3.34 €2.97

-61.68%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺89.0

$3.79 €3.37

-52.51%

Potato (1kg)

$0.65 ₺32.16

$2.36 €2.10

-72.46%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺31.91

$1.59 €1.41

-59.75%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 ₺62.1

$1.45 €1.29

-13.79%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.58

$0.61 €0.54

-8.20%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.37 ₺118

$6.80 €6.05

-65.15%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.42 ₺664

$8.03 €7.15

67.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₺119

$1.97 €1.75

21.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 ₺172

$2.45 €2.18

42.04%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.89 ₺43.84

$2.27 €2.02

-60.79%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.4 ₺3,338

$63.7 €56.6

5.92%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.29 ₺64.1

$7.60 €6.76

-83.03%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 ₺45.70

$2.22 €1.97

-58.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.96 ₺542

$39.01 €34.70

-71.90%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ₺72.9

$2.10 €1.87

-30.00%

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

$50.8K ₺2.5M

$36.2K €32.2K

40.33%

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

$44.5K ₺2.2M

$35.3K €31.4K

26.01%

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

$88.6 ₺4,387

$219 €195

-59.59%

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

$11.59 ₺574

$12.90 €11.48

-10.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.81 ₺783

$29.81 €26.52

-46.96%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.2 ₺3,820

$28.31 €25.18

172.55%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.74 ₺1,126

$11.34 €10.09

100.53%

Cinema Ticket

$8.14 ₺403

$11.24 €10.00

-27.58%

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

$1,008 ₺49.9K

$796 €708

26.65%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.6K ₺1.3M

$18.5K €16.4K

38.32%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.0 ₺2,671

$103 €91.6

-47.63%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.83 ₺2,021

$39.28 €34.94

3.95%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.9 ₺4,895

$116 €103

-15.00%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.6 ₺4,783

$164 €146

-41.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$985 ₺48.7K

$840 €747

17.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$650 ₺32.2K

$567 €504

14.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,983 ₺98.2K

$1,499 €1,333

32.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,180 ₺58.4K

$667 €593

76.89%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,138 ₺155.4K

$3,860 €3,434

-18.71%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,780 ₺88.1K

$1,677 €1,492

6.11%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,205 ₺59.7K

$2,242 €1,994

-46.24%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.92

3.18

1186.79%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 13, 2026

Last update for Lecco: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$650 41.9%

Lecco

$567 30.9% 12.8% $83

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$260 16.8%

Lecco

$368 20.1% 41.8% $109

Eating Out

Istanbul

$223 14.4%

Lecco

$306 16.7% 37.2% $83

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$131 8.4%

Lecco

$190 10.4% 45.7% $60

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$116 7.5%

Lecco

$262 14.3% 126% $146

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$93 6%

Lecco

$51 2.8% 45.6% $43

Getting Around

Istanbul

$77 5%

Lecco

$91 5% 19% $15

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $985 in Istanbul versus $840 in Lecco. 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 86% higher in Lecco, 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 $89.0 in Lecco. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $260 vs $368 – making Istanbul the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇮🇹 Lecco

🕒 Local time

18:31 6:31 PM

17:31 5:31 PM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

45,501

💱 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 19, 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 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Istanbul Lecco 1,670 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Lecco

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 Lecco: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Lecco is pricier by about 18%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,325 per month in Istanbul and $2,754 in Lecco. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Istanbul, 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 $796 in Lecco. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 42% more in Lecco, 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 Istanbul, where all-in costs run around $1,550, than in Lecco at $1,836. In Istanbul it covers expenses comfortably, while in Lecco it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Istanbul – 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 Istanbul. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Lecco makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.