Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Legnica

For one person, living is cheaper in Legnica: $1,326 a month against $1,525 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $2,400 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

74

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index
64

Cost of Living Index in Legnica
Learn more

Legnica Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,525

/mo nomad

Legnica

🇵🇱 Poland

$1,326

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Legnica

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

A single person spends $1,525 per month in Istanbul vs $1,326 in Legnica, rent included.

Istanbul $1,525
Legnica $1,326

A couple spends around $2,390 per month in Istanbul vs $1,971 in Legnica, rent included.

Istanbul $2,390
Legnica $1,971

A family of three spends $3,256 per month in Istanbul vs $2,615 in Legnica, rent included.

Istanbul $3,256
Legnica $2,615

Istanbul costs about 15% more than Legnica, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Istanbul sits 13% above the global median, while Legnica is 2% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.96 ₺592

$9.37 zł 36.42

27.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$57.2 ₺2,834

$25.58 zł 99.4

123.73%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.51 ₺471

$8.54 zł 33.17

11.36%

Cappuccino

$4.40 ₺218

$2.97 zł 11.53

48.15%

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

$1.75 ₺86.6

$2.02 zł 7.84

-13.37%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.57

$1.00 zł 3.87

-44.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.71 ₺233

$3.10 zł 12.06

51.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.14 ₺304

$3.93 zł 15.28

56.23%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.24 ₺61.6

$0.85 zł 3.31

45.88%

White Bread (500g)

$0.95 ₺47.25

$1.04 zł 4.03

-8.65%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.28 ₺113

$1.20 zł 4.65

90.00%

Eggs

$2.45 ₺121

$2.99 zł 11.63

-18.06%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.56 ₺523

$10.56 zł 41.03

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.50 ₺272

$6.84 zł 26.57

-19.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.65 ₺1,072

$7.26 zł 28.21

198.21%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 ₺90.6

$1.18 zł 4.58

55.08%

Banana (1kg)

$2.29 ₺113

$1.65 zł 6.42

38.79%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.4

$2.15 zł 8.34

-40.47%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.82 ₺90.1

$2.93 zł 11.40

-37.88%

Potato (1kg)

$0.66 ₺32.74

$0.82 zł 3.19

-19.51%

Onion (1kg)

$0.63 ₺31.14

$0.89 zł 3.45

-29.21%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.27 ₺62.8

$1.05 zł 4.06

20.95%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.62

$0.51 zł 1.96

9.80%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.36 ₺117

$4.53 zł 17.58

-47.90%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.98 ₺642

$6.60 zł 25.64

96.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.48 ₺123

$0.77 zł 3.01

222.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.50 ₺174

$1.77 zł 6.87

97.74%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.82 ₺40.77

$1.08 zł 4.20

-24.07%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.2 ₺3,228

$45.46 zł 177

43.42%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.33 ₺65.7

$1.52 zł 5.91

-12.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.90 ₺44.60

$0.53 zł 2.07

69.81%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.91 ₺540

$9.43 zł 36.65

15.69%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.43 ₺70.7

$1.65 zł 6.42

-13.33%

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

$49.6K ₺2.5M

$30.3K zł 117.9K

63.39%

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

$43.2K ₺2.1M

$26.9K zł 104.6K

60.46%

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

$88.8 ₺4,395

$316 zł 1,228

-71.90%

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

$11.69 ₺579

$8.67 zł 33.69

34.83%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.09 ₺797

$12.81 zł 49.76

25.60%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$76.3 ₺3,776

$31.13 zł 121

144.97%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.72 ₺1,125

$21.64 zł 84.1

4.99%

Cinema Ticket

$8.26 ₺409

$6.24 zł 24.23

32.37%

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

$1,015 ₺50.2K

$304 zł 1,181

233.78%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.8K ₺1.3M

$8,909 zł 34.6K

190.02%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.3 ₺2,636

$74.0 zł 287

-28.03%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.55 ₺2,008

$40.42 zł 157

0.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100 ₺4,956

$87.6 zł 340

14.33%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.5 ₺4,630

$97.0 zł 377

-3.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$977 ₺48.4K

$493 zł 1,916

98.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$627 ₺31.0K

$387 zł 1,505

61.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,980 ₺98.0K

$993 zł 3,857

99.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,147 ₺56.8K

$819 zł 3,183

39.98%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,095 ₺153.2K

$2,932 zł 11.4K

5.56%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,787 ₺88.5K

$2,220 zł 8,626

-19.51%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,213 ₺60.1K

$1,326 zł 5,152

-8.52%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.69

6.87

492.29%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 19, 2026

Last update for Legnica: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$627 41.1%

Legnica

$387 29.2% 38.2% $240

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$263 17.2%

Legnica

$198 14.9% 24.8% $65

Eating Out

Istanbul

$222 14.6%

Legnica

$172 12.9% 22.7% $50

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$129 8.5%

Legnica

$135 10.2% 4% $5.2

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$117 7.6%

Legnica

$337 25.4% 190% $221

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$93 6.1%

Legnica

$44 3.3% 53% $49

Getting Around

Istanbul

$74 4.9%

Legnica

$54 4.1% 27.4% $20

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $977 in Istanbul versus $493 in Legnica. 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 9% higher in Legnica, 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 $26.00 in Legnica. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $263 vs $198 – making Legnica the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇵🇱 Legnica

🕒 Local time

01:11 1:11 AM

00:11 12:11 AM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

97,958

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Polish Złoty PLN zł

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 2.02 USD

100 TRY = 1.8 EUR

1 PLN = 0.257 USD

1 PLN = 0.229 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PLN, USD, EUR 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).

Polish Złoty exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 3.89 PLN (1 PLN = 0.257 USD). 1 EUR = 4.37 PLN (1 PLN = 0.229 EUR).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Istanbul Legnica 1,500 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Legnica

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 Legnica: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 15%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,287 per month in Istanbul and $1,989 in Legnica. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Kindergarten costs $1,015 per month in Istanbul and $304 in Legnica. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 33% 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 Legnica, where all-in costs run around $1,326, than in Istanbul at $1,525. In Legnica it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Legnica – 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 Legnica. 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.