Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Lehliu Gara

For one person, living is cheaper in Lehliu Gara: $1,024 a month against $1,519 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $5,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

73

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index
48

Cost of Living Index in Lehliu Gara
Learn more

Lehliu Gara Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,519

/mo nomad

Lehliu Gara

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,024

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Lehliu Gara

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

A single person spends $1,519 per month in Istanbul vs $1,024 in Lehliu Gara, rent included.

Istanbul $1,519
Lehliu Gara $1,024

A couple spends around $2,365 per month in Istanbul vs $1,575 in Lehliu Gara, rent included.

Istanbul $2,365
Lehliu Gara $1,575

A family of three spends $3,212 per month in Istanbul vs $2,125 in Lehliu Gara, rent included.

Istanbul $3,212
Lehliu Gara $2,125

Istanbul costs about 48% more than Lehliu Gara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Istanbul sits 12% above the global median, while Lehliu Gara is 24% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.81 ₺592

$10.51 RON 49.95

12.37%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.9 ₺2,754

$41.25 RON 196

33.12%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.26 ₺465

$7.52 RON 35.71

23.14%

Cappuccino

$4.30 ₺216

$2.50 RON 11.88

72.00%

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

$1.77 ₺89.0

$2.02 RON 9.59

-12.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺28.32

$1.88 RON 8.92

-70.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.69 ₺235

$2.07 RON 9.84

126.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.12 ₺357

$3.08 RON 14.65

131.17%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 ₺62.7

$1.23 RON 5.84

1.63%

White Bread (500g)

$0.88 ₺44.17

$0.70 RON 3.34

25.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 ₺111

$1.78 RON 8.47

23.60%

Eggs

$2.43 ₺122

$3.52 RON 16.71

-30.97%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.48 ₺526

$7.77 RON 36.94

34.88%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.31 ₺267

$5.73 RON 27.23

-7.33%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.10 ₺1,058

$8.54 RON 40.59

147.07%

Apples (1kg)

$1.86 ₺93.1

$1.34 RON 6.36

38.81%

Banana (1kg)

$2.30 ₺115

$1.60 RON 7.58

43.75%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.22 ₺61.0

$1.55 RON 7.37

-21.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺90.2

$1.73 RON 8.20

4.05%

Potato (1kg)

$0.69 ₺34.83

$0.91 RON 4.33

-24.18%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺32.16

$1.04 RON 4.94

-38.46%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.36 ₺68.0

$0.83 RON 3.94

63.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 ₺28.94

$0.67 RON 3.17

-13.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.34 ₺117

$5.63 RON 26.73

-58.44%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.03 ₺653

$5.28 RON 25.08

146.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.36 ₺118

$1.00 RON 4.75

136.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.32 ₺166

$1.20 RON 5.70

176.67%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.88 ₺44.07

$0.81 RON 3.87

8.64%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.1 ₺3,316

$20.63 RON 98.0

220.50%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 ₺64.4

$0.69 RON 3.30

85.51%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 ₺42.80

$0.76 RON 3.60

11.84%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.09 ₺556

$7.55 RON 35.88

46.89%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 ₺74.0

$1.84 RON 8.72

-19.57%

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

$48.6K ₺2.4M

$28.2K RON 134.1K

72.31%

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

$42.0K ₺2.1M

$25.0K RON 118.9K

67.74%

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

$92.7 ₺4,650

$149 RON 710

-37.98%

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

$11.20 ₺562

$7.59 RON 36.04

47.56%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.89 ₺797

$7.95 RON 37.78

99.87%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.7 ₺3,745

$35.96 RON 171

107.68%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.95 ₺1,151

$22.65 RON 108

1.32%

Cinema Ticket

$8.05 ₺404

$6.34 RON 30.11

26.97%

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

$948 ₺47.6K

$595 RON 2,829

59.31%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.9K ₺1.9M

$6,464 RON 30.7K

471.09%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₺2,702

$94.1 RON 447

-42.75%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.49 ₺2,081

$31.64 RON 150

31.13%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 ₺5,060

$61.9 RON 294

63.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.3 ₺4,580

$84.9 RON 403

7.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,014 ₺50.8K

$343 RON 1,630

195.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$625 ₺31.3K

$307 RON 1,459

103.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,005 ₺100.6K

$568 RON 2,697

253.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,126 ₺56.5K

$524 RON 2,491

114.81%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,988 ₺149.8K

$1,720 RON 8,171

73.74%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,730 ₺86.8K

$1,538 RON 7,308

12.49%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,136 ₺57.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.42

7.2

461.39%

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

Last update for Istanbul: November 2, 2026

Last update for Lehliu Gara: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$625 41.1%

Lehliu Gara

$307 30% 50.8% $318

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$258 17%

Lehliu Gara

$183 17.9% 29% $75

Eating Out

Istanbul

$221 14.6%

Lehliu Gara

$169 16.5% 23.6% $52

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$129 8.5%

Lehliu Gara

$123 12% 5.2% $6.8

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$120 7.9%

Lehliu Gara

$165 16.1% 37.7% $45

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$91 6%

Lehliu Gara

$49 4.8% 46.4% $42

Getting Around

Istanbul

$75 5%

Lehliu Gara

$28 2.8% 62.3% $47

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,014 in Istanbul versus $343 in Lehliu Gara. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55 in Istanbul versus $41 in Lehliu Gara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $183 – making Lehliu Gara the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇷🇴 Lehliu Gara

🕒 Local time

20:44 8:44 PM

19:44 7:44 PM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

6,000

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 1.99 USD

100 TRY = 1.78 EUR

1 RON = 0.21 USD

1 RON = 0.187 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RON, USD, EUR to TRY – Turkish Lira Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇷 Turkish Lira (₺)

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 50.15 TRY (100 TRY = 1.99 USD). 1 EUR = 56.33 TRY (100 TRY = 1.78 EUR).

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 4.75 RON (1 RON = 0.21 USD). 1 EUR = 5.34 RON (1 RON = 0.187 EUR).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Istanbul Lehliu Gara 420 km

From you

Istanbul
Lehliu Gara

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 Lehliu Gara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 48%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,278 per month in Istanbul and $1,536 in Lehliu Gara. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Lehliu Gara, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $343 there versus $1,014 in Istanbul.

Kindergarten costs $948 per month in Istanbul and $595 in Lehliu Gara. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 41% more in Istanbul, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Lehliu Gara, where all-in costs run around $1,024, than in Istanbul at $1,519. In Lehliu Gara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

For expats, Lehliu Gara is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 33% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.