Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Leova

For one person, living is cheaper in Leova: $1,356 a month against $1,519 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $2,000 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

73

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index
65

Cost of Living Index in Leova
Learn more

Leova Living Index

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Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,519

/mo nomad

Leova

🇲🇩 Moldova

$1,356

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Leova

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

A single person spends $1,519 per month in Istanbul vs $1,356 in Leova, rent included.

Istanbul $1,519
Leova $1,356

A couple spends around $2,365 per month in Istanbul vs $2,078 in Leova, rent included.

Istanbul $2,365
Leova $2,078

A family of three spends $3,212 per month in Istanbul vs $2,800 in Leova, rent included.

Istanbul $3,212
Leova $2,800

Istanbul costs about 12% more than Leova, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.81 ₺592

$10.20 MDL 180

15.78%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.9 ₺2,754

$33.01 MDL 584

66.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.26 ₺465

$9.40 MDL 166

-1.49%

Cappuccino

$4.30 ₺216

$0.85 MDL 15.08

405.88%

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

$1.77 ₺89.0

$0.51 MDL 9.09

247.06%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺28.32

$0.40 MDL 7.12

40.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.69 ₺235

$2.58 MDL 45.66

81.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.12 ₺357

$2.62 MDL 46.39

171.76%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 ₺62.7

$1.62 MDL 28.65

-22.84%

White Bread (500g)

$0.88 ₺44.17

$1.54 MDL 27.27

-42.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 ₺111

$1.36 MDL 24.09

61.76%

Eggs

$2.43 ₺122

$1.35 MDL 23.90

80.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.48 ₺526

$14.19 MDL 251

-26.15%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.31 ₺267

$2.17 MDL 38.44

144.70%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.10 ₺1,058

$3.94 MDL 69.7

435.53%

Apples (1kg)

$1.86 ₺93.1

$1.29 MDL 22.79

44.19%

Banana (1kg)

$2.30 ₺115

$0.87 MDL 15.42

164.37%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.22 ₺61.0

$0.92 MDL 16.18

32.61%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺90.2

$1.09 MDL 19.22

65.14%

Potato (1kg)

$0.69 ₺34.83

$1.53 MDL 27.09

-54.90%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺32.16

$0.54 MDL 9.49

18.52%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.36 ₺68.0

$0.47 MDL 8.25

189.36%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 ₺28.94

$1.02 MDL 18.11

-43.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.34 ₺117

$4.66 MDL 82.4

-49.79%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.03 ₺653

$15.08 MDL 267

-13.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.36 ₺118

$1.10 MDL 19.37

114.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.32 ₺166

$2.56 MDL 45.23

29.69%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.88 ₺44.07

$0.41 MDL 7.16

114.63%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.1 ₺3,316

$27.71 MDL 490

138.61%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 ₺64.4

$2.84 MDL 50.2

-54.93%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 ₺42.80

$0.58 MDL 10.24

46.55%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.09 ₺556

$3.33 MDL 58.9

233.03%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 ₺74.0

$1.43 MDL 25.28

3.50%

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

$48.6K ₺2.4M

$33.2K MDL 586.8K

46.56%

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

$42.0K ₺2.1M

$34.2K MDL 604.6K

22.75%

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

$92.7 ₺4,650

$186 MDL 3,292

-50.20%

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

$11.20 ₺562

$5.66 MDL 100

97.88%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.89 ₺797

$20.41 MDL 361

-22.15%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.7 ₺3,745

$83.0 MDL 1,468

-10.06%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.95 ₺1,151

$11.31 MDL 200

102.92%

Cinema Ticket

$8.05 ₺404

$4.33 MDL 76.6

85.91%

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

$948 ₺47.6K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.9K ₺1.9M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₺2,702

$83.7 MDL 1,480

-35.63%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.49 ₺2,081

$55.3 MDL 977

-24.90%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 ₺5,060

$93.2 MDL 1,648

8.22%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.3 ₺4,580

$114 MDL 2,008

-19.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,014 ₺50.8K

$626 MDL 11.1K

61.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$625 ₺31.3K

$531 MDL 9,385

17.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,005 ₺100.6K

$1,495 MDL 26.4K

34.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,126 ₺56.5K

$1,106 MDL 19.6K

1.83%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,988 ₺149.8K

$2,430 MDL 43.0K

22.97%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,730 ₺86.8K

$1,920 MDL 33.9K

-9.89%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,136 ₺57.0K

$648 MDL 11.5K

75.38%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.42

7.19

462.17%

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

Last update for Istanbul: November 2, 2026

Last update for Leova: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$625 41.1%

Leova

$531 39.1% 15% $94

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$258 17%

Leova

$189 13.9% 26.8% $69

Eating Out

Istanbul

$221 14.6%

Leova

$142 10.5% 35.8% $79

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$129 8.5%

Leova

$156 11.5% 20.2% $26

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$120 7.9%

Leova

$212 15.7% 77.2% $92

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$91 6%

Leova

$92 6.8% 1% $0.9

Getting Around

Istanbul

$75 5%

Leova

$35 2.6% 53.4% $40

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,014 in Istanbul versus $626 in Leova. 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 75% higher in Istanbul. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55 in Istanbul versus $33 in Leova. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $189 – making Leova the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇲🇩 Leova

🕒 Local time

09:23 9:23 AM

08:23 8:23 AM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

10,900

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Moldovan Leu MDL L

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 1.99 USD

100 TRY = 1.78 EUR

100 MDL = 5.66 USD

100 MDL = 5.04 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MDL, 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 = 56.3 TRY (100 TRY = 1.78 EUR).

Moldovan Leu exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 17.68 MDL (100 MDL = 5.66 USD). 1 EUR = 19.85 MDL (100 MDL = 5.04 EUR).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Istanbul Leova 610 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Leova

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 Leova: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 12%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,278 per month in Istanbul and $2,034 in Leova. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Leova, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $626 there versus $1,014 in Istanbul.

Public transport costs about 58% less in Leova. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Groceries cost about 37% more in Istanbul, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Leova, where all-in costs run around $1,356, than in Istanbul at $1,519. In Leova it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Istanbul has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,356 in Leova to $1,519 in Istanbul. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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