Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Lezhe

For one person, living is cheaper in Lezhe: $1,011 a month against $1,550 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $6,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

75

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index
50

Cost of Living Index in Lezhe
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Lezhe Living Index

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Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

Lezhe

🇦🇱 Albania

$1,011

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Lezhe

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

A single person spends $1,550 per month in Istanbul vs $1,011 in Lezhe, rent included.

Istanbul $1,550
Lezhe $1,011

A couple spends around $2,415 per month in Istanbul vs $1,537 in Lezhe, rent included.

Istanbul $2,415
Lezhe $1,537

A family of three spends $3,281 per month in Istanbul vs $2,063 in Lezhe, rent included.

Istanbul $3,281
Lezhe $2,063

Istanbul costs about 53% more than Lezhe, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Istanbul sits 15% above the global median, while Lezhe is 25% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.30 ₺609

$5.39 ALL 434

128.20%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.7 ₺2,708

$37.19 ALL 2,995

47.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.22 ₺456

$3.64 ALL 293

153.30%

Cappuccino

$4.40 ₺218

$1.02 ALL 82.4

331.37%

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

$1.68 ₺83.1

$1.50 ALL 121

12.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₺29.40

$0.64 ALL 51.3

-7.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.70 ₺233

$1.49 ALL 120

215.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.91 ₺292

$2.43 ALL 195

143.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 ₺60.0

$1.90 ALL 153

-36.32%

White Bread (500g)

$0.89 ₺44.10

$0.99 ALL 79.6

-10.10%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.19 ₺108

$2.02 ALL 163

8.42%

Eggs

$2.35 ₺116

$2.66 ALL 214

-11.65%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.42 ₺516

$10.15 ALL 817

2.66%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.65 ₺280

$8.60 ALL 692

-34.30%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.94 ₺1,037

$14.03 ALL 1,130

49.25%

Apples (1kg)

$1.90 ₺94.1

$1.91 ALL 154

-0.52%

Banana (1kg)

$2.31 ₺114

$2.23 ALL 179

3.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.1

$1.62 ALL 130

-20.99%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺89.0

$1.59 ALL 128

13.21%

Potato (1kg)

$0.65 ₺32.16

$1.08 ALL 87.0

-39.81%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺31.91

$1.28 ALL 103

-50.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 ₺62.1

$1.18 ALL 94.8

5.93%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.58

$0.83 ALL 67.0

-32.53%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.37 ₺118

$4.31 ALL 347

-45.01%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.42 ₺664

$7.79 ALL 627

72.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₺119

$1.72 ALL 138

39.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 ₺172

$1.85 ALL 149

88.11%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.89 ₺43.84

$0.49 ALL 39.41

81.63%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.4 ₺3,338

$18.93 ALL 1,524

256.21%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.29 ₺64.1

$3.73 ALL 301

-65.42%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 ₺45.70

$3.82 ALL 308

-75.92%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.96 ₺542

$17.97 ALL 1,447

-39.01%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ₺72.9

$2.25 ALL 182

-34.67%

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

$50.8K ₺2.5M

$33.2K ALL 2.7M

52.87%

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

$44.5K ₺2.2M

$24.8K ALL 2.0M

79.89%

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

$88.6 ₺4,387

$60.0 ALL 4,833

47.63%

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

$11.59 ₺574

$16.37 ALL 1,318

-29.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.81 ₺783

$16.98 ALL 1,367

-6.89%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.2 ₺3,820

$55.3 ALL 4,456

39.43%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.74 ₺1,126

Cinema Ticket

$8.14 ₺403

$8.77 ALL 706

-7.18%

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

$1,008 ₺49.9K

$180 ALL 14.5K

461.17%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.6K ₺1.3M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.0 ₺2,671

$49.81 ALL 4,011

8.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.83 ₺2,021

$55.5 ALL 4,468

-26.42%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.9 ₺4,895

$96.3 ALL 7,752

2.71%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.6 ₺4,783

$146 ALL 11.8K

-33.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$985 ₺48.7K

$482 ALL 38.9K

104.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$650 ₺32.2K

$308 ALL 24.8K

110.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,983 ₺98.2K

$709 ALL 57.1K

179.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,180 ₺58.4K

$429 ALL 34.6K

174.77%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,138 ₺155.4K

$1,694 ALL 136.4K

85.27%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,780 ₺88.1K

$1,133 ALL 91.2K

57.15%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,205 ₺59.7K

$609 ALL 49.1K

97.78%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.92

718.40%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 13, 2026

Last update for Lezhe: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$650 41.9%

Lezhe

$308 30.5% 52.5% $341

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$260 16.8%

Lezhe

$249 24.6% 4.2% $11

Eating Out

Istanbul

$223 14.4%

Lezhe

$87 8.6% 61% $136

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$131 8.4%

Lezhe

$156 15.5% 19.8% $26

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$116 7.5%

Lezhe

$93 9.2% 19.5% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$93 6%

Lezhe

$73 7.2% 22% $21

Getting Around

Istanbul

$77 5%

Lezhe

$44 4.3% 43.1% $33

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $985 in Istanbul versus $482 in Lezhe. 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 98% higher in Istanbul, 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 $37.00 in Lezhe. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $260 vs $249 – making Lezhe the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇦🇱 Lezhe

🕒 Local time

19:42 7:42 PM

18:42 6:42 PM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

65,633

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Albanian Lek ALL L

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 2.02 USD

100 TRY = 1.8 EUR

100 ALL = 1.24 USD

100 ALL = 1.1 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ALL, USD, EUR to TRY – Turkish Lira Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇷 Turkish Lira (₺)

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 49.51 TRY (100 TRY = 2.02 USD). 1 EUR = 55.66 TRY (100 TRY = 1.8 EUR).

Albanian Lek exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 80.53 ALL (100 ALL = 1.24 USD). 1 EUR = 90.53 ALL (100 ALL = 1.1 EUR).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Istanbul Lezhe 780 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Lezhe

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 Lezhe: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 53%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,325 per month in Istanbul and $1,516 in Lezhe. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Lezhe, 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 $180 in Lezhe. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 4% 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 $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Lezhe, where all-in costs run around $1,011, than in Istanbul at $1,550. In Lezhe it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Lezhe – 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 Lezhe. 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.