Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between La Spezia and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in Istanbul: $1,550 a month against $1,710 in La Spezia, rent and utilities included – about $1,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

84

Cost of Living Index in La Spezia
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La Spezia Living Index
75

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index

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La Spezia

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,710

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in La Spezia and in Istanbul

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in La Spezia and in Istanbul actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,710 per month in La Spezia vs $1,550 in Istanbul, rent included.

La Spezia $1,710
Istanbul $1,550

A couple spends around $2,606 per month in La Spezia vs $2,415 in Istanbul, rent included.

La Spezia $2,606
Istanbul $2,415

A family of three spends $3,501 per month in La Spezia vs $3,281 in Istanbul, rent included.

La Spezia $3,501
Istanbul $3,281

La Spezia costs about 10% more than Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both La Spezia and Istanbul sit above the global median – La Spezia by 27%, Istanbul by 15%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.57 €14.74

$12.30 ₺609

34.72%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$78.9 €70.2

$54.7 ₺2,708

44.30%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.87 €8.78

$9.22 ₺456

7.05%

Cappuccino

$1.78 €1.59

$4.40 ₺218

-59.55%

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

$2.62 €2.33

$1.68 ₺83.1

55.95%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.19 €1.05

$0.59 ₺29.40

101.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.70 €5.07

$4.70 ₺233

21.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.59 €4.08

$5.91 ₺292

-22.34%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.42 €1.26

$1.21 ₺60.0

17.36%

White Bread (500g)

$1.84 €1.64

$0.89 ₺44.10

106.74%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.14 €1.90

$2.19 ₺108

-2.28%

Eggs

$4.29 €3.82

$2.35 ₺116

82.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$20.28 €18.04

$10.42 ₺516

94.63%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.35 €10.99

$5.65 ₺280

118.58%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.25 €17.12

$20.94 ₺1,037

-8.07%

Apples (1kg)

$3.77 €3.35

$1.90 ₺94.1

98.42%

Banana (1kg)

$2.16 €1.92

$2.31 ₺114

-6.49%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.84 €2.52

$1.28 ₺63.1

121.87%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.56 €4.06

$1.80 ₺89.0

153.33%

Potato (1kg)

$2.19 €1.94

$0.65 ₺32.16

236.92%

Onion (1kg)

$1.81 €1.61

$0.64 ₺31.91

182.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.60 €1.42

$1.25 ₺62.1

28.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.60 €0.53

$0.56 ₺27.58

7.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.85

$2.37 ₺118

177.64%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.77 €6.03

$13.42 ₺664

-49.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 €1.57

$2.40 ₺119

-26.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.76 €1.56

$3.48 ₺172

-49.43%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.72 €1.53

$0.89 ₺43.84

93.26%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$37.01 €32.92

$67.4 ₺3,338

-45.11%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.54 €4.04

$1.29 ₺64.1

251.94%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.68 €1.49

$0.92 ₺45.70

82.61%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.67 €20.17

$10.96 ₺542

106.84%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.95 €1.73

$1.47 ₺72.9

32.65%

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

$34.5K €30.7K

$50.8K ₺2.5M

-32.11%

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

$39.0K €34.7K

$44.5K ₺2.2M

-12.34%

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

$182 €162

$88.6 ₺4,387

105.92%

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

$6.34 €5.64

$11.59 ₺574

-45.30%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.85 €24.77

$15.81 ₺783

76.15%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.14 €33.03

$77.2 ₺3,820

-51.87%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$38.05 €33.85

$22.74 ₺1,126

67.33%

Cinema Ticket

$10.19 €9.06

$8.14 ₺403

25.18%

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

$491 €436

$1,008 ₺49.9K

-51.34%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.1K €9,837

$25.6K ₺1.3M

-56.73%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$76.9 €68.4

$54.0 ₺2,671

42.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.52 €29.82

$40.83 ₺2,021

-17.90%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 €97.8

$98.9 ₺4,895

11.17%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$99.3 €88.3

$96.6 ₺4,783

2.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$757 €674

$985 ₺48.7K

-23.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$644 €573

$650 ₺32.2K

-0.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,242 €1,105

$1,983 ₺98.2K

-37.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$973 €866

$1,180 ₺58.4K

-17.53%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,814 €2,503

$3,138 ₺155.4K

-10.32%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,294 €2,041

$1,780 ₺88.1K

28.89%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,727 €1,536

$1,205 ₺59.7K

43.26%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.73

40.92

-90.88%

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

Last update for La Spezia: October 12, 2026

Last update for Istanbul: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

La Spezia

$644 37.7%

Istanbul

$650 41.9% 0.9% $5.5

Groceries & Markets

La Spezia

$354 20.7%

Istanbul

$260 16.8% 26.7% $95

Eating Out

La Spezia

$236 13.8%

Istanbul

$223 14.4% 5.6% $13

Monthly Utilities & Internet

La Spezia

$217 12.7%

Istanbul

$116 7.5% 46.5% $101

Clothing & Footwear

La Spezia

$144 8.4%

Istanbul

$131 8.4% 9.2% $13

Sport & Entertainment

La Spezia

$58 3.4%

Istanbul

$93 6% 62.4% $36

Getting Around

La Spezia

$57 3.3%

Istanbul

$77 5% 35.3% $20

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $757 in La Spezia versus $985 in Istanbul. 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 43% higher in La Spezia, 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 $79.0 in La Spezia versus $55.0 in Istanbul. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $354 vs $260 – making Istanbul the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇹 La Spezia

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

10:45 10:45 AM

11:45 11:45 AM

1 h ahead of La Spezia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

91,391

15,701,602

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 TRY = 2.02 USD

100 TRY = 1.8 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

La Spezia Istanbul 1,600 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

La Spezia
Istanbul

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

La Spezia vs Istanbul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – La Spezia is pricier by about 10%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,565 per month in La Spezia and $2,325 in Istanbul. 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 $491 per month in La Spezia and $1,008 in Istanbul. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 36% more in La Spezia, 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 La Spezia at $1,710. In Istanbul it covers expenses comfortably, while in La Spezia 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, La Spezia makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.