Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lecce and Istanbul

For one person, living costs are similar in Lecce and in Istanbul: $1,456 and $1,525 a month, rent and utilities included.

70

Cost of Living Index in Lecce
Learn more

Lecce Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index

Jump to prices

Lecce

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,456

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,525

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lecce 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 Lecce and in Istanbul actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,456 per month in Lecce vs $1,525 in Istanbul, rent included.

Lecce $1,456
Istanbul $1,525

A couple spends around $2,334 per month in Lecce vs $2,390 in Istanbul, rent included.

Lecce $2,334
Istanbul $2,390

A family of three spends $3,213 per month in Lecce vs $3,256 in Istanbul, rent included.

Lecce $3,213
Istanbul $3,256

Lecce is about 5% cheaper than Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Lecce and Istanbul sit above the global median – Lecce by 7%, Istanbul by 13%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.08 €15.19

$11.96 ₺592

42.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.6 €59.2

$57.2 ₺2,834

16.30%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.20 €9.07

$9.51 ₺471

7.26%

Cappuccino

$2.00 €1.78

$4.40 ₺218

-54.55%

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

$2.09 €1.85

$1.75 ₺86.6

19.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.10 €0.98

$0.56 ₺27.57

96.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.02 €3.58

$4.71 ₺233

-14.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.28 €2.92

$6.14 ₺304

-46.58%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.45 €1.29

$1.24 ₺61.6

16.94%

White Bread (500g)

$1.81 €1.61

$0.95 ₺47.25

90.53%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.27 €2.02

$2.28 ₺113

-0.44%

Eggs

$2.51 €2.23

$2.45 ₺121

2.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.12 €10.78

$10.56 ₺523

14.77%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.66 €10.37

$5.50 ₺272

112.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.05 €14.28

$21.65 ₺1,072

-25.87%

Apples (1kg)

$2.17 €1.93

$1.83 ₺90.6

18.58%

Banana (1kg)

$1.88 €1.67

$2.29 ₺113

-17.90%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.88 €1.67

$1.28 ₺63.4

46.87%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.63 €3.23

$1.82 ₺90.1

99.45%

Potato (1kg)

$1.64 €1.46

$0.66 ₺32.74

148.48%

Onion (1kg)

$1.63 €1.45

$0.63 ₺31.14

158.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 €1.01

$1.27 ₺62.8

-10.24%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.41 €0.36

$0.56 ₺27.62

-26.79%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.56 €5.83

$2.36 ₺117

177.97%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.56 €5.83

$12.98 ₺642

-49.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 €1.23

$2.48 ₺123

-43.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.39 €2.13

$3.50 ₺174

-31.71%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.37 €1.22

$0.82 ₺40.77

67.07%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.2 ₺3,228

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.49 €4.89

$1.33 ₺65.7

312.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.25 €2.00

$0.90 ₺44.60

150.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$23.73 €21.11

$10.91 ₺540

117.51%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.02 €1.80

$1.43 ₺70.7

41.26%

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

$35.9K €31.9K

$49.6K ₺2.5M

-27.63%

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

$35.0K €31.1K

$43.2K ₺2.1M

-18.96%

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

$169 €150

$88.8 ₺4,395

90.38%

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

$11.59 €10.31

$11.69 ₺579

-0.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.28 €25.15

$16.09 ₺797

75.76%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$83.7 €74.5

$76.3 ₺3,776

9.77%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$55.8 €49.66

$22.72 ₺1,125

145.73%

Cinema Ticket

$8.52 €7.57

$8.26 ₺409

3.15%

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

$568 €505

$1,015 ₺50.2K

-44.02%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,010 €4,457

$25.8K ₺1.3M

-80.61%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$82.1 €73.0

$53.3 ₺2,636

54.18%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.34 €42.11

$40.55 ₺2,008

16.74%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.8 €78.1

$100 ₺4,956

-12.33%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.9 €71.1

$93.5 ₺4,630

-14.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$598 €532

$977 ₺48.4K

-38.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$475 €423

$627 ₺31.0K

-24.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,224 €1,089

$1,980 ₺98.0K

-38.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$914 €813

$1,147 ₺56.8K

-20.34%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,043 €2,707

$3,095 ₺153.2K

-1.69%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,578 €1,404

$1,787 ₺88.5K

-11.69%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,642 €1,461

$1,213 ₺60.1K

35.39%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.82

40.69

-88.15%

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

Last update for Lecce: October 19, 2026

Last update for Istanbul: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lecce

$475 32.6%

Istanbul

$627 41.1% 32% $152

Groceries & Markets

Lecce

$285 19.6%

Istanbul

$263 17.2% 7.8% $22

Eating Out

Lecce

$231 15.8%

Istanbul

$222 14.6% 3.7% $8.5

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lecce

$209 14.4%

Istanbul

$117 7.6% 44.2% $92

Clothing & Footwear

Lecce

$134 9.2%

Istanbul

$129 8.5% 3.3% $4.4

Sport & Entertainment

Lecce

$101 6.9%

Istanbul

$93 6.1% 7.9% $8

Getting Around

Lecce

$22 * 1.5%

Istanbul

$74 4.9% 234% $52

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $598 in Lecce versus $977 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 35% higher in Lecce, 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 $67.0 in Lecce versus $57.0 in Istanbul. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $285 vs $263 – making Istanbul the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇹 Lecce

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

14:26 2:26 PM

15:26 3:26 PM

1 h ahead of Lecce

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

94,773

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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Lecce Istanbul 910 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Lecce
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

Lecce vs Istanbul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 5%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,184 per month in Lecce and $2,287 in Istanbul. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

A mid-range dinner for two costs $67.0 in Lecce and $57.0 in Istanbul. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 8% cheaper in Istanbul – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Lecce, where all-in costs run around $1,456, than in Istanbul at $1,525. In Lecce it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Lecce – 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 Lecce. 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.