Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Leova and Istanbul

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.

65

Cost of Living Index in Leova
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Leova Living Index
73

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index

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Leova

🇲🇩 Moldova

$1,356

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,519

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Leova $1,356
Istanbul $1,519

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

Leova $2,078
Istanbul $2,365

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

Leova $2,800
Istanbul $3,212

Leova is about 11% cheaper than Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.20 MDL 180

$11.81 ₺592

-13.63%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$33.01 MDL 584

$54.9 ₺2,754

-39.88%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.40 MDL 166

$9.26 ₺465

1.51%

Cappuccino

$0.85 MDL 15.08

$4.30 ₺216

-80.23%

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

$0.51 MDL 9.09

$1.77 ₺89.0

-71.19%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.40 MDL 7.12

$0.56 ₺28.32

-28.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.58 MDL 45.66

$4.69 ₺235

-44.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.62 MDL 46.39

$7.12 ₺357

-63.20%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.62 MDL 28.65

$1.25 ₺62.7

29.60%

White Bread (500g)

$1.54 MDL 27.27

$0.88 ₺44.17

75.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.36 MDL 24.09

$2.20 ₺111

-38.18%

Eggs

$1.35 MDL 23.90

$2.43 ₺122

-44.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.19 MDL 251

$10.48 ₺526

35.40%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.17 MDL 38.44

$5.31 ₺267

-59.13%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$3.94 MDL 69.7

$21.10 ₺1,058

-81.33%

Apples (1kg)

$1.29 MDL 22.79

$1.86 ₺93.1

-30.65%

Banana (1kg)

$0.87 MDL 15.42

$2.30 ₺115

-62.17%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.92 MDL 16.18

$1.22 ₺61.0

-24.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.09 MDL 19.22

$1.80 ₺90.2

-39.44%

Potato (1kg)

$1.53 MDL 27.09

$0.69 ₺34.83

121.74%

Onion (1kg)

$0.54 MDL 9.49

$0.64 ₺32.16

-15.62%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.47 MDL 8.25

$1.36 ₺68.0

-65.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.02 MDL 18.11

$0.58 ₺28.94

75.86%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.66 MDL 82.4

$2.34 ₺117

99.15%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.08 MDL 267

$13.03 ₺653

15.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.10 MDL 19.37

$2.36 ₺118

-53.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.56 MDL 45.23

$3.32 ₺166

-22.89%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.41 MDL 7.16

$0.88 ₺44.07

-53.41%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.71 MDL 490

$66.1 ₺3,316

-58.09%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.84 MDL 50.2

$1.28 ₺64.4

121.87%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.58 MDL 10.24

$0.85 ₺42.80

-31.76%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.33 MDL 58.9

$11.09 ₺556

-69.97%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.43 MDL 25.28

$1.48 ₺74.0

-3.38%

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

$33.2K MDL 586.8K

$48.6K ₺2.4M

-31.77%

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

$34.2K MDL 604.6K

$42.0K ₺2.1M

-18.54%

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

$186 MDL 3,292

$92.7 ₺4,650

100.80%

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

$5.66 MDL 100

$11.20 ₺562

-49.46%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.41 MDL 361

$15.89 ₺797

28.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$83.0 MDL 1,468

$74.7 ₺3,745

11.18%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.31 MDL 200

$22.95 ₺1,151

-50.72%

Cinema Ticket

$4.33 MDL 76.6

$8.05 ₺404

-46.21%

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)

$83.7 MDL 1,480

$53.9 ₺2,702

55.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.3 MDL 977

$41.49 ₺2,081

33.16%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.2 MDL 1,648

$101 ₺5,060

-7.59%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$114 MDL 2,008

$91.3 ₺4,580

24.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$626 MDL 11.1K

$1,014 ₺50.8K

-38.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$531 MDL 9,385

$625 ₺31.3K

-15.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,495 MDL 26.4K

$2,005 ₺100.6K

-25.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,106 MDL 19.6K

$1,126 ₺56.5K

-1.80%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,430 MDL 43.0K

$2,988 ₺149.8K

-18.68%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,920 MDL 33.9K

$1,730 ₺86.8K

10.97%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$648 MDL 11.5K

$1,136 ₺57.0K

-42.98%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.19

40.42

-82.21%

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

Last update for Leova: November 1, 2026

Last update for Istanbul: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Leova

$531 39.1%

Istanbul

$625 41.1% 17.7% $94

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Leova

$212 15.7%

Istanbul

$120 7.9% 43.6% $92

Groceries & Markets

Leova

$189 13.9%

Istanbul

$258 17% 36.6% $69

Clothing & Footwear

Leova

$156 11.5%

Istanbul

$129 8.5% 16.8% $26

Eating Out

Leova

$142 10.5%

Istanbul

$221 14.6% 55.7% $79

Sport & Entertainment

Leova

$92 6.8%

Istanbul

$91 6% 1% $0.9

Getting Around

Leova

$35 2.6%

Istanbul

$75 5% 114% $40

Cost Breakdown

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

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

Good to know

🇲🇩 Leova

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

09:12 9:12 AM

10:12 10:12 AM

1 h ahead of Leova

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

10,900

15,701,602

💱 Currency

Moldovan Leu MDL L

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

📈 Exchange rate

100 MDL = 5.66 USD

100 MDL = 5.04 EUR

100 TRY = 1.99 USD

100 TRY = 1.78 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TRY, USD, EUR to MDL – Moldovan Leu Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇩 Moldovan Leu (L)

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).

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).

USD to MDL in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Leova Istanbul 610 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Leova
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

Leova vs Istanbul: 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 $2,034 per month in Leova and $2,278 in Istanbul. 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.