Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lezhe and Istanbul

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.

50

Cost of Living Index in Lezhe
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Lezhe Living Index
75

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index

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Lezhe

🇦🇱 Albania

$1,011

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Lezhe $1,011
Istanbul $1,550

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

Lezhe $1,537
Istanbul $2,415

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

Lezhe $2,063
Istanbul $3,281

Lezhe is about 35% cheaper than Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.39 ALL 434

$12.30 ₺609

-56.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.19 ALL 2,995

$54.7 ₺2,708

-32.01%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.64 ALL 293

$9.22 ₺456

-60.52%

Cappuccino

$1.02 ALL 82.4

$4.40 ₺218

-76.82%

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

$1.50 ALL 121

$1.68 ₺83.1

-10.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.64 ALL 51.3

$0.59 ₺29.40

8.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.49 ALL 120

$4.70 ₺233

-68.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.43 ALL 195

$5.91 ₺292

-58.88%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.90 ALL 153

$1.21 ₺60.0

57.02%

White Bread (500g)

$0.99 ALL 79.6

$0.89 ₺44.10

11.24%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.02 ALL 163

$2.19 ₺108

-7.76%

Eggs

$2.66 ALL 214

$2.35 ₺116

13.19%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.15 ALL 817

$10.42 ₺516

-2.59%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.60 ALL 692

$5.65 ₺280

52.21%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.03 ALL 1,130

$20.94 ₺1,037

-33.00%

Apples (1kg)

$1.91 ALL 154

$1.90 ₺94.1

0.53%

Banana (1kg)

$2.23 ALL 179

$2.31 ₺114

-3.46%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.62 ALL 130

$1.28 ₺63.1

26.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.59 ALL 128

$1.80 ₺89.0

-11.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.08 ALL 87.0

$0.65 ₺32.16

66.15%

Onion (1kg)

$1.28 ALL 103

$0.64 ₺31.91

100.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.18 ALL 94.8

$1.25 ₺62.1

-5.60%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 ALL 67.0

$0.56 ₺27.58

48.21%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.31 ALL 347

$2.37 ₺118

81.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.79 ALL 627

$13.42 ₺664

-41.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.72 ALL 138

$2.40 ₺119

-28.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 ALL 149

$3.48 ₺172

-46.84%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.49 ALL 39.41

$0.89 ₺43.84

-44.94%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$18.93 ALL 1,524

$67.4 ₺3,338

-71.93%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.73 ALL 301

$1.29 ₺64.1

189.15%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.82 ALL 308

$0.92 ₺45.70

315.22%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.97 ALL 1,447

$10.96 ₺542

63.96%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.25 ALL 182

$1.47 ₺72.9

53.06%

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

$33.2K ALL 2.7M

$50.8K ₺2.5M

-34.59%

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

$24.8K ALL 2.0M

$44.5K ₺2.2M

-44.41%

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

$60.0 ALL 4,833

$88.6 ₺4,387

-32.26%

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

$16.37 ALL 1,318

$11.59 ₺574

41.24%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.98 ALL 1,367

$15.81 ₺783

7.40%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.3 ALL 4,456

$77.2 ₺3,820

-28.28%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.74 ₺1,126

Cinema Ticket

$8.77 ALL 706

$8.14 ₺403

7.74%

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

$180 ALL 14.5K

$1,008 ₺49.9K

-82.18%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.6K ₺1.3M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.81 ALL 4,011

$54.0 ₺2,671

-7.67%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.5 ALL 4,468

$40.83 ₺2,021

35.90%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.3 ALL 7,752

$98.9 ₺4,895

-2.64%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$146 ALL 11.8K

$96.6 ₺4,783

51.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ALL 38.9K

$985 ₺48.7K

-51.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$308 ALL 24.8K

$650 ₺32.2K

-52.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$709 ALL 57.1K

$1,983 ₺98.2K

-64.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$429 ALL 34.6K

$1,180 ₺58.4K

-63.61%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,694 ALL 136.4K

$3,138 ₺155.4K

-46.02%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,133 ALL 91.2K

$1,780 ₺88.1K

-36.37%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$609 ALL 49.1K

$1,205 ₺59.7K

-49.44%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.92

-87.78%

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

Last update for Lezhe: 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

Lezhe

$308 30.5%

Istanbul

$650 41.9% 111% $341

Groceries & Markets

Lezhe

$249 24.6%

Istanbul

$260 16.8% 4.4% $11

Clothing & Footwear

Lezhe

$156 15.5%

Istanbul

$131 8.4% 16.5% $26

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lezhe

$93 9.2%

Istanbul

$116 7.5% 24.3% $23

Eating Out

Lezhe

$87 8.6%

Istanbul

$223 14.4% 156% $136

Sport & Entertainment

Lezhe

$73 7.2%

Istanbul

$93 6% 28.2% $21

Getting Around

Lezhe

$44 4.3%

Istanbul

$77 5% 75.8% $33

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Lezhe 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 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 $37.00 in Lezhe versus $55.0 in Istanbul. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $249 vs $260 – making Lezhe the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇱 Lezhe

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

10:17 10:17 AM

11:17 11:17 AM

1 h ahead of Lezhe

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

65,633

15,701,602

💱 Currency

Albanian Lek ALL L

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

📈 Exchange rate

100 ALL = 1.24 USD

100 ALL = 1.1 EUR

100 TRY = 2.02 USD

100 TRY = 1.8 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TRY, USD, EUR to ALL – Albanian Lek Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇱 Albanian Lek (L)

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).

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).

USD to ALL in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Lezhe Istanbul 780 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Lezhe
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

Lezhe vs Istanbul: 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 $1,516 per month in Lezhe 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 Lezhe, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $180 per month in Lezhe 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 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.