Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lushnje and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in Lushnje: $1,195 a month against $1,550 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $4,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Lushnje
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Lushnje Living Index
75

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index

Jump to prices

Lushnje

🇦🇱 Albania

$1,195

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,195 per month in Lushnje vs $1,550 in Istanbul, rent included.

Lushnje $1,195
Istanbul $1,550

A couple spends around $1,844 per month in Lushnje vs $2,415 in Istanbul, rent included.

Lushnje $1,844
Istanbul $2,415

A family of three spends $2,493 per month in Lushnje vs $3,281 in Istanbul, rent included.

Lushnje $2,493
Istanbul $3,281

Lushnje is about 23% cheaper than Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Lushnje sits 11% below the global median, while Istanbul is 15% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.05 ALL 809

$12.30 ₺609

-18.29%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.4 ALL 4,383

$54.7 ₺2,708

-0.51%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.90 ALL 878

$9.22 ₺456

18.22%

Cappuccino

$2.23 ALL 180

$4.40 ₺218

-49.32%

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

$2.40 ALL 193

$1.68 ₺83.1

42.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.23 ALL 99.4

$0.59 ₺29.40

108.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.51 ALL 283

$4.70 ₺233

-25.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.08 ALL 328

$5.91 ₺292

-30.96%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.20 ALL 177

$1.21 ₺60.0

81.82%

White Bread (500g)

$1.13 ALL 91.3

$0.89 ₺44.10

26.97%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.34 ALL 189

$2.19 ₺108

6.85%

Eggs

$3.80 ALL 306

$2.35 ₺116

61.70%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.52 ALL 1,009

$10.42 ₺516

20.15%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.00 ALL 725

$5.65 ₺280

59.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.76 ALL 1,350

$20.94 ₺1,037

-19.96%

Apples (1kg)

$1.94 ALL 156

$1.90 ₺94.1

2.11%

Banana (1kg)

$2.42 ALL 195

$2.31 ₺114

4.76%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.21 ALL 178

$1.28 ₺63.1

72.66%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.88 ALL 151

$1.80 ₺89.0

4.44%

Potato (1kg)

$1.02 ALL 81.8

$0.65 ₺32.16

56.92%

Onion (1kg)

$1.29 ALL 104

$0.64 ₺31.91

101.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.43 ALL 115

$1.25 ₺62.1

14.40%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 ALL 62.3

$0.56 ₺27.58

37.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.74 ALL 382

$2.37 ₺118

100.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.50 ALL 846

$13.42 ₺664

-21.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.55 ALL 125

$2.40 ₺119

-35.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.09 ALL 169

$3.48 ₺172

-39.94%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 ALL 40.97

$0.89 ₺43.84

-42.70%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$17.48 ALL 1,408

$67.4 ₺3,338

-74.08%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.63 ALL 292

$1.29 ₺64.1

181.40%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.69 ALL 297

$0.92 ₺45.70

301.09%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$18.04 ALL 1,452

$10.96 ₺542

64.60%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.31 ALL 186

$1.47 ₺72.9

57.14%

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

$33.7K ALL 2.7M

$50.8K ₺2.5M

-33.57%

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

$35.5K ALL 2.9M

$44.5K ₺2.2M

-20.24%

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

$98.5 ALL 7,929

$88.6 ₺4,387

11.12%

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

$18.19 ALL 1,465

$11.59 ₺574

56.95%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.49 ALL 1,570

$15.81 ₺783

23.28%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.0 ALL 4,674

$77.2 ₺3,820

-24.78%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.74 ₺1,126

Cinema Ticket

$10.02 ALL 807

$8.14 ₺403

23.10%

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

$347 ALL 27.9K

$1,008 ₺49.9K

-65.62%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,195 ALL 659.9K

$25.6K ₺1.3M

-67.94%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.07 ALL 3,952

$54.0 ₺2,671

-9.05%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.39 ALL 3,817

$40.83 ₺2,021

16.07%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$116 ALL 9,341

$98.9 ₺4,895

17.30%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 ALL 9,065

$96.6 ₺4,783

16.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$475 ALL 38.2K

$985 ₺48.7K

-51.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$326 ALL 26.3K

$650 ₺32.2K

-49.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$706 ALL 56.9K

$1,983 ₺98.2K

-64.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$473 ALL 38.1K

$1,180 ₺58.4K

-59.91%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,643 ALL 132.3K

$3,138 ₺155.4K

-47.64%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,053 ALL 84.8K

$1,780 ₺88.1K

-40.83%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$611 ALL 49.2K

$1,205 ₺59.7K

-49.32%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.39

40.92

-86.83%

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

Last update for Lushnje: October 13, 2026

Last update for Istanbul: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lushnje

$326 27.3%

Istanbul

$650 41.9% 99.1% $323

Groceries & Markets

Lushnje

$287 24%

Istanbul

$260 16.8% 9.5% $27

Eating Out

Lushnje

$180 15.1%

Istanbul

$223 14.4% 24% $43

Clothing & Footwear

Lushnje

$146 12.2%

Istanbul

$131 8.4% 10.7% $16

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lushnje

$136 11.4%

Istanbul

$116 7.5% 14.8% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Lushnje

$78 6.5%

Istanbul

$93 6% 19.7% $15

Getting Around

Lushnje

$42 3.5%

Istanbul

$77 5% 84.9% $35

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $475 in Lushnje 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 97% 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 $54.0 in Lushnje versus $55.0 in Istanbul. Groceries tell a different story – $287 in Lushnje vs $260 in Istanbul – so Istanbul wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇦🇱 Lushnje

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

11:57 11:57 AM

12:57 12:57 PM

1 h ahead of Lushnje

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

31,105

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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Highest

Between locations

Lushnje Istanbul 780 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Lushnje
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

Lushnje vs Istanbul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 30%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,793 per month in Lushnje 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 Lushnje, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $347 per month in Lushnje and $1,008 in Istanbul. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 10% cheaper in Istanbul – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Lushnje, where all-in costs run around $1,195, than in Istanbul at $1,550. In Lushnje it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Lushnje – 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 Lushnje. 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.