Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Pogradec and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in Pogradec: $816 a month against $1,525 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $8,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

40

Cost of Living Index in Pogradec
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Pogradec Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index

Jump to prices

Pogradec

🇦🇱 Albania

$816

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,525

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $816 per month in Pogradec vs $1,525 in Istanbul, rent included.

Pogradec $816
Istanbul $1,525

A couple spends around $1,350 per month in Pogradec vs $2,390 in Istanbul, rent included.

Pogradec $1,350
Istanbul $2,390

A family of three spends $1,884 per month in Pogradec vs $3,256 in Istanbul, rent included.

Pogradec $1,884
Istanbul $3,256

Pogradec is about 46% cheaper than Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Pogradec sits 40% below the global median, while Istanbul is 13% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.82 ALL 791

$11.96 ₺592

-17.89%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$39.52 ALL 3,183

$57.2 ₺2,834

-30.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.57 ALL 610

$9.51 ₺471

-20.40%

Cappuccino

$1.52 ALL 123

$4.40 ₺218

-65.45%

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

$1.78 ALL 143

$1.75 ₺86.6

1.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.65 ALL 52.0

$0.56 ₺27.57

16.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.52 ALL 122

$4.71 ₺233

-67.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 ALL 221

$6.14 ₺304

-55.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.98 ALL 160

$1.24 ₺61.6

59.68%

White Bread (500g)

$0.97 ALL 78.1

$0.95 ₺47.25

2.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.06 ALL 166

$2.28 ₺113

-9.65%

Eggs

$2.20 ALL 177

$2.45 ₺121

-10.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.00 ALL 644

$10.56 ₺523

-24.24%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.41 ALL 355

$5.50 ₺272

-19.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ALL 1,125

$21.65 ₺1,072

-35.47%

Apples (1kg)

$1.22 ALL 98.5

$1.83 ₺90.6

-33.33%

Banana (1kg)

$2.25 ALL 181

$2.29 ₺113

-1.75%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.52 ALL 123

$1.28 ₺63.4

18.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.26 ALL 102

$1.82 ₺90.1

-30.77%

Potato (1kg)

$0.94 ALL 75.8

$0.66 ₺32.74

42.42%

Onion (1kg)

$1.03 ALL 83.2

$0.63 ₺31.14

63.49%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.04 ALL 83.6

$1.27 ₺62.8

-18.11%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.78 ALL 62.8

$0.56 ₺27.62

39.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.25 ALL 343

$2.36 ₺117

80.08%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.98 ALL 643

$12.98 ₺642

-38.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.22 ALL 98.0

$2.48 ₺123

-50.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 ALL 151

$3.50 ₺174

-46.57%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.50 ALL 40.63

$0.82 ₺40.77

-39.02%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$18.68 ALL 1,504

$65.2 ₺3,228

-71.35%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.73 ALL 300

$1.33 ₺65.7

180.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.82 ALL 147

$0.90 ₺44.60

102.22%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$18.74 ALL 1,509

$10.91 ₺540

71.77%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.25 ALL 181

$1.43 ₺70.7

57.34%

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

$34.0K ALL 2.7M

$49.6K ₺2.5M

-31.37%

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

$24.5K ALL 2.0M

$43.2K ₺2.1M

-43.23%

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

$61.0 ALL 4,913

$88.8 ₺4,395

-31.27%

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

$16.58 ALL 1,335

$11.69 ₺579

41.83%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.22 ALL 1,387

$16.09 ₺797

7.02%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.88 ALL 2,889

$76.3 ₺3,776

-52.95%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.68 ALL 1,504

$22.72 ₺1,125

-17.78%

Cinema Ticket

$8.43 ALL 679

$8.26 ₺409

2.06%

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

$98.2 ALL 7,910

$1,015 ₺50.2K

-90.32%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.8K ₺1.3M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.70 ALL 4,002

$53.3 ₺2,636

-6.67%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.2 ALL 4,523

$40.55 ₺2,008

38.52%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.3 ALL 7,916

$100 ₺4,956

-1.80%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$150 ALL 12.1K

$93.5 ₺4,630

60.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$185 ALL 14.9K

$977 ₺48.4K

-81.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$123 ALL 9,902

$627 ₺31.0K

-80.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$370 ALL 29.8K

$1,980 ₺98.0K

-81.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$249 ALL 20.0K

$1,147 ₺56.8K

-78.32%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,597 ALL 128.6K

$3,095 ₺153.2K

-48.39%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,467 ALL 118.2K

$1,787 ₺88.5K

-17.88%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$476 ALL 38.4K

$1,213 ₺60.1K

-60.74%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.69

-87.71%

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

Last update for Pogradec: October 19, 2026

Last update for Istanbul: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Pogradec

$211 25.8%

Istanbul

$263 17.2% 24.6% $52

Clothing & Footwear

Pogradec

$159 19.5%

Istanbul

$129 8.5% 18.8% $30

Eating Out

Pogradec

$142 17.4%

Istanbul

$222 14.6% 56.1% $80

Accommodation & Living

Pogradec

$123 15.1%

Istanbul

$627 41.1% 410% $504

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Pogradec

$95 11.6%

Istanbul

$117 7.6% 22.9% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Pogradec

$53 6.5%

Istanbul

$93 6.1% 75.9% $40

Getting Around

Pogradec

$34 4.1%

Istanbul

$74 4.9% 122% $41

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $185 in Pogradec 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 155% 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 $40.00 in Pogradec versus $57.0 in Istanbul. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $211 vs $263 – making Pogradec the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇱 Pogradec

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

02:13 2:13 AM

03:13 3:13 AM

1 h ahead of Pogradec

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

20,848

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 21, 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 21, 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

Pogradec Istanbul 700 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Pogradec
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

Pogradec vs Istanbul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 87%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,225 per month in Pogradec 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 Pogradec, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $98.2 per month in Pogradec and $1,015 in Istanbul. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 25% 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 $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Pogradec, where all-in costs run around $816, than in Istanbul at $1,525. In Pogradec it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Pogradec – 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 Pogradec. 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.