Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Aachen and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in Istanbul: $1,526 a month against $1,931 in Aachen, rent and utilities included – about $4,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

95

Cost of Living Index in Aachen
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Aachen Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index

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Aachen

🇩🇪 Germany

$1,931

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,526

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,931 per month in Aachen vs $1,526 in Istanbul, rent included.

Aachen $1,931
Istanbul $1,526

A couple spends around $2,903 per month in Aachen vs $2,399 in Istanbul, rent included.

Aachen $2,903
Istanbul $2,399

A family of three spends $3,876 per month in Aachen vs $3,272 in Istanbul, rent included.

Aachen $3,876
Istanbul $3,272

Aachen costs about 26% more than Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Aachen and Istanbul sit above the global median – Aachen by 44%, Istanbul by 14%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.98 €14.26

$11.88 ₺585

34.51%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.6 €54.1

$55.1 ₺2,714

9.93%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.44 €10.21

$9.14 ₺450

25.16%

Cappuccino

$3.83 €3.42

$4.24 ₺209

-9.67%

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

$2.73 €2.44

$1.75 ₺86.0

56.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.97 €2.65

$0.54 ₺26.83

450.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.04 €4.50

$4.69 ₺231

7.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.78 €5.16

$5.97 ₺294

-3.18%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.22 €1.08

$1.26 ₺62.1

-3.17%

White Bread (500g)

$1.88 €1.68

$0.95 ₺46.81

97.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.56 €3.18

$2.31 ₺114

54.11%

Eggs

$3.46 €3.09

$2.47 ₺122

40.08%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.38 €12.84

$10.55 ₺520

36.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.45 €10.22

$5.60 ₺276

104.46%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.27 €18.98

$21.21 ₺1,045

0.28%

Apples (1kg)

$3.39 €3.02

$1.93 ₺95.1

75.65%

Banana (1kg)

$2.32 €2.07

$2.29 ₺113

1.31%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.15 €1.92

$1.28 ₺63.1

67.97%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.34 €2.98

$1.84 ₺90.8

81.52%

Potato (1kg)

$1.49 €1.33

$0.67 ₺32.86

122.39%

Onion (1kg)

$1.51 €1.34

$0.59 ₺29.31

155.93%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.42 €1.26

$1.33 ₺65.4

6.77%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 €1.07

$0.59 ₺29.10

103.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.94 €8.87

$2.36 ₺116

321.19%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.76 €6.03

$13.47 ₺664

-49.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.17 €1.05

$2.42 ₺119

-51.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.66 €1.48

$3.54 ₺174

-53.11%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.87 €3.45

$0.83 ₺40.64

366.27%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$69.8 €62.3

$66.5 ₺3,273

5.09%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.34 €4.77

$1.35 ₺66.6

295.56%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.63 €2.35

$0.85 ₺42.05

209.41%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$36.76 €32.80

$10.86 ₺535

238.49%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.29 €2.05

$1.47 ₺72.3

55.78%

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

$33.3K €29.7K

$51.6K ₺2.5M

-35.48%

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

$39.1K €34.9K

$44.4K ₺2.2M

-12.07%

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

$375 €335

$89.2 ₺4,395

320.79%

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

$17.00 €15.17

$11.60 ₺572

46.55%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$47.36 €42.26

$16.10 ₺793

194.16%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.39 €33.37

$77.3 ₺3,805

-51.60%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.99 €24.98

$22.66 ₺1,116

23.52%

Cinema Ticket

$15.48 €13.81

$8.34 ₺411

85.61%

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

$745 €664

$974 ₺48.0K

-23.55%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.6K €17.5K

$25.8K ₺1.3M

-24.08%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$92.1 €82.2

$52.7 ₺2,597

74.75%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.91 €37.40

$39.16 ₺1,929

7.02%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$82.9 €74.0

$103 ₺5,083

-19.67%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$132 €118

$96.6 ₺4,759

37.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$837 €747

$994 ₺49.0K

-15.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$570 €508

$629 ₺31.0K

-9.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,505 €1,343

$2,024 ₺99.7K

-25.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,037 €925

$1,155 ₺56.9K

-10.21%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,432 €3,955

$3,160 ₺155.7K

40.25%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,464 €3,091

$1,838 ₺90.5K

88.51%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,614 €3,225

$1,203 ₺59.3K

200.33%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.96

41.09

-90.36%

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

Last update for Aachen: October 3, 2026

Last update for Istanbul: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Aachen

$570 29.4%

Istanbul

$629 41.2% 10.5% $60

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Aachen

$440 22.7%

Istanbul

$117 7.7% 73.4% $323

Groceries & Markets

Aachen

$330 17%

Istanbul

$264 17.3% 19.9% $66

Eating Out

Aachen

$268 13.8%

Istanbul

$218 14.3% 18.6% $50

Clothing & Footwear

Aachen

$157 8.1%

Istanbul

$131 8.6% 16.5% $26

Getting Around

Aachen

$104 5.4%

Istanbul

$75 4.9% 27.4% $28

Sport & Entertainment

Aachen

$68 3.5%

Istanbul

$94 6.1% 37.4% $26

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $837 in Aachen versus $994 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 200% higher in Aachen, 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 $61.0 in Aachen versus $55.0 in Istanbul. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $330 vs $264 – making Istanbul the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇩🇪 Aachen

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

10:16 10:16 AM

11:16 11:16 AM

1 h ahead of Aachen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

241,683

15,701,602

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 TRY = 2.03 USD

100 TRY = 1.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TRY, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 49.26 TRY (100 TRY = 2.03 USD). 1 EUR = 55.25 TRY (100 TRY = 1.81 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

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Aachen Istanbul 2,070 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Aachen
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

Aachen vs Istanbul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,931 in Aachen, $1,526 in Istanbul – roughly 26% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,896 per month in Aachen and $2,289 in Istanbul. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Istanbul, 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 $61.0 in Aachen and $55.0 in Istanbul. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,931 in Aachen and $1,526 in Istanbul. That's a gap of about 26%.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Istanbul, where all-in costs run around $1,526, than in Aachen at $1,931. In Istanbul it covers expenses comfortably, while in Aachen 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 $1,526 in Istanbul to $1,931 in Aachen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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 Istanbul. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Aachen makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.