Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Aalen and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in Istanbul: $1,525 a month against $1,890 in Aalen, rent and utilities included – about $4,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

91

Cost of Living Index in Aalen
Learn more

Aalen Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index

Jump to prices

Aalen

🇩🇪 Germany

$1,890

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,525

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,890 in Aalen versus $1,525 in Istanbul.

Aalen $1,890
Istanbul $1,525

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,985 in Aalen versus $2,390 in Istanbul.

Aalen $2,985
Istanbul $2,390

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,080 in Aalen versus $3,256 in Istanbul.

Aalen $4,080
Istanbul $3,256

Living in Aalen is roughly 24% more expensive than in Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Aalen 39% above, Istanbul 13% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.02 €15.14

$11.96 ₺592

42.31%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.1

$57.2 ₺2,834

18.02%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.57 €11.18

$9.51 ₺471

32.18%

Cappuccino

$3.55 €3.16

$4.40 ₺218

-19.32%

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

$2.79 €2.48

$1.75 ₺86.6

59.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.43 €2.16

$0.56 ₺27.57

333.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.42 €3.93

$4.71 ₺233

-6.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 €3.98

$6.14 ₺304

-27.20%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.26 €1.12

$1.24 ₺61.6

1.61%

White Bread (500g)

$1.98 €1.76

$0.95 ₺47.25

108.42%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.81 €2.50

$2.28 ₺113

23.25%

Eggs

$2.89 €2.57

$2.45 ₺121

17.96%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.01 €12.46

$10.56 ₺523

32.67%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.28 €9.14

$5.50 ₺272

86.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.30 €14.50

$21.65 ₺1,072

-24.71%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 €2.72

$1.83 ₺90.6

66.67%

Banana (1kg)

$2.00 €1.78

$2.29 ₺113

-12.66%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.13 €1.89

$1.28 ₺63.4

66.41%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.28 €3.81

$1.82 ₺90.1

135.16%

Potato (1kg)

$1.20 €1.07

$0.66 ₺32.74

81.82%

Onion (1kg)

$1.31 €1.17

$0.63 ₺31.14

107.94%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.54 €1.37

$1.27 ₺62.8

21.26%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.54 €0.48

$0.56 ₺27.62

-3.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.03 €8.04

$2.36 ₺117

282.63%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.71 €5.08

$12.98 ₺642

-56.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.80 €0.71

$2.48 ₺123

-67.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.64 €1.46

$3.50 ₺174

-53.14%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.74 €2.44

$0.82 ₺40.77

234.15%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.5 €60.0

$65.2 ₺3,228

3.48%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.98 €3.54

$1.33 ₺65.7

199.25%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.23 €1.98

$0.90 ₺44.60

147.78%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.02 €24.92

$10.91 ₺540

156.83%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.03 €1.81

$1.43 ₺70.7

41.96%

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

$32.9K €29.3K

$49.6K ₺2.5M

-33.64%

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

$38.5K €34.3K

$43.2K ₺2.1M

-10.76%

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

$267 €238

$88.8 ₺4,395

200.83%

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

$16.18 €14.39

$11.69 ₺579

38.41%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$48.40 €43.05

$16.09 ₺797

200.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.79 €31.83

$76.3 ₺3,776

-53.07%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.51 €25.36

$22.72 ₺1,125

25.48%

Cinema Ticket

$16.10 €14.32

$8.26 ₺409

94.92%

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

$524 €466

$1,015 ₺50.2K

-48.36%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,506 €8,455

$25.8K ₺1.3M

-63.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$66.6 €59.2

$53.3 ₺2,636

25.07%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.4 €47.46

$40.55 ₺2,008

31.57%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.2 €70.4

$100 ₺4,956

-20.89%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.9 €79.1

$93.5 ₺4,630

-4.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$900 €800

$977 ₺48.4K

-7.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$707 €628

$627 ₺31.0K

12.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,651 €1,468

$1,980 ₺98.0K

-16.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,516 €1,349

$1,147 ₺56.8K

32.20%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,506 €4,898

$3,095 ₺153.2K

77.89%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,450 €3,958

$1,787 ₺88.5K

149.00%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,454 €3,073

$1,213 ₺60.1K

184.75%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.95

40.69

-90.29%

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

Last update for Aalen: October 18, 2026

Last update for Istanbul: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Aalen

$707 37.4%

Istanbul

$627 41.1% 11.3% $80

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Aalen

$332 17.6%

Istanbul

$117 7.6% 64.9% $215

Groceries & Markets

Aalen

$292 15.5%

Istanbul

$263 17.2% 10.2% $30

Eating Out

Aalen

$268 14.2%

Istanbul

$222 14.6% 17.3% $46

Clothing & Footwear

Aalen

$130 6.9%

Istanbul

$129 8.5% 0.2% $0.3

Getting Around

Aalen

$94 5%

Istanbul

$74 4.9% 20.6% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Aalen

$68 3.6%

Istanbul

$93 6.1% 36.5% $25

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $900 in Aalen and $977 in Istanbul. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Aalen pays 185% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $68.0 in Aalen vs $57.0 in Istanbul for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $292 vs $263 per month, with Istanbul cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇩🇪 Aalen

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

21:19 9:19 PM

22:19 10:19 PM

1 h ahead of Aalen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

66,503

15,701,602

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 TRY = 2.02 USD

100 TRY = 1.8 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Aalen Istanbul 1,720 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Aalen
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

Aalen vs Istanbul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Istanbul wins on cost – living expenses run 24% lower than in Aalen. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Istanbul the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 185% higher in Aalen, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $900 in Aalen versus $977 in Istanbul. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Istanbul – a meal for two runs $57.0 versus $68.0 in Aalen. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,890 per month in Aalen versus $1,525 in Istanbul – a 24% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,525 in Istanbul versus $1,890 in Aalen, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Istanbul but tight or insufficient in Aalen. The gap between the two cities makes Istanbul the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Istanbul delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,525 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Istanbul hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Aalen and Istanbul are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Istanbul gentler on the wallet – expenses run 24% less than in Aalen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.