Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Aarschot and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in Istanbul: $1,550 a month against $2,043 in Aarschot, rent and utilities included – about $5,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

100

Cost of Living Index in Aarschot
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Aarschot Living Index
75

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index

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Aarschot

🇧🇪 Belgium

$2,043

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,043 in Aarschot versus $1,550 in Istanbul.

Aarschot $2,043
Istanbul $1,550

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,981 in Aarschot versus $2,415 in Istanbul.

Aarschot $2,981
Istanbul $2,415

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,919 in Aarschot versus $3,281 in Istanbul.

Aarschot $3,919
Istanbul $3,281

Living in Aarschot is roughly 32% more expensive than in Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Aarschot 51% above, Istanbul 15% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.81 €15.84

$12.30 ₺609

44.80%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$77.2 €68.6

$54.7 ₺2,708

41.06%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.96 €9.75

$9.22 ₺456

18.87%

Cappuccino

$3.68 €3.27

$4.40 ₺218

-16.36%

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

$2.97 €2.65

$1.68 ₺83.1

76.79%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.62 €2.33

$0.59 ₺29.40

344.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.18 €4.61

$4.70 ₺233

10.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.42 €3.93

$5.91 ₺292

-25.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.24 €1.10

$1.21 ₺60.0

2.48%

White Bread (500g)

$2.80 €2.49

$0.89 ₺44.10

214.61%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.02 €1.79

$2.19 ₺108

-7.76%

Eggs

$3.73 €3.32

$2.35 ₺116

58.72%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.33 €10.08

$10.42 ₺516

8.73%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.70 €10.41

$5.65 ₺280

107.08%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.96 €13.31

$20.94 ₺1,037

-28.56%

Apples (1kg)

$2.70 €2.41

$1.90 ₺94.1

42.11%

Banana (1kg)

$2.23 €1.98

$2.31 ₺114

-3.46%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.16 €1.92

$1.28 ₺63.1

68.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.20 €1.95

$1.80 ₺89.0

22.22%

Potato (1kg)

$2.20 €1.96

$0.65 ₺32.16

238.46%

Onion (1kg)

$1.75 €1.56

$0.64 ₺31.91

173.44%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.50 €1.34

$1.25 ₺62.1

20.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.90 €0.80

$0.56 ₺27.58

60.71%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.28 €8.26

$2.37 ₺118

291.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.24 €6.44

$13.42 ₺664

-46.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.03 €1.80

$2.40 ₺119

-15.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.77 €1.58

$3.48 ₺172

-49.14%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.13 €2.79

$0.89 ₺43.84

251.69%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$133 €118

$67.4 ₺3,338

97.09%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.98 €4.43

$1.29 ₺64.1

286.05%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.49 €2.21

$0.92 ₺45.70

170.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.79 €14.93

$10.96 ₺542

53.19%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.97 €1.75

$1.47 ₺72.9

34.01%

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

$35.9K €31.9K

$50.8K ₺2.5M

-29.29%

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

$34.1K €30.3K

$44.5K ₺2.2M

-23.46%

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

$210 €186

$88.6 ₺4,387

136.43%

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

$18.26 €16.24

$11.59 ₺574

57.55%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.8 €47.82

$15.81 ₺783

240.04%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.30 €32.29

$77.2 ₺3,820

-52.95%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.78 €15.81

$22.74 ₺1,126

-21.81%

Cinema Ticket

$14.46 €12.86

$8.14 ₺403

77.64%

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

$701 €624

$1,008 ₺49.9K

-30.43%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.9K €14.1K

$25.6K ₺1.3M

-37.91%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.4 €76.9

$54.0 ₺2,671

60.13%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.84 €22.98

$40.83 ₺2,021

-36.71%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$88.0 €78.3

$98.9 ₺4,895

-10.96%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 €116

$96.6 ₺4,783

35.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$920 €818

$985 ₺48.7K

-6.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$806 €717

$650 ₺32.2K

23.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,371 €1,219

$1,983 ₺98.2K

-30.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,158 €1,030

$1,180 ₺58.4K

-1.89%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,530 €3,140

$3,138 ₺155.4K

12.49%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,807 €2,497

$1,780 ₺88.1K

57.73%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,157 €2,808

$1,205 ₺59.7K

161.91%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.52

40.92

-91.40%

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

Last update for Aarschot: 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

Aarschot

$806 39.4%

Istanbul

$650 41.9% 19.4% $156

Groceries & Markets

Aarschot

$302 14.8%

Istanbul

$260 16.8% 14.1% $43

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Aarschot

$282 13.8%

Istanbul

$116 7.5% 58.8% $165

Eating Out

Aarschot

$277 13.5%

Istanbul

$223 14.4% 19.3% $53

Getting Around

Aarschot

$163 8%

Istanbul

$77 5% 52.8% $86

Clothing & Footwear

Aarschot

$149 7.3%

Istanbul

$131 8.4% 12.3% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Aarschot

$65 3.2%

Istanbul

$93 6% 43.3% $28

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $920 in Aarschot and $985 in Istanbul. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Aarschot pays 162% 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: $77.0 in Aarschot vs $55.0 in Istanbul for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $302 vs $260 per month, with Istanbul cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇪 Aarschot

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

00:03 12:03 AM

01:03 1:03 AM

1 h ahead of Aarschot

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

27,656

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

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Between locations

Aarschot Istanbul 2,160 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Aarschot
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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

Aarschot vs Istanbul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Istanbul is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and transport. The 32% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 162% higher in Aarschot, 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: $920 in Aarschot versus $985 in Istanbul. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 16% higher in Aarschot. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Istanbul – a meal for two runs $55.0 versus $77.0 in Aarschot. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,550 in Istanbul versus $2,043 in Aarschot, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Istanbul but tight or insufficient in Aarschot. The gap between the two cities makes Istanbul the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Istanbul is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Aarschot, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Aarschot 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 32% less than in Aarschot. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.