Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Amsterdam and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in Istanbul: $1,526 a month against $3,504 in Amsterdam, rent and utilities included – about $23,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

169

Cost of Living Index in Amsterdam
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Amsterdam Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index

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Amsterdam

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$3,504

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,526

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,504 per month in Amsterdam vs $1,526 in Istanbul, rent included.

Amsterdam $3,504
Istanbul $1,526

A couple spends around $5,010 per month in Amsterdam vs $2,399 in Istanbul, rent included.

Amsterdam $5,010
Istanbul $2,399

A family of three spends $6,516 per month in Amsterdam vs $3,272 in Istanbul, rent included.

Amsterdam $6,516
Istanbul $3,272

Amsterdam costs about 130% more than Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Amsterdam and Istanbul sit above the global median – Amsterdam by 161%, Istanbul by 14%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.37 €19.96

$11.88 ₺585

88.30%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$91.0 €81.2

$55.1 ₺2,714

65.09%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.36 €13.71

$9.14 ₺450

68.05%

Cappuccino

$4.60 €4.11

$4.24 ₺209

8.49%

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

$3.74 €3.33

$1.75 ₺86.0

113.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.03 €2.70

$0.54 ₺26.83

461.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.41 €6.62

$4.69 ₺231

58.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.68 €5.07

$5.97 ₺294

-4.86%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.52 €1.36

$1.26 ₺62.1

20.63%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 €2.13

$0.95 ₺46.81

150.53%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.54 €2.26

$2.31 ₺114

9.96%

Eggs

$5.24 €4.68

$2.47 ₺122

112.15%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.95 €15.13

$10.55 ₺520

60.66%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.41 €11.97

$5.60 ₺276

139.46%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$23.00 €20.53

$21.21 ₺1,045

8.44%

Apples (1kg)

$2.75 €2.45

$1.93 ₺95.1

42.49%

Banana (1kg)

$2.83 €2.52

$2.29 ₺113

23.58%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.63 €2.35

$1.28 ₺63.1

105.47%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.87 €3.45

$1.84 ₺90.8

110.33%

Potato (1kg)

$2.39 €2.13

$0.67 ₺32.86

256.72%

Onion (1kg)

$1.71 €1.53

$0.59 ₺29.31

189.83%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.43 €1.28

$1.33 ₺65.4

7.52%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 €1.59

$0.59 ₺29.10

201.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.48 €12.92

$2.36 ₺116

513.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.21 €8.22

$13.47 ₺664

-31.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 €1.59

$2.42 ₺119

-26.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.53 €2.26

$3.54 ₺174

-28.53%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.72 €3.32

$0.83 ₺40.64

348.19%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$116 €104

$66.5 ₺3,273

74.93%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.70 €4.19

$1.35 ₺66.6

248.15%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.40 €3.04

$0.85 ₺42.05

300.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$38.74 €34.57

$10.86 ₺535

256.72%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.61 €2.33

$1.47 ₺72.3

77.55%

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

$41.7K €37.2K

$51.6K ₺2.5M

-19.28%

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

$38.2K €34.1K

$44.4K ₺2.2M

-14.15%

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

$298 €266

$89.2 ₺4,395

233.84%

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

$22.98 €20.51

$11.60 ₺572

98.10%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.0 €47.26

$16.10 ₺793

228.88%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$60.4 €53.9

$77.3 ₺3,805

-21.83%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.40 €31.59

$22.66 ₺1,116

56.22%

Cinema Ticket

$16.86 €15.05

$8.34 ₺411

102.16%

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

$2,764 €2,466

$974 ₺48.0K

183.77%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.1K €15.3K

$25.8K ₺1.3M

-33.66%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$93.3 €83.2

$52.7 ₺2,597

76.93%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.20 €36.77

$39.16 ₺1,929

5.21%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100 €89.3

$103 ₺5,083

-3.05%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$133 €119

$96.6 ₺4,759

37.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,605 €2,325

$994 ₺49.0K

162.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 €1,720

$629 ₺31.0K

206.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,903 €3,483

$2,024 ₺99.7K

92.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,115 €2,780

$1,155 ₺56.9K

169.75%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$10.3K €9,201

$3,160 ₺155.7K

226.26%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,540 €5,836

$1,838 ₺90.5K

255.89%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,524 €4,038

$1,203 ₺59.3K

275.94%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.27

41.09

-92.04%

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

Last update for Amsterdam: 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

Amsterdam

$1.9K 55.8%

Istanbul

$629 41.2% 67.3% $1.3K

Groceries & Markets

Amsterdam

$388 11.2%

Istanbul

$264 17.3% 31.9% $124

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Amsterdam

$374 10.8%

Istanbul

$117 7.7% 68.7% $257

Eating Out

Amsterdam

$356 10.3%

Istanbul

$218 14.3% 38.8% $138

Clothing & Footwear

Amsterdam

$165 4.8%

Istanbul

$131 8.6% 20.6% $34

Getting Around

Amsterdam

$153 4.4%

Istanbul

$75 4.9% 50.7% $77

Sport & Entertainment

Amsterdam

$94 2.7%

Istanbul

$94 6.1% 0.2% $0.2

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,605 in Amsterdam 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 276% higher in Amsterdam, 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 $91.0 in Amsterdam versus $55.0 in Istanbul. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $388 vs $264 – making Istanbul the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇳🇱 Amsterdam

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

08:35 8:35 AM

09:35 9:35 AM

1 h ahead of Amsterdam

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

881,933 Capital

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 →

On the map

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Between locations

Amsterdam Istanbul 2,210 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Amsterdam
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

Amsterdam vs Istanbul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Amsterdam is pricier by about 130%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $5,255 per month in Amsterdam 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.

Public transport costs about 75% less in Istanbul. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $2,764 per month in Amsterdam and $974 in Istanbul. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Istanbul, where all-in costs run around $1,526, than in Amsterdam at $3,504. In Istanbul it covers expenses comfortably, while in Amsterdam it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Istanbul – 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 Istanbul. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Amsterdam makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.