Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Arlon and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in Istanbul: $1,550 a month against $2,039 in Arlon, rent and utilities included – about $5,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

99

Cost of Living Index in Arlon
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Arlon Living Index
75

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index

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Arlon

🇧🇪 Belgium

$2,039

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,039 per month in Arlon vs $1,550 in Istanbul, rent included.

Arlon $2,039
Istanbul $1,550

A couple spends around $3,127 per month in Arlon vs $2,415 in Istanbul, rent included.

Arlon $3,127
Istanbul $2,415

A family of three spends $4,215 per month in Arlon vs $3,281 in Istanbul, rent included.

Arlon $4,215
Istanbul $3,281

Arlon costs about 32% more than Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both Arlon and Istanbul sit above the global median – Arlon by 51%, Istanbul by 15%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.62 €14.79

$12.30 ₺609

35.12%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$90.7 €80.7

$54.7 ₺2,708

65.76%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.24 €9.99

$9.22 ₺456

21.91%

Cappuccino

$2.73 €2.42

$4.40 ₺218

-37.95%

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

$2.68 €2.39

$1.68 ₺83.1

59.52%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.63 €2.34

$0.59 ₺29.40

345.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.44 €3.06

$4.70 ₺233

-26.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.51 €4.02

$5.91 ₺292

-23.69%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.19 €1.06

$1.21 ₺60.0

-1.65%

White Bread (500g)

$1.52 €1.35

$0.89 ₺44.10

70.79%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.36 €2.10

$2.19 ₺108

7.76%

Eggs

$3.74 €3.33

$2.35 ₺116

59.15%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.70 €13.07

$10.42 ₺516

41.07%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.59 €10.31

$5.65 ₺280

105.13%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.78 €13.15

$20.94 ₺1,037

-29.42%

Apples (1kg)

$3.01 €2.67

$1.90 ₺94.1

58.42%

Banana (1kg)

$1.08 €0.96

$2.31 ₺114

-53.25%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.24 €1.99

$1.28 ₺63.1

75.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.01 €2.68

$1.80 ₺89.0

67.22%

Potato (1kg)

$1.63 €1.45

$0.65 ₺32.16

150.77%

Onion (1kg)

$2.05 €1.83

$0.64 ₺31.91

220.31%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 €1.58

$1.25 ₺62.1

42.40%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.10 €0.97

$0.56 ₺27.58

96.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.16 €8.15

$2.37 ₺118

286.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.84 €6.98

$13.42 ₺664

-41.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.96 €1.74

$2.40 ₺119

-18.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.10 €0.98

$3.48 ₺172

-68.39%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.25 €2.00

$0.89 ₺43.84

152.81%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.97 €36.44

$67.4 ₺3,338

-39.24%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.97 €3.53

$1.29 ₺64.1

207.75%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.66 €2.36

$0.92 ₺45.70

189.13%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.65 €14.81

$10.96 ₺542

51.92%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.92 €1.71

$1.47 ₺72.9

30.61%

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

$34.9K €31.0K

$50.8K ₺2.5M

-31.37%

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

$33.8K €30.0K

$44.5K ₺2.2M

-24.18%

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

$266 €237

$88.6 ₺4,387

200.56%

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

$24.65 €21.93

$11.59 ₺574

112.68%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.2 €45.51

$15.81 ₺783

223.66%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.2 ₺3,820

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.08 €21.42

$22.74 ₺1,126

5.89%

Cinema Ticket

$8.73 €7.76

$8.14 ₺403

7.25%

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

$851 €757

$1,008 ₺49.9K

-15.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.6K ₺1.3M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.2 €74.9

$54.0 ₺2,671

56.00%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.9 €45.27

$40.83 ₺2,021

24.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$50.9 €45.30

$98.9 ₺4,895

-48.49%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 €100

$96.6 ₺4,783

16.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$896 €797

$985 ₺48.7K

-9.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$930 €827

$650 ₺32.2K

43.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,694 €1,506

$1,983 ₺98.2K

-14.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,698 €1,510

$1,180 ₺58.4K

43.88%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,263 €3,792

$3,138 ₺155.4K

35.84%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,961 €3,523

$1,780 ₺88.1K

122.53%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,890 €2,570

$1,205 ₺59.7K

139.72%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.65

40.92

-91.08%

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

Last update for Arlon: October 11, 2026

Last update for Istanbul: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Arlon

$930 45.6%

Istanbul

$650 41.9% 30.2% $281

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Arlon

$342 16.8%

Istanbul

$116 7.5% 66.1% $226

Groceries & Markets

Arlon

$300 14.7%

Istanbul

$260 16.8% 13.5% $41

Eating Out

Arlon

$247 12.1%

Istanbul

$223 14.4% 9.6% $24

Clothing & Footwear

Arlon

$134 6.6%

Istanbul

$131 8.4% 2.9% $3.9

Getting Around

Arlon

$67 3.3%

Istanbul

$77 5% 14.4% $9.6

Sport & Entertainment

Arlon

$17 * 0.9%

Istanbul

$93 6% 436% $76

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $896 in Arlon versus $985 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 140% higher in Arlon, 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 Arlon versus $55.0 in Istanbul. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $300 vs $260 – making Istanbul the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇪 Arlon

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

13:46 1:46 PM

14:46 2:46 PM

1 h ahead of Arlon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

28,759

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

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Between locations

Arlon Istanbul 2,040 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Arlon
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

Arlon vs Istanbul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Arlon costs about 32% more than Istanbul, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from leisure. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,058 per month in Arlon and $2,325 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.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,039 in Arlon and $1,550 in Istanbul. That's a gap of about 32%.

Public transport costs about 65% less in Istanbul. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Istanbul, where all-in costs run around $1,550, than in Arlon at $2,039. In Istanbul it covers expenses comfortably, while in Arlon it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Istanbul costs $1,550 versus $2,039 in Arlon. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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, Arlon makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.