Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Arnhem and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in Istanbul: $1,526 a month against $2,578 in Arnhem, rent and utilities included – about $12,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

125

Cost of Living Index in Arnhem
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Arnhem Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index

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Arnhem

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$2,578

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,526

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,578 in Arnhem versus $1,526 in Istanbul.

Arnhem $2,578
Istanbul $1,526

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,771 in Arnhem versus $2,399 in Istanbul.

Arnhem $3,771
Istanbul $2,399

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,963 in Arnhem versus $3,272 in Istanbul.

Arnhem $4,963
Istanbul $3,272

Living in Arnhem is roughly 69% more expensive than in Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Arnhem 92% above, Istanbul 14% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.70 €20.26

$11.88 ₺585

91.08%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$87.4 €78.0

$55.1 ₺2,714

58.70%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.44 €11.99

$9.14 ₺450

47.05%

Cappuccino

$4.16 €3.71

$4.24 ₺209

-1.89%

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

$3.29 €2.93

$1.75 ₺86.0

88.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 €2.54

$0.54 ₺26.83

427.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.65 €5.04

$4.69 ₺231

20.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.74 €5.12

$5.97 ₺294

-3.85%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.43 €1.27

$1.26 ₺62.1

13.49%

White Bread (500g)

$2.07 €1.85

$0.95 ₺46.81

117.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.33 €2.08

$2.31 ₺114

0.87%

Eggs

$5.39 €4.81

$2.47 ₺122

118.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.96 €11.57

$10.55 ₺520

22.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.57 €13.01

$5.60 ₺276

160.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.70 €14.01

$21.21 ₺1,045

-25.98%

Apples (1kg)

$2.74 €2.44

$1.93 ₺95.1

41.97%

Banana (1kg)

$2.51 €2.24

$2.29 ₺113

9.61%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.83 €1.64

$1.28 ₺63.1

42.97%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.56 €4.96

$1.84 ₺90.8

202.17%

Potato (1kg)

$1.89 €1.68

$0.67 ₺32.86

182.09%

Onion (1kg)

$2.36 €2.11

$0.59 ₺29.31

300.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.28 €1.14

$1.33 ₺65.4

-3.76%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.64

$0.59 ₺29.10

22.03%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.29 €12.75

$2.36 ₺116

505.51%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.01 €6.26

$13.47 ₺664

-47.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.45 €1.30

$2.42 ₺119

-40.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.65 €2.37

$3.54 ₺174

-25.14%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.50 €4.02

$0.83 ₺40.64

442.17%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$110 €98.5

$66.5 ₺3,273

66.14%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.05 €3.62

$1.35 ₺66.6

200.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.38 €2.12

$0.85 ₺42.05

180.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.37 €29.78

$10.86 ₺535

207.27%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.49 €2.22

$1.47 ₺72.3

69.39%

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

$40.7K €36.3K

$51.6K ₺2.5M

-21.13%

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

$38.8K €34.7K

$44.4K ₺2.2M

-12.62%

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

$283 €253

$89.2 ₺4,395

217.51%

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

$23.28 €20.78

$11.60 ₺572

100.69%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.42 €37.86

$16.10 ₺793

163.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.76 €37.27

$77.3 ₺3,805

-45.94%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.05 €9.86

$22.66 ₺1,116

-51.24%

Cinema Ticket

$14.48 €12.92

$8.34 ₺411

73.62%

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

$1,233 €1,100

$974 ₺48.0K

26.61%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,877 €5,245

$25.8K ₺1.3M

-77.20%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$97.6 €87.1

$52.7 ₺2,597

85.09%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.21 €26.06

$39.16 ₺1,929

-25.41%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.7

$103 ₺5,083

1.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$154 €138

$96.6 ₺4,759

59.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 €1,277

$994 ₺49.0K

43.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,181 €1,054

$629 ₺31.0K

87.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,217 €1,979

$2,024 ₺99.7K

9.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,793 €1,600

$1,155 ₺56.9K

55.23%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,196 €4,637

$3,160 ₺155.7K

64.43%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,230 €3,775

$1,838 ₺90.5K

130.19%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,648 €3,255

$1,203 ₺59.3K

203.11%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.95

41.09

-90.39%

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

Last update for Arnhem: 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

Arnhem

$1.2K 45.5%

Istanbul

$629 41.2% 46.7% $551

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Arnhem

$349 13.5%

Istanbul

$117 7.7% 66.5% $232

Groceries & Markets

Arnhem

$339 13.1%

Istanbul

$264 17.3% 22.2% $75

Eating Out

Arnhem

$336 13%

Istanbul

$218 14.3% 35.2% $118

Clothing & Footwear

Arnhem

$174 6.7%

Istanbul

$131 8.6% 24.5% $43

Getting Around

Arnhem

$144 5.6%

Istanbul

$75 4.9% 47.8% $69

Sport & Entertainment

Arnhem

$71 2.7%

Istanbul

$94 6.1% 32.8% $23

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,431 in Arnhem and $994 in Istanbul. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Arnhem pays 203% 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: $87.0 in Arnhem vs $55.0 in Istanbul for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $339 vs $264 per month, with Istanbul cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇳🇱 Arnhem

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

08:09 8:09 AM

09:09 9:09 AM

1 h ahead of Arnhem

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

165,770

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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Between locations

Arnhem Istanbul 2,130 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Arnhem
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

Arnhem vs Istanbul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Arnhem and Istanbul differ by about 69% in total monthly costs ($2,578 vs $1,526 including rent). Istanbul is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 203% higher in Arnhem, 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: $1,431 in Arnhem versus $994 in Istanbul. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 29% higher in Arnhem. 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 $87.0 in Arnhem. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,526 in Istanbul versus $2,578 in Arnhem, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Istanbul but tight or insufficient in Arnhem. The gap between the two cities makes Istanbul the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Arnhem 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 69% less than in Arnhem. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.