Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Belgium and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in Istanbul: $1,526 a month against $2,224 in Belgium, rent and utilities included – about $8,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

🇧🇪 Belgium
$2,224
/mo nomad
Istanbul
🇹🇷 Turkey
$1,526
/mo nomad
😐 Solo nomad: Belgium is 36.1% more expensive than Istanbul without rent, and 45.7% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Belgium is 39.8% more expensive than Istanbul without rent, and 31.4% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Belgium
Istanbul
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$22.21 €19.82
$11.88 ₺585
86.95%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$89.8 €80.2
$55.1 ₺2,714
63.04%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$13.29 €11.86
$9.14 ₺450
45.40%
Cappuccino
$4.13 €3.69
$4.24 ₺209
-2.59%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.44 €3.07
$1.75 ₺86.0
96.57%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.87 €2.56
$0.54 ₺26.83
431.48%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$5.70 €5.08
$4.69 ₺231
21.54%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.36 €4.78
$5.97 ₺294
-10.22%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Belgium
Istanbul
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.26 €1.13
$1.26 ₺62.1
-
White Bread (500g)
$2.51 €2.24
$0.95 ₺46.81
164.21%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.41 €2.15
$2.31 ₺114
4.33%
Eggs
$4.06 €3.62
$2.47 ₺122
64.37%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$15.86 €14.15
$10.55 ₺520
50.33%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$12.18 €10.87
$5.60 ₺276
117.50%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$20.71 €18.48
$21.21 ₺1,045
-2.36%
Apples (1kg)
$2.72 €2.43
$1.93 ₺95.1
40.93%
Banana (1kg)
$2.35 €2.10
$2.29 ₺113
2.62%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.64 €2.36
$1.28 ₺63.1
106.25%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.26 €2.91
$1.84 ₺90.8
77.17%
Potato (1kg)
$2.24 €2.00
$0.67 ₺32.86
234.33%
Onion (1kg)
$1.81 €1.62
$0.59 ₺29.31
206.78%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.54 €1.38
$1.33 ₺65.4
15.79%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.11 €0.99
$0.59 ₺29.10
88.14%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$13.01 €11.61
$2.36 ₺116
451.27%
Wine (Bottle)
$8.81 €7.86
$13.47 ₺664
-34.60%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.88 €1.68
$2.42 ₺119
-22.31%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.39 €2.13
$3.54 ₺174
-32.49%
🚌 Getting Around
Belgium
Istanbul
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$3.21 €2.86
$0.83 ₺40.64
286.75%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$55.5 €49.52
$66.5 ₺3,273
-16.48%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$5.51 €4.92
$1.35 ₺66.6
308.15%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.73 €2.44
$0.85 ₺42.05
221.18%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$45.73 €40.81
$10.86 ₺535
321.09%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.03 €1.81
$1.47 ₺72.3
38.10%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$35.7K €31.9K
$51.6K ₺2.5M
-30.86%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$33.6K €29.9K
$44.4K ₺2.2M
-24.50%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Belgium
Istanbul
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$237 €211
$89.2 ₺4,395
165.19%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$22.53 €20.11
$11.60 ₺572
94.22%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$53.8 €48.02
$16.10 ₺793
234.22%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Belgium
Istanbul
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$35.38 €31.57
$77.3 ₺3,805
-54.20%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$20.79 €18.56
$22.66 ₺1,116
-8.25%
Cinema Ticket
$14.96 €13.35
$8.34 ₺411
79.38%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Belgium
Istanbul
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,034 €923
$974 ₺48.0K
6.16%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$29.3K €26.2K
$25.8K ₺1.3M
13.76%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Belgium
Istanbul
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$106 €94.2
$52.7 ₺2,597
100.17%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$47.51 €42.40
$39.16 ₺1,929
21.32%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$109 €97.3
$103 ₺5,083
5.61%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$145 €129
$96.6 ₺4,759
49.97%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Belgium
Istanbul
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$973 €868
$994 ₺49.0K
-2.16%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$850 €759
$629 ₺31.0K
35.10%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,506 €1,344
$2,024 ₺99.7K
-25.62%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,263 €1,127
$1,155 ₺56.9K
9.36%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,520 €4,033
$3,160 ₺155.7K
43.01%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,184 €2,841
$1,838 ₺90.5K
73.27%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Belgium
Istanbul
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$3,036 €2,709
$1,203 ₺59.3K
152.28%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.64
41.09
-91.14%

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

Last update for Belgium: October 5, 2026

Last update for Istanbul: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Belgium
$850
Istanbul
$629 26% $221
Groceries & Markets
Belgium
$350
Istanbul
$264 24.7% $86
Eating Out
Belgium
$332
Istanbul
$218 34.3% $114
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Belgium
$313
Istanbul
$117 62.6% $196
Clothing & Footwear
Belgium
$183
Istanbul
$131 28.3% $52
Getting Around
Belgium
$87
Istanbul
$75 13.9% $12
Sport & Entertainment
Belgium
$65
Istanbul
$94 43.9% $29
Good to know
🇧🇪 Belgium
🇹🇷 Istanbul
🕒 Local time
09:40 9:40 AM
10:40 10:40 AM
1 h ahead of Belgium
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
11,584,008
15,701,602
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

TRY, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Belgium Istanbul 2,180 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Belgium
  • 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

Belgium vs other spots: cost of living compared

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