Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Best and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in Istanbul: $1,526 a month against $2,217 in Best, rent and utilities included – about $8,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

107

Cost of Living Index in Best
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Best Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index

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Best

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$2,217

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,526

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,217 per month in Best vs $1,526 in Istanbul, rent included.

Best $2,217
Istanbul $1,526

A couple spends around $3,095 per month in Best vs $2,399 in Istanbul, rent included.

Best $3,095
Istanbul $2,399

A family of three spends $3,973 per month in Best vs $3,272 in Istanbul, rent included.

Best $3,973
Istanbul $3,272

Best costs about 45% more than Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Best and Istanbul sit above the global median – Best by 65%, Istanbul by 14%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.31 €19.91

$11.88 ₺585

87.79%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$86.5 €77.2

$55.1 ₺2,714

56.93%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.25 €10.94

$9.14 ₺450

34.03%

Cappuccino

$3.65 €3.26

$4.24 ₺209

-13.92%

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

$3.26 €2.91

$1.75 ₺86.0

86.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.48 €2.21

$0.54 ₺26.83

359.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.77 €5.15

$4.69 ₺231

23.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.90 €4.37

$5.97 ₺294

-17.92%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 €1.01

$1.26 ₺62.1

-10.32%

White Bread (500g)

$1.89 €1.69

$0.95 ₺46.81

98.95%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.22 €1.98

$2.31 ₺114

-3.90%

Eggs

$3.12 €2.79

$2.47 ₺122

26.32%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.28 €10.07

$10.55 ₺520

6.92%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.49 €10.26

$5.60 ₺276

105.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.84 €13.24

$21.21 ₺1,045

-30.03%

Apples (1kg)

$2.01 €1.80

$1.93 ₺95.1

4.15%

Banana (1kg)

$1.60 €1.43

$2.29 ₺113

-30.13%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.73 €1.54

$1.28 ₺63.1

35.16%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.95 €4.41

$1.84 ₺90.8

169.02%

Potato (1kg)

$1.17 €1.04

$0.67 ₺32.86

74.63%

Onion (1kg)

$1.19 €1.06

$0.59 ₺29.31

101.69%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.11 €0.99

$1.33 ₺65.4

-16.54%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.71 €0.63

$0.59 ₺29.10

20.34%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.21 €10.01

$2.36 ₺116

375.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.55 €4.95

$13.47 ₺664

-58.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.51 €1.34

$2.42 ₺119

-37.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 €2.23

$3.54 ₺174

-29.38%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.48 €2.22

$0.83 ₺40.64

198.80%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$70.9 €63.3

$66.5 ₺3,273

6.67%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.94 €3.52

$1.35 ₺66.6

191.85%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.89 €2.57

$0.85 ₺42.05

240.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.72 €26.52

$10.86 ₺535

173.66%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.35 €2.09

$1.47 ₺72.3

59.86%

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

$25.6K €22.9K

$51.6K ₺2.5M

-50.33%

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

$34.0K €30.3K

$44.4K ₺2.2M

-23.55%

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

$185 €165

$89.2 ₺4,395

107.45%

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

$14.56 €12.99

$11.60 ₺572

25.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$37.61 €33.56

$16.10 ₺793

133.60%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.32 €35.98

$77.3 ₺3,805

-47.81%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.33 €22.60

$22.66 ₺1,116

11.78%

Cinema Ticket

$13.97 €12.47

$8.34 ₺411

67.51%

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

$1,298 €1,158

$974 ₺48.0K

33.25%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,115 €4,564

$25.8K ₺1.3M

-80.16%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.7 €46.13

$52.7 ₺2,597

-1.94%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.89 €29.35

$39.16 ₺1,929

-16.01%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.5 €66.5

$103 ₺5,083

-27.81%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$57.9 €51.7

$96.6 ₺4,759

-40.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,544 €1,378

$994 ₺49.0K

55.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,100 €982

$629 ₺31.0K

74.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,975 €1,763

$2,024 ₺99.7K

-2.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,352 €1,206

$1,155 ₺56.9K

17.04%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,221 €4,659

$3,160 ₺155.7K

65.20%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,354 €3,886

$1,838 ₺90.5K

136.93%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,077 €3,639

$1,203 ₺59.3K

238.80%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.54

41.09

-91.38%

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

Last update for Best: 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

Best

$1.1K 49.9%

Istanbul

$629 41.2% 42.8% $471

Eating Out

Best

$321 14.6%

Istanbul

$218 14.3% 32.1% $103

Groceries & Markets

Best

$281 12.8%

Istanbul

$264 17.3% 6.1% $17

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Best

$237 10.8%

Istanbul

$117 7.7% 50.7% $120

Getting Around

Best

$99 4.5%

Istanbul

$75 4.9% 24% $24

Clothing & Footwear

Best

$98 4.4%

Istanbul

$131 8.6% 34.4% $34

Sport & Entertainment

Best

$68 3.1%

Istanbul

$94 6.1% 37.6% $26

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,544 in Best 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 239% higher in Best, 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 $86.0 in Best versus $55.0 in Istanbul. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $281 vs $264 – making Istanbul the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇳🇱 Best

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

13:47 1:47 PM

14:47 2:47 PM

1 h ahead of Best

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

29,988

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

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Best Istanbul 2,140 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Best
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

Best vs Istanbul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Best is pricier by about 45%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,325 per month in Best 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.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,217 in Best and $1,526 in Istanbul. That's a gap of about 45%.

Public transport costs about 7% 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 $1,526, than in Best at $2,217. In Istanbul it covers expenses comfortably, while in Best 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, Best makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.