Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bethune and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in Istanbul: $1,550 a month against $1,725 in Bethune, rent and utilities included – about $2,100 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

84

Cost of Living Index in Bethune
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Bethune Living Index
75

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index

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Bethune

🇫🇷 France

$1,725

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,725 in Bethune versus $1,550 in Istanbul.

Bethune $1,725
Istanbul $1,550

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,711 in Bethune versus $2,415 in Istanbul.

Bethune $2,711
Istanbul $2,415

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,698 in Bethune versus $3,281 in Istanbul.

Bethune $3,698
Istanbul $3,281

Living in Bethune is roughly 11% more expensive than in Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Bethune 28% above, Istanbul 15% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.77 €15.81

$12.30 ₺609

44.47%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$73.5 €65.3

$54.7 ₺2,708

34.30%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.27 €11.80

$9.22 ₺456

43.93%

Cappuccino

$3.16 €2.81

$4.40 ₺218

-28.18%

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

$2.73 €2.43

$1.68 ₺83.1

62.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.67 €1.49

$0.59 ₺29.40

183.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.72 €5.98

$4.70 ₺233

42.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.70 €5.07

$5.91 ₺292

-3.55%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 €1.15

$1.21 ₺60.0

7.44%

White Bread (500g)

$1.86 €1.66

$0.89 ₺44.10

108.99%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.95 €2.62

$2.19 ₺108

34.70%

Eggs

$4.03 €3.59

$2.35 ₺116

71.49%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$21.13 €18.79

$10.42 ₺516

102.78%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.74 €11.33

$5.65 ₺280

125.49%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$23.00 €20.46

$20.94 ₺1,037

9.84%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 €2.71

$1.90 ₺94.1

60.53%

Banana (1kg)

$2.13 €1.90

$2.31 ₺114

-7.79%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.39 €2.13

$1.28 ₺63.1

86.72%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.12 €2.78

$1.80 ₺89.0

73.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.62

$0.65 ₺32.16

180.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.96 €1.74

$0.64 ₺31.91

206.25%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.42 €1.26

$1.25 ₺62.1

13.60%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 €0.47

$0.56 ₺27.58

-5.36%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.20 €12.63

$2.37 ₺118

499.16%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.85 €6.98

$13.42 ₺664

-41.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.84 €1.63

$2.40 ₺119

-23.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 €2.26

$3.48 ₺172

-27.01%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.77 €1.57

$0.89 ₺43.84

98.88%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.6 €44.98

$67.4 ₺3,338

-25.00%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.24 €1.99

$1.29 ₺64.1

73.64%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.16 €1.92

$0.92 ₺45.70

134.78%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$23.70 €21.08

$10.96 ₺542

116.24%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.04 €1.82

$1.47 ₺72.9

38.78%

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

$33.8K €30.1K

$50.8K ₺2.5M

-33.37%

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

$35.1K €31.3K

$44.5K ₺2.2M

-21.09%

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

$176 €156

$88.6 ₺4,387

98.21%

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

$15.09 €13.42

$11.59 ₺574

30.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.91 €27.49

$15.81 ₺783

95.51%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.87 €31.01

$77.2 ₺3,820

-54.81%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.76 €14.90

$22.74 ₺1,126

-26.30%

Cinema Ticket

$10.15 €9.03

$8.14 ₺403

24.69%

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

$619 €550

$1,008 ₺49.9K

-38.61%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,158 €7,256

$25.6K ₺1.3M

-68.08%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.3 €77.7

$54.0 ₺2,671

61.85%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.69 €34.41

$40.83 ₺2,021

-5.24%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.7 €69.1

$98.9 ₺4,895

-21.47%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.4 €86.7

$96.6 ₺4,783

0.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$740 €658

$985 ₺48.7K

-24.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$599 €533

$650 ₺32.2K

-7.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,354 €1,204

$1,983 ₺98.2K

-31.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,101 €979

$1,180 ₺58.4K

-6.74%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,857 €3,431

$3,138 ₺155.4K

22.92%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,266 €2,905

$1,780 ₺88.1K

83.50%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,663 €3,258

$1,205 ₺59.7K

203.84%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.92

40.92

-90.42%

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

Last update for Bethune: October 10, 2026

Last update for Istanbul: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bethune

$599 34.7%

Istanbul

$650 41.9% 8.4% $51

Groceries & Markets

Bethune

$360 20.9%

Istanbul

$260 16.8% 27.9% $101

Eating Out

Bethune

$282 16.4%

Istanbul

$223 14.4% 21% $59

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bethune

$222 12.9%

Istanbul

$116 7.5% 47.7% $106

Clothing & Footwear

Bethune

$135 7.9%

Istanbul

$131 8.4% 3.6% $4.9

Getting Around

Bethune

$71 4.1%

Istanbul

$77 5% 8.8% $6.2

Sport & Entertainment

Bethune

$55 3.2%

Istanbul

$93 6% 69.4% $38

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $740 in Bethune and $985 in Istanbul. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bethune pays 204% 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: $73.0 in Bethune vs $55.0 in Istanbul for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $360 vs $260 per month, with Istanbul cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇫🇷 Bethune

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

18:28 6:28 PM

19:28 7:28 PM

1 h ahead of Bethune

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

24,992

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

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Between locations

Bethune Istanbul 2,280 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Bethune
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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

Bethune vs Istanbul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Istanbul wins on cost – living expenses run 11% lower than in Bethune. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Istanbul the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 204% higher in Bethune, 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: $740 in Bethune versus $985 in Istanbul. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $619 in Bethune versus $1,008 in Istanbul. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 39% higher in Bethune. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,550 in Istanbul versus $1,725 in Bethune, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Istanbul but tight or insufficient in Bethune. The gap between the two cities makes Istanbul the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Istanbul delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,550 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Istanbul hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Bethune 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 11% less than in Bethune. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.