Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Brugge and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in Istanbul: $1,526 a month against $2,161 in Brugge, rent and utilities included – about $7,600 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

104

Cost of Living Index in Brugge
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Brugge Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index

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Brugge

🇧🇪 Belgium

$2,161

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,526

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,161 per month in Brugge vs $1,526 in Istanbul, rent included.

Brugge $2,161
Istanbul $1,526

A couple spends around $3,114 per month in Brugge vs $2,399 in Istanbul, rent included.

Brugge $3,114
Istanbul $2,399

A family of three spends $4,067 per month in Brugge vs $3,272 in Istanbul, rent included.

Brugge $4,067
Istanbul $3,272

Brugge costs about 42% more than Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Brugge and Istanbul sit above the global median – Brugge by 61%, Istanbul by 14%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.81 €20.36

$11.88 ₺585

92.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$79.7 €71.1

$55.1 ₺2,714

44.71%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.28 €10.06

$9.14 ₺450

23.41%

Cappuccino

$4.43 €3.95

$4.24 ₺209

4.48%

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

$2.95 €2.63

$1.75 ₺86.0

68.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.93 €2.61

$0.54 ₺26.83

442.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.43 €4.85

$4.69 ₺231

15.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.60 €4.10

$5.97 ₺294

-22.95%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 €1.08

$1.26 ₺62.1

-3.97%

White Bread (500g)

$1.88 €1.68

$0.95 ₺46.81

97.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.02 €1.80

$2.31 ₺114

-12.55%

Eggs

$3.80 €3.39

$2.47 ₺122

53.85%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.45 €10.22

$10.55 ₺520

8.53%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.15 €10.85

$5.60 ₺276

116.96%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.33 €17.25

$21.21 ₺1,045

-8.86%

Apples (1kg)

$2.69 €2.40

$1.93 ₺95.1

39.38%

Banana (1kg)

$2.12 €1.90

$2.29 ₺113

-7.42%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.20 €1.96

$1.28 ₺63.1

71.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.25 €2.01

$1.84 ₺90.8

22.28%

Potato (1kg)

$2.27 €2.03

$0.67 ₺32.86

238.81%

Onion (1kg)

$0.98 €0.87

$0.59 ₺29.31

66.10%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.53 €1.36

$1.33 ₺65.4

15.04%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.95 €0.85

$0.59 ₺29.10

61.02%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.02 €11.62

$2.36 ₺116

451.69%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.36 €6.57

$13.47 ₺664

-45.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.09 €0.97

$2.42 ₺119

-54.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.99 €1.78

$3.54 ₺174

-43.79%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.23 €2.89

$0.83 ₺40.64

289.16%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.0 €49.99

$66.5 ₺3,273

-15.70%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.35 €2.99

$1.35 ₺66.6

148.15%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.53 €2.26

$0.85 ₺42.05

197.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$25.12 €22.42

$10.86 ₺535

131.31%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.97 €1.76

$1.47 ₺72.3

34.01%

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

$34.9K €31.2K

$51.6K ₺2.5M

-32.37%

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

$34.3K €30.6K

$44.4K ₺2.2M

-22.84%

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

$214 €191

$89.2 ₺4,395

140.28%

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

$18.04 €16.10

$11.60 ₺572

55.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.0 €47.30

$16.10 ₺793

229.25%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.07 €37.54

$77.3 ₺3,805

-45.54%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.66 €12.19

$22.66 ₺1,116

-39.72%

Cinema Ticket

$14.87 €13.27

$8.34 ₺411

78.30%

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

$606 €541

$974 ₺48.0K

-37.78%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,952 €4,419

$25.8K ₺1.3M

-80.79%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 €93.0

$52.7 ₺2,597

97.65%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$59.8 €53.4

$39.16 ₺1,929

52.78%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.1 €79.6

$103 ₺5,083

-13.62%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$254 €227

$96.6 ₺4,759

162.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$939 €838

$994 ₺49.0K

-5.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$831 €741

$629 ₺31.0K

31.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,324 €1,181

$2,024 ₺99.7K

-34.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,188 €1,061

$1,155 ₺56.9K

2.91%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,666 €2,379

$3,160 ₺155.7K

-15.64%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,502 €2,233

$1,838 ₺90.5K

36.14%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,551 €2,276

$1,203 ₺59.3K

111.96%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.52

41.09

-91.43%

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

Last update for Brugge: October 4, 2026

Last update for Istanbul: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Brugge

$831 38.9%

Istanbul

$629 41.2% 24.2% $201

Eating Out

Brugge

$329 15.4%

Istanbul

$218 14.3% 33.8% $111

Groceries & Markets

Brugge

$304 14.2%

Istanbul

$264 17.3% 13.1% $40

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Brugge

$285 13.4%

Istanbul

$117 7.7% 59% $169

Clothing & Footwear

Brugge

$228 10.7%

Istanbul

$131 8.6% 42.5% $97

Getting Around

Brugge

$85 4%

Istanbul

$75 4.9% 11.3% $9.6

Sport & Entertainment

Brugge

$72 3.4%

Istanbul

$94 6.1% 30.8% $22

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $939 in Brugge 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 112% higher in Brugge, 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 $80.0 in Brugge versus $55.0 in Istanbul. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $304 vs $264 – making Istanbul the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇪 Brugge

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

08:40 8:40 AM

09:40 9:40 AM

1 h ahead of Brugge

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

117,639

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

Brugge Istanbul 2,270 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Brugge
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

Brugge vs Istanbul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Brugge is pricier by about 42%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,242 per month in Brugge 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 $2,161 in Brugge and $1,526 in Istanbul. That's a gap of about 42%.

Public transport costs about 19% 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 Brugge at $2,161. In Istanbul it covers expenses comfortably, while in Brugge 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, Brugge makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.