Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Delft and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in Istanbul: $1,526 a month against $2,763 in Delft, rent and utilities included – about $14,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

135

Cost of Living Index in Delft
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Delft Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index

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Delft

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$2,763

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,526

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,763 in Delft versus $1,526 in Istanbul.

Delft $2,763
Istanbul $1,526

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,996 in Delft versus $2,399 in Istanbul.

Delft $3,996
Istanbul $2,399

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,230 in Delft versus $3,272 in Istanbul.

Delft $5,230
Istanbul $3,272

Living in Delft is roughly 81% more expensive than in Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Delft 106% above, Istanbul 14% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.41 €20.00

$11.88 ₺585

88.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$97.1 €86.7

$55.1 ₺2,714

76.28%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.57 €12.11

$9.14 ₺450

48.47%

Cappuccino

$4.00 €3.57

$4.24 ₺209

-5.66%

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

$3.81 €3.40

$1.75 ₺86.0

117.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.89 €2.58

$0.54 ₺26.83

435.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.33 €5.65

$4.69 ₺231

34.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.70 €5.09

$5.97 ₺294

-4.52%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.40 €1.25

$1.26 ₺62.1

11.11%

White Bread (500g)

$2.08 €1.86

$0.95 ₺46.81

118.95%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.88 €2.57

$2.31 ₺114

24.68%

Eggs

$4.95 €4.42

$2.47 ₺122

100.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.41 €14.64

$10.55 ₺520

55.55%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$15.87 €14.16

$5.60 ₺276

183.39%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.46 €15.58

$21.21 ₺1,045

-17.68%

Apples (1kg)

$2.79 €2.49

$1.93 ₺95.1

44.56%

Banana (1kg)

$2.37 €2.12

$2.29 ₺113

3.49%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.84 €1.64

$1.28 ₺63.1

43.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.73 €4.22

$1.84 ₺90.8

157.07%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 €1.75

$0.67 ₺32.86

192.54%

Onion (1kg)

$2.28 €2.04

$0.59 ₺29.31

286.44%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.27 €1.14

$1.33 ₺65.4

-4.51%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.78 €0.70

$0.59 ₺29.10

32.20%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.86 €12.37

$2.36 ₺116

487.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.98 €6.23

$13.47 ₺664

-48.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.49 €1.33

$2.42 ₺119

-38.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.74 €2.45

$3.54 ₺174

-22.60%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.28 €2.03

$0.83 ₺40.64

174.70%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$78.2 €69.8

$66.5 ₺3,273

17.64%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.42 €3.05

$1.35 ₺66.6

153.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.45 €3.08

$0.85 ₺42.05

305.88%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$50.9 €45.46

$10.86 ₺535

369.06%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.42 €2.16

$1.47 ₺72.3

64.63%

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

$41.6K €37.2K

$51.6K ₺2.5M

-19.34%

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

$39.7K €35.4K

$44.4K ₺2.2M

-10.68%

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

$263 €235

$89.2 ₺4,395

194.91%

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

$30.11 €26.87

$11.60 ₺572

159.57%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$41.59 €37.12

$16.10 ₺793

158.32%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.38 €36.04

$77.3 ₺3,805

-47.73%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.59 €7.67

$22.66 ₺1,116

-62.09%

Cinema Ticket

$15.01 €13.39

$8.34 ₺411

79.98%

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

$1,581 €1,411

$974 ₺48.0K

62.33%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,731 €6,007

$25.8K ₺1.3M

-73.88%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.0 €75.0

$52.7 ₺2,597

59.44%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.83 €44.46

$39.16 ₺1,929

27.25%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.1 €79.5

$103 ₺5,083

-13.67%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$151 €135

$96.6 ₺4,759

56.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,737 €1,551

$994 ₺49.0K

74.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,403 €1,252

$629 ₺31.0K

122.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,740 €2,445

$2,024 ₺99.7K

35.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,224 €1,985

$1,155 ₺56.9K

92.59%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,778 €6,049

$3,160 ₺155.7K

114.49%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,379 €3,907

$1,838 ₺90.5K

138.27%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,537 €3,156

$1,203 ₺59.3K

193.86%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.89

41.09

-90.53%

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

Last update for Delft: 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

Delft

$1.4K 50.5%

Istanbul

$629 41.2% 55.2% $774

Groceries & Markets

Delft

$358 12.9%

Istanbul

$264 17.3% 26.3% $94

Eating Out

Delft

$338 12.2%

Istanbul

$218 14.3% 35.5% $120

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Delft

$335 12%

Istanbul

$117 7.7% 65.1% $218

Clothing & Footwear

Delft

$168 6.1%

Istanbul

$131 8.6% 22% $37

Getting Around

Delft

$108 3.9%

Istanbul

$75 4.9% 30.2% $33

Sport & Entertainment

Delft

$70 2.5%

Istanbul

$94 6.1% 33.4% $24

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,737 in Delft and $994 in Istanbul. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Delft pays 194% 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: $97.0 in Delft vs $55.0 in Istanbul for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $358 vs $264 per month, with Istanbul cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇳🇱 Delft

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

09:14 9:14 AM

10:14 10:14 AM

1 h ahead of Delft

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

106,086

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

Delft Istanbul 2,230 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Delft
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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

Delft vs Istanbul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Delft and Istanbul differ by about 81% in total monthly costs ($2,763 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 194% higher in Delft, 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: $1,737 in Delft versus $994 in Istanbul. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Istanbul runs roughly 18% less than in Delft. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $1,581 in Delft versus $974 in Istanbul. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,526 in Istanbul versus $2,763 in Delft, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Istanbul but tight or insufficient in Delft. 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, Delft 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 81% less than in Delft. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.