Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Emmen and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in Istanbul: $1,550 a month against $1,881 in Emmen, rent and utilities included – about $4,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

92

Cost of Living Index in Emmen
Learn more

Emmen Living Index
75

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index

Jump to prices

Emmen

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$1,881

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,881 per month in Emmen vs $1,550 in Istanbul, rent included.

Emmen $1,881
Istanbul $1,550

A couple spends around $2,894 per month in Emmen vs $2,415 in Istanbul, rent included.

Emmen $2,894
Istanbul $2,415

A family of three spends $3,906 per month in Emmen vs $3,281 in Istanbul, rent included.

Emmen $3,906
Istanbul $3,281

Emmen costs about 21% more than Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Emmen and Istanbul sit above the global median – Emmen by 39%, Istanbul by 15%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.79 €19.38

$12.30 ₺609

77.15%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$81.4 €72.4

$54.7 ₺2,708

48.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.61 €12.10

$9.22 ₺456

47.61%

Cappuccino

$3.36 €2.99

$4.40 ₺218

-23.64%

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

$3.33 €2.96

$1.68 ₺83.1

98.21%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.42 €3.04

$0.59 ₺29.40

479.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.45 €4.85

$4.70 ₺233

15.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.42 €3.94

$5.91 ₺292

-25.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.08 €0.96

$1.21 ₺60.0

-10.74%

White Bread (500g)

$2.27 €2.02

$0.89 ₺44.10

155.06%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.64 €2.35

$2.19 ₺108

20.55%

Eggs

$4.34 €3.86

$2.35 ₺116

84.68%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.25 €10.90

$10.42 ₺516

17.56%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.78 €11.37

$5.65 ₺280

126.19%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.94 €15.07

$20.94 ₺1,037

-19.10%

Apples (1kg)

$2.68 €2.38

$1.90 ₺94.1

41.05%

Banana (1kg)

$2.43 €2.16

$2.31 ₺114

5.19%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.80 €1.60

$1.28 ₺63.1

40.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.18 €2.83

$1.80 ₺89.0

76.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.77 €1.58

$0.65 ₺32.16

172.31%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 €1.60

$0.64 ₺31.91

181.25%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.18 €1.05

$1.25 ₺62.1

-5.60%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.76 €0.68

$0.56 ₺27.58

35.71%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.30 €10.94

$2.37 ₺118

418.99%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.59 €5.86

$13.42 ₺664

-50.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.30 €1.16

$2.40 ₺119

-45.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.59 €2.31

$3.48 ₺172

-25.57%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.24 €2.00

$0.89 ₺43.84

151.69%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.4 ₺3,338

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$8.29 €7.38

$1.29 ₺64.1

542.64%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.99 €1.77

$0.92 ₺45.70

116.30%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.49 €20.01

$10.96 ₺542

105.20%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.41 €2.14

$1.47 ₺72.9

63.95%

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

$42.0K €37.3K

$50.8K ₺2.5M

-17.39%

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

$38.6K €34.3K

$44.5K ₺2.2M

-13.43%

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

$166 €148

$88.6 ₺4,387

87.76%

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

$18.72 €16.65

$11.59 ₺574

61.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$56.6 €50.3

$15.81 ₺783

257.94%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.53 €36.94

$77.2 ₺3,820

-46.18%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.99 €19.56

$22.74 ₺1,126

-3.30%

Cinema Ticket

$13.65 €12.15

$8.14 ₺403

67.69%

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

$2,474 €2,201

$1,008 ₺49.9K

145.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,960 €7,081

$25.6K ₺1.3M

-68.86%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$76.8 €68.3

$54.0 ₺2,671

42.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.25 €34.92

$40.83 ₺2,021

-3.87%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.7 €80.7

$98.9 ₺4,895

-8.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$100 €89.0

$96.6 ₺4,783

3.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$890 €792

$985 ₺48.7K

-9.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$775 €689

$650 ₺32.2K

19.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,702 €1,514

$1,983 ₺98.2K

-14.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,330 €1,183

$1,180 ₺58.4K

12.74%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,138 ₺155.4K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,780 ₺88.1K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,768 €2,462

$1,205 ₺59.7K

129.63%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.65

40.92

-91.08%

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

Last update for Emmen: October 11, 2026

Last update for Istanbul: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Emmen

$775 41.2%

Istanbul

$650 41.9% 16.1% $125

Eating Out

Emmen

$319 16.9%

Istanbul

$223 14.4% 29.9% $95

Groceries & Markets

Emmen

$312 16.6%

Istanbul

$260 16.8% 16.7% $52

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Emmen

$242 12.9%

Istanbul

$116 7.5% 52% $126

Clothing & Footwear

Emmen

$138 7.3%

Istanbul

$131 8.4% 5.4% $7.4

Sport & Entertainment

Emmen

$69 3.7%

Istanbul

$93 6% 35.7% $25

Getting Around

Emmen

$27 * 1.5%

Istanbul

$77 5% 182% $50

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $890 in Emmen versus $985 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 130% higher in Emmen, 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 $81.0 in Emmen versus $55.0 in Istanbul. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $312 vs $260 – making Istanbul the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇳🇱 Emmen

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

09:49 9:49 AM

10:49 10:49 AM

1 h ahead of Emmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

108,765

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

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Emmen Istanbul 2,110 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Emmen
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

Emmen vs Istanbul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,881 in Emmen, $1,550 in Istanbul – roughly 21% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,821 per month in Emmen and $2,325 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $81.0 in Emmen and $55.0 in Istanbul. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 20% more in Emmen, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Istanbul, where all-in costs run around $1,550, than in Emmen at $1,881. In Istanbul it covers expenses comfortably, while in Emmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Istanbul has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,550 in Istanbul to $1,881 in Emmen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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, Emmen makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.