Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Enschede and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in Istanbul: $1,550 a month against $2,364 in Enschede, rent and utilities included – about $9,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

115

Cost of Living Index in Enschede
Learn more

Enschede Living Index
75

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index

Jump to prices

Enschede

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$2,364

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,364 in Enschede versus $1,550 in Istanbul.

Enschede $2,364
Istanbul $1,550

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,646 in Enschede versus $2,415 in Istanbul.

Enschede $3,646
Istanbul $2,415

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,928 in Enschede versus $3,281 in Istanbul.

Enschede $4,928
Istanbul $3,281

Living in Enschede is roughly 53% more expensive than in Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Enschede 75% above, Istanbul 15% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.27 €18.92

$12.30 ₺609

72.93%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$78.9 €70.2

$54.7 ₺2,708

44.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.43 €13.72

$9.22 ₺456

67.35%

Cappuccino

$4.18 €3.72

$4.40 ₺218

-5.00%

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

$3.57 €3.17

$1.68 ₺83.1

112.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.95 €2.62

$0.59 ₺29.40

400.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.31 €5.61

$4.70 ₺233

34.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.37 €5.67

$5.91 ₺292

7.78%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.32 €1.17

$1.21 ₺60.0

9.09%

White Bread (500g)

$2.41 €2.14

$0.89 ₺44.10

170.79%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.72 €2.42

$2.19 ₺108

24.20%

Eggs

$4.39 €3.90

$2.35 ₺116

86.81%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.85 €12.32

$10.42 ₺516

32.92%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.23 €12.66

$5.65 ₺280

151.86%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.06 €13.40

$20.94 ₺1,037

-28.08%

Apples (1kg)

$2.75 €2.45

$1.90 ₺94.1

44.74%

Banana (1kg)

$2.16 €1.93

$2.31 ₺114

-6.49%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.20 €1.96

$1.28 ₺63.1

71.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.92 €4.38

$1.80 ₺89.0

173.33%

Potato (1kg)

$2.95 €2.63

$0.65 ₺32.16

353.85%

Onion (1kg)

$2.10 €1.87

$0.64 ₺31.91

228.13%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.24 €1.11

$1.25 ₺62.1

-0.80%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.71 €0.63

$0.56 ₺27.58

26.79%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.10 €12.55

$2.37 ₺118

494.94%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.87 €6.11

$13.42 ₺664

-48.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.49 €1.32

$2.40 ₺119

-37.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 €2.53

$3.48 ₺172

-18.10%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.98 €2.65

$0.89 ₺43.84

234.83%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$110 €98.0

$67.4 ₺3,338

63.43%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.59 €3.19

$1.29 ₺64.1

178.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.64 €2.35

$0.92 ₺45.70

186.96%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.66 €24.60

$10.96 ₺542

152.37%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.49 €2.21

$1.47 ₺72.9

69.39%

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

$40.9K €36.4K

$50.8K ₺2.5M

-19.48%

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

$39.8K €35.4K

$44.5K ₺2.2M

-10.73%

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

$259 €231

$88.6 ₺4,387

192.66%

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

$21.39 €19.03

$11.59 ₺574

84.56%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$44.28 €39.39

$15.81 ₺783

180.08%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.23 €29.56

$77.2 ₺3,820

-56.93%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.80 €21.17

$22.74 ₺1,126

4.66%

Cinema Ticket

$18.94 €16.84

$8.14 ₺403

132.68%

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

$1,232 €1,096

$1,008 ₺49.9K

22.20%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,059 €7,168

$25.6K ₺1.3M

-68.47%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$94.0 €83.6

$54.0 ₺2,671

74.27%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.43 €33.30

$40.83 ₺2,021

-8.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.4 €81.3

$98.9 ₺4,895

-7.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$100 €89.2

$96.6 ₺4,783

3.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,310 €1,165

$985 ₺48.7K

33.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,010 €898

$650 ₺32.2K

55.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,479 €2,205

$1,983 ₺98.2K

24.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,941 €1,727

$1,180 ₺58.4K

64.52%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,543 €4,041

$3,138 ₺155.4K

44.76%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,149 €2,801

$1,780 ₺88.1K

76.92%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,838 €2,524

$1,205 ₺59.7K

135.43%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.6

40.92

-88.76%

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

Last update for Enschede: October 13, 2026

Last update for Istanbul: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Enschede

$1K 42.7%

Istanbul

$650 41.9% 35.6% $360

Groceries & Markets

Enschede

$337 14.3%

Istanbul

$260 16.8% 23% $77

Eating Out

Enschede

$337 14.3%

Istanbul

$223 14.4% 33.7% $114

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Enschede

$325 13.8%

Istanbul

$116 7.5% 64.3% $209

Clothing & Footwear

Enschede

$145 6.2%

Istanbul

$131 8.4% 10.2% $15

Getting Around

Enschede

$139 5.9%

Istanbul

$77 5% 44.7% $62

Sport & Entertainment

Enschede

$71 3%

Istanbul

$93 6% 31.4% $22

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,310 in Enschede and $985 in Istanbul. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Enschede pays 135% 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: $79.0 in Enschede vs $55.0 in Istanbul for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $337 vs $260 per month, with Istanbul cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇳🇱 Enschede

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

06:44 6:44 AM

07:44 7:44 AM

1 h ahead of Enschede

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

161,235

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

Enschede Istanbul 2,080 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Enschede
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

Enschede vs Istanbul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Enschede and Istanbul differ by about 53% in total monthly costs ($2,364 vs $1,550 including rent). Istanbul is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 135% higher in Enschede, 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: $1,310 in Enschede versus $985 in Istanbul. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $2,364 per month in Enschede versus $1,550 in Istanbul – a 53% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Istanbul runs roughly 63% less than in Enschede. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,550 in Istanbul versus $2,364 in Enschede, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Istanbul but tight or insufficient in Enschede. 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, Enschede 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 53% less than in Enschede. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.