Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Geel and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in Istanbul: $1,550 a month against $2,052 in Geel, rent and utilities included – about $6,000 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

99

Cost of Living Index in Geel
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Geel Living Index
75

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index

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Geel

🇧🇪 Belgium

$2,052

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,052 in Geel versus $1,550 in Istanbul.

Geel $2,052
Istanbul $1,550

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,931 in Geel versus $2,415 in Istanbul.

Geel $2,931
Istanbul $2,415

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,810 in Geel versus $3,281 in Istanbul.

Geel $3,810
Istanbul $3,281

Living in Geel is roughly 32% more expensive than in Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Geel 52% above, Istanbul 15% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.72 €16.65

$12.30 ₺609

52.20%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$75.6 €67.2

$54.7 ₺2,708

38.19%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.77 €9.58

$9.22 ₺456

16.81%

Cappuccino

$3.84 €3.42

$4.40 ₺218

-12.73%

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

$2.62 €2.33

$1.68 ₺83.1

55.95%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.05 €2.71

$0.59 ₺29.40

416.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.43 €3.94

$4.70 ₺233

-5.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.30 €2.93

$5.91 ₺292

-44.16%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.35 €1.20

$1.21 ₺60.0

11.57%

White Bread (500g)

$2.70 €2.40

$0.89 ₺44.10

203.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.69 €2.39

$2.19 ₺108

22.83%

Eggs

$5.17 €4.60

$2.35 ₺116

120.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.98 €16.00

$10.42 ₺516

72.55%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.36 €11.88

$5.65 ₺280

136.46%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.62 €19.23

$20.94 ₺1,037

3.25%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.65

$1.90 ₺94.1

56.84%

Banana (1kg)

$2.35 €2.09

$2.31 ₺114

1.73%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.82 €2.51

$1.28 ₺63.1

120.31%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.07 €3.62

$1.80 ₺89.0

126.11%

Potato (1kg)

$2.47 €2.20

$0.65 ₺32.16

280.00%

Onion (1kg)

$2.13 €1.90

$0.64 ₺31.91

232.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.82 €1.62

$1.25 ₺62.1

45.60%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.76 €0.67

$0.56 ₺27.58

35.71%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.24 €11.78

$2.37 ₺118

458.65%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.68 €7.72

$13.42 ₺664

-35.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.59 €2.30

$2.40 ₺119

7.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.10 €2.75

$3.48 ₺172

-10.92%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.39 €3.01

$0.89 ₺43.84

280.90%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$70.4 €62.6

$67.4 ₺3,338

4.33%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.87 €2.55

$1.29 ₺64.1

122.48%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.23 €1.98

$0.92 ₺45.70

142.39%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$39.84 €35.44

$10.96 ₺542

263.50%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.79 €1.60

$1.47 ₺72.9

21.77%

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

$23.9K €21.2K

$50.8K ₺2.5M

-52.97%

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

$34.1K €30.3K

$44.5K ₺2.2M

-23.45%

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

$169 €151

$88.6 ₺4,387

91.12%

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

$21.76 €19.36

$11.59 ₺574

87.75%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$52.5 €46.69

$15.81 ₺783

232.01%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.54 €35.17

$77.2 ₺3,820

-48.76%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.74 ₺1,126

Cinema Ticket

$16.73 €14.88

$8.14 ₺403

105.53%

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

$1,615 €1,437

$1,008 ₺49.9K

60.25%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.1K €32.1K

$25.6K ₺1.3M

41.08%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$100 €89.3

$54.0 ₺2,671

86.01%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.86 €40.79

$40.83 ₺2,021

12.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 €98.0

$98.9 ₺4,895

11.40%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$144 €128

$96.6 ₺4,783

48.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,037 €923

$985 ₺48.7K

5.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$795 €708

$650 ₺32.2K

22.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,042 €927

$1,983 ₺98.2K

-47.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$950 €845

$1,180 ₺58.4K

-19.53%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,922 €3,488

$3,138 ₺155.4K

24.97%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,388 €3,014

$1,780 ₺88.1K

90.37%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,410 €2,144

$1,205 ₺59.7K

99.97%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.92

-92.67%

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

Last update for Geel: 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

Geel

$795 38.8%

Istanbul

$650 41.9% 18.3% $146

Groceries & Markets

Geel

$383 18.7%

Istanbul

$260 16.8% 32.1% $123

Eating Out

Geel

$280 13.6%

Istanbul

$223 14.4% 20.2% $56

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Geel

$244 11.9%

Istanbul

$116 7.5% 52.4% $128

Clothing & Footwear

Geel

$180 8.8%

Istanbul

$131 8.4% 27.5% $50

Getting Around

Geel

$98 4.8%

Istanbul

$77 5% 21.5% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Geel

$73 3.6%

Istanbul

$93 6% 28% $20

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,037 in Geel and $985 in Istanbul. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Geel pays 100% 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: $76.0 in Geel vs $55.0 in Istanbul for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $383 vs $260 per month, with Istanbul cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇪 Geel

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

22:06 10:06 PM

23:06 11:06 PM

1 h ahead of Geel

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

40,781

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

Geel Istanbul 2,150 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Geel
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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

Geel vs Istanbul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Geel and Istanbul differ by about 32% in total monthly costs ($2,052 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 100% higher in Geel, 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: $1,037 in Geel versus $985 in Istanbul. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Istanbul – a meal for two runs $55.0 versus $76.0 in Geel. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $2,052 per month in Geel versus $1,550 in Istanbul – a 32% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,550 in Istanbul versus $2,052 in Geel, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Istanbul but tight or insufficient in Geel. 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, Geel 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 32% less than in Geel. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.