Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Herentals and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in Istanbul: $1,550 a month against $2,026 in Herentals, rent and utilities included – about $5,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

104

Cost of Living Index in Herentals
Learn more

Herentals Living Index
75

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index

Jump to prices

Herentals

🇧🇪 Belgium

$2,026

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,026 per month in Herentals vs $1,550 in Istanbul, rent included.

Herentals $2,026
Istanbul $1,550

A couple spends around $2,958 per month in Herentals vs $2,415 in Istanbul, rent included.

Herentals $2,958
Istanbul $2,415

A family of three spends $3,890 per month in Herentals vs $3,281 in Istanbul, rent included.

Herentals $3,890
Istanbul $3,281

Herentals costs about 31% more than Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Herentals and Istanbul sit above the global median – Herentals by 50%, Istanbul by 15%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.69 €15.79

$12.30 ₺607

43.82%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$88.8 €79.3

$54.7 ₺2,700

62.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.30 €10.98

$9.22 ₺455

33.41%

Cappuccino

$3.56 €3.17

$4.40 ₺217

-19.09%

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

$3.51 €3.13

$1.68 ₺82.8

108.93%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.62 €2.34

$0.59 ₺29.31

344.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.65 €5.05

$4.70 ₺232

20.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.49 €4.01

$5.91 ₺292

-24.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.24 €1.11

$1.21 ₺59.8

2.48%

White Bread (500g)

$2.75 €2.45

$0.89 ₺43.97

208.99%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.63 €3.24

$2.19 ₺108

65.75%

Eggs

$3.64 €3.25

$2.35 ₺116

54.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.75 €15.84

$10.42 ₺514

70.35%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.59 €10.34

$5.65 ₺279

105.13%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.90 €13.30

$20.94 ₺1,033

-28.84%

Apples (1kg)

$3.04 €2.72

$1.90 ₺93.8

60.00%

Banana (1kg)

$2.41 €2.15

$2.31 ₺114

4.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.99 €2.67

$1.28 ₺63.0

133.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.97 €2.66

$1.80 ₺88.7

65.00%

Potato (1kg)

$2.30 €2.05

$0.65 ₺32.07

253.85%

Onion (1kg)

$2.03 €1.81

$0.64 ₺31.82

217.19%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.77 €1.58

$1.25 ₺61.9

41.60%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.06 €0.95

$0.56 ₺27.50

89.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.39 €8.38

$2.37 ₺117

296.20%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.78 €6.94

$13.42 ₺662

-42.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.46 €2.19

$2.40 ₺119

2.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.14 €2.81

$3.48 ₺172

-9.77%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.20 €2.86

$0.89 ₺43.70

259.55%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.4 ₺3,328

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.10 €4.55

$1.29 ₺63.9

295.35%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.62 €2.34

$0.92 ₺45.56

184.78%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.97 €15.14

$10.96 ₺541

54.84%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.75 €1.56

$1.47 ₺72.7

19.05%

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

$35.0K €31.2K

$50.8K ₺2.5M

-31.18%

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

$33.3K €29.7K

$44.5K ₺2.2M

-25.19%

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

$339 €303

$88.6 ₺4,374

282.67%

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

$25.22 €22.51

$11.59 ₺572

117.60%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$60.1 €53.7

$15.81 ₺781

280.39%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.55 €36.19

$77.2 ₺3,809

-47.45%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.71 €19.38

$22.74 ₺1,122

-4.53%

Cinema Ticket

$14.44 €12.88

$8.14 ₺402

77.40%

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

$821 €733

$1,008 ₺49.8K

-18.51%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.4K €20.0K

$25.6K ₺1.3M

-12.41%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$83.5 €74.5

$54.0 ₺2,663

54.72%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.70 €44.36

$40.83 ₺2,015

21.72%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 €90.9

$98.9 ₺4,881

2.97%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$129 €115

$96.6 ₺4,768

33.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$819 €731

$985 ₺48.6K

-16.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$709 €633

$650 ₺32.1K

9.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,517 €1,354

$1,983 ₺97.9K

-23.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,035 €924

$1,180 ₺58.2K

-12.26%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,347 €3,880

$3,138 ₺154.9K

38.52%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,636 €2,352

$1,780 ₺87.9K

48.09%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,205 ₺59.5K

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 Herentals: 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

Herentals

$709 35%

Istanbul

$650 41.9% 8.3% $59

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Herentals

$424 21%

Istanbul

$116 7.5% 72.7% $308

Groceries & Markets

Herentals

$346 17.1%

Istanbul

$260 16.8% 25% $87

Eating Out

Herentals

$283 14%

Istanbul

$223 14.4% 21.1% $60

Clothing & Footwear

Herentals

$164 8.1%

Istanbul

$131 8.4% 20.2% $33

Sport & Entertainment

Herentals

$69 3.4%

Istanbul

$93 6% 34.6% $24

Getting Around

Herentals

$31 * 1.5%

Istanbul

$77 5% 148% $46

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $819 in Herentals 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $89.0 in Herentals versus $55.0 in Istanbul. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $346 vs $260 – making Istanbul the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇪 Herentals

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

07:33 7:33 AM

08:33 8:33 AM

1 h ahead of Herentals

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

25,912

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 14, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of October 14, 2026: 1 USD = 49.36 TRY (100 TRY = 2.03 USD). 1 EUR = 55.24 TRY (100 TRY = 1.81 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Herentals Istanbul 2,160 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Herentals
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

Herentals vs Istanbul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Herentals is pricier by about 31%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,040 per month in Herentals 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 $89.0 in Herentals 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 33% more in Herentals, 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 Herentals at $2,026. In Istanbul it covers expenses comfortably, while in Herentals 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, Herentals makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.