Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Aachen

For one person, living is cheaper in Istanbul: $1,526 a month against $1,931 in Aachen, rent and utilities included – about $4,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

74

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index
95

Cost of Living Index in Aachen
Learn more

Aachen Living Index

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Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,526

/mo nomad

Aachen

🇩🇪 Germany

$1,931

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Aachen

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Istanbul and in Aachen actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,526 per month in Istanbul vs $1,931 in Aachen, rent included.

Istanbul $1,526
Aachen $1,931

A couple spends around $2,399 per month in Istanbul vs $2,903 in Aachen, rent included.

Istanbul $2,399
Aachen $2,903

A family of three spends $3,272 per month in Istanbul vs $3,876 in Aachen, rent included.

Istanbul $3,272
Aachen $3,876

Istanbul is about 21% cheaper than Aachen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Istanbul and Aachen sit above the global median – Istanbul by 14%, Aachen by 44%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.88 ₺585

$15.98 €14.26

-25.66%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.1 ₺2,714

$60.6 €54.1

-9.03%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.14 ₺450

$11.44 €10.21

-20.10%

Cappuccino

$4.24 ₺209

$3.83 €3.42

10.70%

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

$1.75 ₺86.0

$2.73 €2.44

-35.90%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.54 ₺26.83

$2.97 €2.65

-81.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.69 ₺231

$5.04 €4.50

-6.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.97 ₺294

$5.78 €5.16

3.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.26 ₺62.1

$1.22 €1.08

3.28%

White Bread (500g)

$0.95 ₺46.81

$1.88 €1.68

-49.47%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.31 ₺114

$3.56 €3.18

-35.11%

Eggs

$2.47 ₺122

$3.46 €3.09

-28.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.55 ₺520

$14.38 €12.84

-26.63%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.60 ₺276

$11.45 €10.22

-51.09%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.21 ₺1,045

$21.27 €18.98

-0.28%

Apples (1kg)

$1.93 ₺95.1

$3.39 €3.02

-43.07%

Banana (1kg)

$2.29 ₺113

$2.32 €2.07

-1.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.1

$2.15 €1.92

-40.47%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.84 ₺90.8

$3.34 €2.98

-44.91%

Potato (1kg)

$0.67 ₺32.86

$1.49 €1.33

-55.03%

Onion (1kg)

$0.59 ₺29.31

$1.51 €1.34

-60.93%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.33 ₺65.4

$1.42 €1.26

-6.34%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₺29.10

$1.20 €1.07

-50.83%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.36 ₺116

$9.94 €8.87

-76.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.47 ₺664

$6.76 €6.03

99.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.42 ₺119

$1.17 €1.05

106.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.54 ₺174

$1.66 €1.48

113.25%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.83 ₺40.64

$3.87 €3.45

-78.55%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.5 ₺3,273

$69.8 €62.3

-4.84%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.35 ₺66.6

$5.34 €4.77

-74.72%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 ₺42.05

$2.63 €2.35

-67.68%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.86 ₺535

$36.76 €32.80

-70.46%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ₺72.3

$2.29 €2.05

-35.81%

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

$51.6K ₺2.5M

$33.3K €29.7K

54.98%

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

$44.4K ₺2.2M

$39.1K €34.9K

13.72%

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

$89.2 ₺4,395

$375 €335

-76.24%

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

$11.60 ₺572

$17.00 €15.17

-31.76%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.10 ₺793

$47.36 €42.26

-66.01%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.3 ₺3,805

$37.39 €33.37

106.61%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.66 ₺1,116

$27.99 €24.98

-19.04%

Cinema Ticket

$8.34 ₺411

$15.48 €13.81

-46.12%

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

$974 ₺48.0K

$745 €664

30.80%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.8K ₺1.3M

$19.6K €17.5K

31.72%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.7 ₺2,597

$92.1 €82.2

-42.77%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.16 ₺1,929

$41.91 €37.40

-6.56%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 ₺5,083

$82.9 €74.0

24.49%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.6 ₺4,759

$132 €118

-27.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$994 ₺49.0K

$837 €747

18.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$629 ₺31.0K

$570 €508

10.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,024 ₺99.7K

$1,505 €1,343

34.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,155 ₺56.9K

$1,037 €925

11.37%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,160 ₺155.7K

$4,432 €3,955

-28.70%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,838 ₺90.5K

$3,464 €3,091

-46.95%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,203 ₺59.3K

$3,614 €3,225

-66.70%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

41.09

3.96

937.63%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 3, 2026

Last update for Aachen: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$629 41.2%

Aachen

$570 29.4% 9.5% $60

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$264 17.3%

Aachen

$330 17% 24.9% $66

Eating Out

Istanbul

$218 14.3%

Aachen

$268 13.8% 22.9% $50

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$131 8.6%

Aachen

$157 8.1% 19.8% $26

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$117 7.7%

Aachen

$440 22.7% 276% $323

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$94 6.1%

Aachen

$68 3.5% 27.2% $26

Getting Around

Istanbul

$75 4.9%

Aachen

$104 5.4% 37.7% $28

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $994 in Istanbul versus $837 in Aachen. 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 200% higher in Aachen, 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 $55.0 in Istanbul versus $61.0 in Aachen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $264 vs $330 – making Istanbul the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇩🇪 Aachen

🕒 Local time

10:19 10:19 AM

09:19 9:19 AM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

241,683

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 2.03 USD

100 TRY = 1.81 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to TRY – Turkish Lira Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇷 Turkish Lira (₺)

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).

Euro exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Istanbul Aachen 2,070 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Aachen

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

Istanbul vs Aachen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,526 in Istanbul, $1,931 in Aachen – roughly 26% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,289 per month in Istanbul and $2,896 in Aachen. 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 $55.0 in Istanbul and $61.0 in Aachen. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,526 in Istanbul and $1,931 in Aachen. That's a gap of about 26%.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Istanbul, where all-in costs run around $1,526, than in Aachen at $1,931. In Istanbul it covers expenses comfortably, while in Aachen 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 $1,526 in Istanbul to $1,931 in Aachen. 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, Aachen makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.