Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Aalen

For one person, living is cheaper in Istanbul: $1,525 a month against $1,890 in Aalen, rent and utilities included – about $4,400 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
91

Cost of Living Index in Aalen
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Aalen Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,525

/mo nomad

Aalen

🇩🇪 Germany

$1,890

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Aalen

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 Aalen actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,525 in Istanbul versus $1,890 in Aalen.

Istanbul $1,525
Aalen $1,890

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,390 in Istanbul versus $2,985 in Aalen.

Istanbul $2,390
Aalen $2,985

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,256 in Istanbul versus $4,080 in Aalen.

Istanbul $3,256
Aalen $4,080

Living in Istanbul costs roughly 19% less than in Aalen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Istanbul 13% above, Aalen 39% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.96 ₺592

$17.02 €15.14

-29.73%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$57.2 ₺2,834

$67.5 €60.1

-15.27%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.51 ₺471

$12.57 €11.18

-24.34%

Cappuccino

$4.40 ₺218

$3.55 €3.16

23.94%

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

$1.75 ₺86.6

$2.79 €2.48

-37.28%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.57

$2.43 €2.16

-76.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.71 ₺233

$4.42 €3.93

6.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.14 ₺304

$4.47 €3.98

37.36%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.24 ₺61.6

$1.26 €1.12

-1.59%

White Bread (500g)

$0.95 ₺47.25

$1.98 €1.76

-52.02%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.28 ₺113

$2.81 €2.50

-18.86%

Eggs

$2.45 ₺121

$2.89 €2.57

-15.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.56 ₺523

$14.01 €12.46

-24.63%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.50 ₺272

$10.28 €9.14

-46.50%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.65 ₺1,072

$16.30 €14.50

32.82%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 ₺90.6

$3.05 €2.72

-40.00%

Banana (1kg)

$2.29 ₺113

$2.00 €1.78

14.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.4

$2.13 €1.89

-39.91%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.82 ₺90.1

$4.28 €3.81

-57.48%

Potato (1kg)

$0.66 ₺32.74

$1.20 €1.07

-45.00%

Onion (1kg)

$0.63 ₺31.14

$1.31 €1.17

-51.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.27 ₺62.8

$1.54 €1.37

-17.53%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.62

$0.54 €0.48

3.70%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.36 ₺117

$9.03 €8.04

-73.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.98 ₺642

$5.71 €5.08

127.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.48 ₺123

$0.80 €0.71

210.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.50 ₺174

$1.64 €1.46

113.41%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.82 ₺40.77

$2.74 €2.44

-70.07%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.2 ₺3,228

$67.5 €60.0

-3.36%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.33 ₺65.7

$3.98 €3.54

-66.58%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.90 ₺44.60

$2.23 €1.98

-59.64%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.91 ₺540

$28.02 €24.92

-61.06%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.43 ₺70.7

$2.03 €1.81

-29.56%

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

$49.6K ₺2.5M

$32.9K €29.3K

50.70%

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

$43.2K ₺2.1M

$38.5K €34.3K

12.05%

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

$88.8 ₺4,395

$267 €238

-66.76%

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

$11.69 ₺579

$16.18 €14.39

-27.75%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.09 ₺797

$48.40 €43.05

-66.76%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$76.3 ₺3,776

$35.79 €31.83

113.08%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.72 ₺1,125

$28.51 €25.36

-20.31%

Cinema Ticket

$8.26 ₺409

$16.10 €14.32

-48.70%

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

$1,015 ₺50.2K

$524 €466

93.64%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.8K ₺1.3M

$9,506 €8,455

171.81%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.3 ₺2,636

$66.6 €59.2

-20.05%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.55 ₺2,008

$53.4 €47.46

-23.99%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100 ₺4,956

$79.2 €70.4

26.40%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.5 ₺4,630

$88.9 €79.1

5.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$977 ₺48.4K

$900 €800

8.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$627 ₺31.0K

$707 €628

-11.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,980 ₺98.0K

$1,651 €1,468

19.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,147 ₺56.8K

$1,516 €1,349

-24.36%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,095 ₺153.2K

$5,506 €4,898

-43.78%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,787 ₺88.5K

$4,450 €3,958

-59.84%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,213 ₺60.1K

$3,454 €3,073

-64.88%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.69

3.95

930.13%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 19, 2026

Last update for Aalen: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$627 41.1%

Aalen

$707 37.4% 12.7% $80

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$263 17.2%

Aalen

$292 15.5% 11.3% $30

Eating Out

Istanbul

$222 14.6%

Aalen

$268 14.2% 20.9% $46

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$129 8.5%

Aalen

$130 6.9% 0.2% $0.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$117 7.6%

Aalen

$332 17.6% 185% $215

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$93 6.1%

Aalen

$68 3.6% 26.7% $25

Getting Around

Istanbul

$74 4.9%

Aalen

$94 5% 25.9% $19

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $977 in Istanbul and $900 in Aalen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Aalen pays 185% 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: $57.0 in Istanbul vs $68.0 in Aalen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $263 vs $292 per month, with Istanbul cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇩🇪 Aalen

🕒 Local time

22:22 10:22 PM

21:22 9:22 PM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

66,503

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 2.02 USD

100 TRY = 1.8 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 20, 2026: 1 USD = 49.51 TRY (100 TRY = 2.02 USD). 1 EUR = 55.66 TRY (100 TRY = 1.8 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Istanbul Aalen 1,720 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Aalen

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 Aalen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Istanbul wins on cost – living expenses run 24% lower than in Aalen. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Istanbul the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 185% lower in Aalen. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $977 in Istanbul versus $900 in Aalen. 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 $57.0 versus $68.0 in Aalen. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,525 per month in Istanbul versus $1,890 in Aalen – a 24% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,525 in Istanbul versus $1,890 in Aalen, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Istanbul but tight or insufficient in Aalen. The gap between the two cities makes Istanbul the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Istanbul delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,525 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Istanbul hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Istanbul and Aalen 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 24% less than in Aalen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.