Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Aalst

For one person, living is cheaper in Istanbul: $1,550 a month against $2,067 in Aalst, rent and utilities included – about $6,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

75

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index
101

Cost of Living Index in Aalst
Learn more

Aalst Living Index

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Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

Aalst

🇧🇪 Belgium

$2,067

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Aalst

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,550 in Istanbul versus $2,067 in Aalst.

Istanbul $1,550
Aalst $2,067

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,415 in Istanbul versus $3,086 in Aalst.

Istanbul $2,415
Aalst $3,086

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,281 in Istanbul versus $4,105 in Aalst.

Istanbul $3,281
Aalst $4,105

Living in Istanbul costs roughly 25% less than in Aalst, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Istanbul 15% above, Aalst 53% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.30 ₺607

$22.53 €20.10

-45.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.7 ₺2,700

$106 €94.3

-48.24%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.22 ₺455

$13.43 €11.99

-31.35%

Cappuccino

$4.40 ₺217

$4.43 €3.95

-0.68%

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

$1.68 ₺82.8

$3.63 €3.24

-53.72%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₺29.31

$3.17 €2.83

-81.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.70 ₺232

$5.55 €4.96

-15.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.91 ₺292

$5.53 €4.93

6.87%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 ₺59.8

$1.31 €1.17

-7.63%

White Bread (500g)

$0.89 ₺43.97

$2.81 €2.51

-68.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.19 ₺108

$2.13 €1.90

2.82%

Eggs

$2.35 ₺116

$3.83 €3.42

-38.64%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.42 ₺514

$17.39 €15.52

-40.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.65 ₺279

$11.87 €10.59

-52.40%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.94 ₺1,033

$22.29 €19.90

-6.06%

Apples (1kg)

$1.90 ₺93.8

$2.99 €2.67

-36.45%

Banana (1kg)

$2.31 ₺114

$2.43 €2.17

-4.94%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.0

$2.67 €2.38

-52.06%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺88.7

$3.23 €2.88

-44.27%

Potato (1kg)

$0.65 ₺32.07

$2.47 €2.21

-73.68%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺31.82

$1.95 €1.74

-67.18%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 ₺61.9

$1.54 €1.37

-18.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.50

$1.05 €0.94

-46.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.37 ₺117

$12.93 €11.54

-81.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.42 ₺662

$8.74 €7.80

53.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₺119

$1.72 €1.54

39.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 ₺172

$2.08 €1.85

67.31%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.89 ₺43.70

$3.09 €2.76

-71.20%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.4 ₺3,328

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.29 ₺63.9

$2.86 €2.55

-54.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 ₺45.56

$2.35 €2.09

-60.85%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.96 ₺541

$40.40 €36.05

-72.87%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ₺72.7

$2.12 €1.89

-30.66%

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

$50.8K ₺2.5M

$34.7K €30.9K

46.51%

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

$44.5K ₺2.2M

$32.8K €29.3K

35.71%

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

$88.6 ₺4,374

$203 €181

-56.31%

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

$11.59 ₺572

$21.94 €19.58

-47.17%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.81 ₺781

$50.8 €45.37

-68.90%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.2 ₺3,809

$36.21 €32.32

113.09%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.74 ₺1,122

$21.03 €18.77

8.13%

Cinema Ticket

$8.14 ₺402

$15.18 €13.55

-46.38%

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

$1,008 ₺49.8K

$1,605 €1,433

-37.21%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.6K ₺1.3M

$33.7K €30.1K

-24.23%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.0 ₺2,663

$113 €101

-52.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.83 ₺2,015

$46.17 €41.21

-11.57%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.9 ₺4,881

$102 €90.9

-2.93%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.6 ₺4,768

$163 €146

-40.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$985 ₺48.6K

$911 €813

8.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$650 ₺32.1K

$808 €721

-19.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,983 ₺97.9K

$1,384 €1,236

43.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,180 ₺58.2K

$1,104 €985

6.91%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,138 ₺154.9K

$4,162 €3,714

-24.60%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,780 ₺87.9K

$2,890 €2,580

-38.42%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,205 ₺59.5K

$2,782 €2,483

-56.67%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.92

3.46

1082.66%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 13, 2026

Last update for Aalst: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$650 41.9%

Aalst

$807 39.1% 24.3% $158

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$260 16.8%

Aalst

$360 17.4% 38.7% $100

Eating Out

Istanbul

$223 14.4%

Aalst

$340 16.4% 52.1% $116

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$131 8.4%

Aalst

$191 9.2% 46.2% $60

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$116 7.5%

Aalst

$276 13.3% 138% $160

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$93 6%

Aalst

$67 3.2% 28.8% $27

Getting Around

Istanbul

$77 5%

Aalst

$27 * 1.3% 65% $50

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $985 in Istanbul and $911 in Aalst. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Aalst pays 131% 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: $55.0 in Istanbul vs $106 in Aalst for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $260 vs $360 per month, with Istanbul cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇧🇪 Aalst

🕒 Local time

08:12 8:12 AM

07:12 7:12 AM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

78,271

💱 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 14, 2026: 1 USD = 49.36 TRY (100 TRY = 2.03 USD). 1 EUR = 55.24 TRY (100 TRY = 1.81 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 14, 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 Aalst 2,210 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Aalst

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 Aalst: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Istanbul and Aalst differ by about 33% in total monthly costs ($1,550 vs $2,067 including rent). Istanbul is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 131% lower in Aalst. 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: $985 in Istanbul versus $911 in Aalst. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 39% higher in Aalst. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,550 per month in Istanbul versus $2,067 in Aalst – a 33% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,550 in Istanbul versus $2,067 in Aalst, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Istanbul but tight or insufficient in Aalst. 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, Istanbul and Aalst 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 33% less than in Aalst. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.