Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Aarhus

For one person, living is cheaper in Istanbul: $1,526 a month against $2,510 in Aarhus, rent and utilities included – about $11,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

74

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index
120

Cost of Living Index in Aarhus
Learn more

Aarhus Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,526

/mo nomad

Aarhus

🇩🇰 Denmark

$2,510

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Aarhus

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

A single person spends $1,526 per month in Istanbul vs $2,510 in Aarhus, rent included.

Istanbul $1,526
Aarhus $2,510

A couple spends around $2,399 per month in Istanbul vs $3,879 in Aarhus, rent included.

Istanbul $2,399
Aarhus $3,879

A family of three spends $3,272 per month in Istanbul vs $5,249 in Aarhus, rent included.

Istanbul $3,272
Aarhus $5,249

Istanbul is about 39% cheaper than Aarhus, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Istanbul and Aarhus sit above the global median – Istanbul by 14%, Aarhus by 87%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.88 ₺585

$22.44 DKK 150

-47.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.1 ₺2,714

$111 DKK 738

-50.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.14 ₺450

$15.27 DKK 102

-40.14%

Cappuccino

$4.24 ₺209

$7.19 DKK 47.96

-41.03%

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

$1.75 ₺86.0

$4.32 DKK 28.80

-59.49%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.54 ₺26.83

$3.37 DKK 22.48

-83.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.69 ₺231

$8.34 DKK 55.6

-43.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.97 ₺294

$8.75 DKK 58.4

-31.77%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.26 ₺62.1

$2.06 DKK 13.73

-38.83%

White Bread (500g)

$0.95 ₺46.81

$3.94 DKK 26.27

-75.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.31 ₺114

$2.39 DKK 15.96

-3.35%

Eggs

$2.47 ₺122

$4.79 DKK 31.97

-48.43%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.55 ₺520

$15.29 DKK 102

-31.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.60 ₺276

$11.29 DKK 75.3

-50.40%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.21 ₺1,045

$18.74 DKK 125

13.18%

Apples (1kg)

$1.93 ₺95.1

$3.21 DKK 21.44

-39.88%

Banana (1kg)

$2.29 ₺113

$3.60 DKK 23.99

-36.39%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.1

$3.92 DKK 26.17

-67.35%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.84 ₺90.8

$5.13 DKK 34.24

-64.13%

Potato (1kg)

$0.67 ₺32.86

$2.24 DKK 14.92

-70.09%

Onion (1kg)

$0.59 ₺29.31

$2.07 DKK 13.84

-71.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.33 ₺65.4

$2.10 DKK 14.02

-36.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₺29.10

$1.52 DKK 10.13

-61.18%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.36 ₺116

$9.82 DKK 65.5

-75.97%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.47 ₺664

$10.08 DKK 67.2

33.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.42 ₺119

$1.91 DKK 12.71

26.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.54 ₺174

$2.73 DKK 18.23

29.67%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.83 ₺40.64

$3.94 DKK 26.29

-78.93%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.5 ₺3,273

$64.5 DKK 430

3.10%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.35 ₺66.6

$5.82 DKK 38.81

-76.80%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 ₺42.05

$1.74 DKK 11.60

-51.15%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.86 ₺535

$63.1 DKK 421

-82.79%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ₺72.3

$2.59 DKK 17.31

-43.24%

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

$51.6K ₺2.5M

$49.7K DKK 331.9K

3.77%

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

$44.4K ₺2.2M

$53.2K DKK 355.0K

-16.46%

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

$89.2 ₺4,395

$220 DKK 1,465

-59.37%

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

$11.60 ₺572

$15.36 DKK 102

-24.48%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.10 ₺793

$43.61 DKK 291

-63.08%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.3 ₺3,805

$58.3 DKK 389

32.62%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.66 ₺1,116

$24.34 DKK 162

-6.90%

Cinema Ticket

$8.34 ₺411

$19.51 DKK 130

-57.25%

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

$974 ₺48.0K

$741 DKK 4,943

31.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.8K ₺1.3M

$6,100 DKK 40.7K

322.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.7 ₺2,597

$118 DKK 785

-55.19%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.16 ₺1,929

$46.53 DKK 310

-15.84%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 ₺5,083

$155 DKK 1,035

-33.48%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.6 ₺4,759

$189 DKK 1,264

-48.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$994 ₺49.0K

$1,321 DKK 8,817

-24.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$629 ₺31.0K

$969 DKK 6,468

-35.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,024 ₺99.7K

$2,277 DKK 15.2K

-11.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,155 ₺56.9K

$1,737 DKK 11.6K

-33.53%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,160 ₺155.7K

$7,597 DKK 50.7K

-58.40%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,838 ₺90.5K

$5,196 DKK 34.7K

-64.63%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,203 ₺59.3K

$4,583 DKK 30.6K

-73.74%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

41.09

3.67

1019.62%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 3, 2026

Last update for Aarhus: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$629 41.2%

Aarhus

$969 39.3% 54% $340

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$264 17.3%

Aarhus

$399 16.2% 51.1% $135

Eating Out

Istanbul

$218 14.3%

Aarhus

$402 16.3% 84.3% $184

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$131 8.6%

Aarhus

$229 9.3% 74.4% $98

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$117 7.7%

Aarhus

$279 11.3% 138% $162

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$94 6.1%

Aarhus

$97 3.9% 3.6% $3.3

Getting Around

Istanbul

$75 4.9%

Aarhus

$95 3.8% 25.7% $19

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $994 in Istanbul versus $1,321 in Aarhus. 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 281% higher in Aarhus, 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 $111 in Aarhus. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $264 vs $399 – making Istanbul the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇩🇰 Aarhus

🕒 Local time

09:05 9:05 AM

08:05 8:05 AM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

273,077

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Danish Krone DKK kr

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 2.03 USD

100 TRY = 1.81 EUR

1 DKK = 0.15 USD

1 DKK = 0.134 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

DKK, USD, EUR 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).

Danish Krone exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 6.67 DKK (1 DKK = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.48 DKK (1 DKK = 0.134 EUR).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

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

From you

Istanbul
Aarhus

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 Aarhus: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,526 in Istanbul, $2,510 in Aarhus – roughly 64% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,289 per month in Istanbul and $3,765 in Aarhus. 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.

Public transport costs about 3% less in Istanbul. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $974 per month in Istanbul and $741 in Aarhus. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Istanbul, where all-in costs run around $1,526, than in Aarhus at $2,510. In Istanbul it covers expenses comfortably, while in Aarhus it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Aarhus has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,526 in Istanbul to $2,510 in Aarhus. 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, Aarhus makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.