Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Alcala de Henares

For one person, living is cheaper in Istanbul: $1,550 a month against $1,932 in Alcala de Henares, rent and utilities included – about $4,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

75

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index
93

Cost of Living Index in Alcala de Henares
Learn more

Alcala de Henares Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

Alcala de Henares

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,932

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Alcala de Henares

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 Alcala de Henares actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,550 in Istanbul versus $1,932 in Alcala de Henares.

Istanbul $1,550
Alcala de Henares $1,932

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,415 in Istanbul versus $2,723 in Alcala de Henares.

Istanbul $2,415
Alcala de Henares $2,723

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,281 in Istanbul versus $3,515 in Alcala de Henares.

Istanbul $3,281
Alcala de Henares $3,515

Living in Istanbul costs roughly 20% less than in Alcala de Henares, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Istanbul 15% above, Alcala de Henares 43% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.30 ₺609

$17.00 €15.12

-27.65%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.7 ₺2,708

$65.8 €58.5

-16.81%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.22 ₺456

$11.08 €9.86

-16.79%

Cappuccino

$4.40 ₺218

$2.72 €2.42

61.76%

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

$1.68 ₺83.1

$3.34 €2.97

-49.70%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₺29.40

$1.87 €1.67

-68.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.70 ₺233

$3.96 €3.52

18.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.91 ₺292

$4.64 €4.13

27.37%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 ₺60.0

$1.19 €1.05

1.68%

White Bread (500g)

$0.89 ₺44.10

$1.55 €1.38

-42.58%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.19 ₺108

$1.72 €1.53

27.33%

Eggs

$2.35 ₺116

$2.96 €2.64

-20.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.42 ₺516

$21.99 €19.56

-52.61%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.65 ₺280

$9.20 €8.18

-38.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.94 ₺1,037

$17.25 €15.35

21.39%

Apples (1kg)

$1.90 ₺94.1

$2.68 €2.39

-29.10%

Banana (1kg)

$2.31 ₺114

$2.31 €2.05

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.1

$2.18 €1.94

-41.28%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺89.0

$2.58 €2.29

-30.23%

Potato (1kg)

$0.65 ₺32.16

$2.13 €1.89

-69.48%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺31.91

$2.13 €1.89

-69.95%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 ₺62.1

$1.57 €1.40

-20.38%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.58

$0.70 €0.63

-20.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.37 ₺118

$6.12 €5.44

-61.27%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.42 ₺664

$7.84 €6.98

71.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₺119

$1.22 €1.08

96.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 ₺172

$2.14 €1.91

62.62%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.89 ₺43.84

$1.46 €1.30

-39.04%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.4 ₺3,338

$46.53 €41.39

44.92%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.29 ₺64.1

$3.80 €3.38

-66.05%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 ₺45.70

$1.93 €1.72

-52.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.96 ₺542

$23.26 €20.69

-52.88%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ₺72.9

$1.80 €1.60

-18.33%

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

$50.8K ₺2.5M

$35.7K €31.8K

42.25%

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

$44.5K ₺2.2M

$30.3K €26.9K

47.09%

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

$88.6 ₺4,387

$189 €168

-53.07%

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

$11.59 ₺574

$19.65 €17.48

-41.02%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.81 ₺783

$30.18 €26.85

-47.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.2 ₺3,820

$40.29 €35.84

91.51%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.74 ₺1,126

$8.12 €7.22

180.05%

Cinema Ticket

$8.14 ₺403

$9.43 €8.39

-13.68%

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

$1,008 ₺49.9K

$178 €159

464.75%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.6K ₺1.3M

$5,820 €5,177

339.20%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.0 ₺2,671

$73.7 €65.6

-26.84%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.83 ₺2,021

$36.52 €32.48

11.80%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.9 ₺4,895

$78.2 €69.6

26.40%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.6 ₺4,783

$94.3 €83.9

2.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$985 ₺48.7K

$966 €859

1.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$650 ₺32.2K

$879 €782

-26.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,983 ₺98.2K

$1,858 €1,653

6.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,180 ₺58.4K

$1,142 €1,016

3.36%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,138 ₺155.4K

$4,260 €3,789

-26.33%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,780 ₺88.1K

$3,507 €3,119

-49.25%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,205 ₺59.7K

$1,735 €1,544

-30.54%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.92

3.14

1203.18%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 13, 2026

Last update for Alcala de Henares: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$650 41.9%

Alcala de Henares

$879 45.5% 35.3% $229

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$260 16.8%

Alcala de Henares

$310 16.1% 19.4% $50

Eating Out

Istanbul

$223 14.4%

Alcala de Henares

$252 13% 12.8% $29

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$131 8.4%

Alcala de Henares

$127 6.6% 2.6% $3.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$116 7.5%

Alcala de Henares

$239 12.4% 106% $123

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$93 6%

Alcala de Henares

$59 3.1% 36.7% $34

Getting Around

Istanbul

$77 5%

Alcala de Henares

$66 3.4% 14.4% $11

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $985 in Istanbul and $966 in Alcala de Henares. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Alcala de Henares pays 44% 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 $66.0 in Alcala de Henares for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $260 vs $310 per month, with Istanbul cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇪🇸 Alcala de Henares

🕒 Local time

15:00 3:00 PM

14:00 2:00 PM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

199,184

💱 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 18, 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 18, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Istanbul Alcala de Henares 2,710 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Alcala de Henares

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 Alcala de Henares: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Istanbul and Alcala de Henares differ by about 25% in total monthly costs ($1,550 vs $1,932 including rent). Istanbul is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 44% lower in Alcala de Henares. 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 $966 in Alcala de Henares. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,008 in Istanbul versus $178 in Alcala de Henares. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 19% higher in Alcala de Henares. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,550 in Istanbul versus $1,932 in Alcala de Henares, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Istanbul but tight or insufficient in Alcala de Henares. 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 Alcala de Henares 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 25% less than in Alcala de Henares. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.