Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Amersfoort

For one person, living is cheaper in Amersfoort: $1,065 a month against $1,550 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $5,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

75

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index
52

Cost of Living Index in Amersfoort
Learn more

Amersfoort Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

Amersfoort

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,065

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Amersfoort

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

A single person spends $1,550 per month in Istanbul vs $1,065 in Amersfoort, rent included.

Istanbul $1,550
Amersfoort $1,065

A couple spends around $2,415 per month in Istanbul vs $1,645 in Amersfoort, rent included.

Istanbul $2,415
Amersfoort $1,645

A family of three spends $3,281 per month in Istanbul vs $2,224 in Amersfoort, rent included.

Istanbul $3,281
Amersfoort $2,224

Istanbul costs about 45% more than Amersfoort, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Istanbul sits 15% above the global median, while Amersfoort is 21% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.30 ₺609

$8.82 R 145

39.46%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.7 ₺2,708

$36.82 R 607

48.56%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.22 ₺456

$5.49 R 90.4

67.94%

Cappuccino

$4.40 ₺218

$2.30 R 37.85

91.30%

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

$1.68 ₺83.1

$1.05 R 17.24

60.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₺29.40

$0.83 R 13.65

-28.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.70 ₺233

$2.49 R 41.07

88.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.91 ₺292

$3.12 R 51.4

89.42%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 ₺60.0

$1.20 R 19.84

0.83%

White Bread (500g)

$0.89 ₺44.10

$1.13 R 18.59

-21.24%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.19 ₺108

$1.76 R 29.04

24.43%

Eggs

$2.35 ₺116

$2.26 R 37.27

3.98%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.42 ₺516

$4.20 R 69.2

148.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.65 ₺280

$4.96 R 81.8

13.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.94 ₺1,037

$4.26 R 70.1

391.55%

Apples (1kg)

$1.90 ₺94.1

$1.78 R 29.34

6.74%

Banana (1kg)

$2.31 ₺114

$1.59 R 26.23

45.28%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.1

$1.71 R 28.22

-25.15%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺89.0

$1.60 R 26.44

12.50%

Potato (1kg)

$0.65 ₺32.16

$1.10 R 18.18

-40.91%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺31.91

$1.21 R 20.00

-47.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 ₺62.1

$1.16 R 19.09

7.76%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.58

$1.27 R 20.88

-55.91%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.37 ₺118

$1.40 R 23.06

69.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.42 ₺664

$1.87 R 30.87

617.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₺119

$1.52 R 25.06

57.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 ₺172

$1.96 R 32.34

77.55%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.89 ₺43.84

$1.47 R 24.22

-39.46%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.4 ₺3,338

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.29 ₺64.1

$0.29 R 4.75

344.83%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 ₺45.70

$0.80 R 13.12

15.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.96 ₺542

$14.19 R 234

-22.76%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ₺72.9

$1.50 R 24.64

-2.00%

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

$50.8K ₺2.5M

$36.1K R 594.4K

40.76%

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

$44.5K ₺2.2M

$33.9K R 558.8K

31.28%

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

$88.6 ₺4,387

$152 R 2,508

-41.79%

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

$11.59 ₺574

$37.26 R 614

-68.89%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.81 ₺783

$36.10 R 595

-56.20%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.2 ₺3,820

$31.56 R 520

144.49%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.74 ₺1,126

$10.91 R 180

108.43%

Cinema Ticket

$8.14 ₺403

$7.29 R 120

11.66%

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

$1,008 ₺49.9K

$266 R 4,381

279.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.6K ₺1.3M

$5,365 R 88.4K

376.48%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.0 ₺2,671

$52.4 R 863

3.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.83 ₺2,021

$31.89 R 525

28.03%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.9 ₺4,895

$92.3 R 1,520

7.14%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.6 ₺4,783

$81.7 R 1,347

18.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$985 ₺48.7K

$396 R 6,518

148.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$650 ₺32.2K

$362 R 5,972

79.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,983 ₺98.2K

$725 R 11.9K

173.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,180 ₺58.4K

$730 R 12.0K

61.62%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,138 ₺155.4K

$863 R 14.2K

263.63%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,780 ₺88.1K

$656 R 10.8K

171.51%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,205 ₺59.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.92

11.34

260.85%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 13, 2026

Last update for Amersfoort: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$650 41.9%

Amersfoort

$362 34% 44.2% $287

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$260 16.8%

Amersfoort

$164 15.4% 36.9% $96

Eating Out

Istanbul

$223 14.4%

Amersfoort

$141 13.2% 37% $83

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$131 8.4%

Amersfoort

$116 10.9% 11% $14

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$116 7.5%

Amersfoort

$226 21.2% 94.4% $110

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$93 6%

Amersfoort

$46 4.3% 50.6% $47

Getting Around

Istanbul

$77 5%

Amersfoort

$10 * 1% 86.8% $67

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $985 in Istanbul versus $396 in Amersfoort. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55.0 in Istanbul versus $37.00 in Amersfoort. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $260 vs $164 – making Amersfoort the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇿🇦 Amersfoort

🕒 Local time

12:09 12:09 PM

11:09 11:09 AM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

12,335

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 2.02 USD

100 TRY = 1.8 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, USD, EUR 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).

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.52 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Istanbul Amersfoort 7,560 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Amersfoort

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 Amersfoort: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Istanbul costs about 45% more than Amersfoort, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,325 per month in Istanbul and $1,598 in Amersfoort. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Amersfoort, 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 $37.00 in Amersfoort. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 59% more in Istanbul, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Amersfoort, where all-in costs run around $1,065, than in Istanbul at $1,550. In Amersfoort it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Amersfoort costs $1,065 versus $1,550 in Istanbul. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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 Amersfoort. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Istanbul makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.