Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Ballerup

For one person, living is cheaper in Istanbul: $1,550 a month against $2,158 in Ballerup, rent and utilities included – about $7,300 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

75

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index
105

Cost of Living Index in Ballerup
Learn more

Ballerup Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

Ballerup

🇩🇰 Denmark

$2,158

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Ballerup

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,550 in Istanbul versus $2,158 in Ballerup.

Istanbul $1,550
Ballerup $2,158

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,415 in Istanbul versus $3,441 in Ballerup.

Istanbul $2,415
Ballerup $3,441

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,281 in Istanbul versus $4,724 in Ballerup.

Istanbul $3,281
Ballerup $4,724

Living in Istanbul costs roughly 28% less than in Ballerup, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Istanbul 15% above, Ballerup 60% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.30 ₺609

$22.73 DKK 151

-45.89%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.7 ₺2,708

$118 DKK 788

-53.82%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.22 ₺456

$14.86 DKK 98.8

-37.95%

Cappuccino

$4.40 ₺218

$7.21 DKK 47.95

-38.97%

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

$1.68 ₺83.1

$4.24 DKK 28.21

-60.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₺29.40

$3.48 DKK 23.15

-83.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.70 ₺233

$8.80 DKK 58.5

-46.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.91 ₺292

$7.56 DKK 50.3

-21.83%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 ₺60.0

$1.99 DKK 13.23

-39.20%

White Bread (500g)

$0.89 ₺44.10

$3.76 DKK 24.99

-76.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.19 ₺108

$2.40 DKK 15.95

-8.75%

Eggs

$2.35 ₺116

$4.78 DKK 31.80

-50.84%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.42 ₺516

$15.75 DKK 105

-33.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.65 ₺280

$11.53 DKK 76.7

-51.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.94 ₺1,037

$18.08 DKK 120

15.82%

Apples (1kg)

$1.90 ₺94.1

$3.24 DKK 21.55

-41.36%

Banana (1kg)

$2.31 ₺114

$3.11 DKK 20.67

-25.72%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.1

$3.83 DKK 25.47

-66.58%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺89.0

$5.06 DKK 33.63

-64.43%

Potato (1kg)

$0.65 ₺32.16

$2.34 DKK 15.53

-72.22%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺31.91

$2.01 DKK 13.34

-68.16%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 ₺62.1

$2.04 DKK 13.54

-38.73%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.58

$1.34 DKK 8.92

-58.21%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.37 ₺118

$9.46 DKK 62.9

-74.95%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.42 ₺664

$10.18 DKK 67.7

31.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₺119

$1.87 DKK 12.45

28.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 ₺172

$2.47 DKK 16.45

40.89%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.89 ₺43.84

$3.79 DKK 25.22

-76.52%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.4 ₺3,338

$81.9 DKK 544

-17.63%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.29 ₺64.1

$5.87 DKK 39.02

-78.02%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 ₺45.70

$1.68 DKK 11.17

-45.24%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.96 ₺542

$62.4 DKK 415

-82.44%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ₺72.9

$2.54 DKK 16.92

-42.13%

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

$50.8K ₺2.5M

$50.9K DKK 338.2K

-0.13%

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

$44.5K ₺2.2M

$52.9K DKK 351.9K

-15.84%

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

$88.6 ₺4,387

$184 DKK 1,223

-51.83%

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

$11.59 ₺574

$11.49 DKK 76.4

0.87%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.81 ₺783

$37.96 DKK 252

-58.35%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.2 ₺3,820

$40.81 DKK 271

89.07%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.74 ₺1,126

$27.75 DKK 185

-18.05%

Cinema Ticket

$8.14 ₺403

$19.75 DKK 131

-58.78%

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

$1,008 ₺49.9K

$718 DKK 4,773

40.46%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.6K ₺1.3M

$5,842 DKK 38.9K

337.50%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.0 ₺2,671

$107 DKK 713

-49.66%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.83 ₺2,021

$46.73 DKK 311

-12.63%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.9 ₺4,895

$127 DKK 843

-22.01%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.6 ₺4,783

$193 DKK 1,283

-49.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$985 ₺48.7K

$885 DKK 5,888

11.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$650 ₺32.2K

$726 DKK 4,828

-10.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,983 ₺98.2K

$1,630 DKK 10.8K

21.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,180 ₺58.4K

$1,275 DKK 8,477

-7.41%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,138 ₺155.4K

$4,825 DKK 32.1K

-34.96%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,780 ₺88.1K

$3,451 DKK 22.9K

-48.42%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,205 ₺59.7K

$5,893 DKK 39.2K

-79.55%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.92

3.67

1014.99%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 13, 2026

Last update for Ballerup: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$650 41.9%

Ballerup

$726 33.6% 11.7% $76

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$260 16.8%

Ballerup

$391 18.1% 50.5% $131

Eating Out

Istanbul

$223 14.4%

Ballerup

$403 18.7% 80.5% $180

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$131 8.4%

Ballerup

$213 9.9% 63.2% $83

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$116 7.5%

Ballerup

$233 10.8% 101% $117

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$93 6%

Ballerup

$80 3.7% 14% $13

Getting Around

Istanbul

$77 5%

Ballerup

$111 5.2% 44.8% $34

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $985 in Istanbul and $885 in Ballerup. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ballerup pays 389% 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 $118 in Ballerup for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $260 vs $391 per month, with Istanbul cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇩🇰 Ballerup

🕒 Local time

11:41 11:41 AM

10:41 10:41 AM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

39,087

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Danish Krone DKK kr

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 2.02 USD

100 TRY = 1.8 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 18, 2026: 1 USD = 49.51 TRY (100 TRY = 2.02 USD). 1 EUR = 55.66 TRY (100 TRY = 1.8 EUR).

Danish Krone exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 6.65 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 Ballerup 2,030 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Ballerup

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 Ballerup: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Istanbul is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 39% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 389% lower in Ballerup. 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 $885 in Ballerup. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,008 in Istanbul versus $718 in Ballerup. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 50% higher in Ballerup. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,550 in Istanbul versus $2,158 in Ballerup, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Istanbul but tight or insufficient in Ballerup. The gap between the two cities makes Istanbul the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Istanbul is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Ballerup, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Istanbul and Ballerup 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 39% less than in Ballerup. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.