Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Belfort

For one person, living is cheaper in Istanbul: $1,516 a month against $1,885 in Belfort, rent and utilities included – about $4,400 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

73

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index
90

Cost of Living Index in Belfort
Learn more

Belfort Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,516

/mo nomad

Belfort

🇫🇷 France

$1,885

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Belfort

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

A single person spends $1,516 per month in Istanbul vs $1,885 in Belfort, rent included.

Istanbul $1,516
Belfort $1,885

A couple spends around $2,356 per month in Istanbul vs $2,891 in Belfort, rent included.

Istanbul $2,356
Belfort $2,891

A family of three spends $3,197 per month in Istanbul vs $3,897 in Belfort, rent included.

Istanbul $3,197
Belfort $3,897

Istanbul is about 20% cheaper than Belfort, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Istanbul and Belfort sit above the global median – Istanbul by 11%, Belfort by 38%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.59 ₺577

$16.97 €15.24

-31.70%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.7 ₺2,725

$67.7 €60.8

-19.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.39 ₺468

$13.63 €12.24

-31.11%

Cappuccino

$4.23 ₺211

$4.13 €3.71

2.42%

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

$1.72 ₺85.6

$2.64 €2.37

-34.85%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.57 ₺28.26

$1.74 €1.56

-67.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.65 ₺232

$7.77 €6.98

-40.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.84 ₺341

$5.69 €5.11

20.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.20 ₺60.0

$0.78 €0.70

53.85%

White Bread (500g)

$0.94 ₺46.97

$1.15 €1.03

-18.26%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.24 ₺112

$1.64 €1.48

36.59%

Eggs

$2.42 ₺121

$4.80 €4.31

-49.58%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.24 ₺510

$22.87 €20.54

-55.23%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.38 ₺268

$12.54 €11.27

-57.10%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.19 ₺1,056

$23.64 €21.24

-10.36%

Apples (1kg)

$1.89 ₺94.3

$2.41 €2.16

-21.58%

Banana (1kg)

$2.22 ₺111

$2.45 €2.20

-9.39%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.26 ₺62.7

$3.53 €3.17

-64.31%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.81 ₺90.0

$3.15 €2.83

-42.54%

Potato (1kg)

$0.70 ₺34.84

$2.51 €2.26

-72.11%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺32.13

$2.29 €2.06

-72.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.22 ₺60.9

$1.36 €1.22

-10.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ₺27.35

$0.89 €0.80

-38.20%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.32 ₺116

$13.38 €12.02

-82.66%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.31 ₺663

$7.96 €7.15

67.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.33 ₺116

$1.32 €1.18

76.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 ₺172

$1.09 €0.98

217.43%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.91 ₺45.18

$1.95 €1.75

-53.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.3 ₺3,306

$48.91 €43.94

35.64%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.29 ₺64.2

$7.96 €7.15

-83.79%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.86 ₺42.66

$2.22 €2.00

-61.26%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.09 ₺553

$42.13 €37.84

-73.68%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.42 ₺70.8

$2.30 €2.07

-38.26%

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

$49.2K ₺2.5M

$35.2K €31.6K

39.87%

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

$42.8K ₺2.1M

$37.2K €33.5K

14.92%

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

$87.7 ₺4,373

$264 €237

-66.81%

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

$11.28 ₺562

$14.10 €12.67

-20.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.89 ₺792

$29.22 €26.25

-45.62%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$75.9 ₺3,783

$22.71 €20.40

234.21%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.04 ₺1,148

Cinema Ticket

$8.20 ₺409

$15.38 €13.82

-46.68%

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

$1,028 ₺51.2K

$622 €559

65.17%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$26.0K ₺1.3M

$11.7K €10.5K

122.44%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.3 ₺2,658

$108 €97.3

-50.75%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.69 ₺1,978

$43.58 €39.15

-8.93%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.8 ₺4,972

$125 €112

-20.15%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.5 ₺4,661

$124 €112

-24.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,003 ₺50.0K

$765 €687

31.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$628 ₺31.3K

$617 €554

1.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,963 ₺97.8K

$1,433 €1,287

37.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,122 ₺55.9K

$1,134 €1,018

-1.06%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,075 ₺153.2K

$4,137 €3,717

-25.68%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,753 ₺87.3K

$3,029 €2,721

-42.14%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,180 ₺58.8K

$2,098 €1,885

-43.79%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.69

3.68

1005.71%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 27, 2026

Last update for Belfort: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$628 41.5%

Belfort

$617 32.7% 1.8% $12

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$258 17%

Belfort

$357 18.9% 38.2% $99

Eating Out

Istanbul

$218 14.4%

Belfort

$294 15.6% 35% $76

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$129 8.5%

Belfort

$180 9.6% 40.1% $52

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$115 7.6%

Belfort

$308 16.3% 168% $193

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$92 6.1%

Belfort

$53 2.8% 42.1% $39

Getting Around

Istanbul

$76 5%

Belfort

$76 4% 0.3% $0.3

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,003 in Istanbul versus $765 in Belfort. 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 78% higher in Belfort. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55 in Istanbul versus $68 in Belfort. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $357 – making Istanbul the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇫🇷 Belfort

🕒 Local time

18:40 6:40 PM

16:40 4:40 PM

2 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

45,155

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 2.01 USD

100 TRY = 1.8 EUR

1 EUR = 1.11 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 49.83 TRY (100 TRY = 2.01 USD). 1 EUR = 55.46 TRY (100 TRY = 1.8 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.898 EUR (1 EUR = 1.11 USD).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Istanbul Belfort 1,900 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Belfort

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 Belfort: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Belfort costs about 24% more than Istanbul, 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 $2,274 per month in Istanbul and $2,827 in Belfort. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Belfort, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $765 there versus $1,003 in Istanbul.

Groceries cost about 38% more in Belfort, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55 in Istanbul and $68 in Belfort. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

$1,500 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,516 in Istanbul and $1,885 in Belfort. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Istanbul has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,516 in Istanbul to $1,885 in Belfort. 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, Belfort makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.