Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Belgium

For one person, living is cheaper in Istanbul: $1,526 a month against $2,224 in Belgium, rent and utilities included – about $8,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Istanbul
🇹🇷 Turkey
$1,526
/mo nomad
🇧🇪 Belgium
$2,224
/mo nomad
🙂 Solo nomad: Istanbul is 26.5% cheaper than Belgium without rent, and 31.4% cheaper with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Istanbul is 28.5% cheaper than Belgium without rent, and 23.9% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Istanbul
Belgium
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.88 ₺585
$22.21 €19.82
-46.51%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$55.1 ₺2,714
$89.8 €80.2
-38.67%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.14 ₺450
$13.29 €11.86
-31.23%
Cappuccino
$4.24 ₺209
$4.13 €3.69
2.66%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.75 ₺86.0
$3.44 €3.07
-49.13%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.54 ₺26.83
$2.87 €2.56
-81.18%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$4.69 ₺231
$5.70 €5.08
-17.72%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.97 ₺294
$5.36 €4.78
11.38%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Istanbul
Belgium
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.26 ₺62.1
$1.26 €1.13
-
White Bread (500g)
$0.95 ₺46.81
$2.51 €2.24
-62.15%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.31 ₺114
$2.41 €2.15
-4.15%
Eggs
$2.47 ₺122
$4.06 €3.62
-39.16%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.55 ₺520
$15.86 €14.15
-33.48%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$5.60 ₺276
$12.18 €10.87
-54.02%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$21.21 ₺1,045
$20.71 €18.48
2.41%
Apples (1kg)
$1.93 ₺95.1
$2.72 €2.43
-29.04%
Banana (1kg)
$2.29 ₺113
$2.35 €2.10
-2.55%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.28 ₺63.1
$2.64 €2.36
-51.52%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.84 ₺90.8
$3.26 €2.91
-43.56%
Potato (1kg)
$0.67 ₺32.86
$2.24 €2.00
-70.09%
Onion (1kg)
$0.59 ₺29.31
$1.81 €1.62
-67.40%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.33 ₺65.4
$1.54 €1.38
-13.64%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.59 ₺29.10
$1.11 €0.99
-46.85%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.36 ₺116
$13.01 €11.61
-81.86%
Wine (Bottle)
$13.47 ₺664
$8.81 €7.86
52.89%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.42 ₺119
$1.88 €1.68
28.72%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.54 ₺174
$2.39 €2.13
48.12%
🚌 Getting Around
Istanbul
Belgium
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.83 ₺40.64
$3.21 €2.86
-74.14%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$66.5 ₺3,273
$55.5 €49.52
19.73%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.35 ₺66.6
$5.51 €4.92
-75.50%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.85 ₺42.05
$2.73 €2.44
-68.86%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$10.86 ₺535
$45.73 €40.81
-76.25%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.47 ₺72.3
$2.03 €1.81
-27.59%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$51.6K ₺2.5M
$35.7K €31.9K
44.63%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$44.4K ₺2.2M
$33.6K €29.9K
32.45%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Istanbul
Belgium
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$89.2 ₺4,395
$237 €211
-62.29%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$11.60 ₺572
$22.53 €20.11
-48.51%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$16.10 ₺793
$53.8 €48.02
-70.08%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Istanbul
Belgium
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$77.3 ₺3,805
$35.38 €31.57
118.34%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$22.66 ₺1,116
$20.79 €18.56
8.99%
Cinema Ticket
$8.34 ₺411
$14.96 €13.35
-44.25%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Istanbul
Belgium
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$974 ₺48.0K
$1,034 €923
-5.81%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$25.8K ₺1.3M
$29.3K €26.2K
-12.10%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Istanbul
Belgium
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$52.7 ₺2,597
$106 €94.2
-50.04%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$39.16 ₺1,929
$47.51 €42.40
-17.58%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$103 ₺5,083
$109 €97.3
-5.31%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$96.6 ₺4,759
$145 €129
-33.32%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Istanbul
Belgium
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$994 ₺49.0K
$973 €868
2.21%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$629 ₺31.0K
$850 €759
-25.98%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,024 ₺99.7K
$1,506 €1,344
34.45%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,155 ₺56.9K
$1,263 €1,127
-8.56%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,160 ₺155.7K
$4,520 €4,033
-30.08%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,838 ₺90.5K
$3,184 €2,841
-42.29%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Istanbul
Belgium
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,203 ₺59.3K
$3,036 €2,709
-60.36%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
41.09
3.64
1028.85%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 3, 2026

Last update for Belgium: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Istanbul
$629
Belgium
$850 35.1% $221
Groceries & Markets
Istanbul
$264
Belgium
$350 32.8% $86
Eating Out
Istanbul
$218
Belgium
$332 52.2% $114
Clothing & Footwear
Istanbul
$131
Belgium
$183 39.5% $52
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Istanbul
$117
Belgium
$313 168% $196
Sport & Entertainment
Istanbul
$94
Belgium
$65 30.5% $29
Getting Around
Istanbul
$75
Belgium
$87 16.1% $12
Good to know
🇹🇷 Istanbul
🇧🇪 Belgium
🕒 Local time
08:33 8:33 AM
07:33 7:33 AM
1 h behind Istanbul
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
15,701,602
11,584,008
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to TRY – Turkish Lira Converter

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).

Euro exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

On the map
Between locations
  • Istanbul Belgium 2,180 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Istanbul
  • Belgium

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 other spots: cost of living compared

Similar cities

Show times on the 12-hour clock, temperatures in °F and distances in miles?