Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Bethune

For one person, living is cheaper in Istanbul: $1,550 a month against $1,725 in Bethune, rent and utilities included – about $2,100 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

75

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index
84

Cost of Living Index in Bethune
Learn more

Bethune Living Index

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Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

Bethune

🇫🇷 France

$1,725

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Bethune

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,550 in Istanbul versus $1,725 in Bethune.

Istanbul $1,550
Bethune $1,725

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,415 in Istanbul versus $2,711 in Bethune.

Istanbul $2,415
Bethune $2,711

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,281 in Istanbul versus $3,698 in Bethune.

Istanbul $3,281
Bethune $3,698

Living in Istanbul costs roughly 10% less than in Bethune, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Istanbul 15% above, Bethune 28% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.30 ₺609

$17.77 €15.81

-30.78%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.7 ₺2,708

$73.5 €65.3

-25.54%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.22 ₺456

$13.27 €11.80

-30.52%

Cappuccino

$4.40 ₺218

$3.16 €2.81

39.24%

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

$1.68 ₺83.1

$2.73 €2.43

-38.46%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₺29.40

$1.67 €1.49

-64.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.70 ₺233

$6.72 €5.98

-30.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.91 ₺292

$5.70 €5.07

3.68%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 ₺60.0

$1.30 €1.15

-6.92%

White Bread (500g)

$0.89 ₺44.10

$1.86 €1.66

-52.15%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.19 ₺108

$2.95 €2.62

-25.76%

Eggs

$2.35 ₺116

$4.03 €3.59

-41.69%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.42 ₺516

$21.13 €18.79

-50.69%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.65 ₺280

$12.74 €11.33

-55.65%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.94 ₺1,037

$23.00 €20.45

-8.96%

Apples (1kg)

$1.90 ₺94.1

$3.05 €2.71

-37.70%

Banana (1kg)

$2.31 ₺114

$2.13 €1.90

8.45%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.1

$2.39 €2.13

-46.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺89.0

$3.12 €2.78

-42.31%

Potato (1kg)

$0.65 ₺32.16

$1.82 €1.62

-64.29%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺31.91

$1.96 €1.74

-67.35%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 ₺62.1

$1.42 €1.26

-11.97%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.58

$0.53 €0.47

5.66%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.37 ₺118

$14.20 €12.63

-83.31%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.42 ₺664

$7.85 €6.98

70.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₺119

$1.84 €1.63

30.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 ₺172

$2.54 €2.26

37.01%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.89 ₺43.84

$1.77 €1.57

-49.72%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.4 ₺3,338

$50.6 €44.98

33.34%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.29 ₺64.1

$2.24 €1.99

-42.41%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 ₺45.70

$2.16 €1.92

-57.41%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.96 ₺542

$23.70 €21.07

-53.76%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ₺72.9

$2.04 €1.82

-27.94%

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

$50.8K ₺2.5M

$33.8K €30.1K

50.09%

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

$44.5K ₺2.2M

$35.1K €31.3K

26.72%

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

$88.6 ₺4,387

$176 €156

-49.55%

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

$11.59 ₺574

$15.09 €13.42

-23.19%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.81 ₺783

$30.91 €27.49

-48.85%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.2 ₺3,820

$34.87 €31.01

121.28%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.74 ₺1,126

$16.76 €14.90

35.68%

Cinema Ticket

$8.14 ₺403

$10.15 €9.03

-19.80%

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

$1,008 ₺49.9K

$619 €550

62.91%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.6K ₺1.3M

$8,158 €7,256

213.33%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.0 ₺2,671

$87.3 €77.7

-38.22%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.83 ₺2,021

$38.69 €34.41

5.53%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.9 ₺4,895

$77.7 €69.1

27.34%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.6 ₺4,783

$97.4 €86.7

-0.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$985 ₺48.7K

$740 €658

33.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$650 ₺32.2K

$599 €533

8.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,983 ₺98.2K

$1,354 €1,204

46.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,180 ₺58.4K

$1,101 €979

7.22%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,138 ₺155.4K

$3,857 €3,431

-18.65%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,780 ₺88.1K

$3,266 €2,905

-45.51%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,205 ₺59.7K

$3,663 €3,258

-67.09%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.92

3.92

943.88%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 13, 2026

Last update for Bethune: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$650 41.9%

Bethune

$599 34.7% 7.8% $51

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$260 16.8%

Bethune

$360 20.9% 38.7% $101

Eating Out

Istanbul

$223 14.4%

Bethune

$282 16.4% 26.5% $59

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$131 8.4%

Bethune

$135 7.9% 3.7% $4.9

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$116 7.5%

Bethune

$222 12.9% 91% $106

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$93 6%

Bethune

$55 3.2% 41% $38

Getting Around

Istanbul

$77 5%

Bethune

$71 4.1% 8.1% $6.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $985 in Istanbul and $740 in Bethune. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bethune pays 204% 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 $73.0 in Bethune for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $260 vs $360 per month, with Istanbul cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇫🇷 Bethune

🕒 Local time

14:56 2:56 PM

13:56 1:56 PM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

24,992

💱 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 17, 2026: 1 USD = 49.51 TRY (100 TRY = 2.02 USD). 1 EUR = 55.67 TRY (100 TRY = 1.8 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Istanbul Bethune 2,280 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Bethune

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 Bethune: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Istanbul wins on cost – living expenses run 11% lower than in Bethune. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Istanbul the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 204% lower in Bethune. 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 $740 in Bethune. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,008 in Istanbul versus $619 in Bethune. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 39% higher in Bethune. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,550 in Istanbul versus $1,725 in Bethune, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Istanbul but tight or insufficient in Bethune. The gap between the two cities makes Istanbul the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Istanbul delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,550 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Istanbul hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Istanbul and Bethune 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 11% less than in Bethune. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.