Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Bochum

For one person, living is cheaper in Istanbul: $1,550 a month against $1,806 in Bochum, rent and utilities included – about $3,100 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
88

Cost of Living Index in Bochum
Learn more

Bochum Living Index

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Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

Bochum

🇩🇪 Germany

$1,806

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Bochum

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

A single person spends $1,550 per month in Istanbul vs $1,806 in Bochum, rent included.

Istanbul $1,550
Bochum $1,806

A couple spends around $2,415 per month in Istanbul vs $2,869 in Bochum, rent included.

Istanbul $2,415
Bochum $2,869

A family of three spends $3,281 per month in Istanbul vs $3,933 in Bochum, rent included.

Istanbul $3,281
Bochum $3,933

Istanbul is about 14% cheaper than Bochum, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Istanbul and Bochum sit above the global median – Istanbul by 15%, Bochum by 34%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.30 ₺609

$16.55 €14.76

-25.68%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.7 ₺2,708

$79.2 €70.6

-30.92%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.22 ₺456

$12.43 €11.08

-25.82%

Cappuccino

$4.40 ₺218

$4.16 €3.71

5.77%

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

$1.68 ₺83.1

$3.17 €2.83

-47.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₺29.40

$3.00 €2.67

-80.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.70 ₺233

$5.73 €5.11

-17.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.91 ₺293

$5.15 €4.60

14.76%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 ₺60.0

$1.21 €1.08

White Bread (500g)

$0.89 ₺44.10

$2.36 €2.11

-62.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.19 ₺108

$3.65 €3.26

-40.00%

Eggs

$2.35 ₺116

$3.67 €3.27

-35.97%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.42 ₺516

$14.61 €13.02

-28.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.65 ₺280

$12.42 €11.07

-54.51%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.94 ₺1,037

$23.25 €20.73

-9.94%

Apples (1kg)

$1.90 ₺94.1

$3.31 €2.95

-42.60%

Banana (1kg)

$2.31 ₺114

$2.02 €1.80

14.36%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.2

$2.13 €1.90

-39.91%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺89.0

$4.02 €3.58

-55.22%

Potato (1kg)

$0.65 ₺32.17

$1.33 €1.18

-51.13%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺31.92

$1.22 €1.09

-47.54%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 ₺62.1

$1.55 €1.38

-19.35%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.59

$1.08 €0.97

-48.15%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.37 ₺118

$9.67 €8.62

-75.49%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.42 ₺664

$6.54 €5.83

105.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₺119

$0.91 €0.81

163.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 ₺172

$1.63 €1.45

113.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.89 ₺43.84

$3.80 €3.39

-76.58%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.4 ₺3,339

$65.0 €58.0

3.75%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.29 ₺64.1

$5.55 €4.95

-76.76%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 ₺45.70

$2.72 €2.43

-66.18%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.96 ₺543

$34.12 €30.42

-67.88%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ₺72.9

$2.06 €1.84

-28.64%

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

$50.8K ₺2.5M

$32.2K €28.7K

57.66%

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

$44.5K ₺2.2M

$38.5K €34.4K

15.56%

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

$88.6 ₺4,388

$324 €289

-72.69%

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

$11.59 ₺574

$30.22 €26.95

-61.65%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.81 ₺783

$36.16 €32.24

-56.28%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.2 ₺3,821

$30.24 €26.96

155.16%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.74 ₺1,126

$26.57 €23.69

-14.41%

Cinema Ticket

$8.14 ₺403

$16.45 €14.67

-50.52%

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

$1,008 ₺49.9K

$400 €357

151.79%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.6K ₺1.3M

$21.9K €19.5K

16.97%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.0 ₺2,671

$89.1 €79.4

-39.42%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.83 ₺2,021

$41.59 €37.09

-1.83%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.9 ₺4,896

$95.7 €85.4

3.28%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.6 ₺4,783

$134 €120

-28.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$985 ₺48.7K

$805 €717

22.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$650 ₺32.2K

$463 €412

40.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,983 ₺98.2K

$1,290 €1,151

53.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,180 ₺58.4K

$1,014 €904

16.36%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,138 ₺155.4K

$3,951 €3,523

-20.58%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,780 ₺88.1K

$4,240 €3,781

-58.03%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,205 ₺59.7K

$2,674 €2,385

-54.93%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.92

3.83

968.41%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 13, 2026

Last update for Bochum: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$650 41.9%

Bochum

$463 25.6% 28.8% $187

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$260 16.8%

Bochum

$345 19.1% 32.7% $85

Eating Out

Istanbul

$223 14.4%

Bochum

$283 15.7% 26.8% $60

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$131 8.4%

Bochum

$162 9% 24.3% $32

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$116 7.5%

Bochum

$391 21.6% 237% $275

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$93 6%

Bochum

$63 3.5% 32.4% $30

Getting Around

Istanbul

$77 5%

Bochum

$99 5.5% 29.2% $22

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $985 in Istanbul versus $805 in Bochum. 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 122% higher in Bochum, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55.0 in Istanbul versus $79.0 in Bochum. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $260 vs $345 – making Istanbul the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇩🇪 Bochum

🕒 Local time

10:27 10:27 AM

09:27 9:27 AM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

371,075

💱 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 16, 2026: 1 USD = 49.51 TRY (100 TRY = 2.02 USD). 1 EUR = 55.51 TRY (100 TRY = 1.8 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 16, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Istanbul Bochum 2,030 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Bochum

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 Bochum: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,550 in Istanbul, $1,806 in Bochum – roughly 17% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,325 per month in Istanbul and $2,709 in Bochum. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Istanbul, 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 $79.0 in Bochum. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,550 in Istanbul and $1,806 in Bochum. That's a gap of about 17%.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Istanbul, where all-in costs run around $1,550, than in Bochum at $1,806. In Istanbul it covers expenses comfortably, while in Bochum it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Istanbul has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,550 in Istanbul to $1,806 in Bochum. 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, Bochum makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.