Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Brasschaat

For one person, living is cheaper in Istanbul: $1,550 a month against $2,116 in Brasschaat, rent and utilities included – about $6,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

75

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index
103

Cost of Living Index in Brasschaat
Learn more

Brasschaat Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

Brasschaat

🇧🇪 Belgium

$2,116

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Brasschaat

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

A single person spends $1,550 per month in Istanbul vs $2,116 in Brasschaat, rent included.

Istanbul $1,550
Brasschaat $2,116

A couple spends around $2,415 per month in Istanbul vs $3,166 in Brasschaat, rent included.

Istanbul $2,415
Brasschaat $3,166

A family of three spends $3,281 per month in Istanbul vs $4,217 in Brasschaat, rent included.

Istanbul $3,281
Brasschaat $4,217

Istanbul is about 27% cheaper than Brasschaat, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Istanbul and Brasschaat sit above the global median – Istanbul by 15%, Brasschaat by 57%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.30 ₺609

$22.53 €20.04

-45.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.7 ₺2,708

$105 €93.0

-47.66%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.22 ₺456

$15.91 €14.15

-42.05%

Cappuccino

$4.40 ₺218

$4.25 €3.78

3.53%

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

$1.68 ₺83.1

$3.55 €3.16

-52.68%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₺29.40

$3.29 €2.92

-82.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.70 ₺233

$5.50 €4.89

-14.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.91 ₺292

$6.03 €5.36

-1.99%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 ₺60.0

$1.26 €1.12

-3.97%

White Bread (500g)

$0.89 ₺44.10

$2.67 €2.37

-66.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.19 ₺108

$2.15 €1.91

1.86%

Eggs

$2.35 ₺116

$3.74 €3.32

-37.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.42 ₺516

$17.40 €15.48

-40.11%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.65 ₺280

$12.17 €10.82

-53.57%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.94 ₺1,037

$19.55 €17.39

7.11%

Apples (1kg)

$1.90 ₺94.1

$2.73 €2.43

-30.40%

Banana (1kg)

$2.31 ₺114

$2.47 €2.20

-6.48%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.1

$2.66 €2.37

-51.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺89.0

$3.26 €2.90

-44.79%

Potato (1kg)

$0.65 ₺32.16

$2.35 €2.09

-72.34%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺31.91

$1.96 €1.74

-67.35%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 ₺62.1

$1.51 €1.35

-17.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.58

$1.08 €0.96

-48.15%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.37 ₺118

$13.24 €11.78

-82.10%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.42 ₺664

$9.11 €8.11

47.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₺119

$1.89 €1.68

26.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 ₺172

$1.96 €1.75

77.55%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.89 ₺43.84

$3.02 €2.69

-70.53%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.4 ₺3,338

$38.50 €34.25

75.14%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.29 ₺64.1

$5.48 €4.88

-76.46%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 ₺45.70

$2.64 €2.35

-65.15%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.96 ₺542

$24.88 €22.13

-55.95%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ₺72.9

$2.01 €1.79

-26.87%

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

$50.8K ₺2.5M

$34.7K €30.8K

46.52%

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

$44.5K ₺2.2M

$33.6K €29.9K

32.58%

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

$88.6 ₺4,387

$220 €196

-59.72%

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

$11.59 ₺574

$20.68 €18.40

-43.96%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.81 ₺783

$47.82 €42.53

-66.94%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.2 ₺3,820

$36.06 €32.07

113.98%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.74 ₺1,126

$20.22 €17.98

12.46%

Cinema Ticket

$8.14 ₺403

$15.27 €13.59

-46.69%

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

$1,008 ₺49.9K

$562 €500

79.50%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.6K ₺1.3M

$21.3K €19.0K

19.77%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.0 ₺2,671

$108 €96.1

-50.08%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.83 ₺2,021

$46.31 €41.19

-11.83%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.9 ₺4,895

$104 €92.1

-4.47%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.6 ₺4,783

$148 €131

-34.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$985 ₺48.7K

$938 €834

5.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$650 ₺32.2K

$812 €722

-19.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,983 ₺98.2K

$1,383 €1,230

43.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,180 ₺58.4K

$1,159 €1,031

1.81%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,138 ₺155.4K

$4,653 €4,139

-32.56%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,780 ₺88.1K

$2,801 €2,491

-36.46%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,205 ₺59.7K

$2,923 €2,600

-58.76%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.92

3.2

1178.75%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 13, 2026

Last update for Brasschaat: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$650 41.9%

Brasschaat

$812 38.4% 24.9% $162

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$260 16.8%

Brasschaat

$352 16.6% 35.4% $92

Eating Out

Istanbul

$223 14.4%

Brasschaat

$346 16.3% 54.9% $123

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$131 8.4%

Brasschaat

$183 8.6% 39.8% $52

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$116 7.5%

Brasschaat

$288 13.6% 149% $172

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$93 6%

Brasschaat

$67 3.2% 28.7% $27

Getting Around

Istanbul

$77 5%

Brasschaat

$69 3.3% 9.9% $7.6

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $985 in Istanbul versus $938 in Brasschaat. 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 142% higher in Brasschaat, 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 $105 in Brasschaat. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $260 vs $352 – making Istanbul the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇧🇪 Brasschaat

🕒 Local time

10:21 10:21 AM

09:21 9:21 AM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

37,190

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

Euro exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Istanbul Brasschaat 2,190 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Brasschaat

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 Brasschaat: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Brasschaat costs about 37% more than Istanbul, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,325 per month in Istanbul and $3,174 in Brasschaat. 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.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,550 in Istanbul and $2,116 in Brasschaat. That's a gap of about 37%.

Public transport costs about 75% less in Istanbul. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Istanbul, where all-in costs run around $1,550, than in Brasschaat at $2,116. In Istanbul it covers expenses comfortably, while in Brasschaat it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Istanbul costs $1,550 versus $2,116 in Brasschaat. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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, Brasschaat makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.